The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-05-28
seemed necessary to give an outline

seemed necessary to give an outlin
Of what is done and believed in Eu
4 rope in regard to this subject, it rt
mains for me to make an application
of it to-our own city.
: 'One OF the questions that troub
. led me very much before visiting I'll,
! old world, was that of pipe sewer;
The General BOARD of Health Q
Great Britain, as already mentioned
{ had recommended them to an exten
D never heard of before, completed,
! revOlut onizing the opinions that hat
previously obtained while the mos
experienced member OF the engineer
ing profession objected strenuousiy
, to so radical 8 change
"As only the continued satisfaeto.
~ working OF any new system, aitel
1t has been carried out, can convinc'
the public of the correctness of thf
views Il its projectors, it is natur1
that in this case, both parties sitOuiC
appeal to actual results, to sustain
their theories, anG as a consequence
We have had most conflicting ac
counts of what those results were
The effect of observation and inqGi
Try abroad, and of our short expert
ence here since laying tie first pipe
sewers, shows that we have pursued
g safe course, and that it would not
be advisable to change in this res
Ipect ior the future.
"In consequence OF tie slight de
cliyily we have for the pipe sewers
only ] in 500-we took unusual
precautions to avoid :aiiure, or the
Necessity for digging up streets te
remove distractions from the pipes
These precautions consisted in bav
ling the pipes laid as carefully as
possible to the required inclination.
making the joints with hydraulic ce
ment, aud placing man holes at Dis
tances rarely exceeding one hundred
feet apart. The nan holes are cir
cnlar wells, three feet in diameter,
curbed with brick, four inches thick,
laid in cement, and covered with
wood, which, in the present state oil
our streets, is not only 2 very eco
nomical, but suitable material. The
slight depth, seldom as yet over
teight feet, at which the pipe sewers
are placed below the surface, makes
the cost of the man-holes slight
We find upon actual trial, that
where the pipe sewers receive the
rain water from all the houses on
each side, they keep clean, without
ever flushing; where large portion
of the raln-water is not let into them
they can be flushed clean with hose
from the fire-hydrants; and where
there is very little or 10 raim water
let into them, it is necessary to stir
up deposits by hoe and jointed
rods, while flushing. II no ease has
any matter remaining in the public
sewers caused Inconvenience to pri-
vate individuals, or rendered it nee
essary to dig up the streets. 1t
would he presumptuous to say that
such never Will be the case; but we
have great reason to believe that it
will very rarely occur.
"Compiaihts have been mare from
time to time, by individuals, shat not
only the pipe but the brick sewers
were stopped np, and their premises
flooded in consequence. Whenever
such complaints have been made,
we have always examined the sewers
and drains, and have, IN every in
Stance, found the house drain OBJ
structed by substances which it is
unlawful and improper to put into
them, such as sand, shayings, sticks,
coal, bones, rags, garbage or grease,
which, though fluid when in hot
state, soon eools IN the drains and
closes them up, gradually, but GER
tainly.
Whenever the rain spouts are all
properly connected with the pipe
sewers, judging from pastexperience,
they will cause very little trouble
or expense to keep them in ORDER
The greatest, in fact, the snly impor-
tant item of expense incurred thus
far, in keeping thepipe sewers clean,
has been the removal of quicksand
from them in some parts ci Tie city,
especially near the lake. Parties
digging cellars in such localities
have been very much troubled vita
water, and in order 20 get ri'i OF ii,
have sometimes let il rush into theiI
drains SO rapidly as to carry sand
into the sewers. Though geserally
done through carelessness, to cyr-
tain extent this is perhaps unayoid
able; and in most cases the parties
who do so are willing to pay the ex
pense of removing the sand.
"Another question that perplexe
me, was the oXpediency OF placing
the sewers generally one or two feet
lower than we were doing; which,
in the estimation of sone who had
lived long in Chicago, and had OBJ
served the general heIght of the wa
ter in the lake, should be DONE
Nothing which l saw or learned
abroad justiiies the laying of sewers
so low as to have back water con
stanily in them; and the high water
of the past year shows that Cur prin
cipal ones are already iuii low
enough for 1t has been difficult &c
flush or cleanse them near their out
lets, except at favorable times, that
is, during the prevalence of souther
ly winds" :"
Science VS.. Crime. q
Not long ago there occurred 10