Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-25
EVENING SATURDAY 1882 DOUBLE SHEET

below. The Maryland avenue branch. however
would not fulfill its purpose without great cost.
and even then imperfectly. The upper ends OF
its branches are situated at very low points. to
which. according to the general plan, large
quantities of storm water . V descend Besides
the objection to this feQbore. as already men
TONED, the location Of there sewers is such that
they would be of little avail throughout their
entire length, partly on account of running
through the parks and partly on account of their
great deptA below the natural surface on streets
where they might be of service. The street
and Delaware avenue branch. again, appears to
be quite suitable for Intervening the sewage
from the high grounds east of it.
Mr.. HARNESSES plan. therefore, although en-
bOdying a few acceptable features is not with
out several serious objections. and would not.
in our opinion. entirely fulhfl the requirements
demanded. n
The plan submitted by Mn B: Severson, c. E..
next demands some remarks HE advocates the
filing up of the present clianneiand establishing
a new one with a clear within or l, 100 feet along
the Washington shsre. as originally proposed in
1857, by a Mr.. A. L. Rives Tic advantages of
this scheme are vaguely stated. and they apply
equally well to the other projects which main
tain the present channel. 1t would require the
reclamation of the same areas of land while it
necessitates the additional excavation of q new
channel and the filling, in of the old one
ObjectioLGal features are the shorter curves
near Observatory Hill. tending to raise
the already great height OF freshets. The
proposed saving of the amount of dredging
In the new channel by allowing the action of
the currents to assist in this work, would have
q similar effect. because the slit thus removed
would be again deposited where the width of
the river increases below the arsenal. and the
velocity OF the stream is correspondingly de-
creased. The sitting up caused thereby would
therefore also tend to raise the high-water level
In front of the city-a circumstance which must
be avoided on account Of its present extensive
low grounds. The object to be sought is rather
to depress the freshet heights than otherwise.
Another point which might be mentioned is the
fact that the reclaimed lands, If on the Wash
ington side. could be made better use of as
parks, etc, and be kept In a better condition to
avoid malarial effects than would be probable if
on the other side.
Mr.. Severson then presents his ideas on the
proper manner of sewering the city, but devOtes
much more space to attacks upon existing
works than to laying down principles by which
to remedy the evils. He favors the system Of
leading sewage and rainwater into the same
channels and gives the subject of publication
no mention. The only important suggestion
which is indicated with any degree of exactness
is the treatment of the b street and Tiber creek
sewers. Instead of leading the rain water and
sewage from the low grounds near B street,
westward into the street sewer, he recon-
mends that it be turned eastward and south
ward through the Tiber creek sewer, discharg-
ing into the James canal He gives as his rea-
sons the utilization of the fall of the river which
is about two feet per mile from street to the
latter point. and the prevention of any pollution
OF the shores in front of the city. However
good this argument may be per Sc its value is
entirely obscured by another suggestion upon
which his whole scheme seems to be based. and
which is entirely worthless. He proposes a
large basin covering thirty acres, near the out
let of the street sewer. This is to be filled
from the river during high tide. and its water
used to flush the B street sewer. the flow of
which is to be reversed and to lead into Tiber
creek sewer. etc, as mentioned.
1t is supposed that the outgoing tide at the
James creek canal will permit the water col
lected in the basin three miles distant to run
through the street and Tiber creek sewer with
sufficient velocity to ''Of course make it impos-
sible for any sewage to remain within the sewer
long enough for the fermentation and genera
ton of gasesdo begin" O. And yet the grade
less than two inches per mile. We are rather
confident, on the contrary. that as the course of
the sewer is even longer than that of the river
between in and outlets, practical stagnation
with accommodating deposits. would be the inevi-
table result. as the mean velOcityin the sewer
could usually not be over six inches per second.
partially greater velocity might be obtained
If the water in the upper basin would be stored
until shortly before low tide and only then per-
mitted to enter the upper end of the sewer
good flushing would thus result perhaps as far
as the junction with the Tber creek sewer, but
the gradual diminution Of the head would by
that time have caused it to entirely lose its force
Ihis application. however, is not even cOnsid
cred. By calling the sewer ''intercepting' Mr..
SeversOn must also have an fndistinct idea Ofthe
principle of interception, which he, however,
rightly applies to collect the sewage now flow
lnginto the Potomac above B street, and to lead
it into his ''tidal sewer at the latter point. In
stead Of recommending an intereeption Of at
least some Of the storm, water which
floods the foot Of Capitol Hin he
proposes, as a relief, to increase the size of
the present sewers, ignoring the fact that du-
ring heavy storms at high water this would be
OF little benefit, as they wUuld be submerged as
heretofore.
We regret not to find any valuable suggestion
In Mr.. Severson's plan. which is a document
filed with superlatives and displaying a sad
ignorance of the elements of hydraulics.
In our next article we shall refer to the sug
gestions submitted by Col. Geo E. Warning.
Naming the Baby.
Max Adeler In Our Continent.
II think. said the fond mother, that as the
babys last name is Brown, it would be better to
give him some first name less common than