Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-07
Our Plan for the Sewerage OF
Memphis.


As a great many plans have been sug-
gested lately, and a good deal of breath
expended, in regard to the sewerage of the
city of Memphis, we now seize an oppor-
tunity to suggest a plan looking 10 that
end. The most feasible plan that we can
imagine would be to turn Wolf river into
Gayoso bayou, and throw its waters into
the Mississippi below Fort Pickering. To
be more lucid; cut a canal from Wolf
river, commencing just below the water
works, and let it connect with Gayoso
bayou somewhere near or at Adams
street; deepen Gayoso bayou from the
point of contact to the point where the
next canal would have TO be cut to carry
the waters Of Wolfriver and the waters of
that portion ofGayoso bayou which flows
through Ethe southeastern portion of the
city into the Mississippi river. Let the
sides and bottom Of the canal be walled
and paved with brick to prevent its banks
from caving or washing. Give the canal
a sufficient fall or decline from the present
bed ofWolf river TO its confluence with
the Mississippi, to create a current with "a
speed offrom four to five miles an hour at
low tide. When Wolf river would be at
high-tide the current would be very swift
and would wash all impurities into the
Mississippi in a jify. Let the canal be
as straight as possible and its walls
and the bottom substantially built.
Then let large pipes, about
two feet in diameter. run Underground
from every street in the city and enter the
canal Thoughts walls. Let an ordinance
be passed requiring every owner of houses
to run a pipe from the bottom of his privy
vaults into the large pipes, which would
run underground from the street or
streets upon which such property might
be situated. With tho water which is now
furnished from Wolf river by the water
works all offensive matter from kitchens
and privies could be washed into pipes
leading from them to the large pipes I'M
d%erground. 1t must be understood that
these Underground pipes would have to be
laid SO as to have a fall or incline
from the streets to where they en-
tered the walls Of this much-needed
canal, so hat the quantity Of water
used to wash out the kitchens and privies
would wash all the poisonous matter
through the pipes into the canal. This
canal, with its thousands of pipes to con-
vey off the deadly poison which is engen-
dered in Gayoso bayou and our kitchens
and priyies during the spring and sum-
mer seasons, would be an invaluable addi-
ton to Memphis. We do not believe that
it would cost more than $4,000 to ac-
complish this work. The last epidemic
cost our city more than 100000 in con-
sequence Of suspension of business and loss
of trade, and as regards our loss in good
citizens and public-spirited business men
we cannot estimate it. By all means let
us have the purifying waters of Wolf
river flowing through our city in a south
westerly direction along a portion of the
present bed Of Gayoso bayou, washing all
the poison which concentrates within its
banks out into the turbid Mississippi, to
be borne OF its bosom far away from our
doors and out into the Gulf Of Mexico.
Then, and not till then can we hope to be
entirely free from the ravages of yellow
fever.
By cutting the canal and throwing the
current of Wolf river through Gayoso
bayou, the old bed of that river could be
filed up from the canal to its mouth,
thereby giving up a very formidable strip
Of land with which to combat the en-
croachment of the Mississippi river above
and below the mouth of Wolf river, and
enable US to repel much of the force Of the
mighty Mississippi.