The Portland daily press., 1883-03-09
THE INTERPRETING SEWER.
a Leaf from the city's Engineers Re-
port.

| A brief resume of the City Civil Engineers
| Mr.. Goodwin'S-report, was published in
Wednesdays Press The following state
ment in regard to the intercepting sewer on
Commercial street, will be read with interest:
In view of the late decision of the Supreme
Court of this State relative to disposal of
sewage discharge in our DOCKS and Of the con-
stantly recurring expense of dredging for
removal of deposit whether from the sewers or
from other causes, it became an absolute neces-
sity during the past season to prepare for the
concentration and discharge of as much of the
same as is reasonably possible, at a common
outfall in the channel outside of the decks.
The question of location Of this outfall at once
arose.
Ii our sewers had been originally constructed
on the separate system, tor the conveyance Of
sewage alone, the solution of the question
would have been less difficulty but with the
limited means of the city we must take the m
as we find them conveying also the surf CO
drainage of 260 acres of city area making j.
necessary to provide for the conveyance of LOT
less than 100000 cubic feet of water an hour;
and for the storage Of this quantity during the
hours of flood tide and its discharge only on
the ebb, neither available space nor resources
are at command.
Our sewers have for years discharged with
out damage to any one of them, with from 100
to 800 feet of their respective lengths sub
merged during from two to four hours at every
tide; and the proposed intercepuiug sewer in
Commercial street, having sfluents with
head and fall ranging from so to 145 feet and
capacity two and one half times greater than
would suffice for carriage of the above quantity
OF water in the clear sewer On its own grade of
3inches to 100 feet, may be trusted to overcome
the obstruction due to the incoming tide and
the period of high water
The outfal section of the sewer, as it cannot
rest on the bed of the dock, must be built of
plank, secured to the piles of wharf. No one
of our old wharves was found to be suitable, in
respect either of proper spacing Of piles or
their size and strength, to admit or support
the conduit, and only one in a desirable loca-
ton had width enough of dock to admit of the
requisite widening. This was Long wharf,
not far from the centre Of the proposed system
Its proprietorS we're contemplating its widen
ing and an agreement was made with them
IN writing, now recorded in the city clerks
office, to waive damages in consideration of
our building. certain part of their wharf in
addition to the strip required for carving the
sewer oatfall. This is TO be 5 by 6 feet inside
DIMENSIONS of double plank all over. resting
on double pirders bolted TO piles with the sides
fastened to piles with ship spikes.
a contract was made in the month of Oct- |
oDer Tor the construction of 446 lineal feet of |
the wharf, being 4 feet more than one half its |
length, which has been completed thoroughly |
ana faithfully, comprising an area of 1915 SO. |
feet at Cost of So 354.44. During the present |
month another contract has been made for the |
completion of the wharf and construction of |
the plank sewer outlet from the wall on the |
southerly side line OF Commercial street to the |
end OF the wi arr, where it will discharge in 6 |
iee5 water at low water. The fall in the out |
let, outside of the sea wall, will be nearly |
three ieet discharglng at mean low water |
mark.
Opposite, and in line with, the head of the |
outlet and with centre 20 feet distant there
from, catch-basn, or common receptacle 5 |
ieet in diameter is to be constructed of brick
Win chimney and manhoe and rectangular
brfck connection covered with granite through |
the sea wall TO the plank outlet, the joint Of |
the Two to be Quilt In the sea wall. From this |
receptacle the sewer to extend easterly to
Hampshire street distance of 1924 feet, in
terceptlng Market, Silver and Pearl streets |
sewers on the way and diminishing in size by |
the area OF each of these, at the man-holes |
"p pointo VI lHtereSCtlOu. TO DO extended also
westerly to Maple street, distance of $50 |
feet InteFcept!ng Union and Centre streets
sewers and diminishing in size as above stated. /
Inc area OF Maple street sewer is 64 square
feet that Of Hampshire street 3 IA feet, and as |
only one OF the intercepted sewers has an area
OF 5.l4. the proposed area of 1888 feet for each
at the receptacle, which is given by an egg
shape sewer Of feet inches by feet, does
not make very formidable conduit.
me aggregate area of the Two branches, I
25.16 feet, is met by the by sewer giving an
area OF 30 square feet and grade Of inches |
per 100 feet in the outlet instead Of inches |
per 100 feet in the sewer proper
Every deta of this work has been carefully |
considered and plans and specifications have
been made for all parts thereof. A report on
the SUBJECT OF this sewer has been so recently
made and printed that il is not considered I
necessary here to repeat it, except in so far as
the above statement may show the present.
condition of the work.
Tie Advertiser we'll says: "This important
work has been pressed forward under the
stimulus Of a sharp admonition from the |
Supreme Court,to which Mr.. Goodwin alludes, |
was to the effect that "a municipal corpora
is liable to an indictment if they so construct
thei ir public sewers that the outfalls thereof |
crsate pu0lc nuisance noisome and prejudi- |
cial to the public health This is an exact |
description of the condition of things along the /
water front of the city, and any delay in cor
recting the mischief would have cost in dam
ages much more than the new sewer with its |
outfall at low water mark"