Wichita eagle., 1888-04-21
HERRING'S REPORT.
THE CITY CAN BE SEVERED EFFEC-
lively WITHOUT PUMPING.
The Report Complete, Before the Council
and Board of Trade-Generai
Satisfaction.

Yesterday afternoon at three O'Clock
the Hon. Rudolph Herring made his
report on the sewer question to the
city council and board of trade at the
board of trade rooms. AS would be ex-
pected, there was a good attendance OF
the council and the board, showing in
terest in the question and report. AS Is
known, Mr. Herring is one of the leading
engineers of the country and has been al
work on the sewer problem of this city fol
some days. The prominence of the gentle
man in his line caused all to look upon the
conclusion reached with great confidence
The report is given complete and is as
follows:
TO the Hon. Mayor and Council and to the Members
of the Board Of Trade.
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with your
request L herewith respectfully present a
report on the question of sewering this
city.
/ need not dwell upon the ACCESSIBILITY
of your adopting proper system of sew
age removal at an early day. Appreciat-
ing this fact you have already wisely con-
Guided to give the matter consideration,
because of the rapid increase of population
and consequently the increasing quantity
of sewage EaYe made such a step imperi-
tive, both from sanitary and economic
point of view.
In designing a system of sewerage the
first question to be answered Is: What
shall be done with the sewage? The an
swer, as far as you are concerned, is not
difficult The Arkansas river flowing
past the city is the best receptacle for the
city's refuse water. Once dis
charged into the current, it will
be so diffused and diluted that purifica-
ton by acidation can readily take place.
To dispose of the sewage in any other
way, say by irrigating lands below the
city, would in your case require much
greater outlay than the income derived
from it justifes.
The second question to be answered is:
At what point in the river can the sew
age be discharged?
Almost at any point small quantity
might be turned into it, without neces-
sarily causing a nuisance. But the main
bulk should not be discharged within the
habitable part of the city, because during
low water in summer, enough of the sus-
pended matter would strand upon the
shoals and cause an offensive odor CHS
holm creek, running in the main parallel
with the river, is too small to receive the
city's sewage within its limits, even if, as
is the case at present, the flow is increased
by large quantity of water from the
Little Arkansas river.
A perfectly safe place to deliver the
sewage at the present time is any point
either in the river or in the creek below
the boundry of the city. The last place,
however, is at the mouth of Chisholm
creek, where the sewage can be carried
away between the currents of the creek on
the left and the river on the right, and
therefore not strand along the river at any
point.
The third question to be answered is:
'Shall the rainwater and sewage be car
ried away by the same sewers" From
sanitary point of view, there is no differ
ence whether we receive them in one sewer
or put them into separate sewers. There
is no objection to a combined removal on
the grounds that the roadwastings would
silt up the pipes, which necessarily must
have slow current for want of grade.
After last Tuesdays rain ] examined the
effect of street-water running in the
Topeka avenue sewer, and found no de
post, nor. as l am told, have any previous
rains ever caused any. The reason for
this is clear, the velocity of the water in
the sewer is greater than its velocity on
the surface, washing the mud away
Therefore whatever silt naturally reaches
the sewer, will be carried along in sus-
pension.
The question of preference of combined
system must, therefore, be answered On
grounds of economy. 1t must be ascer
tanned whether it is cheaper to carry the
rainwater to the distant outfall necessary
for sewage disposal, allowing an excessive
amount to waste into the creek or river on
its way, or whether the surface water can
flow off in the cutters and discharge it at
some nearer points at a less expense.
There can be no doubt that from a strip
of territory lying west of Water street the
surface water can be readily turned into
the river, both by the open cutters and By
short shallow culyerts of wood or pipe.
Nor can there be doubt that for at least
half a mile west of the creek the surface
water can be more economically carried
into the creek by cutters and shallow
pipes than by the deeper sewers extending
several miles to the sewage outfall
Whether or not the territory lying be-
tween these two districts could be drained
into these sewers profitably was matter
requiring consideration.
At this point let me state that it is
always very deSirab bic to allow the water
from roofs TO enter the sewers often the ar
of the house drains would be
more expensive if the roof water is exclud-
ed from them and led somewhere else; TO
allow it to run over the surface and the
sidewalks is not desirable thing to do,
especially in the winter. But the main
advantage of letting the clean roof water
get into the sewers is derived from the
flushing which it periodically gives the
pipes. Therefore, should advise its ad-
mission into the same. When the city be
comes closely built up, the amount of roof
surface is comparatively large and the
water thus reaching the sewers is an i'm
oortant element in determining the size
have calculated that an outfall sewer 8
feet in diameter will be large enough TO
AIRY of both the sewage and the roof
water likely to reach it during ordinary
-ains
If all the surface water Of storms from
he destrict as above mentioned is car
-ied off in the outfall sewer, it would re-
Iuire TO b. at least 12 feet IN diameter; if
one sewer, and if divided into two sewers,
Zach wo, Id be at least feet in diam
You can readily see that several miles OF
structure having such dimensions would
add much more 10 the cost than the pro-
vision for removal of street water by gut
ers or shallow culverts of pipe laid TO the
7reek at every convenient point. mas
much as there is no reason why the sur
lace water containing only street washings,