The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-17

~ far as mere sewerage Is concerned. thh
,itv j. we'll equipped In all tho>c portions
,h,i NJ, severed. and the drainage Is success
fully ACCOMPLISHED. But * this nil that is tc
Ne done? Ii we stop ut this, n serious battle
against disease and death begins at this yer.
point. Drainage may materially arrest tn,
rayayes of consumption but what does tht
community gain il iyphoidal diseases ar'
distributed by the gases Of the drains : la
this can hc done. TINT it j. done. stands upo,
lrrefutable testimony given at numerous
POINTS OF observation. \ great many ilnper
fectly Informed persons suppose That II M
sewer bus Il good outi,'. il its contents How
freely. and il flushing with water i attended
10, all i well. \ more fatal error TAN scared!
be conceived. The flushiugs OF traps ant
drains with water very frequently produce
the very evils they arc intended to prevent
They Yet loose dclctcriol> gases that were
imprisoned. and Invite them from the s',wci
into the dwelling.
There are devices. that are We'll NAMED
traps that are theoretically supposed tc
catch and hold in water noNious gases rising
from the sewer. There is no truth in tn.
theory. The water in the trap soon fetom'>
,urcbarged with the .:1l>s>. and gi'>c> easily
escape through the water. II the water III
rlc trap i flushed with fresh water. imprl.
.nned gases escape past the water md enter
The house. ar rnntnninat" the outside a!r,
4. far H. th">" DEVICES catch aud hold the
rnd.r-tin,lin. in the error y" IIryr naln"d.
they ar iu,l,I,iiahIy entitled Ia tn, ll,nc Of
trals Their, are fW cttrll-ir;,in> t!c'i are
entitled ~ confidence. The very he>:' tie-
vices If this Kind arc liable. Very liable. -
st out of order. according T. 'll" testimony
- n! European engineers "!n have qualified
themselves to speak on thi~ subject; for in
order to hc qualified I" speak about il. IN
tnmincc; nll.; h chemist enough 10 know
whether gases ">raI" from sewers and
drsil1-.i;r> or not. and hc mist hr in'rl-
gent 81 tc their effects on human hCln->
wheu they do escape. James LcV"~roNr.
E>,i.. associate of ihc Institution 81 CltI! En-
@in,"r>. England. in Il paper read iriur, The
.ncitt, al trt>. i, very emphatic on portions
If Thu .r,at subject liz says h" WAS lead
Ia ntt;rh considerable importance t" the sub
irct -: sewer ventilation in consequence OF
h,yin. in many instances observed in hUllScS
where >auitary works had been carried ont 4
larger amount Of tiiiNia after tn, "N,Ttltinn
ui lrainarc WORKS than existed before. Mr..
ICvrsGul" ..iy>; "TwcniN different toruI>
~, trap IL general Use arc all dependent OF
heinz constantly charged with water. "nG
may 10 ';'~il, proved TO u" inefficient Tor III
purposes f"r which they were designed. and
tnr th"-. reasons should |" ronh"nncd."
Tr.r. ilnt are dependent on film vt wat"i
should not lr.' relied nI"n too confidently;
the "Hl"I may ">HI~latr ~ disappear from
olhc, .2l,,>o> and then the tral. h",um3Sa t'll'
iur drawing tie pclnirious tr:<"> ct th" >cw"r
Q, wa,er-,usci into III. h"ll>'. NJ Love
grcHc. rlt,l mentioning 4 numh.l Vt thaln>
becoming untlnppcd il hospitals, residences,
H., gives III" following instructive "A>t :,
which should speak tcrcllv on :lli> Who'll
question: IN public hospital ncll Fort
man square brick drain in direct connr"-
ton with tho sewer passed >tw.r-aiI inlVIrd>
- strOn-l, H. to blow ont tl;c tlarnr At
',,nd!e This drain continued through The
building. and received in IL WAY the raised
sink inlct>, also the drainage from the lava.
tories. sinks. and water-,o,cts, OH the ,pl":
TOOL. IN this case. when water was passed
from one OF the other Of the julcts IL ron>""
the coui0,ncd ar FRS; 10 press Ug"'"sf IN"
raier IL the 1nl"t ruter-trnpS, ami. on re-
1.t,on, H. dr0,r 9T' sufficient .r0'er to m'trof
ftt MET. Thus, through one az other OF
the inlcts. air was generally escaping int"
the house. IIhs italics are o'u>.l
IN some drains, Mr.. I.ove"rcrc SAY, ." tn
more water that i thrown into them H."
more etfiu>i il will escape. The >i,nv c"a'ing
also IT the interior OF Il long length Of drain
l. of itself sufficient To contalnilEltt the con-
tanned air. no matter what fail the drain may
have. In the methods just described the one
idea has been an unsuccessful cndcav"r to
stop the opening from which the smell
escaped without inquring il this or that
opening is stopped what will become of the
foul air. what new state of things is pro-
duced. and what are the influences actually
nj worb. Certain il is that the mode yeucr-
ally adopted Of trapping inlet drains iuyor>
the escape Of sewer air into the houses"
The lungs are not in the least degree tole-
rant of alterations from the purity Of its
supplies. Professor Sillilrsn saws: "Head-
ache, langollr. uneasy respiration. nausea,
talntnes>, and Eyncopc. are results which
always follow from breathing air contami-
mated with these poisonous cNhala'ions'
(carbonic acid gas) "CNrIi III very moderate
quantity. Even two per cent. of carbonic
acid, derived from breathing or combustion.
may produce all the symptoms above d..
scribed." Think of the enormous percent.
age OF accumulated sewer civilizations that
may suddenly find their way into dwellings,
the evils of which must hc far beyond those
anslng from two per cent. of carbonic acid.
SEWERAGE AND no SEWERAGE.
The fact cannot DC too thoroughly ell
graIed upon the memory of the people that
While thorough drainage of human habitatipus
i an essential element to health. In" proper
Ventilation " sewers and houst-l!r:inin-
pipes Is quite rs absolute in its cXactions for
heath ana security az drainage of the most
perfect description. The sciences devoted TO
These two agencies, that are vital to the pub
Ne welfare, are quite distinct in their cllai,,c-
Ter. That department of civil engineering
which provides for drainage is an old SCIENCE.
Under Augustus Caesar the sewerage of the
Eontlne marshes near Rome made the Cam.
pgnl I'll Roma one of the most beautiful spots
III the Roman Empire. The utter destruc-
ton OF the drainage has made the cntir
region one OF the most pcstiirrous Of
the earth IN the past three hundred
Years not solitary stranger has slept
N il 1t night without diving. The Igc,
gressi,e march Of knowledge, the con.
current observations OF all civilization. hay,
created 4 new science, called SANITARY cngi
neerng." IT begins its work where TINT 81
the civil engineer ends. The greatest per
frctness Of drainage is in no degree free from
the necessity OF the lubors of this npw
science. In an address to the National Asso-
Cmtipn for the promotion of Social Science,
il England. DR.. Rumsey said In addition
to watering and draining towns the engineer
j. now called upon to provide fresh air arti-
ticiauy, to ,entilate not only buildings. but
whole towns" Ia Europe al imluense
amount Of knowledge Oh this subject has
been gathered from facts connected with
sewerage. A report was recently submitted
to the British Association, the joint labor Of
a number of the best informed men in Eng
land ON this subject, IN which these facts IRE