TO! ';S. v - TIIE SCRANTON TRIBUNE-THURSDAY, !NT0VEM3EIl 0, 1899. 3 ' FINN IH'HIJMW' i You Can't Make Omelettes Without Breaking the Eggs. No more can you make a genuine bargain in anything without breaking somebody's price and profit. This time it's OUR price and profit on Pianos and organs that gets smashed. Oftener it's the manufacturer. Therefore Pianos and organs at half. November is a Piano month. We have just finished our inventory and we find an accumulation of some stock, SO OUT THEY GO. Some at one-third off, some at half price, some at less than half. We have to offer some good makes Second-hand Pianos, Uprights and Squares, as good as new, for little money. Piano Bargains OneSteinway,One Haines Bros., One Steck, One Mathushek, One Kohler, One Tryon & Co., One Pease, One Willard & Co., One Geildemeester & Kreger, One Booth Bros. aninii" in We Can Save You Money. These Prices for One Week Only, Price from H T Or One Dyer & New Ens York Two Mason & H gran Bargains ughes, One Worcester, Three , One Burdette, One New Alleg-er, One Sterling. Also in, Waterloo & Estey. Tl Price from (Up These Prices for One Week Only. We have over 100 Pianos and Organs to select from, including some of the very best makes, such as Mason & Hamlin, Hard man, McPhail, James & Halmstrom, Fischer, Malcolm Love, Pease, Smith & Barnes. Get our prices before you buy. Watch Our Window Bargains during this sale. See the prices at which we are offering on the different makes of Pianos. Wanted TodayBuyers for all these bargains. Do not wait, be the first. Wanted at once, ten more Square Pianos. Our latest publication just out "True Love Would Have Saved Her," by Alfred Wooler. First edition almost gone. FINE TUNING A SPECIALTY. PliOS MOVED WITH CARE gjl$rjM ?p2$ fcpSSEg ABLE PAPER BY DR. MARTHA EVERITT WAS READ A.T A MEETING OF THE WOMEN'S CLJB. She Discussed the Question of Water Supply in a Very Thorough Man ner and Pointed Out the Dancers That Arise from a Contaminated Supply of Water for Domestic Uses. She Repeated the Old Recommenda tion That Water Should Be Boiled and Filtered. Helow is given in full the imp'-'' on 'Water Supply." read y Or. Martha Kvcrltt at Monday's meeting or th" "Woman's Club at tireen nidge: As regarding their uses for household find town supplies, all untural waters are divided Into four classes. Hnlu watei, surface water. Including! streams and lakes, ground water, in- i eluding shallow wells, iep seated w-itcr. which Includes deep wells, arte- ' Flan wells and springs. Kaih elass Is. to be studied ns to advantages and dls- i advantages, llabilltits of pollution, etc. ' From an aesthetic standpoint vv- re- ' fuse watei which Is so polluted as to be objectionable to sight, taste, or sense of smell, and our tlrst thought In every instance Is the relation between such ii water and disease. Perhaps more than any other danger we fear to encount m by means o lint- i pure water, our enemy, typhoid fever, though we all know that other forma of intestinal Infection may be due to ! polluted drinking water Th- re Is un- I disputed and overwhelming evidence that typhoid excreta may be greatly diluted and be filtered through a great 1 thickness of soil without losing their I disease producing properties. j Since the character of a water supply ', depends mainly on the character of the I nil, through or over which It pissM, I and moreover since we must regard the , loll as the habitat of disease-producing i germs, no consnieratlon of water sup ply can be complete without n consid eration of the soli through which water percolates and upon which water drains to meet river, or lake, or streams feeding reservoirs. MOISTUIIH OF BOIL. If soil be permeable moisture Is transmitted, and thus contributes to the supply of ground watei ; soil with high power of absorption retains mois ture The permeability of the soil reg ulates the amount of surface water which shall percolate through the soil. "The moisture of the soil depends upon the pow'er of imbibition, which varies with coarseness, or fineness of the rock, and Is greater for rocks which rbnslst of line particles." Haln water In Its passage through the soil and underlying rockH abstracts, by chemi cal and mechanical means, many of their ingredients and becomes charged with a great variety of mineral matter. Impurities which are held in suspen sion which are easily removed by fl. trati'on do not ndd an element of dan ger to the supply. Impurities which exist In solution nnd are due to the solvent power of the water Itself nro elements of danger. All rain water rontnlns a certain amount of CO'.'