The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-05-31
THE RESERVOIR.
LII SAFE 10 Hare snnnrs RIM Through III

kIt Safe TO Have Sewers Run Through TT
Capt. Thomas w. Symons, who has charge Of the
article in last sundays HERALD in regard 10 the
serious defects In the plans OF that WORK. capt.
symons does not take the ground expected MN TO
take, aud The Ouly ground that is ut all tenhblc,
viz that he IL not nj all responsible for the plans,
that they were made by a predecessor OF his, and
that II they are not satisfactory and proper he Is
ready to correct them This, It seems TO me- Is the
sensible course. lie complains that went to the
wSs and wn Sns 70 s
beng paid for out OF the National Treasury, and
man, II, indeed, u be gosspIng, TO say that himself
and all the other men were made sick by the intol-
cradle stencil that arises from the deethly open
Capt. symons very kindly ofiers to show me the
plans OF the new reservoir at his ONCE That s en-
comprehendng plans and very much prefer to ex-
anime the work itself, and besides, as you have
stated Just how the work Is to he conducted, II Is
only necessary for me 10 take your word for It. You
say that there are to be two elght-inch sewer pipes
come together into twelvench pipe in the form Of
Y, and that these pipes are to be In the bottom OF
the reservoir and covered with asphaltum, and that
the joints to be OF unusual length, etc. What OF
all this? That Is as well probably as 1t all could be,
provided there Ia to be any foul sewer pipes In the
reservoir at all, but the point Is the people OF WASH
ingon don't want them there. Is 4 fact there are
not plenty OF other places to run the fOues sewer
pipes that can possibly be Imagined except through
inc water that the city TO drink? Is II not fact
that there Is possibility that these pipes may leak
In timer II not, why do you talk OF n test to see
whether they are leaking: so long az there Is the
remoes possibility Of leak, IL II the proper thing TO
But, on tho other hand do you not know that there
very great probability instead OF possibility, that
The earth may settle under part OF them and pull
them apart, or the Immense weight OF the water may
may in Tine 40 afect the ccatns OF the pipes that
will come OF. All these things are not only possi-
bties but probabilities; and when any one OF them
poisoned and The city shall have suffered from the
visitation Of plague OF cholera or typhoid fever all
and the verdict will Be that the whole thing was
badly planned.
Why no! render tins verdict now. when 1t can be
The matter In nutshell Is this, the people Of
Washington do not want those foul pipes running
is bed enough, but wnen every time person shall
nhale the shy smell OF that water he thinks OF the
yllainons pipes conveying the foul sewage from the
more shaken than 1t has ever been In the past
propose to keep right at this same question until
position Is that citizens shall investigate the matter.
.io to the reservoir; II is only short driye see
how ,hs WORK y going On; DO not be deceived by
careful OF the feelings of certain people who may
have some feeling OF pride over the botch plans OF
this work, rs you have for the health Of your chill
dren AMI your neighbours children and for The future
prosperity OF the city.
Some plan can he MT upon by which TINS whole
doned altogether. My attention was called to the
condition of affairs by two OF the most reputable
physicians OF Washington. They agreed that the
plans were wrong and that they should be radically
changed. Others have been consulted since the
article was published last Sunday, and they all
agree on this subject.
There are newspapers and there are people who
hold that such an agitation as this is wrong, because
1t has q tendency to hurt the city. How much more
will II hut the city II these unwholesome plans are
carried out and the city made subject to vlsitatl0ns
OF pagues2 "A
When it is remembered that the typhoid fever
plague at Plymouth, Pa, was caused by the pOllu-
ton OF the water supply many miles from the town
by single patient sick with typhoid fever, and the
report OF the experts was Ignorance and criminal
carelessness," what shall We expect as verdict
upon us IL go adead deliberately and run, not the
eXcretions from single patient, but from whole
hospital, through our water supply?
Then there are the vile open sewers on either side
OF the reservoir. They should certainly be covered
II Ia not necessary that these should be open, and II
Is not necessary that they should be constructed
as to permit the seapage OF the foul matter which
they contain into the earth In close proximity to
the reservoir. They should not only be covered, but
they should be made water-tght. The storm bitches
can as well be made ABOVE them as not.
The wise men and engineers who have this matter
In charge should remedy It, and will be Obliged to
remedy It sooner or later xxx.