End of an Era

In the 19^th century sanitation was sorely lacking. Water sourced from rivers and open wells became contaminated which initiated cholera outbreaks. By 1900, it was understood that microscopic pathogens traveled through air and water. Clean water became a matter of national safety in every country in the world, and the two major waterborne diseases Typhoid Fever and Cholera were history’s most virulent killers. As a result, many water pumps and wells were closed, and the population substituted water for alcohol.

The Temperance Movement initiated the erection of drinking fountains to provide clean, fresh water advertised as  ‘God’s Only Beverage For Man and Beast.’ The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association came to the aid of hundreds of thousands of working horses that also needed refreshment. Many drinking fountains offered a trough for horse and cattle to drink from while providing a smaller basin at ground level for thirsty dogs. These fountains were often advertised as, ‘For Man and Beast.’ Equine disease thrived causing fevers, coughing, and an inflammation of the blood. Within days of exposure, horses died. On occasion, the bacterium crossed species’ lines, taking the lives of cats, dogs, goats, and men.

Decline Of The Drinking Cup
The Victorian & Edwardian drinking fountains featured three main components: A spigot that sent out a continual stream of fresh water, a basin for collecting the water, and a metal cup suspended by a chain often sitting in the water. The communal cup was pulled from the basin, drained and returned to the basin. Its drinking surface became a fertile spot for the growth of many kinds of bacteria as a portion of each drinker’s saliva remained on the rim of the cup. The most common and harmful kinds of bacteria were consumption, diphtheria, erysipelas, syphilis, pneumonia, typhoid, measles, mumps and whooping cough. It’s easy to understand how it became a health issue. This issue was exacerbated when humans and horses drank at a fountain/trough combination.

In America, fear of contamination developed into a racial issue and drinking fountains were labelled as ‘White Only,’ or ‘Colored Only.’ The Canadian Public Health Association deemed drinking fountains a public health hazard and replaced them.

An article from an Australian newspaper highlights the contamination levels and subsequent diseases.
‘There is no doubt that the public drinking cup is one of the most insanitary articles to be found in civilized communities. Its drinking surface becomes a fertile spot for the growth of many kinds of bacteria. Each drinker leaves on the rim of the cup a portion of his saliva, which contains sufficient nutriment for the bacteria to feed upon. The harmful kinds of bacteria most likely to be present are consumption, diphtheria, erysipelas, syphilis, pneumonia, typhoid, measles, mumps and whooping cough. Added to this that the chains by which the cups are attached to the fountains are often long enough to allow the cups to hang in the basin near the bottom of the fountain, from which dogs drink, and it should be realised that there is an urgent necessity for a substitute for the public drinking cup.’
The Mail (Adelaide, South Australia) 12 February 1916.

With regards to cast iron drinking fountains many ornamental iron decorations were requisitioned during the war and those that survived fell into disrepair due to high maintenance costs. The Victorian drinking fountain became extinct.

Introduction of The Bubbler
In the late 19^th century a spigot was developed to shoot a jet of water into the air like a miniature geyser. This new innovation was named a bubbler because it produced a flow of bubbling water. It separated clean water from run-off water, and users were required to drink from the water jet by putting their lips only to the water stream thereby eliminating bacteria. Although this model was refined using an arc projection, it is basically the same drinking fountain design used today.

In Australia, the bubblers were produced by John Danks & Co. In North America, an invention by Luther Haws (Halsey Taylor Company and the Haws Company) is still prominent in the public drinking fountain business.

The advent of bottled water, and the convenience of carrying a water supply undoubtedly has affected the use of drinking fountains. In the early 2000s, beverage companies encouraged consumers’ fears of illness and contamination from tap sources. The decline of the drinking fountain was unavoidable.

The Decline of the Bubbler
Although I don’t think that it is possible to define an exact date of the declining use of the bubbler fountains, I would hazard a guess that the waning began due to the public’s distrust of the cleanliness of the water supply and the sanitation of the fountain.

This distrust is rational. People can unknowingly be sick and have bacteria in their throat which can contaminate the spout of the water fountain. Harmful pathogens including e-coli and legionella that cause gastrointestinal problems and pneumonia-like symptoms have been found on fountains within buildings where we would expect a certain level of maintenance and sterilization. Outdoor fountains in parks are less likely to be managed as only spot checks are conducted and bubbler heads are not sanitized with any regularity. Maintenance is an ongoing issue whereby outdoor drains can clog, and the water supply may travel through rusty pipes or contain lead.