Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-09


sewage farms. 81. A. Durand-Ctaye, from whose
reports this information is derived, says that
4" in Germany it Is admitted without question
that municipal healthfulness depends upon
three PRINCIPLES: First. the total discharge OF
water-closets in sewers second, the distribution
of an abundant supply of water In dwellings,
and frequent flushing OF drains IlId Is pri-
In England there are TWO hundred cities ana
towns disposing of sewage by Irrigation ana
agriculture. On the farms at EdinDurgh are 10
Gated beautiful nurseries for the children of the
city. At Iochend farm taking sewage from
the city has produced 800 worth OF nay per
| acre. The Metropolitan Sewer Company OF Lon
don rents land at 500 per acre for grazing SIX
teen acres at Rugby furnish feed for ftty-iour
head of cattle, and at Aldershot, Branbury Bed
ford Croydon, Norwood. Warwick and Worth
ing the reports IN detail show an equally won
derful production from the land treated IN this
manner.
LEAs1SGroN WITH 26O0o INHABITANTS
| Spent $4,000 in chemical experiments, after
which the 3 Company, in 1862 attempted to
purify the sewage but gave t up IN loI IL was
| lawsuit followed, costing the city s3,QOO, in
which it was defeated, and compelled at an eX
pense of S25 900 more to purify the river. lord
| Warwick then consented to receive the sewage
on his estate the city contracting to deliver 1t at
| the highest point of the farm for period of
] thirty-two years for which Lord Warwick en-
| cages to nav s. 80 annually. The sewage
amounts 10 little over 600. 600 gallons per day.
! and is distributed over the land, which has not
| been leyeled, by what is known as the donkey
back" systenl-eleyated open drains, on the
| sides of which is the vegetation 1t has trans
| formed the poorest parts OF the farm into soil
| of much fertility. and financially has proved
great success. From eight to nine cuts OF ltalian
| rye grass, two feet high. are made each year
| Celery strawberries and currants grow remark
ably well. The beef, milk and butter are in
| great demand, and bring the highest prices
| The laboreIS are in the best of health, and LORD
| Warwick has received numerous prizes and sill
| yer cups for one OF the best kept farms in the
| kingdom. A more detailed account may be
found in Babut du Maris work.
| The sewage farm at Croydon is surrounded by
| beautiful Villas it being fashionable resort
| The land which twenty years ago solo tor s5ou
per acre is now worth from s2,Voo 70 s2,V Joy,
| There has been but one complaint OF the farm
during the last twelve years. and this resulted
from excessive irrigation during long period OF
stormy weather, when the hay could not be
| dried on the land. 4 public footpath crosses
the sewage farm at Abingdon. There has been
| no complaint from bad odor. Babut du Mars
| says: It has been claimed that prolonged irrl.
| cation viii produce disease by the presence OF
| bacteria in the sewage. Experience Is 70 the
| contrary. The farms at Edinburgh have re-
| ceived sewage for more than two centuries, that
at Buntzlau for two and hait centuries, ana
| for more than ten centuries this has been IN
practice in China. Vegetation has never ceased
| TO be vigorous and healthy, and the inhabitants
! have never been known to suffer in consequence
of irrigation
PRACTICED N CHINA.
/
sided seven or eight years in China that in all
the large cities the detritus is carried into the
| suburbs by hand buckets and deposited ON the
| land for the benefit of vegetation, and in many
| instances the same pals serve TO bring back
| drinking water, with no i'll effect except III
| few northern cities, where the sewage Is put on
| the leaves OF vegetation there the tapewOrn is
very common. DR.. Williams, in his work en-
| titled The Middle Kingdom" does not inclnde
typhus typhoid, scarlet fever, or diphtheria in
| list of the prevalent diseases of China.
1t is difficult to make comparisons or draw
| conclusions when considering this question
| financially, for the paramount objects to be at
| taiDed vary in different communities One
| town may seek only to get rid of the sewage,
! another its most profitable employment on the
| land another relief from the WateT-courSe or
| preservation of its navigability: grotesque and
improbable experiments and local conditions
| all contributing to make balance-Sheets of great
| diversity in showing either profit or loss. Many
! examples of each are available, and should, of
course, be carefully studied
| THE CITY or PARIS
| For many years harassed by constant complaint
| and litigation. as IL result of discharging sewage
| in the Seine some years since established sewage
farms on the plains OF Gennevilliers, the history
! of which is told in u report to the Municipal
| Council by the sixth Commission appointed to
| treat with the State for the concession of such
| public lands at Acheres as are necessary for the
| epuration of the sewage by irrigation and agri-
| culture.
