Before the introduction of running water, householders could choose between drawing their own water or buying it from a water seller who made his rounds after going to the river to fill the barrel mounted on his cart. The horse and cart had to be backed into the river and then the bung was removed so that water could flood into the barrel or tun, as it was termed. In this pencil drawing by James Duncan (1806-1881) we can see water carriers filling their barrels in winter. It is not very difficult to imagine what the water must have been like. Well water was not much better since wells were often located next to outhouses. The poor quality of water had a definite effect on public health and the virulence of epidemics such as the cholera outbreak of 1832 was a direct consequence. It was not until the 1850s that the town authorities took the matter in hand and started to build a proper system of water mains. Even so, it was not until 1914 that Montreal's water was filtered.
