S. A. Lattimore

“ It was for this reason that no trace of it could be perceived in the open reservoirs where it could escape as rapidly as it was generated, while in the closed conduit from the West Rush Reservoir to the Mount Hope Reservoir, and in the street mains of the city, it was prevented from escaping except when a faucet was opened. Again, in its extreme volatility we have the clearest explanation of the fact that so minute a quantity of odorous material could infect so large a quantity of water. A single flower will instantly communicate its perfume to every particle of the air in a large room. ”

“ In October it suddenly began to emit a peculiar fish-like odor, which continued until the following December. It was a very natural suggestion that this odor must be due to the presence of fish, which had somehow found their way from the lake into the main pipes, and thence into the smaller service-pipes, where their progress had been arrested, and they were undergoing slow decomposition. It is well known to those familiar with the experience of other large cities, that similar annoyances are by no means uncommon elsewhere. ”

“ The supply of the cities named is derived from ponds, lakes, and rivers; but it is interesting to note that there is no report of any fish-like odor in the water of any city supplied from the Great Lakes. ”