Water Purification Long Ago?

[Wayland]

Of course, most of that was "small ale" which was only brewed for a few days.

But they still boiled the water to start.

 

[addyb]

To echo Andy's words, yes, that's one of the reasons for a fascination with tea among Englishman. I know that at the moment, England is one of, if not the highest tea consuming country in the world. (But don't quote me on it, it's late and I don't much feel like finding a URL to back up that sentiment)

But can some explain what "kye" is? I was reading one of those standard World War Two biographies a while ago about the corvette sailers in the Battle of the Atlantic. The author said that they would "kye up" before and after a bridge watch because the North Atlantic weather is so awful.

Anyone know?

Thanks

Adam

 

[Toddy]

Sometimes threads tie in together too

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8624&highlight=whisky

Strong alcohol sterilises too.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Seagull]

Addyb, mornin.

Kye = Thick Cocoa, with condensed milk.

Ceeg

 

[Toddy]

I wonder what herbs he was talking about, there's herbs and there's herbs. Any mention in the book Stuart, would be interested to know.....

I know of a lot that are *reputed* to sterilise water but I don't know of any hard research on this. If anyone has any links it'd be appreciated.

Problem is that herbs have uses and effects other than just water purification. Pennyroyal for instance, cleans water but is a real *no-no* for pregnant women.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Ogden]

A traditional way of purifying water: take a tube (wood, bamboo) and fill it with
different grades of sand and grivel. It takes quiet long, but what comes out at
the bottom should be very clean.

 

[addyb]

Thanks, Ceeg.

Ogden, there is a substantial difference between filtering out turbidity versus bacteria from water. Using a bamboo filter will remove silt and whatnot, but only boiling or filtering through one of those ceramic type setups will actually remove the really bad stuff in the water. I know this because a couple of weeks ago, the coast of British Columbia had a tap water ban in effect for nearly two weeks in some cities, and closer to a month in others. It rained here a lot, and the silt and whatnot washed into the reservoirs and made the water very turbid. So, we all had to boil water. I can remember being at work and getting a call from one of our other servers, and I had to go around and remove all water glasses from the tables in our restaurant. They were NOT pleased, as we couldn't even serve most hi-balls because the ice machine uses the same water.

Anyway, that's my rebuttle!

Cheers,

Adam

 

[bambodoggy]

A traditional way of purifying water: take a tube (wood, bamboo) and fill it with
different grades of sand and grivel. It takes quiet long, but what comes out at
the bottom should be very clean.

As far as I know this method will only filter your water to an extent and may not render it safe to drink.
Even after you have done this I would still advise boiling the water to kill off what the filter has missed.

In the northern forests a roll of birch bark can be very useful with a little cordage tied round it to hold it together when makeing one of the above filters.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[leon-1]

The method of filtration using allum / slaked lime is still taught.

The powder is spread evenly over the top of water that has high levels of particular matter. It forms a slick across the top of the water and slowly sinks. Any particular matter that is underneath will be caught by the sinking blanket / layer of allum is it progresses towards the bottom of the water recepticle (generally this is a large 200 gallon container). Without checking my notes I cannot tell you the exact amount of time this takes, but eventually you will have clear filtered water ready for purification / sterilisation.

A good reason for filtering water before adding any form of chemical to purify the water is that the chemicals will adhere to particular matter suspended in the water, this will make it less effective at purifying the water.

Chlorine has been around for a while (Sir Humphry Davy named it around 1810), I cannot tell you however when they first started to use it for purification. Humphry Davy also worked with Iodine and had actually mentioned that it's characteristics were similair to those of chlorine.

On battle group type waterpoints they use a machine called a VVD (Variable Volume Doser), that works as a second stage filter and a purifier. Water is dosed at a rate of 5ppm with calcium hypochlorite, by the time it is in a container it has a level of 2ppm and is considered to be of sufficient quality to be able to drink. The water is decanted off into smaller containers and dosed with sodium thiosulphate, this is effectively the detaste process.

If 5ppm doesn't sound like a lot to people, your average swimming pool has a chlorination level of 0.5ppm, hence the need for a detaste.

 

[OldBaldGuy]

In many parts of the world I doubt that they did anything.

I know that when I was growing up in the western US and doing a lot of camping in the 50's, we never did a thing with water, at least mountain steam water, except drink it. In fact, I used to always bring a five gal bottle of nice fresh stream water home with me at the end of a trip. Closest it got to being "prepared" was to use it to make coffee. I must have consumed a jillion gallons of stream water over the years, and never got sick in any way. I have no doubt that critters peed and pooped upstream, even going so far as to die in the water, but apparently giardiasis (and others) hadn't been invented yet. As late as the 70's I have seen "cowboys" (real honest to goodness cattle workers) flop down on the bellies and drink from a stagnant looking, slime covered, critter swiming in it pond right alongside of their horse. Of course I do not advocate that, and now days won't even drink from a stream without treating the water.

But as far as the really old timers go, I doubt that they did much at all...

 

[TheGreenMan]

...in fact if I remember right, Michael Palin said that it is best to drink tea rather than coffee as tea is always brought to the boil in places like India, and this is how he has never got a rumbly tummy from drinking in places like India.

Maybe that dead parrot should take a leaf out of his book!

I was once travelling on a bus somewhere up in the hills of Maharashtra State, India, and the bus made a stop at a roadside café in the early hours of the morning (And surprisingly busy at that time of day). Everybody (Men only) was drinking glasses of coffee. On the stove was a huge pan of boiling water, I can’t remember exactly how the coffee was made, but I have a dim recollection that it was a liquid form of coffee, but I may be mistaken. The coffee turned out to be quite safe.

I didn’t pay great attention to the coffee making, as I was rather distracted by the atmosphere of the place, which reminded me of a Wild West saloon. When we walked into the establishment, all heads did swivel, the loud conversation did momentarily stop. The only thing that was missing from the saloon analogy was the honky-tonk piano (This would have been too much to hope for).

I don’t recall seeing a ‘Norwegian Blue’, in the café, or anywhere else in India the whole time I was there (Though, when standing on a street corner in Mumbai, a bear in chains did walk by within a couple of feet of me – nobody batted an eyelid, as if this were the most natural thing in the world).

But I digress!

However, I do remember a German guy who was in a room next to mine in a guest house, who had a frightful time, and very nearly became an ‘ex-parrot’. Periodically I would hear loud exclamations of “schweinhund!” which would be immediately followed by sounds of the most ghastly anal explosions. This went on for some days.

I did have a brief episode myself (One must, at least once, because it’s traditional!), and this was swiftly remedied when some Konkani speaking friends gave me ‘local medicine’. The churning stomach stopped within minutes.

I don’t remember the water in the well at the guest house being treated, by either ancient or modern means (This is sad attempt to keep this post ‘on topic’) to make it safe to use, but I do remember the turtle that was living in it!

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[TheGreenMan]

there where times that they just drunk beer, the whole day!

...or wine....

Hello Chris,

I did hear once that the Elizabethans got round the problem of infected water supplies by drinking pints of ‘sack’ instead (Sack is a type of sherry):

‘'A good sherris-sack hath a twofold operation. It ascends me into the brain; dries me there all the foolish and dull and crudy vapours which environ it; makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble fiery and delectable shapes; which delivered o'er the voice - the tongue - which is the birth, becomes excellent wit.
'The second property is the warming of the blood. If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach should be to forswear thin potations, and to addict themselves to Sack.' - William Shakespeare (Henry IV Part II)

Best regards,
Paul.