, 1879-08-10

| this catct-basin, then into another, and 6nail
re,:hing the river. All this time chemtca. do
composition is taking place, one degree Of stencl
being added to another, IL! it finally become
insutfetable, and fatal to life and health. Now
could this sewage be taken when It first com
mences its travels, and placed, in twelve hours
upon the land, the soil would very rapidly alb
so1b much Of it, and the oxygen Of the air do IT.
part in purifying the remainder and fitting i
for vegetable life.
The plan which merely outlined two wears
ago vas as follows: Construct one large tuu
nel Or drain running from some point. say fhtr
ty-nlth street, north as far as the clty-lintts
utilize all the present drains By connecting
them With It, aud shutting of all communities
ton With the river. At Thirty-niuth street
erect pumping. station CAPABLE OF removing
all the water that IS supplied by the Water:
Works and rainfall. This would be pumped
through large pipes to some pont On the eana
the city. By this plan the present canal would
afford ample relief for city five times onr pres
ent size. Bv removing the filth before cum
{ plete decay had taken place, much OF the dele:
The river and all slips would be pure and sweet.
| and, instead Of being source of corruption,
would be filed with the bright, blue, and clear
waters Of the lake.
This, as have said, gave but rough outline
| Of the plan, I knew that in time complaint
would be made Of the contamination Of the
canal and Illinois River. and that this objection
| would have to be met aud overcome. To OBJ
| viate this objection, I intended to remove the
heavy part OF the. sewage in this way: Con-
| strtct settling tanks at some point along the
! line OF pine mains. These tanks would be
| say fifty feet long, twenty feet high, and SIX
! wide. The water, In passing through these
! tanks, would drop the heavier part OF the sew
reservoirs, the water holding the. sewage In sus-
! pension drained off in these reservoirs, and
pumped bY small engines Into the leading mains
! again. By this process the water reaching the
canal ut the point Of discharge would have very
! little or no solid matter In suspension, and il,
| as Dr. De Wolf says, the water ia the Twenty
secoud-streer sewer Is clean enough to wash
| your hands, the water poured into the canal
! would be as clean, and should ne cleaner. This
| statement Of the Doctor shows on a small
whole Of the city sewage treated as the water IN
the TWenty-second street sewer. The catch
basins act IS my proposed settling-tanks, the
heavy part being @ blown out" instead Of re-
moved by hand, as now, from the catch-basins.
Consider this Twcnty-second street example 3
little more. Were this sewer ten feet wide and
six feet deep, with the same quantity OF water
running through 1t, the cuerent would
be very sluggish; the heavy part fd of
rapidly dccompose,' and then the water,
Instead of being clear, would have all the ap-
pcarance and characteristics OF our present
riyer-uater. a quick, rapid movement OF the
tha d;ffarenna hetwcan tnc nresent river-water
and that IN the Observation-Disclosures saver.
But to return to our plan. The solid matter
left ut the settling beds would be dried, deodor-
lied, or treated in any way that experience
t5.,t ron,d "a 40
our lands need manure In some shape, this
would be the cheapest and best product that
could be had. As this product became better
tanned nractica]&y. the citv wuuld derivn fair
inconh from thIs nov desnised md trnuhIesome
$4,000 1A''1A ~'A'" A0" '>''~
'cn "s-'. r., , H. .,.:.~
II uas pe wen, III e4os,ns' W AolloW the se"-
age water after the solid matter has been re-
moved, anu see now II oena7es' IN me hrst
plaee, uae sewaSs nias.9r n t;,u uIu ~ so.utlon
uos 5uspsns1ou, - re!9 'oa'te, aau leauf, as
lile sligntest R1oYocauon. 10 orea1 up" and
unlte chemlcal!y Win OXYGEN ana many o-ner
e1cnents, auu oecohe @ @couepasa.lFe1s , ua1mless'
Nue uavu1s y; lasSe oooy - 7o.'u, 9isau1c uate"
rial to draW from; u Woao soon necome purt.
ned. ana the 1naaoltants iiV'ng aloag the line OF
Tie canat anu lNer "ou!u uot nave cause o1
eolnuan1. % NV, ..ou4 .us .oa1 us-a 04ls"ls.
from necayns seMaee matter. by our present
system We aTe niltug the l'Vel anu eans1 Will
s so'u af. ~ " T. S hecnmeS o, w ~ roiat ~ ~
pose, anu, Us u peco,nes u.vse eo!atue, tq ne
taken up anu psss SLOWLY Oh IT'S WY TO 1ne 1'l-
nos Mver:
. "lSu neIe " 4uo.o Holn 1ne La"tSrGe nEd
koassJ 80 tIpolea @ - oe le.1 A3.u,
showing how ollierentis SEWAGE mixed WITH
raunmg "aseE aou kept III mo11on acts than
"uen lelt u s'aSnase'
One ut tho most remarkable qualities Of run
ming water II taat O. sess spurhcat'on II mas oes9
sp6mn 1rn ,nas waen Inc ost no9ous MAJ
~ hos J;.onncared n ~ ~ ean n1as
porfons n # are ionhtess ahsorhcn bv he ernvfh
Of aouatc vegetation: other parts are removed and
consumed by fishes; but to chemical action ia due
tho most important part OF the process OF pur1fca-
ton. An analysis made By Dr. Hasenclaver OF
waters taken from the Merrlmac River at Law
renee shows ehat the water tesans a. lawrence ne
sesaoas .tae a,S .neiusos a g. .
4h.t anv cdtionai imnnrt;e. racaired at
renee are dIssinated before reaching that n1aca.
T. ,ho ecw.pe from cit,es 1ita ,nwall Lou.
a Neehna faoohasrar on1 ran.oe1 ~ 1a ~
Haverhiil. wiere all the solid matter flows into
the Merrlmac from the cities named, it won1d
seem safe to conclude that, il most OF the solid
matter held in suspension was removed in the |
method proposed from the Chicago sewage, no !
serious objection could be urged against its |
nassage down the canal and into the Illinois |
River
Tbfs sewage question has got to be met. /
While not expecting Immediate action 1rill be |
taken, general discussion OF this subject |
should be Invited, all plans and methods dis
cussed in q fair and candid spirit, and in time |
some pIan will be found practicable and worthy /
OF adoption.