. Most silicates nro decomposed by the nctlon of C.OZ and the metallic tie ments, alkaline metals ("a, Mg, Fe. pass Into solution In the form of solu ble carbonates of those metals, Wter charged with COZ le capable of acting directly upon limestone and dolomite, and reducing them to solublo bicarbonate of Ca, Mg, which pass Into solution. The other chief mlnf-ral impurities found in rain water are silica sulfates, (hlorlds of Ca, Mg, K, Na. We know from the Tact that spring water Issues at a natural open ing that It has been eonsnnt move ment and has not .itaciMted In under ground reservulis. Little lit known as to the depth to w libit underground water percolates and .is to the causes which check Its downward course, hut It Is Invariably found that belov a cer ium depth rocks are completely per meated by water, (iround water, a continuous sheet of water, from which air Is excluded, is found below the i oeks. MAINTAINS ITS LKVKI.. This water maintains Its level Justj as docs sea or lake. Ground water is In constant movement towards the sea. or nearest water course, moves in .l lateral direction, rises and falls. The i amount of water which Ik held by the subsoil as ground water depends upon the saturation of the subsoil. The value of a rock, as a water bearing stratum depends upon Its capacity of saturation. The most pumenble soils having least storege capacity. "All collections of water In free, contact with the atmosphere, aie collections or surface water, lie the mllectl'on a pool or the ocean Itself. This water may move In rivers or creeks. The water from urteslan wells com from considerable depth nnd Is pie vented from contact with water of the subsoil by Impervious strata, Artesian wells are by nntur.il chrrrrJiels or are made by drilling to points below layers of rocks, which cut off the ground water. Writer supplies of villages, small towns l usually obtained from wells driven or dug, or fiom collections of rain water stored In cisterns, or natural springs, nnd Is delivered by means of many devices varying from the bucket to the most modern pump. The water supply of large towns and cities Is In most Instances collected into Impounded reservoirs from which It Is carried by Iron mains Into the locality to be supplied and theme Into smaller leaden pipes to places of )nivery. The Ideally pure water would bo ob talned from a source undoubtedly be yond contamination, and In its con veyance to point of delivery should maintain Its purity. If the mountain spring with sources undoubtedly be yond danger of pollution Is not to be obtained, the next best would be n water properly purllled by slow sand filtration or pure ground water supply, or surface water supply with large and Impounded reservoir, protected against pollution by properly enforced laws. Or the supply may be taken from large normal rivers, or rivers In which pol lution may be considered to have great ly vanished through ngency of sedi mentation, dilution, or other musei. Ono of the sources above named should be chosen, but unfortunately the best furnished In many eaten Is found to be water from large Inland lakes more or less subject to pollution, or is taken from upland streams, or small lakes, with limited water sheds, which nre more or less Inhabited, or front livers, or public or prlvato wells, which ara known to be polluted with sewage or other Infectious matter In varying de grees. CLASSIC!) A3 NORMAL. "For a water to be classed as nor mal It is necessary that Intake of water I works should bo so located, as to be aoove inu inuuenco or tno uisenargo of either sewage or surface drainage from urban or suburban districts. There should be no city up stream discharging crude pewnge Into river within such distance that sewagre would not be thoroughly and complete ly disbursed at the cross section df river before roachlm? tlio water works intake." "So many complex phenomena are met with In cases of liver pollution that probably no definite standard can ho adopted excepting to coimldrr all natural waters a polluted to greater or less degrees. Mouutnlu spring waters and properly filtered water being leist so." The Important practical (piestlonn to be eonsldeied In the study of water are: What are the sutotuncFs which defile the water supply? Jlow 111.1 these substances be detected, and what is their significance? Mow shall Im pure water be rcndctci, lit for us ? Substances contaminating a water supply may be organic, of animal or vegetable oilpln, or Inorgai.ic sub stances dissolved fiom soil and rocks by the solvent a-tlon of water. "The grciter amount or CO- In water, the greater Its solvent power, .tnd the wider the range of soluble substances. Salts due to the action of fields derive from decomposition of oiganlc matter on the bases In the nick." Organic substances of animal and vegetahlu 'origin find their way into water supply by washings brought down trum wnte" sheds by rain fall, by Introduction of sewage into water supply, either by di rect opening of sewers into streams, or by wilful pollution of springs, or by leakage of pipes, or walls of cess pools. Again, leaves, sawdust, vigelable mat ter, vegetable refuse of various kinds may enter the supply. "Organic matter of aulnlal origin is not of Itself more tlangeious to health than Is organic matter of vegetable origin, but it poss?sse'j great power for evil." Organic matter quickly un dergoes decomposition and oxidation. The C of organic matter combines with O of.H20.to lorm COS. while, the N of organic matter Is l-ft to combine with II of H-O to form NlU ACID IS FOHM13D. Nitrous add Is next formed which combines with those bases for which it has atllnlty, and nitrites are formed. These are unstuble bodies which are converted by the addition of oxygen into nitrates, and represent the last stage of oxidation of organic matter. It Is of greatest importance to llnd out whether the organic matter present Is of animal or vegetable origin. The aiiimnl organic matter Indicates that the way Is nen for the access of spec ific poisons as typhoid fexer, dysentery and cholera. All waters, however pure, contain a small amount of free ammonia. Haln takes up ammonia which Is present In the atmosphere as a result of the combustion of fuel nnd uuimal exhalations. Sewage contain ing urine always becomes ammonlacal. Water containing urine yields a large amount of free ummonla. 