II I •i I
t
FILTRATION EXPERIME NT STATION AT LA~rRENCE ON T HE MERRIMAC RIVER.
.Where the Massachusetts State Board of Health Carried On the ]~irst investigations Looking to the Purification of
Water by Sand Flltra tion. Showing the Filtration Tanks a nd Working Laboratories. .
(Boston Correspondence.) source of disease. The gravity of the the law--it may be that he will buy
I:i The water supply of cities and towns, problem in the case of large cities has his pardon. His lawful wife does not
!: Whether drawn from a river or lake, resulted in the expenditure of enor- thirst for revenge if she can get a little
~ sad whether or not supplemented by mous sums for the maintenance of a money out of him. She is willing to
! Lrtesian wells, has become within fif- wholesome water supply either by di- drop the case if the courts will give
iteen years a universal problem of the rect purification or by the disposal her an absolute divorce and her hus-
~' greatest importance. Before that time of sewage so ~s to prevent contamina- band will give her $500. The lmsband
~luntetpal governments were con- tlon of the source. The case of Chi-
|~:~erned
|' meier
~d
;their
mainly about securing a suf-
acient quantity of drinkable water,
cities that were able to draw
supply from rivers and running
:~: Streams were considered particularly
|fortunate, until in Massachusetts an
alarm was raised by disastrous epi-
idemtcs of typhoid fever which fol-
|_lowed the course of the Merrimae
River The disease was carried by the
i: miwage with which the river was con-
:| Laminated from town to town, wher-
! ever the stream was used as a water
! Supply, down to the city of Lawrence,
| which suffered worst of all. In 1887 an
J experiment station, the first of its kind
:|" In the world for the purification of
~wage and water by filtration
|i through sand, was established in Law-
rence • by the Massachusetts State
of Health, and the L~wrence
!i filtration beds became an object les-
J: ~on for the instruction not only of the
l: Brats, but of the world at large.
~r Good and ~ad ~icrobe~r,
The co-operation of the State and
I the Massachusetts Institute.of Technol-
in the early years of the conduct
these experiments at Lawrence at
~ Once assured the success of the lures-
[ Hgations. Professor William T. Sedg-
iWick of the institute, as bacteriologist
~Of the State Board of Health, f~: eight
I~: Years directing the bacteriolog ~al ex-
~| 1)erlments on which the work of purl-
J'::)~catlon depended For, after all it is
:~: held to-day at the Institute of Teehe
!} Ilology, as everywhere else, t at th
~1:: Purification of water and sewage---un-
".~ Darified water being considered by the
J ~bacteriologist merely as very dilute
J :~Sewage~is almost solely a niatter of
| controlling the microbes, the "good"
'~| ~licrobes and the "bad" ones so that
the pathogenic or disease-breeding
germs shall be prevented from reach-
|:lng the human system while the
~. good ' ones are encouraged to do their
natural work of purification.
| : The dramatic story of the microbe
frequently been told since Pasteur
:['eStablished the germ theory of fer-
I- Znentatlon, but tKere is something
| ~nique in the accomplishment of such
| ~hacteriologistS as Professor Sedgwlck,
| by which milllons of micro-organisms
|are herded together intelligently, with
the character of their work and their
I hours of labor and rest definitely es-
To J~a](e ~i~er Water Safe.
From experiments in Lawrence 'and
the ~biological laboratories of the
Institute of Technology it has been
:~emonstra~t'ed that any river water
~tlrified by means of a five-foot finer
::is safe and wholesome, and, further,
that effluent water from proper filtra-
tion of sewage would not be dangerous
or domestic use. The records also
;have shown that since Lawrence en-
eOUraged by the example of the State
experiment station, has installed a mu-
: '~icipal filter, ,though it is still using
the water of the Merrimac River, al-
Ways more or less, contaminated by the
:drainage of Lowell--the very circum-
stance:: , that is, which caused the great
epidemic of a few years ago--typhoid
: has practically been eradicated in that
;City, although of course, it might still
be introduced by other means--bad
:oYSters as well as bad water being an
::easy vehicle for the disease.
