r quest of these water carts we had to
search the countryside diligently and we averaged a great many miles a
day; we soon got to know every road and almost every farm house in our
area.

When a cart was found it was necessary to get the man in charge of
it--the water detail--in order to obtain information as to the source
of supply, the amount of chlorine used, whether there had been
complaints of taste and so forth. While the information was being
obtained, officers of the unit would often come out to see what the
trouble was and would ask questions; possibly some non-coms and men
would also gather about, and the first thing we knew would be giving,
to a very interested audience, a little lecture on the dangers of
drinking untreated water; their interest would be greatly increased if
a bottle filled with the water, to which a couple of drops of solution
had been added, turned bright blue, thus showing the presence of the
free chlorine. By such means a good deal of practical educational work
was done, and the danger of men drinking raw water thereby reduced.

Reports of all samples were sent to the A.D.M.S. of the division
concerned, who forwarded them to the medical officers of the units,
with more or less caustic remarks should the samples be bad. The M.O.
in turn would get after the man in charge of the water cart, who
usually had some more or less plausible excuse.

The water details of the first Canadian Division were the best trained
lot of men we ever ran across. The very first day we took samples from
their water carts they were all sterile, and there were no complaints
about taste. It was an excellent example of what training could
accomplish, for they had all been carefully trained in their duties in
Canada and England.

As the water details of any division were constantly changing, the
efficiency of the treatment depended to a great extent on the constant
supervision of the problem by the A.D.M.S., medical and sanitary
officers.

We have found divisions coming into our area for the first time with
only 25 per cent. of their water carts chlorinated, whereas before
they left they would have 90 per cent. or more chlorinated, and the
division thoroughly educated as to the necessity for sterilizing their
drinking water properly.

Wells, springs, creeks, and ponds used as sources of supply were also
examined, and not infrequently samples from "springs," encountered
while digging new trenches, were sent in