The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-27

from the river were giving the inhaotants oiuted
sewage Tor drinking ana cooking. as well AZ using u
for watering the streets. Al schemes iof the
pun ncAtor OF and Of the streets we're invited
by Advertising and no less than llG suggestions were
submitted ana considered. In 1894 Mr., now sir j.
Bazsgete, civil engineer OF Italian origin, was
directed 10 prepare plans TO cut Oh the sewage from
within tue limits OF the cty and construct
snberranean system OF tunnels which would carry the
sewage certain points far thu stream toward
the al such Distance tnai there could Ne no poss
oiity OF us returning Will the hood TIDE inc present
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS
INTO existence N 1856, anc from tnat time the
problem OF drainage Tor the vast and cver-lncreasins
metropolis has been fairy arapped with New iiles
hie below their lcyes intercept Their contents and
uvey them to an outla! fourteen miles below London
Bridge. As large proportlon Of the sewage rs
praccacle is by tus means carried away by sravita.
ton. andSior the rcmaindcra constan! discharse y
effected by pun ping Al Inc outlets the sewage is
dererea INTO reservoirs situate on the banks OF the
Tha mes, placed AZ such level as viii enable lhea
discharge INTO the river al about The time OF hsh
water BY this arranAemen the sewage not only
diluted b, The large volume OF water IN tue
Thames AZ hish water put y ALSO CARRIE ~ .ne go.
Such. IN The engineers own words, are the Results
oh years OF labor aud experiment and the eSpch-
dture oil millions o! pounds nave AZ last secured ior
great CITY, once paSue-strckch and iever-ruueu,
but uov, Notwithstanding lie tour millions OF dcasey
packed inAubtanls one OF the hea finest ~ EUROPE
he great work OF the Metropolitan Board Of WORKS
the main iraina1chas attracted the atiehion oi the
governing btdics OF all the greAi cues 0! Europe
STATISTICS
During the twenty years mai have elapsed snce the
con.uen CO ent OF the present system Tue authorities
have buiil cshly-onc niles oil Iunneiing ana 10 Tess
lDan 1900 mites ar erlai sewers. These are con-
sructed Of "Gault clay bricks sometimes laced WIN
Slulordshre blue mortar or Portland cement mixed
imc Out large proportion 0! the sewers = Ina
in alone rne tunnels hal TO 90 driven through
Xmas oil soil, under bridges through misshes wtnn
ew Old iouudatlons OF buildings stiii standing
railroads tho construction VI these
extensive works 800 100000 bricks were used and
100000 Of cubic yards OF earth Removed, me
sewers carry oil about sixteen Mlllon CUBIC 1891
OF sewage dsiiy aud arr capao'e - dis so,,r'
ient TO empty.ng iako OF 4s2 acres three !cet
deep. every day Tho toiai cost has been ABOUT
"a 600 0oy or arou, s23 0o0 giving an average OF
about So per head the entire reputation 81 inc
metropolis. Ii addition to this immense sum me local
bodies oil the metropolis, outside the "city" proper
have spent ia eighteen years nearly 20, 900 600 on the
cleaning the streets Cicaniiness We nave hlSh Aa-
ihoriy lor saying is next goaiiness, and whether
or no lac mass oi .ouaonors believe the dclum they
have certainly paid Tor i a. II they thought SO
FLusHARs
Each yestry or local BODY employs its own men Tor
the sewers, and their number constantly varies
A permanent stan OIL $50 sewer Iushers Is employed
" the Board of WORKS and /. Is tue duty ol these
men 10 inspect every day the eightytwo mics VI
man Intervening sewers. Encuscd ~ ieitnef over
ulis OF one continuous piece laey descend INTO the
sewers oy the manhocs, carrying with tnem guarded
gnts ard wade through the horrible stun ant! lhey
arrive ut the termination Of TIER ocAt Al oceasonal
rat Is tho only living lning they sec in tner gioomy
rpatinns--a herce uncapny beast Is me sewer
rat scarce AFRAID oil tho light and not ~ any means
SO civilized as the
Great rats small rats. lean rats, brawny rats,
Brown rats, black rats gray rats tawny rats
OF grownng's ''ped Piper" snsaary enough,
however, rats can hardly i've N tue metropolitan
sewers, owing the great hush OF water, winch
browns them out
THE SEWAGE RESERVOIRS
On either side oil The Thames lar away from London,
are the immense reservoirs which receive Tue
sewage oil the metropolis On the norm bank, At the
NOUN OF Barking Greek, is the Barking reservoir,
which receives drainage Of the three great north.
sewers. TINS reservoir Is lot eet IN average
depln and IS divided by partition walls mo our com.
