WATER FOR BURMUDA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21159, 16 April 1932, Page 7 (Supplement)

WATER FOR BURMUDA.

THE SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE. Tlio first fresh water system in the history of Bermuda, regarded for centuries as impossible, was opened for public use on December 30, last, according to Professor W. D. Turner, of tlio Department of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University, who planned and directed (lie construction. Rain water, caught on the house tops and frequently polluted to a high degree, has served the residents of the island for generations. IS'o one thought wc could get water without drawing salt," Dr. Turner said, in describing the difficulties", which surrounded the undertaking. " Many efforts had been carried on in tlio past. I recall having heard stories of how wells were drilled down 400 ft. through volcanic rock in a, vain search for fresh water." In Bermuda most of the rock is of porous coral, filled with small cavities and fissures. After a survey of the island, a small hill was selected near Hamilton, capital of tho colony, in the belief that (he fresh water filtering through the rock crevices might be colleded. At this point a special adaptation of the horizontal well system was constructed. This consists of a lino of pipe in a trench well above the salt water level, with joints left open to catch rain water filtering from tho hill above, and sloped so that the collected water drains to a concrete pump well. From the collecting basin the water is pumped into a new reservoir at Pyniwood, near Hamilton. From that point the supply is piped to the capital city and perhaps, will later be piped to St. George's, the old capital, 12 miles from Hamilton.

Tho area to bo drained by the new system was computed from a known history of rainfall—about 60 inches a year—variable, but without any regular or seasonal fluctuations. To intercept a large drainage area with a short well, a site was chosen which might be called the foot, or lower end, of a valley, such that hills on each side sloped into the rather restricted area, and if a surface stream had been produced, the well would cross and intercept this stream.

TOO MUCH RED. " The power of colour to cheer or depress us, especially when one is feeling ' off colour,' has only lately been realised," says the Nursing Mirror. "In tho old days any colour did for hospital walls, and usually a drab of green or an equally dismal red was chosen. Now hospital authorities mako tho question of colour one of tho most vital to be decided when they are considering building schemes. Speaking recently on this important subject at a meeting in Manchester, Mr. Glyn Owen, a research chemist, said : ' There is far too much red — red bricks, red 'buses, red pillarboxes. . It is a colour which over-stimu-lates, and is a contributory cause of the hectic character of the age. One of the reasons why the town man longs for the country is because it is green.' " BACTERIA BROUGHT TO VIEW. Bacteria which has not been seen before have been brought to vie\V by a recently invented microscope more than twice as powerful as any that have been used previously. New fields of scientific research, particularly in bacteriology, are opened by this instrument by which bacteria have been magnified 5000 diameters in tests. Dr. Royal Ramond Rife, its inventor, believes he may be able to magiiifv objects to 17,000 times their natural diameter. The greatest power obtained by glasses has been about 2500. Six quartz lenses are used in tho microscope, and another unusual feature is that the object viewed, instead of being seen iD reverse focus, as with present instruments, is observed in its true perspective. It is expected that the glass will enable scientists to study bacteria so tiny that they pass readily through a stone filter.

ARSENIC AS PRESERVATIVE. According to recent experiments, arsenic can be used advantageously ig wood preservation processes. Arsenic, in the form of arsenates, combined with chromates or bichromates, seems to become fixed on application. Tt is said that wood permeated with a two per cent, solution of arsenic acid nncl bichromate, can be shaken in water several thousand times without apparently relinquishing any arsenic or chromium to the wash water. This impregnation, it is stated, also serves as a fire protection.