The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-03
THE SEWER SYSTEM
INSPECTED BY TIE CITY OF
MEXICO'S ENGINEER.
Talk With Sig. Roberto MayOl-The
Immense Work He Has I'm
der Construction.

Sig Roberto Mayol, ohisf engineer
OF the City OF Mexico, who Las been
in the city several days inspecting the
eewer system, was eeen by an APPEAL
man at bis rooms at the Peabody
Hotel yesterday evening. Sig Mayol
ia accompanied by his wife, snd spoke
enthusiastically Of Memphis and OF
the people he had met snce his ar.
rival here. He has never visit d tee
United States before, but speaks Elg-
lish very p ainly, making few gram
NAUTICAL errors aud choosing his words
with admirable taste.
81 had been but a few hours In
Memphis" he said, "when | knew
without being told that the dIy was
growing rapidly, and it did not re.
1uire any great length of time to find
reasons for it's prosperity. The stu
alton is excellent. Nature has done
go much that the labor OF the
engineer becomes very easy. The
ground lies 30 that the construction Of
sewers is child's play to the task we
must perform at home. / have KEEP
ND with the experiment which was
made here after the last epidemic,
taking a double interest on account Of
the presence in Mexico at that Tins of
a nephew of Col. Waring. He kept
me fully informed, and | became 30
much convinced of the special adapt,
ability of the system for Mexico that |
succeeded in having it partially adopt.
ed by the government. One great
difficulty that you have dos
not stand in our way. TIE gov
eminent owns its waterwoTks. Blu
before going too far / preferred to
come on in person and make an tx.
animation. lam more than satisfied
While there is some difficulty on &C
count Of the muddy water, can rssdi
" see what could be done were the
supply clear as ours is.
In answer TO questions Sig. Mayo
gave the following account OF the
work he is preparing 10 do at home
"The City of Mexico, though 1000 feet
above the level of the ses, is built up
on fl At ground and entirely surrounded
by mountains. LIS water supply il
pure and ample, being furnished by
three aqueduCts, which are built dowI
the sides of the adjacent mountains
The largest IS the Aqua GoIda, which
is thirty-iye miles in length, draw
ing its supply { ON point 270t
feet above the level OF the city. The
AQUA Delgada is two miles and hal
long and brings the purest water. TIE
Aqua de la Villa duct is four miles in
length. The combined supply is s.
100000, or thirty gallons per cspits
daily, the population being 100000
The cost to lami les is about III % pol
month, and the supply 10 not stlnt3d
1t is collected in reservoirs, which
work automatically, and NOT drawn
direct from faucets. The sewer system
ia, however, very imperfect. The
sewers are of brick and stone, built
square, and empty into a canal which
connects lake to the southeast OF the
city with a lagoon south q the city, the
latter being lowest. Into this 81
the sewage is finally deposi ed
The result is that the bottom of the
lake has been raised several feet by
the deposit and rs it was very shallow
to begin with, there Ia now great DIN
ger of the lake overlooking the city
Pub ic heath, too, is Likely to be i'm
paired. This danger has bsea seen
and appreciated for q great msny
yeare. In 1868 it was determined ia
build canal to the mountains, pierce
the base of the mountain with tun
mel and empty the sewsgs in stream
on the other side. The canal will be
thirty miles in length, the tunnel six
miles. The fall in the canal will be
two feet in every 10000 feet
and in the tunnel one foot 10
every 800 feet. The cast
to build the tunnel and canal will b.
sbout S3,50O,000. Toe cost of the
sewer syste in the city proper will
be s.. SOC, 900, and it is expected that
the work will be finished in the mex
four years.
Sg. Mlyol leaves this marning fol
Pullman, ILL.,, where a system copied
from that e Memphis is in uss. He
will also visit New York, B>sto D,
Fh ladelphia aud all of the pr nci a.
Citise, returning to Mexico about Jan.
uary Isl.