View report page

20
After having undergone filtration in the reservoir at Messrs. M'Murray's
paper-mills it is seen to contain ¾ths less organic matter, but still a considerable
amount, shewing that when in solution it is not all removable by
the ordinary means of artificial filtration.
Southtwark and Vauxhall Company.—The town as yet derives but a
limited supply from this source. This water, derived from Hampton, is
now one of the best supplied to the metropolis.
Lambeth Company.—A very few houses are supplied with this water
which is almost identical with the preceding.
Artesian Rorinqs.—These are true springs, derivable from the chalk
strata. The waters obtained from them are the purest which have come
under my notice, especially that derived from the well at Messrs, Young
and Bainbridge's brewery, which is unexceptionable, and remarkable for
its great softness. The boring at Summers Town furnishes a constant
flow ol about 46,000 gallons daily, half of which runs to waste.
The facts indicated by this table and those which have been adduced in
relation to the subject lead to the following conclusions; —
I. That the Thames and Wandle water is so polluted by sewage as to
endanger the health and lives of those consuming it.
II. That the water derived from the surface wells of the town possesses
an excessive amount of hardness, and is liable to dangerous pollution by
percolation from cesspools, drains, and other surface impurities, and that
therefore these sources of supply ought to be interdicted.
III. That at a moderate calculation, 2-3rds of the inhabitants of the
parish are consuming water which is prejudicial to health.
It would therefore appear highly necessary that this parish (or it might
be this district), should furnish itself with a uniform supply of unexceptionable
quality. With a view to facilitate that inquiry into the subject
which I trust it will receive, perhaps I may be allowed to mention the
most essential points for consideration involved in the selection of a water
for dietetic and general domestic use. These are twofold, sanitary and
economic.
With reference to the first and most important, a constant supply,
unexceptionable in quality and unlimited in quantity, should be ensured.
The second is also of great importance and may be said to pertain to the
former, for in this respect cheapness and abundance are almost convertible
terms: but, independently of its sanitary bearing, few will be disposed to
deny that of all God's gifts which admit of equal distribution to the rich
and poor—this daily food—this vital necessity—should be the cheapest
and the most easily procurable.
The hardness of water has a direct bearing upon this part of the question;
a very considerable loss of money is sustained by the use of hardwater
for washing and for the making of tea. In washing with hard
water a certain amount of soap is destroyed before a lather can be effected,
or, in other words, before its cleansing power is established. The amount
so lost, varying with the quality of the soap, bears an exact proportion to
the quantity of salts of lime and magnesia which the water contains, and
is due to a combination of the lime and magnesia with the acids of the
soap forming an insoluble compound (popularly called curd). Such effect
is experienced by every housewife who knows also that more tea is
required to make an infusion of given strength with hard water than soft;