I'jll] on Water Supply. 103 



But I was referring to the immense difficulty that any compara- 

 tively small town has in our days of securing a pure supply of hill 

 water. So great is the difficulty that, as I have said, the Metropolitan 

 Water Board has properly hesitated to go to Wales, having spent 

 £47.000,000 in the acquisition of the London Water Companies — 

 the enormous difficulties of a Welsh scheme seem to have been too 

 great even for the gigantic financial resources of London. It is not, 

 therefore, a matter for wonder that a town like Great Yarmouth has 

 to look to some near source of supply for the further wants of the 

 town, and as I have said they were advised to have recourse to the 

 Bure. There were the usual objections to river water, and in this 

 case it was urged that the river which drains the Broads is in summer 

 the home of a large floating population in house-boats and other craft. 

 It was, on the other hand, said that the same objection might be made 

 against the Thames, for the Thames above the in-takes has, in a 

 momentary lapse into poetic diction, been called "the water park of 

 London." But here again the health of London was in evidence, 

 and in the case of Yarmouth power was taken to prevent any house- 

 boat anchoring within a considerable distance of the in-take. 



There was another objection urged to the taking of water from 

 the Bure for town supply. When the Avind was in the north-west 

 the waters of the German Ocean were heaped up by the spade-work of 

 the gusts, and when that happened at the same time as a spring-tide 

 the waters of the Bure were held or backed-up, and it was said that 

 owing to the mixing action which takes place between sea and river 

 water, the waters of the river at the point of intake would be salt or 

 brackish. It was argued that it was ridiculous to supply a river water 

 impregnated with chloride of sodium to two towns like Yarmouth 

 and Lowestoft. But here science came to the help of the water com- 

 pany. The occasions when the north-west winds and the high spring- 

 tide synchronised were of course very rare, and it was proposed by the 

 Bill that whenever such an event took place and when there were 

 more than 20 grains of common salt to the gallon (that is in 70,000 

 parts) in the Bure water, the company should cease to pump from 

 the river, and supply the town only from the stored water of the 

 Ormesby Broad. Sir William Ramsay, too, invented for the occasion 

 a little instrument. It was a small glass cell, containing two copper 

 plates. This was to be sunk in the river, and as. long as the plates 

 were in contact with the fresh river water no electric current passed 

 between the plates. But when salt water was substituted for fresh, 

 and it was sufficiently salt to have 20 grains of chlorine to the 

 gallon, an electric current passed and rang a bell. If this little appa- 

 ratus was placed in the river two or three miles below the intake, there 

 would be timely warning of the uprush of the sea water, and it was 

 explained that it could be made not only to ring a bell but to stop 

 the pumping-engine. This apparatus was exhibited to the Lords' 

 Committee, and, upon salt being added to the water, the bell rang. 



