The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-05-27

To the Editor of The Press.

To the Editor Of the Press:
The complete and speedy removal of the sewage
that is now discharged on the Back Cove fats is
demand the part of the people that must be mot,
No attempt at such removal likely to prove fail
ure from the start, will the requirements OF
the case. No palliative treatment of the Gaze that
may perchance lessen the present evil for a short
time, will be acceptable. The evil consists in al
lowing this sewage to be spread out the flats at
low water. where under the hot 1t rots and fes
ters, and as the prevailing winds northwesterly
its poisonous exhalations waited at night broad
cast over the city and into the open windows of
thousands of sleeping rooms. The plan Of relief
now to be undertaken by the city authorities at
estimated expense of seventeen or eighteen thous-
and dollars consists in dredging out the channel In
the Back Cove, and extending the present wooden
boxes, which now terminate the various sewers, to
meet it.
This plan trusts the removal of this sewage to the
action of the tide alone which will operate neither
surely nor speedily. The action of the tide in re-
moving the ice in the spring from the Back Cove
assures us of this. The outgoing tide carries off
small part of this ice and the returning tide brings
back again a large portion of this, AS the supply
of ice l. limited in course of time it is al carried
Off AS the supply of sewage is ezbaustless the in
evitable result will be that we shall have costing
more or less thick of decomposng sewage over all
the sts at every low tide-a condition even worse
than the present. There are two forces at work
conveying the sewage to the flats, the grade or de-
scent and the flow of Sebago water. There will be
but one the tide weaker than either OF theee. to
carry it off The action of the tide will have one
effect that has not been foreseen by the projectors
Of this latest plan. IG will carry up into these
boxes, laid nearly on level from Kennebec street
to the channel at every food tide certain quanti-
ty of the filth, part of which will settle and
fail to be carried on at the succeeding ebb. con-
slant repetition Of this twice in every twenty:Our
hours win plug up T. mouths of the sewers
Again. this plan fails TO plan any relief for the sew
ers from the Tannery, behring's Oak and the up
per part of the city, which dschai ge at Deorng's
bridge and the flats above. 1t does not require
civil engineer foretell that this plan of the pres-
ent city government will prove utterly abortive.
1t means waste of nearly twenty thousand dollars
from which he long suffering community derive no
benefit, A plan has been proposed by Mr.. Saylor
which has received only commentator from those
capable of judging. The principles iev1iVed are
we'll understood and have been tested Tor genera
tions although perhaps the precise combination
has never before been made.
The only objection that has been made is that of
expense. 1t would cost when completed some
eighty or eighty-fve thousand dollars The city
of the authorities as they proceed to Quietly lay
this plan on the shelf without giving the public 3
voice in the matter. The city can we'll afford TO
spend onehfth Of the sum necessary to do the work
we'll upOn plan which has every qualification for
failure How sOs9rut Inc ~orK a 9eea not 3s aii
thew could see the authorities doing all they might
do in reason, and with eye to true ECONOMY, TO
effect permanent and substantial of the cry
lug evil that exists in Back Cove, if the
result could be obtained only within two or three
l years. The people ought generally to understand
the Sayor plan; ii they only could have fair op-
portunity to compare it with the other plans pro-
posed they would surely decide that the city could
afford no other plan, and they would willingly walt
as 10 Q as might be necessary having certainty OF
complete relief in the near future. Mr.. savior has
not had an opportunity understand, 20 Iay his
pan before he city council he earnestly wilhes.
If the work should be done as he proposes compete
relief Of the present nuisance would be Afforded by
the first years work, if but half the work were
done.
cannot understand how the people living on the
northerly slope of the city can bear &c have tllB
4 matter trihed with when to them it Is question
afeetit health aud life itsef besides ssr Jns
~ affecting the value of real estate over Et lea
4 one ftth OF the whole extent of the city
My attention has been directed 10 hi mRster II
th~ present time par lY by the noble etfVEs ~ oIr
4 bew State Board OF Health in disseminating 3LtR-
| ry Information AS physician recognize tbs inn
1 portance of immediate attention to tus eVu IN q
| manner that will insure permanent relief Ii chol
sh uld visi this year no way could be 5evis0d
certain to spread it broadcast, than T. slie y
sewage of the city to be deposited on tl.g esck
Cove, cor