National Republican., 1878-08-14
OUR SYSTEM or SEWERS.

TIE Inconvenience to property.hoders and
the injury to public health caused by the re-
cent Hoods In consequence of tho inadequate
sewerage Of the city, will doubtless bring the
matter of devising remedy for these evils
prominently before the District Commission.
ers. careful consideration of the best means
of improvingl the sewerage Of Washington Is
one of the most important duties that falls to
the city government. 10 may be that In the
present condition Of Washington, financially
and otherwise, II Is not advisable to enter
upon any radical and expensive change In the
sewerage system. But to keep our present
means Of removing the city's flth in tho best
condition possible; TO bear in mind all the
while the need of u more effective system to
determine with due deliberation upon the
wisest plan Of improvement imposed; to take
advantage Of every opportunity to hasten tho
time when the work may be commenced under
favorable auspices, and when begun to push 1t
forward rapidly to completion will, perhaps,
be the course Of cction pursued by the Com
missioners.
We copy the above from the Ercning
Star of yesterday, and would respectfully
request our contemporary to advise us where
In the present system of sewerage is as
defective rs its remarks would indicate.
We assume that the storms of, last week
'ouiu NV istNt bcth tiO chihN
number of canals, if each street were a
canal, with the river on level above them.
The only serious damage to the sewers, so
far as we have been able to discover,
was to the one through the Botan-
ical Garden, which was built by
the United States Engineer Department
some twenty years ago, and whose arch was
lifted bodily for space of four hundred
feet; while the sewers in Third street and
south of that withstood the torrent without
damage. Had the Government sewer been
provided with man-holes, as are all the other
main sewers built by the Board of Public
Works, no damage would have resulted
The B-street sewer, from Seventh to Seven
teenth street west, with the whole pressure
of the Potomac upon it withstood, all the
storms without damage.
No doubt if the plan of the revlled Board
of Public Works were completed, and an in.
tersecting sewer were built along F or G
street, from First street to EAsBY's wharf
deep water all would be done that can be
done, and this city would be as perfectly
drained as it can be without change OF
grade in Pennsylvania avenue. Water will
find its level, and the cellars on that avenue
being below the level of the Potomac River
at times will be flooded, and no human
agency can stop it, The change Of
the grade of the Avenue would cost
millions of dollars and cannot now be
adopted, and We suggest to our cotemporary
to give this subject little more investiga,
tion before entering upon n policy of whole.
sale condemnation Of q system devised by
General GEORGE A. GREENE, of New York
one Of the ablest engineers in this country
1t seems to us that this system has been Q
success, with less faults and weaknesses
than is usually incident upon works of thi.
magnitude elsewhere in the country.
A constant reviling of our system of sew,
erage is calculated to prejudice the Nationa
Capital city in the good opinions of thos,
who might otherwise look upon it will
favor and seek homes in oui midst Al
least thoy afford opportune hooks for thu
enemies of Washington to hang their lie
and ISLANDERS upon. Examine the system
and suggest remedies, but leave the work o
traduction and Misrepresentation to thos,
who have accepted that role. 1t is the easies
thing in the world to find fault, but justic'
would counsel some other course.