The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-11-09 00:00:00

AN OBSERVER.

CLEANSING TOWNS BY EARTH INSTEAD
OF WATER.
To the Editor of the Times.
Sin—The fact otated by Mr. Bailey Denton in your
impression of October t, " that Vero are hunk, ds,
nay thousands, of towns and villages in • disconcerted
and doubtful state, waiting for positive 'lnk to commence
sonitary operations," will he • suffieientapology, I trust,
fi.r my offering thsough you to the public the followirg
mole of cleansing towns and villages by means of earth
hooted of by water.
let me firot express my deep conviction that to any
who will take a fair general view of the actual working
of the ordinary water system. it will appear that Mr.
Bailey Denton has understated, rather than overstate.%
the evil results whi:h in not a few eases have attendei
theenormous outlay on the water sewerage of towns, and
from come of which results even those instances of towns
1 in shich, according to the deatheste, there has hen
sueesos. have yet not been altogether free. I sill mon.
ti n only one of those result... The heavy expendituse
boih on the first cost of the public works, and on kieping
I them in repair, and, again, on the working f the
system, involves the necessity of a large ineremo
in the burden of rates. That burden prsyses very
I heavily on the working elerism. By this the over-
crowding of dwellings is increased rather than IT,
I vented, and the evil coneequenom of %hie are not con-
' fined to foul and vitiated air.
I The turning of the sewage of a town from the polluted
river for inigosjon purposes involves the necessity of •
large ad•litional out'ay ; ant even if the profits arising
from enth irrigation should possibly, through !erne
favouring circumstances, be sufficient to pay interest on
the latter outlay, they yet would afford no relief of the
original burden.
Now, the relief of such burden, or, rather, in the
greater portion of the thousand towns and villages,"
the preventi.in of such burden, the earth system eon
effect, Cleanoing each house thoroughly. without
offence either to its inmates or to those of the adjoining
house., without pollution of the neighbouring stream,
and without raising foul and deleterious Tetanus' from
the sewageeoilden water meadows, the first coot of the
works necessary for this system meat to pay at least
10 per cent, and as I, on no alight grounds, believe
might pay 100 per cent ; and thus, while effecting far
hence provide° for their health, would greatly reliever
instead of oppressing, the working classes.
Mr. Bailey Denton. like most others, styles this
avetem "the earth closet oystem ;" and under the in-
influence of the name, I suptxee, he limits his views of
it and his statements respecting it, to the removal of
excreta. The term, insomuch as the festers described
by it is the most prominent and characteristic of the
aystem, is not incorrect ; but as deecriptive of the whole
working of the system it is quite inadequate; for, under
this system, as invented and carried out by myself,
• both the sink water of the kitchen and the bath water
removedatd opsf ofrit h
ybehdorLmAns ,
dh
sap!: d several sir
quite
years been•
_

and far more effectually than they could be removed by
water. For towns and villages plans for effecting this
must vary according to circumstances of position and
property, although those for the removal of sink-water
woald be almost uniform. In a town stsnding, for
instance. as Epping does, the whole of both bath and
slop and sink water might be disposed of by sub-irriga-
tion in ten or twenty acres of land at each end of the
town. and by it the land be made worth kW per acre.
I I would, however. avoid detail. The earth system in
the face of an amount of pnjudice and misrepresenta-
tion almost incredible, is.. steadily advancing in public
opinion that I would not be supprsed to care personally
to press it. Only let the ratepayers of " the thousand
towns and villages waiting for sufficient data on which
to commence sanitary operations" rise to • speedy and
searching investigation of this matter. Let the investi-
gation be committed to men of known candour,
intelligence, and ability, not to those whose whole lives
and whose professions, perhaps, have been so pledged to
the water system and mixed up with it that simply, it
may be, through prejudice, they, in looking at what
they imagine the earth system to be, can only see and
exaggerate difficulties, and cannot investigate principles
and modes of action.
One caution more, which, however, may appear
personal ; let the investigation be into the earth system
itself, and not into very bed imitations of it —I an,
Sir, your obedient servant,
Fordington Vicarage, Nov. 2. HENRY MOULE.

