caused but nominal damage to him; Great Falls Co. v. Worster, 15 N. H. 434; Penruddock's Case, 5 Co. 101 b.; Adams v. Barney, 25 Vt. 231; Greenslade v. Halliday, 6 Bingh. 379; Washburn on Easements 582, 584; Com. Dig., "Action on the Case" D. 4; Angell on W. C., sec. 390.

Although in general an erection cannot be abated as a nuisance unless it be such at the time-Great Falls Co. v. Worster, 15 N. H. 442; Washburn on Easements 583; Angell on W. C., secs. 140, 390-yet an erection may be a nuisance at a time when it is causing no actual damage-Fay v. Prentice, 1 C. B. 828; Broom's Leg. Max. 290 and 292; and see Beach v. Trudgain, 2 Gratt. 219-and might have been abated as a nuisance on a quod permittat-Baten's Case, 9 Co. 53 b.-or by the party whose rights were infringed.

While the right of individual abatement seems to be well sustained, no person has a right to abate a public nuisance unless it obstructs his own right (Brown v. Perkins, 12 Gray, Mass. 89), but a tenant for years may abate a nuisance as well as the owner in fee. Great Falls Co. v. Worster, 13 N. H. 412, 435.

It is not intended that the foregoing shall be an infallible guide of procedure in cases of nuisances affecting the health and comfort of individuals or a community, but it is sufficient to indicate the course that may be persued in ordinary cases not recognized by the statutory laws of our state.

It will be readily seen that boards of health are armed with a power in this state sufficient to suppress any ordinary unhealthy nuisance that may exist. Even the state law delegates to local boards of health, by approval of selectmen, an almost unlimited power; yet in actions not specifically defined by statute, the common law must be recognized and followed.

WATER POLLUTION-PUBLIC AND

PRIVATE.

BY A. H. CROSBY, M. D., CONCORD, N. H.

Water, one of the two great elements essential to animal life, is found everywhere diffused in nature, and is taken into the system by imbibition, absorption, and inhalation,-pure water the greatest of blessings ever bestowed upon man, impure water the subtlest of poisons and a curse to humanity. To appreciate the changes which occur and the influences which operate to produce this metamorphosis, it is necessary that we should briefly review our knowledge of water in general before treating of the ways and means of its pollution.

Although there is an abundance of water pure enough for all domestic purposes, it is very seldom found chemically pure. Only one instance of chemically pure water in its natural state is reported in this country, and that was discovered in 1860, in Allegheny county, Pa., in the spring of a ravine known as the "dark hollow." With few exceptions, spring water contains carbonic acid gas in solution, and by its agency dissolves carbonate and sulphate of lime and carbonate of magnesia from the soil. Such water is called "hard," as it precipitates an insoluble lime soap from a solution of ordinary soap. This hardness may be removed by boiling, and thus driving off the excess of carbonic acid. The lime salts and magnesia are also precipitated by boiling. A similar precipitation also occurs in rivers, from the water of which, owing to its extended surface, the carbonic acid is mostly given off, and hence river water is usually soft,-both spring and river water, however, containing variable quantities of the salts of alkalies, of which they can only be deprived by distillation.

Rain and snow water are free from saline compounds, except the portions which fall first, and these contain dust and various organic and inorganic matters which had been suspended or dissolved in the air. It is, then, advisable only to collect rain water a little while after it has commenced falling, and as far from dwellings as possible, especially if the water is to be used for drinking or cooking. Water thus obtained will usually contain only a little carbonic acid which has been dissolved from the air.

Of course the purity of running and well water is affected by the nature of the surrounding soil and the proximity of decaying animal or vegetable matter, the decomposition products of which may find their way into the water by means of natural channels or drainage pipes, and thus render such water unwholesome and unfit for use.

The refreshing taste of spring water is mainly due to the carbonic acid dissolved therein. Of secondary importance is the small quantity of saline compounds contained in it. When these salines are increased beyond a certain quantity, the spring is called a mineral spring.

These sources of supply, together with wells, either dug, bored, or driven in the earth, furnish man with the large quantity of the vital fluid which he ought to or does actually use for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, and for sewage purposes.

:

The exact amount of water taken by an adult in 24 hours is, on an average, from to a fluid ounce for each pound avoirdupois of body weight a man weighing 140 pounds will therefore take about 70 to 90 fluid ounces daily, or about 4 to 5 pints. In ordinary diet about 1 to 2 ounces are consumed in the so-called "solid food," and the remainder is drunk as liquid of some kind. Of course this amount varies within wide limits in different circumstances and from individual peculiarities, some men taking only 1 to 2 pints, while others will consume 7 or 8 pints, or even more. During great exertion there is so great a loss of water from the skin that more must be drunk, and it is of great importance that, under these circumstances, water should be readily procurable, and should be taken in small quantities, frequently, to replace the loss. The smallest amount of water required for cleansing the person, clothing, and habitation, and for share of the house washing, is 4 gallons daily; but if perfect clean

liness is to be secured, and if baths are taken, at least 16 gallons will be required per head. In places where a general sewage system exists, at least nine gallons more are required in addition to the water furnished by rain-fall. These facts are given in order that we may understand the necessity that this large amount of water should be absolutely pure, or at all events that it should not contain any putrid or poisonous substances, either in solution or precipitated.

As heretofore suggested, rain water is the purest and healthiest of water, if properly collected and stored. Rain collected in the country is purer than that collected in cities and towns, as it contains much less ammonia and sulphurous acid, and is less liable to be impregnated with organic matter and vegetable decay. Rain is apt to be contaminated by the surface upon which it falls, and often carries portions of leaves, etc., into the pipes and reservoirs. where they slowly dissolve. The uncertainty of the supply renders it unsafe to depend upon rain water for domestic use, but its purity and great aeration render it both healthy and palatable.

The greatest benefit has sometimes resulted from the substitution of rain for spring and river water during epidemics, especially in the tropics. In the West Indies, outbreaks of cholera have been greatly modified by the change to rain water, as the wells and springs are almost sure to be contaminated by sewage and surface filth.

It was formerly believed that freezing water rendered it as pure as by boiling the same, but this is not true. To be sure, the saline contents are mostly lost with the lime salts, but vegetable and animal impurities are not only retained, but the poison is rendered more active by the freezing and subsequent thawing. This is treated of more fully elsewhere in the able paper of Dr. Watson, to which I would refer the reader. Freezing water expels the air, and thus ice-water may be tolerably pure, but is heavy and unaerated, and therefore not pleasant as a beverage.

In

Snow water is only a little better, as it contains but little air or carbonic acid. There is a popular impression that snow water is unhealthy, but this is based upon no reliable observations. the extreme north of both hemispheres, however, the poorer classes have the habit of using the snow lying about their dwellings, and as this is often impure with substances thrown out