The Polluted Blackstone.

The Polluted Blackstone.

The people who live in or pass through the towns on the upper Blackstone river in Massachusetts have an idea that the city of Worcester’s treatment of sewage is largely pretense, and that the larger part gets into the river in its impure state. By request of the Millbury selectmen and unbeknown to the Worcester authorities, Dr. S. W. Abbott, secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Health, was in Millbury Tuesday on a tour of inspection of the Blackstone river, to see what the city of Worcester has done toward purifying its sewage before emptying it into the river, as ordered by the legislature. Dr. Abbott, with Selectmen Whitney, Wood and Lapliam. Dr. Robert Booth of the local board and C. D. Morse composed the inspecting party.

After a thorough examination, the party drove to the purification works at Quinsigamond. Dr. Abbott looked at portions of the water before and after purification, and was shown through the entire plant with the party. A coffer dam above the purification works, which was put up to turn the river from its original course into the works, was leaking badly. The party was told that some 500,000 gallons of sewage matter escaped into the river every day without being treated, owing to the leak in this dam. A masonry dam is to be built.