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


made of iron with alright joints. An air
pump makes a vacuum, Closets are opened
simultaneously once q day in section after sec
ton of the city; the contents are drawn 10 me
mouth of the sewer from which they are carried
away in barrels and deposited OF the lana. It's
enormous cost bars its employment where any
other system can be used.
The upward filtration is IN use at Blrmlng-
ham. England. Population, about 59o,oV9.
Eight thousand water-closets are connected Win
the sewers which discharge about l4o0c,0oo
Gallons Der day in the river Tame. An I'M inc
Zion was obtained to prevent the discharge in
the river unless the sewage was purlned-
reservoir of deposit was built, and q system OF
inward filtration, but complaint OF the con-
tirnued pollution Of the river necessitsted It's
abandonment The city then attempted iIriga-
ton and agriculture, but this was also enJolned
Finally, after much delay and litigation, the
CITY bought 10 acres of land, and on the advice
of an engineer constructed a new reservoir OF
deposit where they treat the sewage with lime.
TO l3. i;s4 $50 gallons is added thirteen tons OF
lime each day. This clarifies the water to n GER
tain extent by causing deposit of about 300
tons per day, which is carted out ana buried on
the land.
1t has been an easy matter to separate ma
terial in suspension from drain water by iltra-
ton but rs this represents only about one-seV-
enteenth part of the value of sewage for fertiiz
ing purposes, the process though simple, has
never proved rcmunerativc, and chemists have
been emploved 10 suggest agents which would
precipitate the soluble matter, which represents
six-sevenths of the value. Lime has been EN-
ployed at Tottenham, Blackburn and Leicester
but the Royal Commissioners report OF eacn
failure inaSnuch as the drain water being thus
treated contains q large amount of putrescible
matter.
TREATMENT BY LIME, ETC.
At Northampton, England, the treatment of
sewage is MS follows: To 250,000 gallons of sew
age is added about 100 quarts of lime and six
quarts Of chloride Of iron, which is thoroughly
mixed and afterwards passed by upward Ultra
ton through layer OF calcinated iron eight
ipb 10
color or odor, and is then allowed to How into
the river At first there was no complaint, not
WithstandiOg the presence OF Il large amount OF
putrcscible matter, but later the river became
offensive and the Court has enjoined the dis
charge there
The A b method of sillar is as follows: A
mixture, consisting OF 0yO paris OF aluln. wen
y-tiYe parts of burned clay, one part OF blood
ten parts of salt. 800 parts OF clay, hfteen
parts of animal charcoal, hive parts OF InaSnesla
twenty parts of wood charcoal, ten parts OF man
ganet of potash. two parts of calcined maSnesa
is added to the sewage, to be treated in proper
ton of about One pound of the mixture to 30
gallons, thoroughly agtated, and then allowed
to settle In large reservoirs, which are alternate
w emptied and the detritus taken out dried
and sold as u valuable fertilizer. The residuary
water still contains putreseihle matter, and
notably more ammonia thSn tie sewage before
being treated.
PRECIPITATION BY CHEMICAL MEANS
| Is Dracticcd ut Coventry, England. Population
| 10000 Five thousand wgter-closets are CON
nected with the sewers, which discharged 2, 2S9
| 600 gallons of sewage i'll Inc river Snerburne
| Complaint and litigation was the result. a
reservoir of deposit was constructed, after which
| the sewage was allowed to filter across u gravel
! bed three feet thick. This proved unsatls
! factory, as only solid matter was taken out, and
| the Court again interfered with an injunction.
| contract was then made with fertilizer COM
| pany which agreed to esperate the sewage ior
| fourteen years at =, 100 per year, the company
| engaging to erect buildings and machinery, and
| u, tools
| separates the solid matter. The liquid is then
run into caldrons under the first group of build
| ings AgitatOrS mix impure sulphate OF alum
| inc with it at n boiling temperature. ii Is then
run into second set OF vessels, where milk OF
| lime is added and thoroughly mixed, then dis
charged alternately into four reservoirs in open
air, which are cleaned every fourth day. The
| liquid thus treated comes out Suthclently pure
and is allowed to filter over about four acres,
aud finally find its way into the river. Thirty
tons of detTitus is taken each day from the
reservoirs piled TO dry, and subsequently treated
| by artificial heat The works are not in oper
| alton at night except the discharge of sewage
on the filter beds Twenty two tons of coal, one
| ION of suIphuric acid nine tons OF sulphate OF
| alunine and four tons of lime, are used each
| week. The cOmpanys net loss Is about 7i,9OO
each year.
After long and costly experiments the greatest
| chemists. have declared that in practice the
| only manner to epurate sewage is to send it on
| the land, which eliminates the polluting ele-
ments and fertiliZing matter for the good Of
! vegetation and the soil. DR.. Angus Smith says
! d" In all cases the best results are obtained by
| irrigation" And DR.. Carpenter certiiies i'll u
notice read at the International Congress in
! 1881, the only way ammonia could be elimi-
mated from sewage is by irrigation"
| a Commission appointed by Parliament. com
! posed of MeSsTs. DcnniSOn, FARMLAND aud Nor
| ton. reported: THE actual resources of chem
! istry do not permit the hope that the polluting
matter dissolved in sewage can De preciptated
| and sent away by an appliance of chemical re
action, and unless new chemical laws are dis
| covered it is useless TO attempt the employment
OF chemical agents. Equation must be con-
millions of dollars have been expended in
! France in chemical experiments on sewage all
of WhiCn have been condemned l. BGb1t
| an Ndris. At the NOmen's Prison in Sherborn,
| Massachusetts.
EPURATIoN OF SEWAGE
Is attempted by what is known as Colonel War
| ing's method. Five acres of land are here en-
| ployed iii the watershed of Lake Cochituate
| about two miles from the lake, with which it is
| connected by a brook, one Of the tributaries of
BOSton's water supply The sewage is distTb-
uted over the land by tile with broken joints
laid fourteen inches below the surface, five feet
! apart. The ciitucnt drainage is provided for by
cross sections of tile laid five feet under ground
which after collecting the water, discharge in
the brook. This system is said by the prison
authorities to work satisfactorily. The water
coming from the ground is us clear as spring
water, and was selected by an expert Us such on
inspection This only indicates Qualification,
and regret that analyses made were not pub
lished as no one seems to know where they are
at the present time There can be no doubt
but the grass. which is the vegetation on the
land, takes nourishmcnt from the sewage, for
the lines of drain are clearly marked by a bet
ter growth directly over them which does not
extend to the intervals between. One of the
defects of this system has already been expert
enced lnsoluble matter has filed the inter
stices between the tile, and prevented fluids
from passing through, necessi.ating their being
taken up and relaid. At a depth of fourteen
| inches the influence of vegetation and the in
| fusoria must be lost on much of the sewage
! which was probably disclosed by the analyses
rendering ii desirable they should be pigeon
| holed Since writing the preceding, a visit TO
| the prison more than confirms the anticipated
| objection 10 the system and the following
analyses, obtained in the office of the State
| Board of Health are proof beyond dispute that
| the system amounts to nothing by way of puri-
fying the sewage ; and that the lake Is prdct-
| cslly a mammoth cesSpoOl, the contents which
the citizens of Boston must drink:
WoNENs PRISON SYSTEM-PARTs PER 100000.
ANN. IAl AMI Chic. Residue