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(ii.) Filtration.—In some cases the water is filtered before use, and in a few instances the
most approved forms of filter are employed; in others, reliance is placed upon charcoal, etc.; in one
case, in which this latter condition of things obtained, I was told that the filter was only cleansed at
intervals of some months. The filtration, designed as a safeguard, must in this case have been a
source of added risk.
In special instances distilled water is charged with gas and sold as aerated water, some customers
insisting upon distillation as a sine qua non.
(iii.) Storage tanks.—A frequent source of impurity in small bottling establishments was
found to be the interposition of a receptacle between the water main and the cylinder in which the
gas and water are mixed. In some of the forms of apparatus, in common use in East London, the
water from the main is conveyed directly into the mixing cylinder; under such circumstances the
question whether the said cylinder is placed in a position in which it is remote from any source of
aerial contamination, is clearly less important than is the case when the water is first passed into a jar
or cistern and then pumped into the cylinder. As a rule, when this latter condition of things was
found to exist, the jar or cistern was kept covered and was fairly clean, but in a few instances
particles of dust, soot, etc., were seen floating on the water, the state of cleanliness of the receptacle
itself was not beyond criticism, and the atmosphere in which the water stored was being kept was a
polluted one; thus in one case, bottling operations were being carried on in one part of a shed, another
part of which was being used as a stable, and the water, before passing into the mixing cylinder,
was exposed in a receptacle and was immediately in contact with the stable air, highly charged with
ammonia and presumably with other impurity, inasmuch as there was an accumulation of dung in
the shed, not far away from the bottling apparatus. In numerous instances the apparatus used was
placed in the back yard in near proximity to the water-closet; in some cases the cylinder and the
receptacle for storing water were found in an ill-ventilated cellar, or in a dark partitioned-off space
behind the shop ; twice I found the apparatus within a bedroom, in one instance a storage receptacle
was used, in the other the cylinder was supplied directly from the main.
(iv.) Cylinders, etc.—The question of the cleanliness of cylinders and mixers and of their
liability to contribute metallic impurity to the water, is an important one. Inasmuch as water is
almost continuously circulating through the tubes, pipes and various parts of the apparatus, it might
be thought that there was little opportunity for collection of sediment. As a matter of fact, it
has been found in some instances that the water from a cylinder has become so turbid that it has been
necessary to have the cylinder washed out, and. from time to time, cylinders are sent back to the maker
to be retinned, or to have defects in their tin lining repaired. One manufacturer held it was necessary
this should be done only every four years, others found it desirable to have the cylinder examined at
much shorter intervals in order to prevent leakage. I was told by a manufacturer, who had never found
it necessary to have his apparatus overhauled, that the water must be quite free from impurity, as if
this were not the case it would block the pump, and no difficulty had ever arisen on this score. The
trade appears to be particularly alive to the need of taking precautions to prevent lead poisoning; the
use of copper cylinders lined with tin is said to be found satisfactory, provided the lining remains
intact; all piping, etc., liable to be acted upon by the water needs also to be protected. The use of
glass tubing has in some cases been tried, and the substitution of wooden for metal receptacles has
been advocated. It may be noted that the liquid carbonic acid which is supplied in cylinders seems
to be, in all instances, taken upon trust by those who use it; in the absence of proper precautions it
is, however, conceivable that impurity might be communicated to the aerated water by this means,
though the contingency is probably a remote one.
(v.) Cleansing of bottles.—This is an all-important question. The ordinary practice is to first
soak the bottles in a tank of warm water; in the large establishments steam is laid on to these tanks.
In many instances an apparatus, containing a number of trays disposed radially around a horizontal
central axis which revolves, is used, and as a tray comes to the surface the bottles in it are removed and
cleansed; the tray is then filled once again with bottles and caused to descend into the warm water,
the tray next in order being dealt with. The water in which bottles are soaked becomes "very gummy"
and labels and flies may be found floating upon the surface; in some cases fresh water is continually
running into the tank, in others the water is only changed once a day, or less frequently. I was
informed, in one instance, that the water of the soaking tank was changed once every two days in
winter, but had to be changed once a day in summer, on account of the flies. When the bottle is
removed, after the preliminary soaking, its interior is brushed with a revolving brush and the bottle
is then placed on one of the columns of a rack. Each of these columns has, as a rule, an aperture at
its extremity through which a forcible jet of pure water is discharged, for a few seconds, into the
bottle, which is then allowed to stand in order to drain.
The revolving brushes which are used are renewed once every two or three days, sometimes
more frequently. Many of the bottles brought to the works are in a very dirty condition,
some come from dust depots, some have been used for holding dirty liquids. Special difficulty is
experienced in dealing with those which have contained paraffin or other oily material. In not a few
instances the bottle is destroyed; it is not worth while to attempt to cleanse it. A good deal of care
is exercised as a rule in eliminating bottles of doubtful character. In large factories each bottle before
being consigned to the tank for washing, must be "passed" by a girl, who, taking up bottle after
bottle in rapid succession, holds them momentarily to her nose, and passes them on. The rapidity
with which this process of "passing" bottles is conductod, makes it doubtful whether a very slight
degree of offensiveness would be detected. It is especially desirable, it appears, to discard the bottles
which have held paraffin, as the admission of one such bottle to a tank is a serious matter. The
manufacturer already referred to, who changed the tank water every two days in winter, regretfully
stated that he was sometimes compelled to change the whole of the water, by reason of the fact that
such a bottle had obtained access to it. Again, if a dirty bottle is placed over the revolving brush,
it may be deemed necessary to renew the brush forthwith, and this is therefore a contingency against