Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-31
THE OUTFALL SEWER.
Hydraulic Engineero Has Som

hvOH0uhhC Ell 1meef', Has Some.
= .sss, ,rr- wv thing to Say again.
"a EDITORS HERALD ask your indui-
gence for again trespasslng on your paper.
and my explanation for so doing ia the
vital Importance to the city of Los Ange
les of having properly designed and
constructed outfall sewer.
In my letter in your paper of the goth
instant l quoted several authorities to
prove that velocity of seven feet per
second, which Taxpayer" considers not
too great for the outfall sewer, is not
allowed in good engineering practice. as
such velocity, especially with the soft.
porous bricks of Los Angeles, is sure to
work the ruin of the sewer.
In his first design for the outfall sewer
Mr.. Lambie adopted a velocity of nearly
seven feet per second, but since the pub.
lication of my first letter in your columns.
in which l showed that such velocity
would destroy the sewer, he has changed
the design and reduced the velocity. In
his last published report which have
seen he adopts a maximum velocity of
5 3-I0ths feet per second. Let "Taxpayer"
inquire of Mr.. Lambie why he reduced
the velocity, and he will learn that the
latter does not now believe that "Tax.
payers" patent continuous kiln is likely
to produce bricks capable of bearing,
with safety, a velocity OF seven feet per
second.
After due enquiry into the quality of
the bricks available in Los Angeles for
sewer construction, Mr.. Eaton adopted a
maximum velocity of four feet per Sec
opJ fo~ kbo o,,tf,1l cannon NJ
Herring was employed by the Council to
report on this plan, and after mature
deliberation and enquiry on the subject
at Los Angeles, he concurred with Mr..
Eaton and decided that four feet per
second was the maximum velocity to
which the invert of the outfall sewer
could, with safety, be subjected.
The outfall sewer with high velocity
and built OF the soft, porous bricks of Los
Angeles cannot be regarded as perma-
nent structure, and it is 10 the interests
of the city to have the opinion of engin-
GERS of at least equal professional stand
ing with Messrs. Waring and Herring be-
fore adopting change in the plans
which had their approval.
A member of the Council is said to
have flippantly remarked to the effect
that the designing of an outfall sewer is
"simple matter" 1t may be a simple
matter to this highly intelligent gentle
man, but to experienced engineers posted
in the theory and practice Of the profess
sion, the proper design of an outfall
sewer for Los Angeles is a matter
of much study and serious consideration.
No doubt it is an easy matter to design a
sewer by rule of thumb, but such plan
is likely to prove the most expensive and
give the worst results. This system has
been tried in San Francisco with disas-
trous results.
In an article on the sewers of San
Francisco in the Engineering News of
October 3, 1885, the want of engineering
skill shown in the design of the sewers OF
that city is described, and at the conclu-
sion of the article it is stated:
"The City is suffering from complaint
common to most cities that started their
drainage on hap-hazard methods, with
out system, and trusting to the generation
to come to remedy their blunders."
1t behooves every inhabitant of Los
Angeles, who has the welfare of the city
at heart, to do his utmost to avoid be-
ginning the sewerage of this city where
San Francisco has ended. Now is the
tire to avoid here the gross blunders
committed in the sewerage of San Fran
cisco.
A good system Of sewerage cannot be
obtained with defective outfall sewer,
and with defective sewer system, Los
Angeles instead of being health resort
will be city to be avoided by prudent
people. HYDRAULIC ENGINEER.
August Goth, 1888.
P. SIN my letter in your issue of the
Goth instant there is a misprint. The
sentence beginning: "In effect he
makes bricks Inferior" should be: In
effect he makes bricks superior.