256 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Voi.. XXVII, 1920 
to the counties of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Devonshire and Sussex. 
About the middle of January, 1919, the laboratory was closed 
and the writer ordered back to Paris. Here he was engaged in 
office work for a time, then sent into the Department of the 
Marne to work on evaluation of war damages to water plants 
and sewage systems for the Peace Commission. On the abrupt 
termination of this work, he attended the University of Rennes 
for a month and was then ordered to duty as officer in charge 
of the Water Analysis Laboratory, American Embarkation Center 
at Le Mans. 
At this time the troops were going home and Le Mans with its 
eight outlying divisional areas was a busy place. The Water 
Laboratory was housed in an old French garage. It had two 
rooms, one of which was used as an office. The personnel con- 
sisted of the writer, three second lieutenants, two first class ser- 
geants, a wagoner and five privates. There were two motorcycles 
with side-cars assigned to the laboratory and two Fords from the 
transportation pool were used in addition. The laboratory opened 
a ‘"sterilab” purification truck, controlled the operation of the 
United States Filter Plant at Pontlieu and supervised the chlori- 
nation of water by six chlorinating machines at other places. 
Close watch was kept on the quality of the water produced by 
the Le Mans City Water Plant at L’Epau. Much effort was ex- 
pended, in the attempt to check up the chlorination of water in 
Lyster bags by the various transient organizations. This checking 
consisted largely of tests for free chlorine by means of potassium 
iodide and starch or orthotolidine. Samples showing no free 
chlorine were bacteriologically examined. Experience showed the 
utility of the rule to consider all water contaminated and there- 
fore unsafe for use without chlorination. There was one small 
typhoid outbreak believed to be due to the drinking of spring 
water contaminated by use as a lavoir. 
The Water Analysis Section at Le Mans had in addition to the 
laboratory facilities in the French garage, both a mobile laboratory 
truck and a sterilab. The equipment of both of these mobile 
units was quite complete for the work they were designed to do. 
They had incubators, hot air sterilizers, Arnold sterilizers and 
autoclaves in addition to an ample stock of glassware and chemi- 
cals well packed in partitioned drawers lined with canton flannel. 
The mobile laboratory was mounted on a White-truck chassis, 
while the sterilab was mounted on a Pierce-Arrow truck chassis. 
In addition to the laboratory equipment the sterilab carried 
