74 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
than 100 growing on agar would mean that 53 per cent of the 
waters examined were unsatisfactory. 
One hundred and nine positive tests for gas formation were 
obtained in 67 samples examined after May 1. Ninety-one, 
or 83 per cent of these were shown by the confirmatory tests 
to contain B. coli. 
Twenty of the 67 waters were shown to be unsatisfactory 
by both standard for B. coli and agar count of the Commis- 
sion on Standards of Purity for Common Carriers. Four 
more did not conform to the B. coli standard alone and 24 
more did not conform to the agar count standard, making a 
total of 49 of 67 samples or 73 per cent which did not conform 
to the standards set by the Commission. 
While our methods differ from Creel (Hygienic Laboratory 
Bulletin 100, 43-57), the results judged by the B. coli stand- 
ard are similar, showing that a better water is found on sleep- 
ing cars and parlor cars and the poorer water is found on 
coaches and smoking cars. 
Mr. W. W. Hanford of the Illinois State Water Survey is 
making a study of the character of the water supplied to rail- 
way trains from points in Illinois. As time permits we ex- 
pect to make more analyses of samples of water taken from 
trains. An improvement is to be expected as the railway of- 
ficials are endeavoring to improve conditions as rapidly as 
possible. 
Credit must be given to the members of the laboratory staff 
of the Illinois State Water Survey for the work which is de- 
scribed in this article. 
(A table showing the results of the 102 analyses is published 
in the Journal of the American Water Works Association for 
March, 1915, and in Bulletin 12 of the Illinois State Water 
Survey. ) 
