The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-18
THE SANITARY QUESTION
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. II, 1882.

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Modern sanitary science has a
good deal to say about the intimate
connection which exists between
cleanliness and health, and between
good drainage and the mortality re-
turns. Perhaps there is some quack-
cry about this, yet to be clean, and
to rid our persons and our homes,
our streets and our cities of offensive
material and debris is worthy of all
effort, and filthy person, house or
city, in Christian land is a libel on
the doctrine of inspiration which
declares that cleanliness is next to
godliness.
That water is an almost universal
solvent, and the earth an all power
tul deodorizer is acknowledged, but
how to bring each to act upon the
ever accommodating waste Of densely
populated towns and cities, is one
of the problems of modern
times, where the necessities of
close crow ding requires it, there must
be provision for the reception and
disposition of the fluid and solid
refuse of massed population.
a city or town located upon tidal
waters, finds easy drainage, and the
daily rise and fall to which such
places are subject, gives opportunity
for outlet, and the outflow carries
off vast deposits to the ocean. or into
the arms of the sea and large navi-
gable rivers.
Some cities which have large
water supply, flush their sewers at
stated periods, and so from the high
est point to the lowest, hydraulic
pressure, almost cleanses the arte-
ries and veins of the sanitary sys-
tenn. There are European cities
where they pump up, in the absence
of fresh water, the tidal supply, land
utilize by steam appliances, a ready
and saline element in the interests
of life and health.
More or less discussion arises in
this fine inlapd city in regard to
this topic; more of it no doubt,
from parties who have been accus-
toned elsewhere to the social and
domestic conveniences of extensive
sewerage, than from those who
have not had this experience. 1t has
been asserted that this city in some
sections, is saturated with the refus
of years, and that in consequence
thereof, there exists an excessive
mortality which sewerage or drain
age would extinguish. Salt Lake
City, in common with other cities,
is not as clean as it might be; yet
there could be a change in this re-
spect if each citizen would clean
his own premises; failing in this.
cleaning by the city would be more
systematic, and ordinances should
be provided for collecting the ex-
pense of such labor, where it was
Individual duty, just as the expense
eff sidewalk creation is collected
from the owners of property which
requires it.
TO provide for the necessities of
this city now, with its comparatively
light population, is considered a
herculian task; when we consider
its wide streets, the difficulties of
disposing of drainage owing to the
sluggish fall of our only river, then
| if we add to this the immense eX-
pence of pipes, connection &C., a
bonded debt may we'll be suggested
and the whole city would for many
years have to bear this burthen
| while a very small share of its ex-
tent and a very small percentage OF
its population would in any imme-
diate sense be benefited by it.
and many would question whether
there is really any excession NOR
tality on those blocks which
appear to most need drainage,
and also whether mortality in
other districts in the city is
really enhanced by any appreciable
malaria arising from these SO con-
sidered crowded central blocks
Now is there not another way of
meeting a supposed emergency, be-
sides the Inauguration of a doubtful
drainage, the laying of unequal
burthen and the creation Of debt on
what after all may be hypothesis
and not matter of fact. Suppose
that any block really, by its resid-
ents, desires or needs a system of
drainage, cannot that be local in
stead Of general? In the centre of
every such block let there be con-
structed a circular reservoir or re-
ceiving wells have this lined with
brick or stone, well filed in and
plastered with cement, make
this of such a depth as con-
sideration might suggest, so as
to receive all the liquid and semi
liquid refuse of the bleck to which
it Lelongs; provide a building for
the discharge pipes radiating from
the accommodated residences. at
one or several depths according to
levels. Now upon this stone curb
raise a good lofty brick shaft or
chimney, and at well considered
distance above the surface of the
ground, in the interior of this shaft,
have one, two or more circular rims
OF iron pipes studded with gas jets,
so that any infammable gases gen.