: The lesson which Lawrence has
: illustrated so graphtcqlly not only has
WOrked a revolution in the methods of
Water supply in, Massachusetts cities
and towns but is having its effect all
the world A notable instance is
city of Alba~, which by a system
!~ af filtration has been enabled to ob-
' ~In a supply of pure water from the
HUdson River, previously a constant
cage is well known, where $80,000,000
has been spent on a drainage canal,
which, by carrying the sewage into the
Mississippi River, has revolutionized
the city's water supply. In St. Louis,
where the question of an adequate
water supply is being considered par-
ticularly with reference to the great
Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, the
river bears the drainage of Chicago,
St. Paul, Minneapolis and scores of
other cities, and yet Professor Sedg-
wick states without hesitation that by
means of filtration St. Louis can ob-
tain its water supply from the Missis-
sippi with absolute safety.
is willing, The Judge who has the
matter in hand is willing also, pro-
vided Mr. Koch will consent to be law-
fully married to his secondwtfe. Mr.
Koch says he is ready to do it.
Perhaps strict Justice calls for the
removal of this man to Joliet, where
he can meditate for a year or two on
his crime and resolve to reform. But
strict justice m not always real Justice.
Mr. Koch is as thoroughly convinced
now as he ever willbe that bigamy
d()es not pay. The porposed compro-
mise, if carried out, will be for the
greatest good of the greatest number.
The first wife will get $500. If Koch
goes to prison she will get nothing.
Jame,r J. Van Alert }au h er
\
SARA VAN ALEN, WHO MAY SOON BECOME MRS. ROBERT COLLIER.
Cupid is said to have caused a slight
disagreement in the family of James
J. Van Alen, who has- been "com-
manded" by King Edward VII. to at-
tend at court for the purpose of being
invested with the'insignia of a Knight
of Grace of the Order of St. John.
By her friends~ it is said that Miss
Sara Van Alen sailed for the United
States with the intention of marrying
Robert Collier immediately on her ar-
rival. Mr. Van Alen is said to op-
pose the match. Unfortunately Mr.
Van Alen's commands in the matter
will carry little weight, as his chil-
dren are independent of him in for-
tune. In fact it is stated that when
his three children are all married he
will be far from as well off as he is
now well-to-do. Miss Sara Van Alen
is a pretty, attractive and clever girl,
while Mr. Collier is a very quiet, in-
tellectual and pleasant young gentle-
man. He is an adept at polo and is.
the editor of Collter's Weekly. It is
said Mr. Van Alen will oppose the
match and for this reason has de-
layed his departure for England.
A Wi~re Compromise.
Anthony Koch was so imprudent as
to marry a second wife before death
or divorce had parted him and the
first one. The latter resented this.
She came tO Chicago and had her
bigamous spouse indicted. The case
against him is so clear that if it is
pressed he will go to the penitentiary,
where, according to the theory of the
law, all bigamists should go.
But, aithougn he is not a rich man--
and it is alleged often that such men
alone can slip through the meshem of
The second wife, who is in an unpleas-
ant predicament, will have Somebody
to take care of her after a f~shion. The
husband, provide.d he can be content-
ed with one wife and will provide for
her, will be a more useful member of
societ} than.he would be if set to work
at Joliet.
The recent Italian census records
the fact that there are 392 persons in
Italy over a hundred years old;
among them are sixteen monks and
ntli~8~
The Trades of tho BlrdJ.
Heigh-ho' there you are, little red
hen,
In under the sweet apple tree;
If you wanted to hide with your eggs,
why then,
Pray why did you cackle to ms?
And what are you doing out there in
the shade
While each of the birds is at work at
a trade?
Sir Swallow, the mason, is plastering
well
The house that is under the eaves,
And up in the maple that stands in the
dell
A basket the Oriole weaves,
And Woodpecker, jolly old carpenter
he,
Has hammered his home in the trunk
of a tree.
