Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-28
THE SEWERAGE OF SMALL TOWNS.

THE SEWERAGE OF SMALL TOWNS.
The SANITARY Engineer has very inter
esting article upon the above subject ana
presents some startling facts which ought
we think, to be brought to the attention oil
the public generally. The writer has evil
IDENTIFY made extended observations, aad has
noted with great deal of care the relations
between the general health of small COM
munities aud the condition OF sewerage II
such places He finds throughout most OF
tue small towns Ihlckly scattered ovef the
country, the giossest Disregard of sanitary
precautions with respect to sewerog'
and d aiuage The streets may be nicely KEPT.
The sidewalks paved, and tue front yards
adorned with grass and flowers, hut in the
rear of the houses are almost always to bc
found the TASTY vault, generally near tht
well, the garbage heap close by, and frequent
ly stable or cattle shed with its fcsterluA
manure. Anyone who is familiar with thu
average New England village will admit the
,ruthfIlness Of this picture. 1t is sham,
and II disgrace u our lovely Vermont Towns
hat this criminal shiftle,sness should be Gu
dured. A community of any s)rl--even
though it consist Ut bu, two or three families
ought to have some system Of sewerage. Il
is simply barDarism to suffer the filth OF TIL
household 10 lie around cxp,sei to suu and
air, and dilfuslng Its deadly germs on every
breeze
The usual method of sewerage adopted BY
the New England viliager aud farmer is dc
cidedly WORSE than none al all. There Is
usually SOME little transient watricourst
passing through the yard or the fields aii &c
cnl to the house, and occ .sionally inundated
with rain walcr. These natural channels ar
made the recrptacics OF all kinds OF filth, and
their Iough bottoms are all the tine covered
u resdIum of blush slime aaI nasIncss
"hicn makes the Vicluity unen durable.
Occasion Al, a private dram is pnL down,
streams in the end, aud makes tn,
IN ,tter worse for the community. These
r.iIs are also laid without regard to system
or scienc either to their size. heir grales
or heir construction. Few people know
Where they are, aud no one cares except TIL
owners, who are by this means snab cd l.,
C dry tueir vi waste away from their ow II
remises, rtgar less of whom they may in.
jue.
In very many, and perhaps the majority,
of towns cursed with this spirit of ncgli.
gence and shfllessness, there is no excuse
whatever for the lack of a regular system OF
sewerage. The writer in the SANITARY
Engineer estimates that there are over 4OU
owns and villages in the country of less
than 5000 inhabitants, each of which has Il
public water supply of some kind, but thu
greater number Of which have no system for
disposal of their sewerage except in cess
pools on the premises of the houscholders
We can think of number of Vermont towns
OF which this statement is true. They have
regular water supply from some hillside
reservoir or pond, but it never seems
10 have occurred to them that one of
tho chief advantage, il not the chief
advantage, OF flowing water supply
the cleanly removal of the filth and
waste of the community. These towns, by u
little scientific engineering and little extra
expense, might just as well have constructed
sewerage system while they were laying
their water pipes as not. Private enterprise
n this direction docs not amount TO much,
BECAUSE the lack OF system and Of construc-
tive skiil' and the general condition OF the
community remaining the same, arc disad'
vantages which counteract the Intended bene'
nt'
lhere must be engineering and science,
'nd consequently expense, OF course, in the
construction OF a system OF sewerage, but
ne Dement'S to be derived arc vastly
excess OF the expenditure incurred We're
only ior the increased health and comfort
u 'he community, leaving out all consdera.
'ou' vi se"-respect ana cleanliness and the
'''e' value Vi real es'a'e' II would pay ou'
''h''f owns tocohs'ruct drainage system
Connected with every house in the commun-
ty. But it can not be constructed as road,
ard bridpes and s,boo, bousoo .,o oro 81,
A. H., wv ''e
hoihs heh ana II ls' erhaJs, Tor liii
,owD,nann,o ., ,;n, ,,'a, '' ~" ',,. Wv y
'' ''.N "ANNi NJ =