Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-07-03


ing the attention of the intelligent and ava
kening the inquiries of the scientific, every
where. In cities Of dense population, as in
London, the means used to carry oft the i'm
purities accumulating in thckly settled To-
caities, has proved totally insuficient-the
river Thames becoming clogged, and the
odor of its waters tainting the air. New
York, too, suffers not a little from the same
cause. Our neighbors of Washington, who
have made their Canal grand receptacle of
common sewerage have had frequent reason
to charge disease upon the noxious influence
of that receptacle. The National Hotel
disease" has been charged, not without
show Of justice, to the defective system OF
sewerage in the National Metropolis.
1t is said, too that while the cities are
boarding up, below ground, reservoirs OF
pestilence, the fields are impoverished, and
thrifty agriculture compelled to seek in dis
tant isles, deposits that the city hides in vain.
| Under present systems, the country fields
are made poor, for want of the very sub
stances that poison the city air, and breed
disease and death.
Awakened intelligence has already fur
nished ample remedies for the present state
Of things, and we compile from several
sources the plans by which it is proposed
to dsintect the city atmosphere, and, at the
same time, renew the productive power OF
the soil
Rev. Henry Moale, NJ A., an experienced
English chemist, says 80 Every house, ex-
ccpting in some Of the most wretched and
crowded parts of large towns, may, with
ease. and without offence, deodorise and re-
move etfectually and completely its privy
soil, and all greasy matter. The great and
in most cases the only, agent in this mode, Is
dried surface earth, the extent OF the capa-
| bilities Of which. both for absorption and for
| deodorising offensive matters, | accidentally
noticed about seven months ago, and the
truth and correctness of which observation
| have since proved by daily experience.
The power and efficacy Of this agent will,
however, be best understood and believed If
| give Il simple narrative of what during the
last six months it has done for my own
family, averaging during that period fifteen
persons daily. Eight months previous to
this period under IL strong impression OF the
evils either occa,ioncd, or likely to be occa-
stoned, by the vault or cess.pool on my pre-
misses and feeling it to be nuisance to my
next ncighbor, as we'll us to myself, | filled
up with earth, and ever since have had
everything that would otherwise have gone
into it, received and removed III buckets.
And even this mode Of removal, though
offensive in idea, has proved far less so i'll
reality, than even Il very small portion Of
the evils it is intended to remedy. At first,
the contents of these buckets were buried in
trenches about foot deep in my garden;
but Oil the accidental discovery that in three
or four weeks after being thus deposited,
not Il trace Of this matter could be discover
ed, had shed erected, the earth beneath
it sifted, and with portion OF tins, the
contents Of the buckets every morning
mixed az Il man would roughly mix mortar.
The whole operation of removing and mix
ing does not occupy Il boy more than quar-
ter of an hour And within ten minutes
| after It's com pietiou, neither the eye nor the
nose can perceive anything offensive. This
was the first observation made. The next
WAS this, that when the earth, which did not
exceed three cart loads, had been thus en-
, played, that which had been first used, was
! sufficiently dried to be used for the same
purpose again: and it absorbed and deodo-
rzcd the offensive matter az readily as at
the first time And so singularly does this
capabiiity continue, that Il portion of it is
now being used for the ftM time for the
same purpose and thus all that offensive
matter, which otherwise would have been
wasted in the vault, n nuisance to my house
and the neighborhood, aud n source, it may
| be- Of sickness and disease, is now IL mass
Of valuable manure, perfectly lnottenslye,
| both to the eve and nose"
In England, Mr.. Nathaniel IIeckford has
| Just patented method Tor purifying the
! Thames and other rivers. lie proposes to
| erect powerful forcing machinery, and to de-
| liver the water at two " more polnts-tor
| the Thames ut Chelsea and Blackfriars. -
| Night-Soii he proposes to treat by introduce
| ing sea-water into cesS-po0ls, or other recelv-
ers, from which the soil is led into some
! sewers other than the river and through
| drains or channels constructed for that pur-
pose Tue soil is subsequently, collected and
applied as manure, its tertilizing properties
! beng increased by com mixture With sea
water.
Mr. Sheppard, another engineer in Lon
don proposes IL use the present sewers, and
construct others where these are not suti-
Gent and thus to conduct al the sewerage
matter to points selected for tflat purpose, in
! the Immediate vicinity Of the several grand
! divisions Of the City. Here all is to be dis
charged mo reservoirs from which ii is 70
he pumped up by steam power 10 the near
est summit, which shall be deemed high
enough to send it 10 every part OF the entire
! section Of cnuntrv over which il is TO be dis
tributci. For tie Surrey side it is proposed
| to have the reservoir on the top Of Shooters
! hill. The distributing reservoirs must be OF
:. size propur,ioncd to the amount which
must De accumulated before it can be used.
! From these reservoirs the liquid is to be
conveyed 10 the farming districts through
pipes Is inches in diameter, and from these,
| branches are to pass oil at such distances as
! the distribution 10 every acre OF land shall
require. The main sewers are TO be connec-
ted with the chimncys at the eng inc stations,
and thus the whole system will be ventila-
ted, and all the noxious gases drawn off
where they can do no harm. There can be
no smell or any injurious effect upon health
at those points where the liquid is scattered
| by means Of hose upon the land, us it is
taken up the moment it strikes the ground;
mixed with the quantity of water which is
naturally used in every family, it becomes
nearly Geodorized, or deprived Of smell.
1t is proposed by Engineers to apply a
similar method TO New York city. The plan
rs proposed there, will embrace the con-
! Strurti,n at rarpnta clos ar rho river end of