The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-09-06
TI.e lleoples { olumn
SANITARY.

thlS direction are adopted by the cltl.
zens, beg to give you some extracts
from an article published some years ago
in .ScriJncr, and written by George +.
Warning. ,Ir., who is recognized as the
highest authority on the subject i'll this
country.
Nj. Naring agrees with all well in
formed writer's on sanitary measures that
the tecal matter from privies, if allowed
to soak i'll the ground, must result in
tainting wells and springs, and that the
water thus tainted, when used for drink
ing or domestic purposes, will produce
typhoid fever and Other kindred diseases.
He says: No form of cesspool, no
Teaching vault and no cemented tank
should be allowed andtr any cirrum-
''$tanccs. Neither should there be per
emitted any form of the cid fashioned
''out-of-door privy with Il vlnt. Every
''household should be supplied with wa
''ter closets, or well arranged earth
closets, with a
suitable supply of water for the purpose
and suitable means of DISPOSAL Chat is,
10y ''dischargirg it into running water
''or into deep tide water,') Nothing
can be better than we'll regulated and
properly ventilated alter Closets
But where this public We ter supply does
not exist, he recomme nds the earth
clcset. The writer then proceeds:
The only thing which now deters til
authorities of some OF t. re large mana
! featuring towns of the north OF England
from adopting the dry-ea rtu system as Il
means OF renef, under the sharp eXactiou
Of the law that prohibits their further
toulng OF water courses, is the belief
that the labOr of bringing into the town
The enormous amount OF earth required
to supply such an immense number of
closets and the labor Of removing the
| product at frequent intervals, would be
| so great as to constitute an insurmount-
| able obstruction.
Il have recently concluded an expert
ment of six years duration, the result of
| which seems to show that this objection
/ to the adoption of the earth, closet sys-
TEN may be set aside OF at least reduced
| to such proportions as to make it unlm-
| portant. In TIE autumn OF 1870 | had
brought to my house, where only earth
closets are used, two small cart-loadS of
| garden earth, dried aud siited. This Was
used repeatedly in the closets, and when
an increased quantity was required ad-
| ditlons were mace Of Siited anthracite
ashes. | estimated that the amount Of
material now on hand is about two tons.
We long since stopped adding to the
| quantity finding that the amount was
ample to furnish Il supply OF dry and de
| composed material whenever it becomes
! Necessary to I'LL the ServolrS oi the clos
| cts.
! The accumulation under the seats is
| discharged through simply arranged
! valves INTO bricked vaults i'll the cellar.
| When these vaults become !illed,-ahout
| three times i'll year,-their contents,
which are all thoroughly decompoSed.
are piled up IN a dry and ventilated place
with slight covering ui fresh earth to
| keep down any odor that might arise.
| Alter sufficient interval these heaps are
ready for further use. there being no
trace, i'll any portion, of foreign matter
or any appearance of odor differing from
! that of an unused fresh mixture OF earth
and ashes. III this way the material has
| been used over and over again, at least
| ten times. and there Is no indication to
| the senses of any change III Its condition.
"A sample OF this material has recent
| ly been anal Zed by Professor AtWater,
at the Connecticut Agricultural Station.
at MIddletown. The analysis shows that
1t contains no more organic matter than
Professor Neolcker found in fresh earth
prepared for use i'll the closet,-says
about two hundred pounds, nearly all
OF which organic matter is undoubtedly
contained when first made ready for use.
In my case, there was an addition at u
moderate calculation of at least 800 lbs.
OF solid dry matter during the six years
use by an average OF four adult persons.
Professor NUelcker's analysis showed
| that the unused earth contained about
! twelve pounds of nitrogen. Professor
Atwatcr analysis shows that my two
tons contained only about eleven pounds
of nitrogen. by calculation, the 500
| pounds OF solid dry matters added in the
use Of my material contained 30 pounds
of nitrogen.
1T becomes interesting and important
| to know what has become OF this added
matter. That it was absorbed into the
PARTICLES of the earth is !: matter of
course. and the result proves that after
| such absorption it was subjected to such
Il chemical action of the concentrated
oxygen always existing i'll porous dry
| material as led to its entire destruction.
| Porous substances condense gases-air,
oxygen, etc.,-in proportion L" the eX-
! tent OF their interior surface.
Tie earth used Ill the closet is a por-
Gus material, sufficiently dry for the free
! admission OF ar or OF oxygen. The foul
est materials when covered with dry
earth ut once lose their odor, and are in
! time rs effectively destroyed by cDmbuS-
tion (oNydized) as though they had been
| burned III Il furnace. The process is more
| Slow but none the less sure; and it is
clear that III the case Ui my DIRT heap the
! foul matters added have thus been de-
stroyed. The practical bearings OF this
TACT are of the utmost Importance. Earth
Is not 10 be regarded rs Il vehicle for the
inoilrnslve removal beyond the limits of
the town of what has hitherto been its
| most troublesome product, but as il me-
dlum tor bringing together the offensive
| ingredients Of this product, and the
| world great Scavcngcr, oxygen. My
| experiment seems to demonstrate the
| fact that there is no occasion to carry
away the product from the place where
it has been produced, as, alter ii reason
| able time, it has ceased to exist, and
| there remains ONLY Il mass OF earth which
| Is IN all respects as effective as any fresh
| supply that could dc substituted.
In town like El<ton '.tlle old fash
Toned out-Of-door privy' Will undoubt-
cdly be used for some time 10 come, but
even with this all the practical benefits
| of the earth closet may be obtained by
aboiishing entirely all pits and building
along side each privy a perfectly tight
shed with tonguel and groogcd wood
floor FOX dry earth. Modes of transfer
ing the iccal matter INTO the dry earth
Shed will readily suggest themselves.
There is no reason why every house in
the town, no matter how small, should
not be supplied with such an arrange
mcnt. That the time will come, If it is
not already upon us, when we shall have
an epidemic of typhoid fever resulting
from tie use of water tainted by the
drainage of privieS, is as certain as that
the present neglect Of our p1op!e, rich
and poor, is allowed to continue. J.
.Hr. Edior:--W lille riding up your main
street and passing the Democratic head
quarters lin the hollow, = recently, | saw
the following sigu over their door: ''Cleve-
nd anJ p,T,r,, I,,,l