King Fisher, the fishqrman out on the
rocks,
Is snaring the minnows, 'tie said;
~nd Bluebird, the housewife, is clean-
ing her box
And putting fresh down in her bed;
A queer little architect carrying sticks
Is Chimney Swift, gluing his house to
• the bricks.
• Brown Creeper, who rented the Red
Squirrel's hole~
Is making repairs of he~ own,
And the little Sand Martin just over
the knoll
Has spaded her cellar alone;
The feather-dressed orchestra carols a
chime,
And Partridge, tl-e drummer, is beat-
ing the time.
Then heigh-ho! hide away, little red
hen,
In under the sweet=apple tree;
There are eggs in your nest and I
counted ten;
Did you think you could keep it
from me?
I see you were busy out here in the
shade,
While each of the birds was at work
at a trade.
--Florence Josephine Boyce.
At Ellis Islan~d~
Among the immigrants awaiting ex-
amination at Ellis Island recently was
a tall young fellow with a little black
bag under his arm. He was a Pole,
about twenty years old, and his ad-
mission was a pleasing and dramatic
incident, witnessed by Mr. Arthur
Itenry, and described in Scrlbner's
Magazine.
When the young man's turn came to
answer the inevitable question, "How
lnuch money have you?" he smiled and
answered frankly, "None."
"But don't you know you can't come
in here if you have no money and no
friend to speak for you? Where are
you going?"
"To Fall River first. I have a friend
there. Then I shall see the whole coun-
try. ~ shall make money. You will hear
of me."
'"How will you get to Fall River?
Where will you eat and sleep to-
night ?"
"I shall be all right," replied the
young fellow, confidently. "With this"
--tapping the black bag--"I can go
anywhere."
"What is it?"
The Pole laughed, and, opening the
bag, took out a cornet. It was a fine
instrument, and gave evidence of lov-
ing care.
"Can you p~.ay it well?" asked the
officer, more kindly.
In answer, the young Pole stepped
out into an open space, and lifting the
horn to his lips, began the beautiful
intermezzo from "Cavallerla Rusti-
cana." At the first note every one in
the great building stood still and lis-
tened, The long lines of immigrants
became motionless. The forlorn walt-
em in the pit looked up, and their
faces became tender. Even the mean-
est among them seemed :to feel the
charm of the pleading notes. When
the music ceased there was ~ burst of
applause. Shouts of "Bravo! .... Good
boy! .... Give us some more!" came
from every side. The physicians that
had a few moments before made their
hurried examination Joined in the ap-
plause. The officer that had questioned
him so sharply slapped him on the
back. The commissioner himself had
come up from his office at the sound
pf the horn, and asked for the par-
ticulars. When he had heard them he
turned to the agent of the Fall River.
boats and said, "Give this fellow a
passage, including meals, and charge
it to me." "I will charge it to myself,"
said the agent, and he took the young
Pole by the arm and led him away.
The incident was a sermon on compe-
tence; a lesson on what it means to be
a master. The trade may be music or
farmlhg or bricklaylng~it does not
matter. The man who has conquered
it, who knows it root and branch, can
point to it as confidently as the young
Pole pointed to his cornet, and say, as
he did, "With this I can go any-
where."--Philadelphla Times.
Tl~v Beqt Tops,
There are three kinds of tops this
year--the wooden top, at a penny; the
rubber peg top, at two, or three, or
five cents, and the boxwood top, at 10
and 15 cents. The boxwood top is the
most desirable.
"A top having a large wooden peg
in the top of it is not a good top to
spin," said the boy around the cor-
ner. "'If. you want it to spin properly
it is necessary4o ~cut the peg right off
with your jack-knife, The peg makes
it top heavy, and it is as likely to spin
on the peg as on the point." Here the
boy gave-an illustration cf the be-
havior of a top with a big wooden
peg on it, a~d sure an~u~, away R
went whizzing on its head in a man~er
that soon made it fsal dlHy, and so
tumble over on its side, where it laY
very still, as though quite exhausted.