partInents, covering altogether an effective area Of
AL 1854 superficial ieet, or ABOUT ~ acres The cx-
nal PARTITION walls are o Orckwork ana The en-.
covered by brick arches supported upon
brick PIERS, the floor benz paved throughout with
York stone. The reservoir, being almost entirely
above the general surface Of The ground = covered ny
an cmbnnkment Of earth rising about TWO icet above
the OF The arches. Tue ground over winch u Is
built being unit to sustain ne structure the ounaa-
the piers and OF The walls were carried down
IN concrete 10 depth oil nearly twenty feet
ON ;he opposite SIDE VI the RIVER but further down
the ream the great southern reservoir pump
ing station which six and nall acres in extent, -
BRICK arches supported on orck piers, and
furnished with weirs for ovcrnows and with lush
ing Gulvcrt. Its height, level aud general construc
similar to that al Barking Greek. over tue
built lwenty-one cottages, for the ensi-
.neeis and other persons employed upon the works.
The sewage IRON this reservoir Is discharged INTO the
river at the time OF hign wafer only, but tho sewer
its full volume by gravilaton about the time
OF low water Its Quiet Is ordinarily
closed by pcnslock placed across lis mouth and Is
contents raised by pumping INTO the reservoir.
which built al the Same lcvcl az that on the north
sidc and like H. II stores the sewage, except for the
two hours Of discharge after high water. the sewage
is ihus diverted direct course TO the river
into channel leading TO the pump well, which
forms part OF the foundation tor lie engine house,
IRON this well is lifted by our beam engines each
al l25 horse power aud actuating, direct from the
beam, two compound pumps, each having tour pun
gers The engines are condcnslng, rotativc beam en-
gncs, the cylinders bong iour eet Ia diameter with
lengln OF stroke OF nine feet
SUMMARY
The following ngures relating to the main drainage
Of London. will uc Interesting They are taken from
Chief Engineers rcpot:Fhe total cost has Deen
over ia 900 and has raised by loan ard paid
OIL by rate OF three pence levied on tho metropolis
which produces Els02y2 per annum, and The princ.
pal and interest loan Will paid OFT III aoout
thirty years There are about 1900 miles oi sewers
In LONDON and elghty-two miles OF main ntcrccpting
Three hundred and eighteen millions 81
bricks and $50 yards OF concrete have ueen
consumed, ana 100000 cubic yards Of earth have
been excavatcd in the execution Of the main damage
works. the total pumping power employed IS 2,3S0
nominal power, and at iul work night AMI day
A., 900 tons OF Goals per annum would be consumed
but the AVERAGE consumption Is estimated at ~, 900
tons
to TO- 100000 cubic icet per day, and on
the site 1000 900 cubic feet per day, but pro-
is made Tor an anticipated increase up 10
IL 500 600 the north snc and 10000 or the south
SIDE addition to IS j00 900 cubic feet Of rainfall per
the north SIDE ana IL. 100 QUO CUBIC feet per
diem on the south sde or total OF % 600 700 CUBIC
feet per diem, which IS equal TO lake Of 49, acres
three feet deep.
UTILIZATION OF THE SEWAGE.
IL rs scarcely credible that this immense body OF
matter utilized IN any way, but goes absolutely
waste, lost forever the waters Ol the Than -.
In respect TO the utilization oil sewage although the
subject has received much attention from scientific
men, England has AS yet much 10 learn being sur
passed by the Chinese IN their appreciation Of the
value ol The solid refuse OF Paris has Tor
many years been separated and removed Tor asricnl
tural manure, but London remains backward in this
respect the ancient jews, who kept furnace
called s'Genenna, or 'Hci ire" constantly burning
alley Hnnom, into which the rel use oil Jeru-
saiem was daily cast Upon the question OF the DIS
posal OF town sewage, 10 which, oil course there are
TWO SIDES, recent meeting o. the Sanitary institute
OF Great Britain affords some interesting particulars
sir Joseph Bazagete. Engineer oil the Nam Dram.
age himself opened discussion. AS to the Difficult
the poluuon oi rivers no SAID there were three
modes proposed overcoming thcIn--nrst, ny sep
arutng the sewage or accomplishing uattcr rom the
water iLc outia OF the sewer, before beng dis.
cargcd into the river, by chemical agents; second,
causing the sewage TO TOW over land, aud cultivate
the hand and purity the sewage, blowing the eiiuent
water 10 pass INTO the river and thiru, preventing
all iecomposing matter entering The sewer by keeping
Ii IE solid form aud dlsposin- Of II upon land. All
who advocated thvsr processes aimea at obtaining
valuable ma1uria. product sir Joseph quoted the