Report on the chemical examination of several waters for the City of Boston / [Benjamin Silliman].
- Benjamin Silliman Jr.
- Date:
- 1845
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report on the chemical examination of several waters for the City of Boston / [Benjamin Silliman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![small while floes were seen floating in it. A far, less in quantity and of a lighter color than in No. 2 covered the bot¬ tom of the vessel, and in its angles was a quantity of some¬ what dense sediment partly suspended. This water was in¬ odorous—sapid, but less so than No. 2. The color the same. Number Four.—[Schuylkill, Philadelphia—collected at 4J P. M. Aug. 23d, 100 to 200 feet above the fore bay in the pool of Fairmount dam.] Not so transparent as either of the foregoing. It had a slight milkiness, arising apparently from the suspension of white earthy particles. On comparison with No. 3 or 5, it was less colored than either, but less clear. The sediment on the bottom was greater than in either of the former speci¬ mens, and of a different quality—denser, darker colored and, not so easily distributed by agitation. No living animalcules were visible. Inodorous, and nearly or quite insipid, perfectly sweet, and like distilled water to the taste. Number Five.—[Long Pond—collected July 19th, from the point of exit of proposed aqueduct, 150 to 200 feet from shore—Taken from the surface where the depth was 10 feet.] Transparent and more colored than the foregoing, but by no means highly colored—quite free from floating particles— the bottom of the vessel nearly without furry matter adhering to it, and the sediment in the angles about equal to that in No. 2—decidedly less than in Nos. 3 and 4. No animalcules were seen by the naked eye. It was entirely inodorous and tasteless, resembling No. 4 in this respect—perfectly soft and pleasant to drink. Number Fix.—[Charles River—Watertown—collected Ju¬ ly 29th, at 6 P. M. 150 to 200 feet above the lower dam, in the middle of the stream.] Is strikingly like No. 5 In transparency but half a shade darker in color—-the furry matter adhering to the bottom was redder and more in quantity, as well as that portion which had collected in the angle of the bottom and sides. No ani¬ malcules. Inodorous, but slightly sapid—leaving a somewhat harsh or rough impression on the palate, very different from that of No. 4 or 5. Number Seven.—-[Charles River—South Natick—collected July 22d, at 9 A. M. in the middle of the pool, and 200 feet above the dam.] Is decidedly darker in color than any of the preceding, and at least three shades darker than the last—the color being brownish yellow. The sediment is not greater than in Nqu](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30357287_0005.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