"There Ls a great trick in having the"
string exactly the right length," con-
tmued the boy. "You have to gauge
the length of the string by placing
your toe on one end of it, and then
reaching up as high as you can. The
highest you can reach with the string
in your hand is the longest you can
have the string. If you have the
string longer, when you throw the top,
after winding it, the string will not
unwind, and so. of course, the top can't
spin even if you throw it properly.
Then, if the string is too short, it urn-
winds too soon; and then also the top
cannot spin. Yes, girls can spin top~
after a fashion," admitted the boy
with a half-concealed cot, tempt for
feminine limitations. "That is, if a
girl has a brother she may in time
spin a top. My sister sometimes spins
my ~op, but she is never sure when she
winds and throws it that it will spin.
A boy always knows that if the top
doesn't spin properly, it is the fault of
the top, and not his own fault."
It was only after an expert cross-
examination that the boy was induced
to confess that the first time he ever
succeeded in making a top spin he was
surprised. He had tried all one day,
and~although he had repeatedly failed,
still he persevered. He knew that it"
was a mere question of time, that soon-
er or later that top would have to give
in, and do what was expected of it.
But it was a very stubborn top. Every
time he threw it all it did was to go
wabbling off on its side and try to
hide somewhere. Finally, after an
endless amount of attempts, it at last
behaved handsomely, and rewarded
his perseverance by humming a jolly
little tune, and at last it sang so softly
that it seemed to be asleep. That night
he dreamed of tops, and the next
morning he was up bright and early at
his new accomplishment. He has nev-
er had any trouble with that top, or
with any other since that time. By
the end of the next day he was able to
take it up in his hand while it was
spinning without any manifest objec-
tions on the part of the top.
"Then there is the game of 'peg
top,'" said the boy, "and it is very
popular this year. Every boy places
a top in a rfng marked on the ground.
Then they take turns 'pegging' at the
bunch of tops. Whenever you hit a
top and knock it out of the ring, then
the top Is yours. Sometimes, when you
hit a top hard, it splits it right in two.
You are always glad to do this, even
though it ruins the top for your own
use. That is the advantage of hav-
ing a rubber peg top; if the point of
a top strikes it, instead of splitting it
only bounds."--New York Tribune.
Ths California t~Voodpecker.
The California woodpecker does not
differ much in appearance from wood-'
peckers found in other parts of the
United States. Like them all, it feeds
on beetles and worms; but Judging
from the quantity of acorns it con-
su~es it likes them better than any
other food.
It believes in "laying up" for the
proverbial "rainy day." and as soon
as the acorns begin to ripen it begins
to gather and store them away for
winter use. However, before it gath-
ers the acorns, it provides storage-
places for them by digging holes in
the soft bark of trees. Each hole is
made Just large enough to hold one
acorn, but it seems to know that
acorns vary in size, and accordingly
it varies the size of the holes. When
it finds a fat, ripe acorn it takes it at
once to a tree in which it has dug
holes, selects a h.ole of the proper
size, inserts the acorn, point first, and
with a few steady, well-aimed blows,
drives it in to stay until some future
lunch-time. Thus it provides an am-
ple supply. Frequently, during the
winter the acorns thus stored in the
trees become so dry that they shrivel
up somewhat, and get loose in their
holes. But the woodpecker keeps an
eye on them, and when it discovers a
loose one, pulls it out, digs a new
hole and again stores it away. When
in need of food, it draws one oht and
hulls and eats it: This bird works
hard for what it gets, and has no no-
tion of allowing squirrels or other
animals to feast at its expense. Should
a squirrel start to climb a tree in
which acorns are stored the bird is
sure to see it and sound a warning
note. In a twinkling scores of wood-
peckers come flying at the squirrel.
and they worry it until it is glad to
'run away.--Exchange.
