Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-16
What TO do With Sewage.

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Mr.. J. NJ. Heating, of Memphis, has
an interesting article in the February
.Sdaitdridn on 1.-THE Ultimate OF SANTA
ton hy Fire." Mr.. Heating endeaVors
to show that the only safe disposition 10
make of exereta and all household wastes
is to burn them.
He reviews the sanitary condltioh vi a
large number of cities in this country anu
Furope. and shows how the sewage Is
disposed of. One conclusion that he
reaches is that it Is impossible TO nave
nure water as long as sewage Is per
,,i,ted IN saturate the soil, or is turned
i,to the streams from which drinking
yvatar is drawn. Another conclusion
that he reaches is that there cannot De
healthy homes in cities as long as the
| sewers are choked with matter that
produces poisonous gases.
Mr.. Heating discusses the plan OF dls-
posing of sewage as a fertilizer, and cites
authorities to show that it is not praetl-
cab;e and is dangerous. The sanitarlans
/ of Berlin. at a meeting of which Prof.
/ Virchow was President, condemned all
I svstems of sewage farming for any length
of time, be- cause the sewage poisoned the
/ air and endangered the health OF the peo-
ple of the neighborhOod where 1t was
used.
The idea that running water into which
sewage has been emptied quickly becomes
pure is not entertained by good authority.
An English royal commission which in
/ snpcted the river Mersev in 1870 reported
that "sewag0 discharged in running
water is not materially changed for many
I hours by oxidation, and that there was
not a river in England long enough to
dispose OF a moderate amount OF sewage
through oxidation"
All the various Systems for disposiug OF
sewage provide for its removal, SiiI no;
for its destruction. Before there can be
freedom from its dangers it must be de-
stroyed. CrematOries have already been
built in London for the destruction Of
street and household wastes, and Mr.
Heating contends that when it shall have
been decided to cremaJe excreta the whole
problem of sanitation will have been
solved.
In support of the cremation plan, Mr.
Heating makes the following points:
III Itprecludes the possibility Of the re-
turn Of such wastes in any deleterious
form, as is the case now universally.
(2.) 1t would save TO all cities two.
thirds their present water-supply, and
thus increase the quantity Tor personal
sanitation,
(3.) 1t would put stop beyond al
question to soil saturatiGn and sewer gas
/ 4 L. rolttpn CpnNpnuInR To ftt(
! minimum of expense, and save much oil
the cost of hauling and of great sewer
age works. like those of Boston and Lon
don.
C5.) 1t would put a stop to all the
nuisunces complained of from detective
plumbing.
(6.) 1t would prevent the sitting up o.
harbOrs with eXcretal matter, and thell
being choked with silt.
(7.O 1t would proven: the pollution O
rivers, and so prevent the wholesale dc
structiOn, as is now the case, OF hsh, The
poor mans free food crop.
IS ) Equally applicable to hamlets
villages. towns, and cities, it would put &
stop to the privy and cesspOol system,
and thus prevent the saturatI0H OF SOILS
which frequently drain into the Watel
courses that are the sources OF supply 1ol
great cities.
(9.1 1t would solve all the problems
that now veX sanitarian5 from house con
nections to the outflow, through whIct
sewage finds its way into rivers and mar
bOTs.
(lO.) Itmakes finality of all the wastes
of cities, of every kind, character, and
description, the result being, according u
Sbaw,s method, an ash of great value Il
farmers, and clinkers that have specla
commercial value for builders.