The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-01
oya CITY SEWERAGE.
Their Defects and Haw They Gan be Re-
medsesl--ss1gSesi5os as co How the Sewer-
uae System Could DO Made Perfect.
NEW YORK Oct. 20, 1859.

Their Defects and Haw They Gan be RE-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 60 How the Sesver-
aae System Could DO Made Perfect.
NEW YORK. oct. 20, 1862
fo THE aDrroa or rli2 HsRALD:-
II afforded me much pleasure to read your article
in this mornings paper on the subject OF "gf City
sewerage ana o. it eentains what Is not strictly
correct, Wiz. reference to myself herewith seha
Tof an extract Of my report dated December, 1904,
also published In printed form IN July, 1906 WHICH,
If read IN comparison with your article, wni explain
itself. Also I sena sou some important facts re'at
ing 10 our rivers beng nlIed up with the DEPOSITS
from the sewers.
JAMES e. SERREII, City Surveyor.
New YORK. Dec. l, 1854.
TO TIE sEcREraEY oP TIE COUNCIL OF AyGiENE:--
The original water courses in the city Of New York
are in many Instances, deeper than the sewers butt
in the streets and avenues, ana VIII be more So ia
the progress Of the improvements hereafter.
In i 5$s ana 1849 and even since that period, my
time was mueA occupied IN draining large portions
OF tho city by opening the original water courses;
and In q communication to the Common Council,
dated February, 1850, urged the necessity Of this
system of drainage, stating that IN cases OF building
ms control invariably Kept the original water
courses open, particularly when below tne sewers
buly or to be quilt II the streets or avenues
The following are the Instances fresh In my
memory
Fust-Third avenue and Forty second street Old
water course runs south, also Madison and Fifth
avenues, Thrty-iirst Thirty second andihrty- third
streets to Lexington avenue.
SecOili-Fifty-Gr street and Second avenue lii
which case DHilt an opening In the bottom Of The
sewer near Second avenue to allow the water from
the sewer to pass into the original wafer course.
THIS sewer Is above the water course about live ieet
THAT the stoppage OF this water course under Second
avenue, near Forty-elghth street hooded the whole
neighhorhood, and III. Reed in Fifty fourth street.
near Third avenue, sued the city and obtained dam
ages On this suit appeared as witnessl; that the
original water course at inns place Is about eight
feet below The bottom Of the sewer now builG IN Fifty
fourth street. between Second and Third avenues,
nf41 fHlt t.aI MI nah
about north and south Vts course VIII be seen by
Kandas map OF the city,, and IS much deeper than
the bottom Of the sewer now built to dram this
vicinity, VIII be seen by referring TO the profile
the Croton office, wncn includes &c least 800 acres
vtdes that al! orisnal wa.er courses shall not be
closed to the detrment OF any owner on the line OF
such water course; that q part OF the 800 acres
above referred to are situated between Fourth and
Fth avenues, from Fllty-slxth to SMty-seyenth
streets, opposite Central Park part OF which IS now
used as SKATING ponds, and between Third and
Fourth avenues, from Forty-ninth TO Fifty
seventh streets, and at Lexington avenue
was street to construct the main
sewer which is now built it was proposed by me that
1t should be deeper and carry OF the water to the
original depth OF the water course for the reason
set forth in my report to the city In February, 1850,
Which says, land avoid numerous nuisances conse-
quent on the stagnant pools ON the low lots and be
much advantage TO the health OF the City ana those
VINO build on street or avenue first and improve
hood, who nave to Contend with ali the dsadvan
tages Of new place Tor the benefit OF those who TO
nothing themselves, out are rlCn ana aOle TO walt
until the hard working Or pioneer men have done 1t
for them;' anu again says has not only TO contend
with tins disadvantage, but his health is impaired
with fever caused by impure vapors arising from the
unframed lands, which shoitens his days OF useful
ness"
The city of New York as commercial emporium
is second to none in the worlo, and the shipping
interest has been fully discussed as TO the harbor
encroachmenls, by building docks ana filing IN to
the rivers, By the Harbor Commissioners, forming
boundary line all around the city, which says, tus
far shalt thou so and no farther" by reference to
ia nSf ri 81 l.
and 1885, we learn facts Of interest III this matter but
The cause Is not given,
Lieutenant 4. A. Cravin, assistant in the Coast
Survey, says:-"NeXt in order Is The sewerage. IL
has been asccrtalued that the slips in the harbor
nave been 1led up nearly eighteen inches year
by material discharge rom the sewers, OF which only
four out OF lilo discharge at The outer end OF the
pss the r s wha into the sun
no current to carry or the deposits" - n
This mud Is washed INTO the rivers by heavy rains
and we often remark 'how clean the streets are
after the rain last night forgetting that we are
relieved at the expense Of the shipping interests in
our sewers " @ I'm cdrrobor"tion Of these 90
results and In Illustration OF the effects under con-
sderation the ropretors OF the New York Sectional
DOCK assured me that the deposit OF silt upon their
tanks between the lIers OF Market ana Pike streets
averages full nyesixteenths to threeeightS Of an
inch III one now OF tide, and they are thereby sub
ected to the delay and cost OF dredging under thel
dock to the depth OF seven feet every two years,
The opinion appears TO prevail with the public that
the discharge from our sewers and the deposit re-
moved from the slips into the rivers washed, as
~ 10 tciuieu' iLto TIC sea anu Lung lsiAuu sound
II this were the operation IL would be well for the
interests involved i'll the subject under discussions
nut, as II happens, very brief examination OF The
case presents a very different result. Thus the
deposits IN our Sips, l. e. mud, independently vi
stones, Dicks, &c. Is composed OF gravel, sand,
clay ana iecuent matter, which, when transferred
to tile channels OF the rivers Is submitted to the
detrimental acton OF current OF from three to four
knots per hour eighteen miles distant from the sea;
with these clements, then, 1t would be difficult to
show how any portion OF this mud, other than the
soluble part OF II and the coloring matter therein,
could ever reach Sandy iook.n