Funetuatlon Important,
Properly punctuated the following
nonsense becomes sensible rhyme, and
it is doubtless as true as It is curious,
though, as it stands, it is very cu-
rious if true:
I saw a pigeon making bread
I saw a girl composed of thread
I saw a towel one mile square
I saw a meadow in the air
I saw a~rocket walk a mile
I saw a pony make a file
I saw a blacksmith in a box
I saw an orange kill an ox
I saw a butcher made of steel
I saw a penknife dance a reel
I saw a sailor twelve feet high
I saw a ladder in a pie
saw an apple fly away
I saw a sparrow making hay
I saw a farme~ like a dog
I saw a puppy mixing grog
I saw three men who saw these, ton
And will confirm what I tell you.
~Exchange.
Great Britain supplies many "Brus-
sels" carpets and small foot rugs to
Turkey.
A drowning man will catch at a
straw--and so will a man who D
thirsty,
flO
J~orda~ A~aii4 T'ru~.
Dr. Max Nordau, who ha~ lately
turned his attention to the consoll~la-
tton of large companies of cap,.S~t: lists,
is one of the most' skillful and learned
physicians of Europe. His vOry wide-
spread fame is due, however, not to his
scientific ability, but rather to his bril-
liance as an author. In 1883 he shocked
and delighted two continents with his
rarely analytical book, "Conventional
Lies of Society." In 1886 he published
his "Paradoxes," and in 1893 the work
by which he is best known, "Degenera-
tion." In this remarkably original
beck Dr. Nordau atetmpts to show on
purely psycho-physiological grounds
that all modern tendencies are toward
degeneration. He fortifies his position
by examinations into art, literature
and life, and claims that degeneracy
Is seen in all mental and moral phe-
nomena. Dr. Nordau is descended from
a well-known' Jewish family of Buda-
MAX NORDAU.
pest. He began writing to the newspa-
pers on many topics even while he was
a lad at school. He is 52 years old.
A ~Dream of Copper.
The dream that is sa~d to have re-
vealed to a young chemist in Pennsyl-
vania the secret of tempering copper
canrmt be accounted among the idle
fancies of the brain should his experi-
ments prove as successful as they
promise. It is a practical vision that
supplies a formula to experiment upon
that may result in restoring what has
for centuries been considered a lost
art.
The psychological part of the Penn-
sylvania incident does not show, how-
ever, that the dreamer was blessed
with an outright revelation. He had
long been experimenting with copper
in an effort to obtain the required
hardness that would make it cut steel,
and, like a shrewd American, he had
in view the large reward said to have
been offered by the government for the
discovery of such a formula. This
task naturally affected his sleeping as
well as his waking hours, and it was
subconscious suggestion that at last
gave him a clew to what he sought. A
sample of tempered copper, sent to
Washington, is claimed to have with-
stood every test.
A 1.50 ~i]e an Hoar.
A society of mechanical engineers
representing the principal European
machine sho~s, has recently been or-
ganized abroad for the purpose of de-
veloping railroad engines of phenome-
nal speed. The accompanying illths-
tratiou shows a railroad electric motor
lately built by Siemans and Halske, in
connection with the organization,
which, by order of Emperor William,
was te~ted preliminarily a short time
• ince on the military railroad at Ber-
NEW ~'SPEEDY ELEC~PRIC ENGINE,
lin-Zossen, when, according to reports,
it gave an exhibition that promised
remarkable results.
~Pine JVeedlez.
It having been announced some time
since that oil of pine was beneficial In
relieving pulmonary complaints it
seems that since then quite an indue-
try has sprung up in Oregon in its "
manufacture. The oil is made from
pine needles, which are stripped from
the trees twice a year. Some of the
trees, It Is said, yield from 600 to 800
pounds of leaves at each picking, a
good hand being able to pick about
500 pounds a day. As soon as picked
the leaves are sent to the factory,
where the oil is extracted by distilla-
tion, ten pounds of oil being produc-
ed from two thousand pounds of
leaves. The fibre that remalhs is wo-
ven into fabrics and mixed with hair
for mattresses, It is also used as a
filling for cigars, to which it imparts'
a pleasant quality. A notable fact
connected with the process is that it is
considered a benefit to the trees to
strip them twice a year. Those engag,
,ed in the industry are mostly Gor-
,manx.
