The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-12

Az xSoNEER's REASONS WHY DUB SEWERS
SHOULD NOT BECOME AIR PASSAGES.
NEW YORK, April Z 1875.

Az ENoNEER's REASONS WHY oUR SEWERS
SHOULD NOT BECOME AIR PASSAGES.
NEW YORK. April !. 1875.
TO TIE EpIrvR or TIE HKRALD:-
A lew weeks since Mr.. J. q. Bayis read paper
on the subject OF SANITARY House Drainage" be-
fore tie Public Health Association, at the School
OF Mines, Columbia College, and laid great stress
on the necessity Of the street sewers being ven-
lllated as means oil Riding them Of the deleteri-
Gus gases contained in them.
be ssys:-"In well ventilated sewers analysis
shows the presence OF Cal bonic acid. nitrogen,
&c, put the sewers OF New York are not well ven-
tilaIed. Indeed. mucn or tue time they are with
no ventilation at all; consequently we may ex-
pect 70 ma IN them Q rare combination OF ioul
cases.
From these remarks IL would seem Sir Baylis
does not know tnat IL was never intended TO ven.
tiate sewers ana that it Is meat proper that tneY
should not be ventilated, mainly Tor the reason
mOspnerlc air, and II permitted 10 escape would
hug the surface Ike log. permeatng our streets
and houses alke az all times 10 such degree that
breath OF invigoratiug ali could never De got ~
side the city nor for miles TO toe leeward without.
Indeed, II would oe about as sensible 70 ventIate
the putreScent bodies or graveyard as 10 venti-
late the sewers oil a city. Botn are buried mainly
for the reason that any escaping gases are quickly
ABSORBED oy the earth In wnicn they are embedded.
50 there IS no possible chance Tor them 10 reach
the atmosphere; II this we're not so, surface con.
QUITS would answer every purpose for sewerage.
II the culyert basins and house traps leading 10
sewers are properly built there can be no escape
OF sewer gases by those means, out to make as
surance douDy sure tue proper way to zeal with
our sewers Is 10 give them plenty OF water, which
nusnes tnem out and carries bodily away 10 the
sea the solid matter contained in them, impeces
decomposition 50 long AZ the solid matter Is I'M
mersed, as well as being most powerful absorb
ent OF ammonlacal Isewer) gases, wnicn it Will
take up 10 the extent OF ABOUT one.tnird It's
measure, the whole lowing on to Inc sea, where
Ills purified according 10 nature.
From THIS II VIII be observed how little is the
nf
age, even - the extent OF venIilatIng them, so
long as we can adoru 10 furnish one cuoic foot oi
70 be absorbed. With these conditions observed
animal lie could MAINTAIN itseu Ia sewers Tor
days az q time without experiencing any very
deleterIous erects out limit the quantity OF water
aud expose the hal Immersed organic alter
WITHIN our sewers TO yentlatlng atmosphere
that promotes decomposition, aud animal lie
would &c aspny xiated inside i've minutes, by the
watcn, SO dense would tue gases become.
IL the system OF ventllatlng our sewers IS car.
red out IL can't be called prophecy 10 predict that
our death rate Will exceed any year since Hen.
drick Hudson hrst landed on tue island Of New
Amsterdam. Evidently tnen, the grand neces-
Sly - " give the se Rers freo run OF water sucn
as ne Ordinary waste OF cify; tnis Is quite
present. though 1t would De far better II the
amount was greater.
Message or the lstn nit. TO tue Common Council,
suggests the necessity OF compelling all houses TO
enormous waste Of water by doing 50 We may
be aoc 70 obvlate the necessary OF proceeding with
furtner supples.n IL would seem that tbs con-
soeration 0i toe sewerage question Il suiicienL
answer TO the Mayors proposition 10 compel the
uss OF WAFER meters: out ASIDE from tnIs tie
Mayor ought not undertake 70 impose direct
tar on our citizens for wearing clean face, nor
Tor dlscaraing dlrry shirt on the score or health
alone let him proceed wifn the construction Of
extra aciIues Tor supplying the city with aonnd.
ance OF water, ana Whatever necessary coat "
may incur tno CITY will derive superior 0cne1t
over that even OF our parks boulevArds and fancy
DOCKS
As an onset TO the cost OF increasing oor water
supply o. additional reservoirs. &c. calculate the
cost OF every house 10 the olty being furnished
VITA a meter az 500 each this Is minimum
price Tor poor article, vita no allowance Tor
constant repairs II tne thing 10 10 ended 70 We
Kept Eorklng. In addition there u the premium
tax Tor extra water with not the least considers q.
ton " tue important fact that the pressure neces.
sary 10 WORK the meter IL equivalent to head OF
water o severa feot altitude, whlon IA Just sum.
Gent 70 prevent the water reaching the upper
stories OF many houses IL doas nov.
I've loea OF using netets originated with the
late weed regime, and A. may De observed taat In
al probability ~ they naa beeu iamlllur with q
neesuAe OF water tney would nave ayOfdea those IN
t0Atoating moments IN waloh tney Planned and
contaminated endless misery for themselves ana
EESRY r. KNAPP.