THE "SMALL BEER" CHRONICLE.
To chronicle =all bccr."—Orniva.
To the Editor.

Sir,—ik change for the better is always • pleasing eon-
sideration. and it is still more so when it occuc in a
direction where it may have been least expected. Your
isontetnporary the Chronicle some years ago gained for
itself an unenviable notoriety which had canoed it to
be referred to as the" Lying Chronicle." Any altera-
tion of snob an appellation must of course be for the
better, and of late it has laid claim to. and I au glad
to be able to congratulate it upon having fairly and
conclusively earned, the title of the " Sit ALL PAIR
estitonteXi” which may henceforth be substituted for
the less delicate but perhaps hardly less applicable
epithet before refurred to. A brief perusal of its bust
few numbers would show that your contemporary
as given good proof that is entitled to thi• con.idera-
tioc, for after making itself of late extremely ridiculous
by giving sundry artMlem of twaddle under the head of
bherborne, it taps its new career by • long report (in-
cluding. pr.lreatint ef the dunets)—of the "brilliant
scene" rresented at • sixpenny hop, after • nineronny
tea. —Yours obediently,

811ERRORNIENSIS.

HORRIBLE MORDIR OF • F•MILT•—Fiee pampa
belonging to • Jewish family, consisting of a
mother. aged aged 72. • father, mother. and two children,
occupying • miserable eottage in the suburb of
glialsloweoka, Odessa, were found murdered on the
morning of the Ilth. Toe motive for the crime is
supposed to bare been robbery.although this poor family
weld not have poaseased snore tLan • few roubles in the
world. incepting three cows and • horse, Done of which
were taken. A man has been arrested on surpieiou.
MODULI, Cusgous.—Preeentatious and testimonials
we largely on the increase; this modern custom apps•rs
to extend to almost every household, for no auspicious
event is allowed to pass without its being marked by
some pleasing souvenir; Birthdays, Christenings I
Marriages, the mesons of the year such as Christmas,
New Year. &e., invariably received special 001131prillut,
ation. The attention of one of the great London Manu-
facturers, Mr. J. W. Benson, of 25, Old Bourbstreeta
and of the City Steam Factory, Ludgate-hill, has been
directed to this subject. With the view of giving
more artistic effect to this custom of society, he has
published • most interesting Illustrated Pamphlet upon
Watches and Clocks, else one upon artistic Geld
Jewellery, Silver and Electro-plate • all are profusely
illustrated with choice designs, &nisi., sent post free
for 21. each, thus bringing within the reach of those
who live even thousands of miles away from London,
one of the largest and most artistic collectiotui which
can be seen in any part of the world; and, if nenvnavuyt
designs are prepared to illustrate any special case.
,
HODIRR IIIVIIRT10•11••—That greet invention Lne
" Chroleofirarli,' which times all the prinenyal events of
the day, and has revolutionised end superseded the
clumsy old-fashioned "Stop-watch." seems likely to be
eclipsed in fame by that still greater and more useful
invention the " Keyless Wait-b." Tb. feet of no key
being required renders these Wptehes indispensable to
the traveller. the Der•olla, sod invalids. The enormous
number tem, crew by rod to all parts of the world. is •
eonVineing proof of their greet utility. Tbe penis. as
which they are sold range front 5 to 1110 guineas.
Thousands of them are manufactured by Mr. J. W.
Beeson. of Old Bead Street, and of the Steam FactotrYi
Ludgate Hifi, London, who sends post free for W. a
moat interesting historical pamphlet upon watch
making.

PRIWIRD and Published, at Chureb-street, Doreheaser.
hy ALIMD ATKINS, oi the Pariah of Ford/Elston, fur
self and os-pruprietor.
Titeolay„,:tiorvelber 0, 180,