Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-12-23
TIE crrY's HEALTH.
Meeting at tho court-house-Resolutions
Adopted,

The public meeting called some days ago
by citizens of the city for the purpose of con.
sidering sanitary measures was held at the
Courthouse last evening. A number of citi.
zens. who would probably have been present.
were kept away by the rain but those pres.
ent were representative citizens.
The meeting was called to order by Rev.
Dr.. Dwirell, who read the advertised call
for the meeting, and proposed s. G. Deuson
as Chairman Of the meeting. Mr.. benson
was elected unanimously.
On taking the chair, Judge benson said
the city had been suffering for soms
time past from diseases which scier.
tihc men say are caused by bad
sewerage; that unless something was done
this city, which had always been considered
one OF the healthiest of cities, would lose its
reputation that there is nothing which does
as much for the happiness and prosperity of a
city as well-earped reputation for healthfu,.
ness; that no one seeks an unhealthy town to
raise family in; neither will business men
seek to locate in such q place. He believed
the matter was one that could be regulated.
He said it is well-known proposition that
water will not run up hill, and when the
sewerage of the city is brought below the level
OF ths natural drain, it is not an easy
matter to get rid CT il. He presumed this
meeting had been. called for the purpose of
agitating the subject of relief.
Win. J. Davis was then chosen Secretary
of the meeting.
DIR. Dwinell then addressed the meeting.
De said he had given the subject soma
thought In general way /; that it had seemed
Tor some time that something ought to bs
done 20 remove the contents of our cesspools
and vaults; there are probably 5000 such
vaults in tho city these are not emptied
until it becomes absolutely necessary in order
to continue the further uze, or else they are
covered up and new ones made; such a
method is very fatal to the health IF city I;
the odors from these vaults are either
carried into the houses through pipes.
or float in the air of the CITY |;
somsthing should be done to rapidly remove
these elements, or else to transpose them into
something which will not be noxious the
question arises as to what is the best
method to alleviate this the present canal
system is entirely inadequate if all the
fetal matter were to be pumped into the
canal it would become unhealthy to those
living In tie vicinity the purpose of max
ing the canal serve the public is in my mind
impossible +; several methods have been sug.
eested for removing this aggregation of filth.
Ode is by pneumatic method for removing
tae matter from the cesspools to c:stern
and then pump it into the river, or il might
be used as d liquid manure; another method
is to apply force pump at che cesspools and
thus force the matter though the pipes to an
outlet; both of the methods would REQUIRE
great outlay at the beginning, and probably
the city would not care to go to SO great an
expense. If the cistern should be located at
Second and L streets. near the river, it could
be easily pumped over the levee by sinking
cistern thirty feet below the surfacs of
the ground and placing the receiving pine
about twenty feet below the ground, it could
be easily accomplished; the cistern should
be air-tight, and the pump should discharge
below low-water mark, thereby preventing
any noxious gases from arising by pump.
ing every day there wonld be no tune for
decomposition. If the pipe, for instance.
was extended up Third street as far as d
street, there would be a fall of eighteen
inches to the block to the proposed cistern !;
on Thirteenth street, frem ID street, there
would be thirteen inches fall to each block !;
on Tweaty-frst street there would be eleven
inches fall TO each block. This would be
ample to secure the best of sewerage. The
branch sewers might be two feet below the
surface, which would be ample fall for them
There are two systems of sewerage after
the latest approved plsns-one the com.
blGed system, which has pipes large
enough for all purposes, including rainfall ::
the other, known as the separate system
which requires that the rainfall shall be car
ried of by some other means. The latter is
probably the bettar. This system is used in
Memphis, Tenn, with good results. East of
Thirteenth street we have no sewers at all
and in this portion the separate system might
be used; in other portions of the city the
combined system might be used to better
advantage. In Memphis the cost of the sep
arate system was $685. per mile. On this
cost lsss than 100000. The opinion of some
of the b5st practical engineers should be
obtained before nything is done.
Calls vera made for Mayor Brown, but he
declined to speak on the subject, saying that
he had come to listen and not to SPEAK, but
stated that the canal is beiag opened through
to Snodgrass slough.
L. +. Bassett said the fall that would be
gained by the work on the canal that is ex-
tending to Snodgrass slough would be almost
nothing. The work now being done would
amount to about Sl0,000 and was being done
as a compromise with the people living alorg
tn lice OF the canal. 1t would cost
$4,000 more 10 gain a two.fooS fall.
In regard to pumping sewage, he said there
are four or five methods by which it can be
done. 1t ia perfectly practical to perfect
system of sewage which will be complete.
The separate system of sewerage would not
cost less than Sl00, 900 to do tie work that
would necessarily have to be done ct the
present time. Some of our sewers are wooden
ones, and others are built of brick, with open
joints, aud many of them are no better than
cesspools. Ia some places cefspeols are
formed under the houses, and are never
cleaned, bat allowed to run over, while others
have no ventilation excepting into the houses
He believed the city of Sacramento should
own an odorless excavator, and charge be
made only sufficient to pay the expenses Of
the work done, and that it should be made
imperative to have the cesspools and vaults
cleaned frequently.
Grove l.. johnson did not believe in the
Snodgrass slough canal the object originally
was to carry off the water, and il was only of
late years that it had been used for sewerage
purposes he was in favor of pumping
system. He then moved that il was the sense
OF the meeting that a pumping system should
by adopted. He believed that the Board of
Health should exercise it's power to order the
matter of cleaning cesspools attended to at
once.
DIR. Dwinell said if the cistern was cleared
with the pump every day, the matter would
at once mingle with the water of the river.
Other speakers. discussed the subject.
among which were Samuel Cross, Win. j.
Davis, ). >. Holj, Mayor Brown, A. J. God
dard, J. r. Watson, City Attorney Apder-
son, +. r. Drsy, James McClatchy. w. F.
Knox, and others. Several of the speakers
thought the cause of the present sickness was
not defective sewerage system, but that the
malarial diseases prevailed in al parts of the
coast, and that comparison OF the mortality
report of the various cities in the United
States would show that Sacramento had for
the past ten years stood among the foremost
in point of health. Prominent among these
was Mayor Brown.
A vote was then taken on the motion msde
by Mr. johnson, aid it was carried without
6. dissenting voice.
Another motion wss then made and carried
that committee OF five be appointed by the
Chair to report at future meeting the best
method of putting into operation the previous
resolution. The committee was app1inted as
follows: DR.. Dwinell, W. +. KUox, J. r.
Watson, l.. Z. Bsssstt. Grove L. johnson.
The meeting then adjourned, the hour be-
ing 1880 O'clock, TO meet at the call OF the
committee.
A LEGAL QuEsTIoN.-Thers appears to be
some doubt as 60 whether the present Board
of Supervisors can legally hold regular ses-
sion after the close of this year, consequently,
to preclude the possibility of the Legality OF
their action being question ed, they decide d