The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1881-11-03
THE MEMPHIS SEWERS.
Description Of the Waring System
I'm Use In that City.


I'm Use in that City.
In view of the attention the subject
OF public sewerage is receiving in this
city, the following description of the
celebrated Waring sewer system r. !.
Gently introduced into Memphis, Tenn,
and which changed that city from one
Of the SICKLE 1 TO one Of the healthiest
of the South, will be read with in est.
1t was prepared by Major j. s. Hun :
phreys, engineer in barge of sew
ers
The city has q population of about
10, OOO, and occupies the SUBMITS and
slopes on tn sides of q valley, which
is drained by stream known as the
Bayou Gayoso.
The main sewers are located ON each
side OF the bayou, and as near to it 70
was found practicable.
There are al ,gethel about thirty
four miles OF sewers, of which four
miles ERE mans located along the
bayou and di 'harging into the liver
BY one outlet the remainder ale
laterals, dra'oing into these mains,
except about two miles of sewers con-
structed before the present system was
adopted, and discharging into the Mis-
sissippi by other outlets.
The mains are ten, twelve, fifteen
and twenty inches in diameter. OF
the laterals, about So per cent. are six
inches in diameter, and the remainder
eight inches, except a few short
lengths, which are ten inches. The
mains for the most part are laid with
. grade of two inches in one hundred
feet, which is the minimum.
The minimum grade of six inch
laterals Is six inches N one hundred
feet.
At the upper end of each lateral is
located one OF Roger Fields Au D
matte Flush Tanks, which discharges
one hundred and twelve gallons in
about forty seconds. This tank dis.
charges Its contents as oiten as it is
filled, but it is believed that once in
twenty-fOur hours is sufficient.
The system is without manholes,
except few distributed on the mains.
No surface or roof water is permit
ted to enter the sewers, the system be.
ing designed and proportioned for
house sewerage only.
The house drains are all four inches
in diameter, and no trap is permitted
on the main drain, each fixture being
provided. with separate trap. The sol
pipes are OF cast iron, four inches in
diameter, with lead joints above the
ground, and extend several feet above
the roof. Each house drain is conse-
quently a ventilater for the public
sewer.
For the pmpose of removing the
subsoil water, agricultural drain tiles
are laid in the trench with each lateral
on the grade of the sewer, or below it,
which discharge not into the sewers,
but into the bayou. Additional lines
of tile have been laid in streets in which
no sewer is located.
A large part of the trenching has been
done by contract, but the pipes have
been laid with hired labor.
The prices last paid for excavating
and back filling are as following: Tren-
ches 6a feet deep, 25 cents; 81 70 0 feet
~ cents; to IL feet 45 cents; II to 15
feet Is cents per lineal foot.
The pipe laying, including laying
drain tile in the same trench, also the
cost Of the cement, sand, oakum and tile
paper, is estimated to cost Z 3-5 cents
per foot. The flush tanks cost, com.
plete, about $45 each, including $40
royalty.
The six inch pipes, although draining
houses on both sides, in some CT ses for a
distance Of three thousand feet, have
never been 0vercharged, ,and have seldom
been found running half full.
No trouble has been caused by sewer
gas and the sewers are believed to be
comparatively free from 1t.
Some of the six inch pipes have oc-
caslonally been obstructed by sticks,
bones, etc, becoming fixed across the
diameter OF the pipe, all Of which have
been promptly removed. Twenty one
cases of such obstruction have occurred,
which have been removed at cost of
SIS each.
Some deposits have been found In the
main which have been rapidly and IN
expensively removed by the passage of
hollow metal balls through them. These
balls are about three inches less in
diameter than the sewers, and being
lighter than water are pressed againss
the top of the sewer, and are rolled along
by the force of the current. The velo
city of the ball is less than that of the
water, which, In passing it., is DETECTED
against the bottom and sides of the
sewer SO as to thoroughly cleanse it.
A portion of the mains have been so
cleansed twice since their construction,
the laterals dot at all.
Pipes laying was commenced about |
the goth OF January, 1880, and ON July |
1st Of that year about twenty miles had |
b zen laid.
The connections made with this sy
tenn up to the first of July, 1881, were as
follows: Water closets, 3.579; sinks, g. |
a0S; urinals, 1873; bath tubs, 267; wssh |
basins, 200; prisy sirxs,l7 cellar drains,
IA.
The system appears to give entire sat
both 10 the city govern uent |
and citizens general ly.
Republican Discretion.