Survivalists and preppers have some amazing ways to filter water so that it is clean. Back in the early 1900s, though, the methods were far cruder. This piece comes from a newspaper article published in 1912 and shows people of the time how they could filter their water with cotton and a glass lamp chimney. This method was probably only good for getting dirt out of the water, but it did not filter out germs or other harmful things in the water. The article is put here for research purposes only.
If you are looking for more ways to filter water, check out Sensible Digs article on 5 DIY Water Filters Anyone Can Make.
Home Made Filter
In these days of germ-filled water, when filtration is necessary in order to set one’s mind at ease as to the purity of one’s drink, it is not necessary to spend large sums of money for patented devices to do the purifying. An old lamp chimney and a small quantity of absorbent cotton will do the trick.
Tie a piece of cheese cloth over the small end of a chimney and then press a bit of absorbent cotton down on the cheese cloth cover on the inside. Any sort of a stand can be made to hold the filter — a board with a hole in it is enough.
There should be enough cotton to fill the end of the chimney for about three inches. Water passing through it will be pure and clean, the impurities being left in the cotton.
Source: The Day Book (Chicago, Illinois newspaper). August 12, 1912.
