Daily Republican., 1884-01-12
SEWERS AND SEWERAGE.
THE NECESSITY OF A PERFECF
kYSTEM-SANITAkY FEATURES
or THE BROOkLYN LAW.

fifth and the contents Of cess pool
must be removed, or it allowed to r,
main amy length of time in one plac
Will breed diphtheria, scarlet fever an
other pestiIential diseases There
!, scarcely city N the world wLAre som
plan has NOT been adopted for gettln
rid Of these disease breeding agents.
Even in Chira and India, plans 70
drainage and sewerage have beeI
adopted, and Ia Bombay all refuse mat
TOR Is collected every day and taken Ou
Ia vesnsls and deposited III tne ocean
Or, John NJ. Ksating, Phl'adeI phii
physician, who has Travelled quite ex
lehslyely in this Country and Europe
says that In those countries where
pTfect systsn Of sewerage j., in opera
ton, such diseases rs tyrhOId fever
Idlphtnaria OrfscarleF feverare unknown
II In therefore apparent that one Of the
most important questions to De cOu.
sidered by the residents OF ties Is how
10 remove and dispose of eXcremen'l-
uous filth without nuisance or dagger
to the public health.
| The absolute Cessty Of the removal
OF such matter IL no longer an open
question, but az said before is recog.
nized by All civilized communities. Cess
pools which now receive the tXcrementd
Of most cities are rarely tight enough to
prevent leakage They cause the sub.
soil, especially where it is gravelly y and
porous, to be polluted with putrid
fluids, aud spread them through the
soil 0 such al extent that in many
instances the filth even reaches the CO..
lars, and the poisonou. gasses penetrate
the dwellings.
The danger to be apprehended from
cesspools was we'll illustrated in Lon
don, some years ago, when the residents
Of n certain district were affected with a
dyseDtery that batfled the skill of the
physicians, and in many instances
proved fatal. II was noticed, however,
that where the patients were removed,
either to the hospital or another part OF
the CITY, they almost invariably recuv-
cred. These facts lead u an investiga-
tion, and it was found that ip every
case those who were affected with the
disease had used water from certain
street pump, and an examination OF Ihe
well showed that the coLtents OF seve
raj cesspools, in the vicinity, had pene.
trated through the soil and were dis
charging into the well. Measures were
Immediately taken 10 prevent the use
OF the water, and the disease entirely
disappeared.
Within the last few years severaI
pump wells in this city have been con
Lamiuated in some manner, and th,lr
abolishmeur recon meuded by the
Board Of Health.
When the soil becomes i'm pregnated
with tho drawings from CesspOols d
dead y gas will arse, as the constant
rising ana falling otth subsoil water
will cause corresponding pulsa'ion Of
the groCnd air held between II and the
surface. This air becomes polluted as
it is forced through the soil by the rs-
ing waters, aud becomes dangerous
gas, filled with the germs Of disease that
iu may instances is eXlialed into col !
lars, aud from there drawn through the
house.
A system OF sewerage that will
remedy these evils must be blessing
to any community, and but two con.
ditions would be required to render it
popular, in the first place it must
Hbl dutl W Iub VI ldAbtlobD huu
secondly all connections with the sewer
must be free from gas, otherwise 1t
would become a constant source of dan.
ger more TO be dreaded than the evil II
would be intended to remedy.
This last condition has by its import
ance attracted the attention Of sanitary
engineers in all parts Of the civilized
globe, and it, as well rs sewerage, il
regulated by law in many places. In
Brook lyn, n. Y, the supervision of
house drainage is in charge Of a com.
working under the Board OF
Health, who receives from the Building
record OF all applications
for building permits.
The applicant is then sent "a note cal.
ling his attention to the law which re.
OF the plun bing work relating 10
he drainage. This plan is examined
md approved or disapproved as th-
;ase may be. After the work Is com
oleted it is inspected by the commits
,ioner, and If it fails to be in accord
ance with with the approved plan the
wner is compelled TO have it done
over again. Neglect to file il plan, or
o construct according to one that is not
approved, is punishable as II misde-
neanor, and the plumber who does the
Work is liable for the same offence.
Old houses Of which complaints are
or where contagious diseases
nave occurred, are a 30 subject TO m
'pection, and when thought necessary
ne drainage is altered. The law pro-
7ides tnat tue main house sewer pipe
must be Of iron must he trapped at
construction OF the waste and soiipipes;
provides that traps shall be applied to
very fixture connected With the build
ng, aud hat all shall be kept clean,
md all .jOinls lilled with lead and se-
urely calkei No cesspoOl5 are per-
littcd on any street traversed by a
ever, and on other streets the ceespOOls
must be waller tight and covered with Il
hiGk lager of cement. Since this plan
las been in operation in Brooklyn
here has been II decrease In the death
ate, and it is now proposed TO intro.
uce 1t into Philadelphia.
The growth OF this city and the con.
taht increase 10 its population vii! ere
ing demand that some system OF
ewerage must be adopted, and that an
wering the above conditions must he
he one that will be received with favor
y the people. AS the city continues to
pread, the ground will become more
He'd up with Il ia and poison, and both
he air the people breath, and the
'ater they drink will become less aud
,ss healthy.
The utilization of the sewage Is
nother important consideration, as 1t
'o,lld only be adding to the evil to
rain it into the Delaware or Christiana
.NrrS, and ii a system of sewerage
it"u a at auy time be adopted for thiS
lty, that should he one Of the import
NJ Iutnis to be taken into "Onsidera.
ou. There could he thousand Of dollars
'orth OF excellent fertilizers saved
very year, and, in II m assure, restore
, tho earth that which has been taken
'om It t. supply the wants of man.
With such \ system aS las been out.
ned, overlooking or obnoxious Cess
IIlA 1nlI hn M ny and fhnra ia