| Before the execution of the measures con
! ceived by NJ. Belgrand for the general healthful
| ness of Paris, the rain water and the washings
| of the streets flowed into the Seine, either di-
| rectly or by great number of drains emptying
| on the quays Of each bank the whole length Of
! Paris. This mode of drainage resulted i'll the
| immediate and pronounced pollution of the
river, which reached the maximum at the point
| where it leaves the city. The work of Begrand
had for its result the concentration of tour-ftths
| of the drain water into large sewer opening
! into the river AZ Clichy, while the remainder
| was discharged at st. Denis. At the same time
| the water for domestic supply was largely in
creased In 1860, *, 100000 gallons per day we're
| furnished for this purpose; in 1882, 92,000000
| gallons were required each day or "a ,0D,0O0,0 900
| gallons per year This with the rain water
| which falls on the city. estimated at from
| 1915 600 to 1l3i0,00O,000 gallons makes a
total Of 4i10O 600 600 TO As 800 600 900 gallons
| which. were it not for evaporation and other
| loss should be carried by the sewers This loss
amounts to something like 1880, 00,000 gallons
per year, Us indicated by gauges in the two
| sewers. which register 26.20S0 100000 gallons
about ~ per cent disappearing by evaporation
At low water of the Seine II is equal to part
of drain water to twenty OF river water, and al
high water to one part in $50 AS q result of
currents and obstacles in the river mixing did
not take place, and the right bank-the most
densely peopied-received on a very long mar
gin the totaity Of the drain water. depositing
all the way organic matter brought in suSpen
sion. Protestations from people living along
the right bank OF the river followed very closely
the opening of the two great sewers; and the
| State Government required the city of Paris to
| seriously consider methods OF purifying the
sewage before discharging it into the river. The
| saTants engineers, chemists, traders and aSri-
cutursts discussed the subject in all its phases
| and to the latter are indebted for practical
| solution of the problem.
Filtrage was naturally the first system to be
| tried. It was soon found that, besides the ac-
tual difficulties of filtration large a scale,
| this mode of treatment had the capital vice of
| leaving in the water soluble organic matter
| capable of fermentation and later chemical
| agents were resOrtod to with the object Of pre-
| ciptating the soluble matter, but only incom-
| plete results were obtained, which were SLOW,
| costly, and inapplicabie on so large u scale.
EPURATIoN AND AGRICULTURE
We now come to the experiment which after
fifteen years OF study and persevering effort, has
| given a result most complete and satisfactory.
| Epuration and utilization by agriculture ana
| filtration, by spreading the sewage on pe-ncable
| land have accomplished this end. II is based on
| simple principles, of which the demonstration
| is now made All argilO-SiliciOus and peTmeable
! soils sufficiently thick and well drained, have
| the property OF retaining in their superior
| layers all the organic matter in suspension and
| solution contained in drain water spread on the
surface OF the land. Such soil can receive,
without being made damp or marshy, one inch
of water per day, or twenty-siS feet per year. II
transforms the retained organic matter, render
| ing it capable of assimilation by plants. very
| ingenious experiment just made shows this
| valuable property in the vegetable mould.
| hollow column, two meters in hight, was filed
| with earth in manner to reproduce exactly
| the soil as found at GennevillierS. Through this
| was passed sewage in relative quantity 10 that
employed in irrigation aud at equal intervals
| with lis use on the land. Epuration took place
| as completely rs in the natural earth. Chloro-
| form was then passed through the column,
| which Mt once arrested epuration, and the sew
| age traversed the column without being puri-
| fed Paralyzation of the infusoria stopped
| oxidation of the organic matter. This expert
| ment has been demonstrated by VI Schlocssing,
and is described in the report to the Council of
| Hygiene. If the surface irrigated is under cul-
| tivation the fertilizing matter is Immediately
| utilized If not, il accumuates without loss and
i transforms the poorest soil into land Of extreme
| fertility.
very large proportion of the water used in
irrigation is evaporated either directly or by the
| plants in vegetation. The residuary water com
| ing from the subSol drains is of a remarkable
| purity and does not suggest, either by aspect or
| composition, the sewage from which it proceeds.
Irrigation is the most economical and eiiicacious
means of conveying directly to the plants the
| fertlizng matter of sewage.
TRUSTING IN THESE PRINCIPLES,
And fortified by the works of Messrs. De Frey