0.03-O.OS parts per million Is suspiciously high. The work of detection of Injurious sub stances In wnter belongs to the prov ince of the analytical chemist nnd to the bacteriologist. The processes of obtaining such Information being dif ficult and tedious and requiring special laboratory facilities and special training. We must bear In mind that an analy sis of water is In no sense parallel with the analysis of metals, but Is "a series of experiments undertaken with a view to assist the Judgment In lletermlnjng the suitability of wnter for drinking purposes." There exists differences In the formation of the soil In different localities. This one thing makes very often a radical difference -In the llnal detutmlnatlun as to the character of the water. As for example, "If com mon salt be found In a slinllow well In a Hudson Hlver valley, It Is dlfllcult to explain Its presence except upon sup position of contamination by sewage, whereas if the same amount of salt be found In a deep well water at Syracuse, New York, It would be accounted un objectionable." HISTORY IS NECIJSSARY. Tho chemist must have knowledge of the history of tho water. Nichols says It Is a great mistake to suppose that the proper way to consult a chem ist is to send a samplo of wuter in u sealed vessel with no hint ns to Its source. What Is called a golden rule among chemists, and Is Insisted upon, runs thus: "Never pass Judgment upon a water the history of which is not thoroughly known." The water having been propel ly col lei ted from either source of supply, or from place of de livery in clean glass-stoppered bottles, whli h have never been used before, the bullies hnvllig been rinsed and filled to oveillowlng to displace the air, then having been complete'" emptied and tilled again, a piece of cloth should be fastened ilrnily nbout the neck of the I utile nnd the ends of string which keep it In plnce may be fastened by staling. The least carelessness In collecting the water will render the report woith less. (live the date of taking of sam ple since water even thus protected soon changes. Send also a description of tho soil with which the water comes In contact In nny way together with Immediate or remote sources of possi ble comtamlnatlon. The chemist con siders appearance of watei, odor and taste, temperature, reaction, color, to tnl solids as to source, hardness of water. permanent or temporary, amount of chlorine present, nitrogen as nitrites, nitrogen as nitrates, as free ammonia, ns albuminoid ammonia, lead copper, Iron, zinc, alum, phos phates, dissolved gases. .Many sub stances render the water turbid, as death of algae and separation of their Siowth. Dead leaves, woshlngs from tanner ies, dye works, etc. Any quickly sub siding material Is to be reckoned sedi ment nnd not turbidity. Odor and taste which are such important Items of In terest to us are not so considered from the chemist's standpoint, since It has been found by analylsts that a good water may possess a marshy odor. While a dangerous water may be taste less and odorless. In the report of the Massachusetts Hoard of Health, 1ST!), may be found this: "The lower forms of animal and vegetable life giving by their death odors described us musty, fishy, horse-pond and the like, however objectionable from nn aesthetic stand point, are not productive of disease. When the small plants themselves are swallowed they art chiefly In a me chanical way, like unripe fruit In cnus Ing diarrhoea. The filtered water Is harmless." AHOl'T Fit Hi: ACIDS. I'nless water contains free add usually sulfuric, and this occurs in innnufucturlng centers and In coal re gions, and Is washed down by the rains, the leactlon of the water is alkaline. Water of all dogices of hardness and varletv of color and turbidity are due to material dissolved or suspended In the water derived from the strata through which It has passed. Perman ent hardness of water Is due to sul fates of calcium and magnesium, and does not disappear upon boiling. Tem porary hardness of water is due to Carbonates of Ca and Mg held In solu tion by C02 present in the water. Hull ing expells COl and the salt3 separate fiom the water and the hardness dis appears. Chlorln in water Is Indica tion of contamination by sewage un less Its presence can be explained as having been wnshed from air or soil. Mallet says: "I am Inclined to attach special and very great importance to the careful determination of nitrites and nitrates in water to be used for drinking purposes, and this because th ir presence Is always an Indication of