伦敦供水委员会。
工程师说，经过两到三周的再休会，伦敦供水的皇家委员会再次恢复了询问，工程学，成员是Burleigh（总统）的Balfour勋爵，A。Geikie爵士，OGLE博士，Ogle博士，Dewar教授，Dewar教授，Dewar教授，Dewar教授G. H. Hill，C。E。和J. Mansergh，C。E。Francis Gaskell是秘书。委员会仍主要处理目前的供应质量以及可能的新供应质量。
F. R. S. William Odling博士是该主题的公认权威。他在牛津大学担任化学教授已有二十年了，并且还曾担任兰贝斯卫生医疗官。除此之外，他一直特别关注四分之一百分之四的供水问题，无论是他自己还是与其他杰出当局（例如已故的Tidy博士和弗兰克兰博士）的结合。他最近代表伦敦自来水公司对从泰晤士河和利亚和新河获得的当前伦敦供应的部分进行了特别检查，并向委员会提出了结论，是这样的：习惯性很好，在这方面，比从塞文（Severn）和卡特林（Loch Katrine）的过滤水更好，而且通常也很明亮，尽管由于过滤无效，偶尔会浑浊。但是，在检查的23,000个样本中，只有十二个样本就是这种情况。更常见的是略带浑浊。泰晤士河的水因硬性而有所不同，但仅在14至17度之间。新的河水几乎是相同的，但是东伦敦公司的水（从Lea中吸引的水）在一定程度上更加艰难，而肯特公司的供应量约为硬度二十。他希望在水中少一点硬度，但是有什么硬度使水不适合供应。 With respect to the effect of the supply upon health, Dr. Odling regards the registrargeneral’s returns as showing a steadily decreasing death rate from zymotic disease, especially typhoid ; and he mentioned that while in 1869, 1870, and 1871 there was an appreciable outbreak of typhoid at several of the towns on the Upper Thames—at Oxford, which at that time discharged its sewage into the Thames without treatment, at Reading, at Abingdon, Eton and Chertsey, and also at some places on the Lea—there was still no marked increase in the typhoid rate in London. Similarly, in 1885, while there was another outbreak of typhoid fever at Chertsey, the death rate from typhoid in London still showed a steady decrease. Most of the towns on the Thames, he next explained, embracing a population of perhaps half a million, have ceased to discharge untreated sewage into the Thames, except Staines and Chertsey. On the question of pollution Dr. Odling remarked that people had an idea that sewage polluted the river, but that which he called the sentimental objection to sewage was substantially unfounded, for the minuteness proportionately of any such addition to the river, even supposing the matter to remain unchanged, which, however, was not, as a rule, the case, removed any danger. From Hampton onwards there are from 30,000,000,000 to perhaps 50,000,000 000 gallons of water, and compared with that quantity he pointed out that a small discharge here and there of sewage is insignificant. The average amount of organic matter in the Thames was only a quarter of a grain per gallon, and that, compared with the case in other rivers, in his view, favorable to London. Going more particularly into this consideration. Dr. Odling described the results of analysis of water from Thames Ditton and from Lechlade. In the latter samples the organic carbon amounted to .303 (as as a mean of sixteen analysis) in 100,000 gallons, while in the water from Thames Ditton the amount was .164 in 100,000 gallons, the maximum results at Lechlade being .353, and at Ditton .208. Other determinations were made of organic nitrogen, oxygen required for oxidation, chlorine and total solids, and the several results were in complete accordance with those of organic carbon. He stated also that Mr. Dibden, who made analysis for the London county council, found .289 organic carbon in the Lechlade water. Referring to the oxidation of the water he said the weight of oxygen in 100,000,000 gallons would be just under four tons, and therefore the weight of oxygen in a mile of water at Moulsey would be about two tons. Oxygen has the power to burn up or destroy organic matter, and, roughly speaking, it would destroy about four-fifths of its weight of organic matter. The question whether the oxygen of the Thames water did to that extent oxidise and destroy the foul matter had been investigated by any chemists, all of whom, except Dr. Frankland had come to the conclusion that there was a very substantial amount of oxidation produced in water. In sea water there would be about two cubic inches of oxygen in a gallon—about the same as in river water. With such an enormous destruction of foul matter by the oxygen above the intakes of the companies, the suggestions and allegations of impurity in the present supply had, in his opinion, but little foundation. Further, Dr. Odling expressed the belief that the storage of the flood water and its subsequent filtration would produce as good water as that now supplied, and added that he would not recommend the use of any water which had not been subjected to sand filtration like the London water, except in the case of deep well waters which had been filtered naturally.
