The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-04-17
SALT LAKES SEWAGE.
Suggestions for Disposing of
it All.
1T SHOULDN'T BEFOUL JORDAN.
An Advocate for Il turning the Excre-
ment and Filth to Their Native
Elemente, the Soil.

As the subject of sewerage for Salt
Lake City has agitated the public mind
for some time past, few lines from an
obscure person would not be amiss in
defense OF the rights of certain class
OF persons whose rights and privileges
are about to be invaded. Sewerage, no
sane person would object to. Any
thing that will tend to improve the
sanitary condition of q country, city or
village, or the habitation OF man.
should be hailed as blessing to man
kind. Consistency in all of our actions
should be sought after. Some years
ago, when the waters of Red Butte
wers diverted from their proper chan
mel, to the great detriment OF the geo
pie IN the eastern part OF this city, and
outhouses were built on the main creek.
| and the waters touled thereby, | think
the City Fathers passed an ordinance
| against such proceedings, (and the law
| Is still III force, or should be- prohibit-
ing the fouling of the waters passing
through the city, as great many of
| the inhabitants have not the privilege
of City Creek water from the mains.
| and have to use the water from the
secs 1or culinary purposes. The sew
age from Salt Lake City, [ under
stand, is to be empted into the Jordan
| River. AL the settlers down the river,
from the point of junction with the
river, will be imposed upon; their water
supply will bo virtually cut off. say
nothing OF the stencil ana disease
breeding germs they will be subj to.
| These settlers have rights that can
not be invaded with impunity; they
have occupied the land for the last
| thirsy-hve or forty years, and subdued
| the wilderness and made as good and
comfortable homes as there arei in Utah,
and do not wish to have the excremenJ
and filth of city dumped down at
their doors. The salt business, which
amounts to hundreds of dollars an
| nually, would be ruined. Who would
| want to use the sslt impregnatsd with
| the sewage of Salt Lake Cityr Salt
| Lake is now becoming popular as a
| bathing resOrt, and a vast amount of
means is beng expended annually to
| make it more attractive, not only for
| bathing, as the visitors are passing
through, but for the health seekers,
who may want to tarry for while and
breathe the salubrious air from the
lake, and thereby recuperate. When
| the fact dawns upon him that he is in
the vicinity of a cesspool, he will sees
for more healthy quarters Consistency
would suggest the keeping Of the waters
pure both in Jordan aud the Like.
TIE sewage from the City Of
Chicago is emptied into the Chicago
River which flows into Lake Michigan,
it is true; the cribs or plants from
which the water supply is obtained
for the city are located some miles out
in the LAKE, and the people are COM
planning of the foul water they have to
use and the matter was under consider
alton, last year. about locating the cribs
farther out in the lake to obtain purer
water.
Methinks I hear some say, it is easy
to find fault with any system. The
question is, how can it be improved?
l would here say that ali the excrement
of the animal creation was formerly
derived from the soil and the atmos-
phere, and should be returned to the
soil again. in order to keep up its fer
tility, but turn it into the river and
lake and it is lost. The sewage Of
any city is rich in fertilizing matter,
and may be justly clagsed as perfect
manure for all crops; for in it we find
all the elements contained in the ashes
of plants No doubt, there could be
found some almost worthless clay bed
or saleratus land in the southwest por-
ton of the city, as a receptacle, where
it could be deodorized, and made avail
able, and restore the almost worthless
lands to a state of high fertility and, as
Colonel Sellers used to say, there would
be millions in it. We look upon the
Chinese as heather people. China and
Japan are rs denSeiy populated as
Great Britain. She does not import
grain as fertilizing materials, but her
bread is raised On her own fields. which
have been cultivated for the last 600
years or more, for every particle of
fertilizing matter is saved with the most
scrupulous care, while Great Britain
imports vast amounts of grain, bones,
guano, potash, salts. etc., and pours
Immense quantities Of ferrillzing matter
into the sea.
LIDO not wish to trespass too much
on your columns, IS this article is get
ting lengthy. I would say, the best
method of removing the filth is sus-
pension in water, and rendering it not
only innocuous, but beneficial by in
cooperating it with the great deodorizer
Living vegetation.
CONSISTENCY