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56
Chemical and Assay Laboratory, 31, Moorgate Street, London, E.C.,
September 20th, 1898.
Report on a sample of drinking water received from Hackney Vestry, on
September 13th, 1898, sample mark, " from well in Berger's Factory 4.30
p.m., 13/9/98."
Physical Characters.
Suspended matter—very considerable.
Appearance of a column two
feet in length—brownish tint,
turbid.
Taste—soft.
Smell—none.
On Analysis, the sample gave the
following results —
Total solid matter, 34.4 grains
per gallon.
Non.volatile — 28.1 grains per
gallon.
Loss on ignition—6.3 grains per
gallon.
Chlorine—3.6 grains per gallon.
(Equivalent to Chloride of
sodium, 5 9 grs.)
Nitrogen, existing as nitrates
and nitrites—traces.
Lead, and other poisonous
metals—absent.
Behaviour of Solids on ignition—slight browning, odour burnt
vegetable matter.
The sample had a Hardness of 16 6 degrees. (Each degree represents
a soap.destroying power equivalent to that produced by one grain of chalk
per gallon).
The Oxygen required by the changeable organic and other oxidisable
matter amounted to .169 parts per million of the water.
On Distillation the sample yielded—
Free ammonia,
.42 parts per million.
Albuminoid ammonia.
08 parts per million.
The sample was slightly alkaline.
On cultivation the sample yielded an enormous crop of colonies equal to
over 15.400 per cubic centimetre, a plate prepared after 4 days' yielding over
67,000 per cubic centimetre. These colonies were almost entirely of one
kind, a non.liquifying fluorescent bacteria; there were a few colonies of
bacterium terms also present. Careful examination and sub.culture of
doubtful colonies failed to detect either bacillus typhosus or bacilli coli
communis.
There was a considerable deposit from this water which was examined
under microscope and found to contain many forms of life.
The water is unfit for domestic use.
LEO TAYLOR, F.I.C., Public Analyst.