Ingua

“ The water from which the salt is extracted is pumped up from wells sunk in all directions round the place, and is conducted by pipes and channels into extensive pans, where, exposed to the action of the sun and air, the process of evaporation is soon completed. ”

“ Water, in the chemical meaning of the word, is a liquid composed only of hydrogen and oxygen, and leaving no residue when evaporated. Such water is not found in nature; it can only be obtained by distillation of well or river water. The water which falls in long continued rain, or is obtained by melting snow, is most nearly like distilled water; it contains only small quantities of dissolved substances, and generally such as would be without influence in colour making. ”

“ Why our Drinking Water is Likely to be Impure. Every drop of water that we drink or use, fell somewhere on the surface of the earth, in the form of rain or snow; and if we wish to find out whether it is pure and safe, we must trace its course through the soil, or the streams, from the point where it fell. ”

“ In towns the rain carries down with it blacks, dust, and organic matter in suspension in the air. Rivers are probably the most usual sources of supply for our drinking-waters, and where due care is exercised to prevent contamination from sewers, factories, etc., this variety of water is one of the least objectionable. ”

“ But if you ask whether it is wise to drink water into which you have put sewage, knowing that you have no means of getting that sewage out of it, that is a question which any one can answer for himself, assuming always the injurious character of sewage. ”

“ We have also pools, of which some do strain fresh water out of salt; and others by art do turn fresh water into salt. We have also some rocks in the midst of the sea, and some bays upon the shore for some works, wherein is required the air and vapor of the sea. ”

“ WaterWater helps to regulate the concentration of the minerals in the body and carries food to the tissues by holding the food materials in solution in the body fluids. It also is invaluable in helping to carry off the body’s wastes and assists in regulating the body temperature. Four to eight glasses of pure water every day make for health. ”

“ River-water is in general purer than spring-water; as the neutral salts washed down from the earth decompose each other, except perhaps the marine salt; and the earths, with which spring-water frequently abounds, is precipitated; yet it is not improbable, that the calcareous earth dissolved in the water of many springs may contribute to our nourishment, as the water from springs, which contain earth, is said to conduce to enrich those lands, which are flooded with it, more than river water. ”

“ REMARKS ON THE Effect of different Kinds of Waters IN THEIR APPLICATION TO DOMESTIC ECONOMY AND THE ARTS; AND METHODS OF ASCERTAINING THEIR PURITY.
It requires not much reflection to become convinced that the waters which issue from the recesses of the earth, and form springs, wells, rivers, or lakes, often materially differ from each other in their taste and other obvious properties. There are few people who have not observed a difference in the waters used for domestic purposes and in the arts; and the distinctions of hard and soft water are familiar to every body. ”

“ HOW TO MAKE A FILTER. For drinking, and for all ordinary purposes, it is of the greatest importance that water should be as pure as possible. When water which is nearly soft, and wholly free from organic impurities, cannot be obtained from wells or springs, filtered rain water should be employed. ”

“ Hence we see the Benefit of frequently replenishing the Water with fresh Air, which we find is necessary not only to preserve the Life of [Pg 72] Land Animals, but also of Fish; as also the Use of their Gills, to spread in thin Sheets fresh Supplies of Water, that they may the better come at the Air in the Water; for which Purpose both Sides of their Gills are furrowed with many fine Furrows, not only thereby to enlarge their Surfaces, but also more minutely to divide the Water, whereby to come at the Air in it. ”

“ Quite a large business is carried on in the evaporation of sea-water and the sale of the dirty residue, which is again dissolved in water and used in bathing by those who live too far inland to enjoy the benefits of bathing in the sea, or who prefer to take their sea-bath in their own private bath-room. ”

“ This drains off from the surface, forming rills, which collect as they descend, by their own weight, into the lowest channels of the ground, and form into streams and rivers, and back into the sea comes the water which the air had taken away, with this difference, that it is free from salt and fit for the many uses to which fresh water alone can be applied; when the vapour rises from the sea, none of the saline matters rise with it, for, although the water is volatile, yet they are not, and this is the whole source of fresh water. ”

“ We have seen how important water is to life, and we cannot have too high an idea of the importance of its being pure. It is not enough that water looks clear and sparkling. It may look like crystal and yet be full of poisonous germs. The only way to be certain that it is pure is to boil it and then see 29that no further impurities get into it before it is used. ”

“ It is obviously the stronghold of the English heterogenist. "Water," he says, "is boiling merrily over a fire, when some luckless person upsets the vessel so that the heated fluid exercises its scathing influence upon an uncovered portion of the body—hand, arm, or face. Here at all events there is no room for doubt. Boiling water unquestionably exercises a most pernicious and rapidly-destructive effect upon the living matter of which we are composed." ”

“ Hold water, to be correct or well-grounded, to stand investigation; Holy water, water used symbolically as a means of purification; Like water, with the quick, full flow of water: extravagantly, recklessly; Make the mouth water, to arouse in any one a strong desire for a thing—from the gathering of saliva in the mouth at the prospect of a savoury morsel; Make water, to micturate; Mineral water (see Mineral) ; Oil on troubled waters, anything that allays or assuages, from the effect of pouring oil on rough water; Tread water, to keep the head above water by an up-and-down movement of the feet ”

“ The importance of water in the economy of nature is obvious to all. It is the most abundant substance of which we have knowledge. It composes four-fifths of the weight of vegetables, and three-fourths of that of animals. It is essential to the continuance of organic life. Water is universally present in all of the tissues and fluids of the body. ”

