86 



be 10 gallons each for domestic, municipal, and trade purposes. 

 The average supply in Glasgow was 50 gallons per head, Edin- 

 burgh and Southampton 35 giiUons, the manufacturing towns of 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire from 16 to 21 gallons, Norwich 12 

 gallons, Derby 14 gallons, and Warwick 15 gallons. In hospitals 

 the daily use for patients was about 30 gallons each. 



Eeferring to the several modes of water supply, Dr. Johnston 

 said that many villages obtained theii' supply from surface wells, 

 but these were frequently subject to contamination. In crowded 

 locahties these ought always to be looked upon with suspicion, 

 and, as far as possible, their use discontinued. Speaking of the 

 supply to towns by means of waterworks, he said the storage 

 room in reservoirs should be large enough to contain from four 

 to six months' supply at least, and the site with the least artifi- 

 cial embankment, the least amount of puddle, and the least area 

 of land under water, was the one to be preferred. The purest 

 water was obtained from barren moorlands, and from limestone, 

 sandstone and millstone grit districts. House service pipes were 

 dangerous because they were generally made of lead. But a 

 lead pipe was not so dangerous as a cistern, provided the water 

 passing through was not charged with oxygen. Cisterns, he 

 suggested, should be always covered in, to keep out air, frost and 

 heat. 



The Essayist went on to remark on the purification of water, 

 and recommended the provision of fish in reservoirs, because 

 they acted beneficially against Crustacea. Water was polluted 

 considerably from sewage and cesspools, and the danger of these 

 could not be too earnestly pointed out. In large towns wells 

 ought to be prohibited altogether. Water was unwholesome 

 when it contained an excess of mineral substances, and when 

 vegetable and animal organic matter were present. Very hard 

 water was detrimental to health, and diseases of the stomach and 

 other ailments were often traced and attributed to the consump- 

 tion of water containing a large proportion of carbonate of 

 calcium. 



Alderman Greenwood remarked that Dr. Johnston in referring 

 to the water supply said provision ought to be made in reservoirs 

 for four or six montlis' supply. In Burnley, at present, we had 

 170 million gallons stored in our reservoirs. Thejpopulation was 

 77,000, and the total consumption, including compensation, over 

 two millions per day. This showed that the supply at the pres- 

 ent time would cover eighty-five days yet. When the Cant 

 Clough works were completed, and assuming that the consump- 

 tion would then be 2^ million gallons per day, the supply would 

 then cover 172 days. According to this, they ought immediately 

 to set about making new works. In regard to rainfall. Alderman 

 Greenwood mentioned that during the 21 years ending with 1886, 