contamination." Nitrites nre al ways suspicious If found In ground or surface water. However, the absence ol nitrites proves nothing. Mason dte3 a case In which a most foul cis tern water showed Upon annly.sls but a trace of nitrites and nitrates, and yet the water was contaminated, with en tire house drainage, and nroduced most serious Illness. This case shows plain ly the necesslt" for the chemist to use his judgment, to know the history of the water and to make actual Inspec tion of premises In order that a correct ludgmcnt may be arrived at. "Nitrates Indicate putiefnctlon of animal rather than of vegetables tissue on account of a greater amount of oxy gen In animal tissue and because of Its more ready 'decomposition. Surface and ground wnter of good qualltv are low in nitrates, for the reason that such material Is quickly absorbed by grow ing vegetation." So-called albuminoid ummonla does not exist ready formed 111 water, but Is a product of the de composition of organic nitrogenous substances by alkaline permanganate. (The term Is derived from the fact that ablumln gives off ammonia In like manner when similarly treated. Dr. Smart believes that a water which in the third or fourth measure of dlstl lation gives n persistent evolution of free ammonia which is followed In the progress of the experiment by a per sistence of twice that quantity of nl bumlnold nmmonla probabl- contains uren which Is the chief solid constitu ent of urine, and the pilncipal nitro genous end-product of tissue change. NITRITES FORMED. "Nitrites are formed at the expense of ammonia and they In their turn are converted Into nitrates by further oxi dation." Lead and popper and zinc be cause of their distinctly poisonous pro perties arc most objectionable constit uents of the water supply. Iron, If In considerable quantity. Is also objection able. Phosphates are never present in more than minute traces In water fit for domestic use, but are always; pres ent In contaminated watei'. Hacterla under very advorse condi tions may be transported by flbwing water to very "rent distances without losing their vitality, and thus It be comes necessary in a complete analysis of water to make bacteriological exam ination of wuter for the discovery of possible germ contamination. Nichols says "In the matter of determining tho suitability of a stream for city supply the service of the bacteriologist should be unquestionably secured." Dr. Du Pro has painted out that chemistry an ticipates what may happen in the fu ture, und by timely advice may pre vent an outbreak of disease, while on the other hand the discovery of disease germs in a water Is only possible after the watei' is infected. Hacterlology Is of special value and greatly superior to chemistry for the testing of filters and watching the var iatlon in their efficiency. Numerous bacteria In wnter Indicate that there Is food for their substenonce since they cannot live without nourishment, and this food Is usually supplied bv sewage. Ordinary boiling for a half hour will destroy 99 per cent, of all bacterial life, and that which remains Is harmless. Since Ice entels so largely Into the drinking water in general usage, and because It is popularly supposed that freezing destroys germs,' nnd because this has been proven absolutely Incor rect, it seems wise In this connection to speak of lee. and to point outfits danger. Ice, If cut from a stream whose Mow ing water Is suitable for drinking pur poses, may with safety lie used In cool ing wnter. Artl'Mal Ire made fro i distilled water contnlns no element of danftei. Unfortunately In many In stances Ice is cut from any place where It Is found of sulllcient thickness to make It seem worth while t take it. notwithstanding the wnter of sueii place Is so Impuie that the most ignor ant would not drink of It. In conclusion 1 cannot give more timely nor more Useful advice than to reneat to vim the words o' that most accomplished physician Hippocrates, which are repeated In these dnys so of ten without referehce til their distin guished author, and which consti'uto our bulwork of defense In all times fit danger 'rum poisons of typhoid ft er and cholera, and with which you are ad m lomlllar. repeating them when ever you iiv, "Water should be boiled and filter. 'd" Mr. Reuben Haines offered the fnl Inwlnrt figures representing the aver ages of III different determinations of uncontnmlnated waters anil recom mended them ns standards for puro waters In the neighborhood of Philadel phia. Parts per million: Free ainonla o.O.ll Albuminoid nmonla P. int. Chlorln 11.!', Nitrogen as nitrates .".a".", Total Solids, l2r,,T - ii d i l i i d di d $ i d d di d d i Sl di l d d i t d d i f ii i J J-- OF ja. Sir: w A family of five, living on the outskirts of the city will pay annually net less than ft- Wilms FOR CAR FARE ?SSi hoS? t,le Rent f6rl Ten years' saving of this expense vill pay for a home oh the f. 1 DIAMOND PLOT, in the heart of the city, and within a few minutes' walk of j H the Court House and Lackawanna Avenue. - ' Buy now, while you can get in on the ground floor "ST. s 5S" THE BSMID Lift AiO IMPROVEMENT GOMPASYl ALEX. T. CONNELL, General Land Agent mym V i,