The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-11-16
SANITARY sngrest.;,nlls,..,


Many interesting and useful topics have
been introduced before the American Public
heaith Association, IN session at PhiIadel-
phia, during the past week.
SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE.
A paper entitled /" Principles and Practice
in Drainage and Sewerage in Connection
with Water Supplies y was read BY General
+. l.. Viele, civil engineer Of New York. He
drew marked distinction between drain.
age and sewerage. In building a city the
streets should be laid out in conformity TO
the topography Of the country, and the
drainage should be made to flow TO the same
channels which nature had provided. Any
other course was fraught With great danger
to the public health.
In laying out most cities, notably New
York, the drainage streams were entirely ig-
nored, aud the error was now being cor.
rected at great expense. One Of the chief
causes Of failure in getting rid of the sew
age Of large cities was in the want of proper
descent. The problem what to do with the
great amount of sewasematter was still un-
solved. The subject was but little UNDER
stood. Pu,reScent matter was allowed to
ill up basins and infect whole ncighborhoods
by its noXious eXhalatiops. They had been
told that Philadelphia was peculiarly fortu-
nate in sanitary point Of view; yet in the
proceedings Of the Board Of Health the fact
was brought out that an open sewer at
Forty-second and Haverford streets dis
charged its noiSome contents into the
grounds of the Pennsylvania Hospital for
the Insane. This allusion called forth many
explanations and acknowledgements from
citizens present
General Viee said that even with abun.
dance of water the sewerage Of almost every
large town and city was defective. The
problems connected with sewers were nrl.
mcrous and intricate. The great cities of
London and Paris had labored for centuries
to provide for The rapidly accumuating popu-
lation. The principal trouble had arisen
from the fact that the plans were not large
enough in the first place. AS we'll expect
the veins Of a child to bold the blood which |
courses through the veins of the man as TO
expect sewers made for town to carry off
the waste water OF city. The plan Of sew.
crage To be effective must not only be com.
prehcnsve in design, but must be based on
an anticipated growth of population. The
principal points to be considered were
First, the original CONFORMATION Of the
ground and natural valleys Of drainage
second, the artificial changes of the natural
surface by the grading OF streets and ave.
nues; third, the rainfall or amount of
water discharged from the clouds during the
year upon the area TO the sewers; fourth,
the water-supply or amount of water distri-
buted to the inhabitants daily. The main
difficulty was what to do with the accumu'
laton of the sewers. The various theories
proposed and the few practced were next
cited. Captain Lanor had invented system
which would be worthy of attention if it
could be carried out successfully. The cases
in this country where the sewage of towns
were deposited in rivers above where other
towns or cities procured their supply of
water were next referred to. The speaker
concluded BY saying that the progress made
in sanitary reform during the last decade
was happy augury of what might be ex-
pected in the future, but the field was large
and the laborerS were few.