National Republican., 1877-09-20
THE SEWERAGE QUESTION.

Although the proper drainage of cities
has long engaged tho attention Of munich
pal governments, there are many questions
relating to the subject which have not yet
been satisfactorily settled. The introduc-
ton Of sewers was q great improvement
upon that system of open drainage which
prevailed in even so important city as
London until the present century. Sewers,
which have now been introduced into nearly
every city in the civilized world, have, how
ever, brought with them q new class of
problems, which now tax the ingenuity of
municipal governments and civil engineers.
In cities which are in whole or in part
built upon ground very little elevated above
the level of the water into which the sewers
empty there is always more or less difficulty
in securing sufficient fall TO keep them
completely washed out. Even with the
best drainage the air from them is liable TO
become very impure and poisonous and is
thus frequently the means of greatly in
juring the public health. The proper ven
tilation of sewers is matter Of great i'm
portance, but IL is far better to keep tho air
in them pure by the liberal use OF disin-
fectants.
For u tide-water city like Washington II
is a matter of great Importance that some
plan should be adopted by which the i'm
pure matter discharged by the sewers can
be so disposed of as not 10 affect the health
of the city by being left exposed to the
action of the sun and air at low tide. The
Board of Health of this city recently made
report, in which they set forth very fully
the peculiar dangers to which the health Of
Washington Is exposed by reason of the fact
that the putrid matter discharged from the
sewers is carried by the refiux of the tides
over the flats in front Of the city, whereby
the air in the vicinity is contaminated by
its offensive and pestiierous eflluvia.
Great injustice has been done TO Wash
ington by exaggerated accounts of this trou-
bic, which has been represented rs endan-
gering lives of Government officials 70 such
an extent rs to render it an unfit place for
the seat of Government. The fact is that
the trouble which Washington has from this
source Is no greater than that which other
cities have suffered from. London has long
complained Of the foul banks Of black mud
in the Thames, from which the most often
sive odors emanate when they are laid bare
at low tide. The reports of the London
Board of Health rs to the effects of the eN-
posurc Of such putrid matter in poisoning
the air of that city use language no less
vehement than that employed by our board,
which has excited so much unnecessary
alarm in various paris Of the country.
The English Government, in Ouler 20
purify the sewerage OF that city, adopted
the plan of cXpcndmg about seven thou
sand dollars weekly during the warm
weather lGr lime and chloride to disiniect
it, This method not having proved efiica-
CiOuS three gigantic tunnels have been con-
structrd Mt different levels and distances
back from the river. These tunnels inter
cept the sewers ut right angles, and convey
their contents into grand reservoir at
Barking, eight miles below the city The
reservoir is covered with arched brck-work
and carth To prevent the escape of foul
gasses. At high tides the contents of the
reservoir are discharged into the liver
Thames, sixty feet below the surface.
Thus it will lie seen that Washington is
not the only city which has suffered from
the discharge Of sewerage into waters sub
ject to the cbb and flow of the tide. 1t il
quite likely that the improvement of the
river rs proposed by the engineer commits
sion in 1872 would greatly improve the
health of the city. Incomplete relief how.
ever can he found for the evil except by
adopting the London plan, and conveying
the sewerage by means of tunnel to some
point below the city, to he there discharged
into the river or utilized as n fertilizer
Sewerage contains nm immense amount ot
valuable fertilizing material which is en-,
tirely wasted by the present system. II
might bc eXpcdient TO try the experiment
ofutilizing the sewerage of this city under
the supervision of the Department of Agri
culture. Trials made NJ Edinburgh and
elsewhere in Europe have been very success
full. In this country millions of dollars
worth Of tertilizing materials are wasted
annually which should be saved in somC
mauneI.