26 PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES HISTORICAL. 



In London, England, as early as 1235 water was brought to the 

 city in lead pipes and masonry conduits. However, only a small 

 portion of the city was thus suijplied. In the latter half of the 

 sixteenth century a pump, to be operated by the current, was 

 placed on London bridge, for the purpose of supplying part of the 

 city with water through lead pipes. They had yet to learn about 

 lead i^oisoning. 



In the beginning of the 17th century the New River Company 

 was incorporated and began to lay wooden pipes throughout the 

 streets. The people were notified as to the time of the day that 

 the Company intended to turn on the water and governed them- 

 selves accordingly, for the supply was as yet intermittent. 



In the eighteenth century came the steam pump which gave a 

 great impetus to the development of water-works systems. 

 London was the first to vise it in 1761, and later in 1781 a steam 

 pump was erected in Paris. In 1800 steam was used for pumping 

 in Philadelphia, and about this time Germany also became in- 

 terested . 



The water supply of London, England, was not brought under 

 municipal control until 1904 and the New River Company still 

 supplies a part of London. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD WATER. 



Remembering that the New River Company was incorporated 

 in 1619 and that the plague took place in 1664-5 one cannot help 

 wondering to what extent the water- works system was responsible 

 for a death rate as high as 30,000 in one month. 



Canada and the United States use on the average three times as 

 many gallons per capita per day as the various municipaliti' s 

 of Europe, and it is also worthy of note that we have on the 

 average five times as many deaths from typhoid. We have 

 made great efforts to get plenty of water, but it has 

 concerned us but little, evidently, whether it was good or bad. 



Toronto continues to get water from Lake Ontario just below 

 her sewage outlet, notwithstanding the fact that she had been 

 warned repeatedly, her attention being drawn to the fact that the 

 direction of the current is such as must bring the sew^age to the 

 intake. Ottawa can only look back on the past year and say that 

 she is sorry, but yet she was not sorry enough to stop the coming 



