Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-24
OUR SEWERAGE SYSTEM.
The Proposed New BnI-SOme Faeta
Plainly stated.

recommended LOT aoOpIlOn py the puplcs
whether because of It's utility, practical
economic bearing, or necessity in the Sc
curing Of the public health (which from
commercial stand point means the pubic
sosalth), or whether it is intended for the
special benefit of the individual under such
general laws as msy be enacted under the
constitutional powers of the State to secure
him in ''life, liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness" can conceive Of no circum-
stances under which the citizen should be
denied full and complete information con-
corning such proposed legislation; and l
can as readily comprehend how the publ
cation OF such measures prior to their en-
sctment might call out suggestions from
| wise, prudent and practical heads which
may prove Of immense importance in the
effective working Of any and all schemes of
municipal improvement and sanitary sd-
vantage. To matters connected with our
sanitary welfare have given some careful
| study, not with view OF finding fault,
| but with an earnest purpose to learn how
/ they were worked; ia what way such work
| agreed with or departed from the strict laws
/ of sanitary science: how improvements, IL
| needed, could be made; and how these i'm
| provements could be constructed at the least
| expense to the taxpayer, and at the same
| time conform to the requirements Of the
| laws Of health.
In order to illustrate the subject fully it
will be necessary for me to cite facts In
/ place of theories, and to overhaul much
| that is neither creditable to our senses nor
compatible with our sanitary well-being. |
will, therefore, say in advance, that | hope
/ all interested will forgive me for treading I
| trust tenderly) on their toes In matters nee
essary to the protection Of their lives.
| Our sewerage system, in so far as # re-
| lates 70 the outflow from our bathrooms and
/ water-clOsets, is in state Of imperfection
| of which few persons dream. Aside from
the danger attending their location, inside
| of the bodies OF our houses, instead of on
| back plszzas or ventilated extensions, there
/ are but few closets in which the stream OF
water exceeds the size of ones little finger
in some It is not that large; and in others
| at q distance from the lsrger water mains
no flow at all can be obtained above the
| first floors of the dwelling houses. In these
instances no possible use OF the closets can
be safely made, except by pouring down
| the drain pipe after use bucket or tub full
! of water, on the principal OF the flush cur
rent. The remedy for this state OF affairs is
Of course the introduction OF a system OF
| larger mains along the streets and greater
pressure by the increased height OF the
water tower, and by the erection Of other
| towers when needed.
But not to digress too far: When
| the closet into the drain beyond, what be-
comes Of them? Just here is where
the greatest trouble begins. Each
| lot owner, going on the novel idea that his
| family are cleaner and healthier than his
neighbours, and that diseases bred from
| these typhoidal beds have their origin not so
| much in. the excretiOns from his own premi-
ses as IN those from his neighbours premises,
wants his pipe all TO himself Now the mate
rial effect of this is that he cannot get water
| enough from his bath pipe to furnish more
| than trickling, meandering kind of apology
| for a stream, and so his own pipes get clog
| ged by the more solid aecumulstiOns which
| the feeble current of water has not had force
/ enough to wash out, and, as a consequence,
he breeds the seeds of his own exposure and
consequent suffering.
| Again. what security has he that his pipe
| IS laid by a correct slope in grade so as to
| assist 10 gaining force for the current of
water passing through it? And what
certainty is there that it does not terminate
in some abomination of dry lsell, abandoned
| se1Oer, etc? or that it's grade is not elevated
at some point so as to furnish a bar to its
own current, thus effectually blocking up
| its outletf
Last season, whilst the municipal authori-
ties, in conjunction with the Sanitary Board
of this city, were striving to secure the
speedy drainage of the city lands on Hutch
| insons Island at the expense Of the leSeees, in
/ accordance with their contracts, one or
more deaths occurred in central parts OF the
| city which were publicly declared to be due
| to malaria from Hutchinson's Island. feel
| quite certain that the bereaved relatives of
one of those victims will pardon my citing
| SO conspicuous an instance in order that
may impress upon others the truths demon
| strated by their sad experience. so that
| others still living may take waning against
similar dangers. The Sanitary Board of
| this city ordered an investigation of the
premises, and discovered, first, that the drGin
pipe from the bath room 10 her house con-
| aected Nth an abandoned se1Oer, and that the
gases from this sewer found their only vent
back through the drain piJe into her own
| dwelling house. Further than this, It was
found that the drain pipe from the closet of
| the adjacent house was projected at higher
level one hundred feet away from the house
than at the point of its eXit-conse quently
It could not do else than get blocked up.
10 the former case, even water enough to
scOuT the pipe would not have diminished
the danger because Of the reorganization of
the gases back from this abandoned sewer,
from which they had no other point Of
escape; and in the latter case the point of
elevation along the line of the drain pipe
was in reality a point OF obstruction to the
only use for which the pipe was constructed.
Another difficulty Of the present system is
its multiplicity Of pipes in a small space.
For instance, in a block OF ten or twelve
houses, If each householder constructs
his own pipe, there would land
does) result as many pipes as
there are houses. Now If none of these
unite in common pipe, the soil is honey
combed with~a number OF pipes, each laid
separately without any reference to the po-
sitiOn or grade of any other, and not I'M
frequently being elevated above or lowered
below the grade Of another against which 1t
is found to project IL continued on its own
level, and at this point the free passage of
its contents is INSTRUCTED. The object
of the contractor being to get to the
Sel0sr, he gets there as soon as
possible, and any damage to
quently be exhibited in its "blOcking up"
6y reason Of such variations in its levels, or
any injury done by accident or heedlessness
to other pipes which happen TO be in his
way, is not discovered until at a subsequent
time the health or life of a tenant In one Of
the dwellings with which such injured pipe
connects, pays dear price for the informa-
ton that There is something wrong about
the premises" II there was but one pipe
running down the lane for the accommOda-
ton of the premises on the two sides, and
this was of sufficient size, proper grade, and
provided at its highest point with a
means of being flushed as often as
might be found advisable, no such blocking
I'D, for either Of the above mentioned rea-
sons, could occur. And 1t is equally sppsr-
ent that q single pipe catching into its
own cavity not only all the supply OF fluids
poured out from the premises along it's
lineNof 200, or 400, or 1 600 yards, but also
provided with the means OF additional
flushing independent of these supplies,
would prove infinitely more healthy than
the numberless smaller ones covering the
same territory and incapable of being
flushed at all, besides suffering from the
impossibility of obtaining water enough |
from their individual sources of supply to |
keep even their own lesser dameters
clesnsed and secured.
1t has been said that the construction of a |
system of sewerage like this would entail |
an enormous expense on the lot owners. |
Let us see how the present system works, |
and then we will be better able to Judge OF |
the economy of the proposed system. Dur |
ing the past year, Mr.. d. Mcdonald, the /
owner of the premises at the southeast cor
ner Of CASTOR and Lincoln streets, was Or |
dered to fill up a dry well used by him in |
CASTOR street, and to make sescer connection |
for his bath room. He had 1t to do, or else |
suffer the penalties imposed by law, aside /
from possible damage suits from his tenants /
or loss Of rents because of the condemnG-
ton Of the unssnitary condition of his |
premises. To obey the requirements of the /
sanitary authorities be was forced at his
individual expense to lay pipe all the way