The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-29

safeguards have to be provided. You could
only discharge your matter with safety
from the first to half or three-quarter ebb
of the tide, or otherwise you will have the
sewage carried up the river by the incoming
tide, and perhaps as far as the water works.
To remedy this, tidal valves would have
to be provided at the outlet of the sewer,
and either large storage sewer or reser-
voir constructed in which to store the sew
age between tides.
AS this place of storage would of neces-
sity be in proximity to places of business.
and probably residence, this arrangement
cannot be said to be perfect from a sanitary
point of view.
Another method is to carry the sewage to
central point and there pump it up to a
sewer running through the city and dis
charging on the eastern side.
This is very plausible idea, and, no
doubt, efficient, but very costly. There is
the first cost of pumps | say pumps, for
you are bound to have two sets to provide
for any accident that may occur to either !;
boilers, ETC., and then the annual expense
of working same, besides depreciation that
has to be written off. Though this mode
of treatment might be adopted when all
others failed, it is too expensive to adopt
except as last resource.
In Europe the sewage of many large
cities is disposed of by being run over the
land, which is cultivated and which forms
what is there known as sewerage farms. {"
This is a most desirable way of treating
sewage where the necessary conditions
exist. The sewage is run over the farm
covering the entire surface, known as
broad irrigation" or it is run for forced
periods over limited portions, known as
intermittent filtration" Below the surface
about six TO eight feet deep farm drains are
placed which carry off the effiuent as it
percolates through the soil. This efilueut
in many instances is, by analysis, found to
be purer than average river water, whilst
the enormous crops produced on the surface
form quite an item in municipal r. ceipts
The necessary conditions do not exist on
the west side Of this city, the land lying so
low that it could not be drained to any
depth, while in wet weather the ground
becomes waiter sogged by the flow of water
from the surrounding slope.
A sewerage farm could be established on the
high land beyond Musgrove creek, but here
again the expense of pumping would be
necessary. One more method, known as
precipitation. In this method the sew
erage IS conveyed to tanks or reservoirs
and the solid matter there preclpitated by
the addition of lime or other chemicals. By
the addition of these the insoluble matter
in the sewage are deposited at the bottom
of the tank in the form of sludge; the LIQUID
is then drained off and the sludge taken
from the tank and dug into the land, or,
better still, is burnt.
By erecting ''refuse Instructor" on
Springfield, where the trash and garbage of
the city could be burnt, the sludge could be
mixed with such garbage and burnt with
it, thus removing at once the possibility of
solid focal matter being deposited round
our wharves. as might be the case were il
delivered into the river, and by utilizing
the ''refuse destructor" for destroying it,
along with garbage, etc., the cost of destruc-
ton would be minimum.
PERCY SUGDEN,
Civil and Sanitary Engineer.