“ The chief source of supply for water which falls on the earth is from the ocean. The heat of the sun raises a vapour from its surface. This vapour condenses and falls as rain or snow, either on sea or land. Rain after falling for some time is almost pure and for that reason is called soft. Hard water contains various minerals. ”

“ The best, as also far the pleasantest water to wash in is soft water, approaching as nearly as possible to pure or distilled water,{140} which from its purity and freedom from suspended mineral matter is more eager, so to speak, to take dirt, etc., into solution—that is to say, to wash it off. ”

“ Chapters three and four deal with the artificial and natural purification of water. These are the most important portions of the book to the engineer and taxpayer, taking up the question of water supply in its economic and commercial aspects, both as regards the general town supply and also in reference to individual household filtration. The physical forces and forms with which we have to reckon are next considered under Rain, Ice, Snow, and River and Stream Water. ”

“ I want you to water them, Tom. Water one with salt and water (brine) , the other with tap-water.”
Tom did as he was asked.
Plants watered with Fresh and Salt Water.
“See,” said Uncle George, “the one which you watered with brine is drooping. It is bending over the pot. That is because the water outside its root-hairs is denser than that which is inside the plant.”
19
“How does the water get up from the roots to the leaves?” Frank asked.
“Just in the same way as the oil travels up the wick of the lamp. Water will always travel up through small spaces.” ”

“ In connection with the question of absorption and filtration, it is interesting to investigate the movements of water in the ground. The natural tendency of water, in the soil as well as out of it, is to descend perpendicularly toward the center of the earth. ”

“ We know the difficulty we have to procure good drinking water, and though it may be filtered, there will remain natural salts, which are found in different degrees in all water upon the globe. We know the rain, which is perfectly [Pg 604] pure when condensed from the clouds, absorbs carbonic acid, etc., from the atmosphere. We have shown how this water as soon as it comes upon the earth attacks the rocks, and as it progresses carries away lime. ”

“ What, therefore, can be more rational than to supply the system with the materials of restoration, by giving water in large quantities, and to stimulate its chemical combinations by which the caloric of the system shall be restored, by the influence of fresh air, water drinking, and cold bathing. ”

“ Practically, considerable latitude is possible in the matter of the purity of drinking water, and no particular harm is to be apprehended by the constant use of either a water containing as little as ten parts per million of total solids or of water containing as much as three hundred parts per million of total solids. ”

“ We consider water, therefore, as the great pabulum of nature, which, as before noticed, enters either simply or chemically into the constitution of all223 bodies, and appears to be held, almost exclusively, in solution, in the formation and maintenance of the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms, and is found to exist largely in the composition of all mineral substances. ”

“ For the most widespread use, the most desirable water is a cold water as free from mineral content as possible, and especially one lacking an excess of lime and magnesia which make it hard; also lacking an excess of acid constituents like sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, or chlorine, which give the water a taste, or which make impossible its use in boilers. ”

“ Before the advantages of running water in the house are understood, a well is the normal and usual method of securing water, although in a few cases progressive farmers have made use of spring water from the hillsides. It is rare, indeed, for surface water, so called, to be used for purposes of water-supply until after modern plumbing conveniences have been installed. ”

“ In another part of the same field, we had a spring of excellent water, where, "from the time whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary," people had fancied they found better water to drink, than anywhere else. ”

“ The water which comes from the springs or oozes through the salt layers upon its shores constantly brings in various salts in solution, and, being rapidly evaporated under the hot sun and dry wind, there has been left, in the bed of the lake, a strong brine heavily charged with the usual chlorides and bromides—a sort of bitter "mother liquor" This fluid has become so dense as to have a remarkable power of supporting the human body ”

“ The purity of the water that is used in the household, whether it comes from a public water supply or from a well in the country, is a question of great importance. Every housewife should know the source from which the water used in her household comes. ”

“ An abundant supply of excellent water, forming a volume equal in bulk to the human body, is conveyed by one of these pipes, and distributed about the city, where it is used by the inhabitants for drinking and other purposes. ”

“ An organism composed of almost eighty per cent. of water requires a generous supply for subsistence—a supply equal to the expenditure of vitality involved in carrying on the numerous functions of body and brain.
Some day it will be discovered that water is mainly the element employed in psycho-physiological processes. Water is easily changed to air, and atmospheric air to water, in the system. The generous consumer of air and water will have a good stock of vital or of psychical force on which to draw for the process of thinking. ”

“ GUARD YOUR WATER SUPPLY Water supplies differ greatly in purity and composition, and are of the utmost importance in their effect upon the general health of a household. There is nothing which requires to be guarded more carefully. Absolutely pure water is almost unknown. Rain water collected in open countries is the purest, though even it takes up matters in its passage through the air, and in towns may be strongly acid. ”

“ The blood is necessarily rendered more fluid, and if previously in any degree viscid, its circulation is quickened by its dilution.
2. The Effects of the Solvent Properties of Water.—With the exception of air, water is the most transient of all the elements received into the body. It is eliminated by the skin, the lungs, the kidneys, and the intestines. By its solvent action, it dissolves the various poisonous products of the disintegration of the tissues. ”

“ Then, as to our own country, we are all practically acquainted with some water company, by which the water, more or less purified, is brought into our houses, and can be obtained by the mere turning of a tap. ”

“ Sources of Water Supply.—All our drinking water is obtained in the first instance, by a natural process of distillation on a large scale. The sun is constantly causing evaporation from sea and land. The vapour produced, being condensed by a lower temperature, returns to the earth as snow, dew or rain. All these natural products have been at times utilised as sources of drinking water. ”