Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-21
FERTILIZATION.

HAS HhFeu EuIePo sbHA AVA
ness and Starvation.
EDITORS HERALD-I desire it to be un
derstood that in entering this contest
have no political or party feeling, ano
have no desire to pull down one party fol
the sake of setting up another, and wish
only to be put on record as an advocate
of utilizing the sewage on our lands, and
prevent the contamination of our river
water course, or the waters of the beach
To substantiate my reasons therefor,
will offer, with your permission,
a. few simple propositions that
will show the effects produced and sus-
tanned by the actions of waters of differ
ent specific gravities operating against
each other, and the phenomenal results
while in contact.
We know that fresh water will pass
through the membranes of the stomach,
while salt water will not pass through,
and that this is the reason of thirst after
eating salt food, or after drinking saline
water, the residue of salt remaining in
the stomach requiringa continual supply
of fresh water to dissolve 1t.
1t is we'll known that the density of sea
water, in the ocean, increases from the
surface downwards, and this accounts
for the fact that the sea water in hot
climate is 80 much more briny than the
sea water in cold climate, because the
suns rays bearing down upon the sea
lifts up the less dense water of the sur
face, filling the atmosphere likes sponge,
until it becomes condensed by coming in
contact with current OF air of different
temperature, and falls again in the con-
dition of rain or snow. This rain water
is probably the purest water we get in q
natural state. The question as to
whether it is best, is not for me to
answer. That we generate carbonic
acid gas, and put it in water. and
call it soda water, and that we charge
wine with carbonic acid gas and call it
champagne, is we'll known, with its at
tendant consequences.
We also know that in the ocean we
have cross currents of water, extending
for many hundreds of miles in opposite
directions, by the same rule as We have
cross currents of air, which travel in con-
trary directions through the canopy of
space. The waters of the Nile, Brahma-
putra, Ganges, Mississippi and the Am
azon give proof of this, and so do the
waters of all less tributary streams to the
ocean. Our estuaries and bays prove it
to be fact that these constant supplies
of fresh water do not readily assimilate
with the more dense waters of the ocean,
even with all their rapid force and vol
ume. They run on for thousands of
miles and oscillate with the tides, but
never lose their currents, except when
they happen to strike against an irregu-
lar shore line, and this accounts for the
fitting up of the entrances to our harbors,
and produce what we know as sand bars.
This also accounts for the formation Of
our deltas, hsaped up for ages. The
swerving force of foreign currents and
their density opposed prevents a
rapid flow of the fresh water, and arrests
the sedimentary matter brought down
BY these rivers from the up
lands and the mountain regions from
whence they originate, as they fall as
rain or snow and these streams passing
over lime formations, silica, sulphur,
alumnia, etc., bring down the ingre-
dients of their chemical combinations to
the ocean, when precipitation of these
combinations takes place and salt is pro-
duced thereby, and the residue sinks, or
is thrown back in some beach or estuary,
and this accounts for the prolific growth
Of marine and fresh water fora in the
vicinity of an estuary or bay.
Lyell says that sit is scarcely possible
to prevent harbor at rivers mouth
from sitting up, for bar of land or mud
is formed at points where the velocity OF
the turbid riveris checked by the sea, or
where the river and Q marine current
neutralize each others force" 30 If
these mighty outhows Of rivers can be
checked, and their organic and sedi-
mentary matter be thrown back, how
much more so will the shore current at
Santa Monica sweep back the artificial
stream of sewage water, and land its or
ganic sediment on the beach. 10 say
that se wage matter will assimilate with
ocean water is q farce, when, in some
saline water body will not sink. This
being fact, how long will it take more
minute and separate PARTICLES OF organic
matter to sink or assimilate?
Every chemist is familiar with the fact
that minute particles (in fresh water
even) descend with extreme slowness.
Fine mud in deep, passive water will
only subside or sink one inch per hour
other precipitates will take tive or six
hours to subside one inch. Ii this occurs
in fresh. water, what do we expect in the
eU0uB0 W6t0T VI buo OCChh VO ihoy w
sure that all light organic sewage matter
would Immediately rise to the surface
and the continual whirling of the side
currents would sweep it back to the
beach, where it's liquid constituents would
be evaporated, its carbonic acid gas
would be liberated, its particles of organic
matter would generate sulphuretted by
droren gas continually and for ever.
And these are the constituencies of sew
age that will not be held in solution or in
a soluble condition in saline water, fol-
there is no similarities in their densitieG
or chemical compositions.
II it were possible that we could carry
our sewage SO far into the ocean that il
would be buried for ever, then we would
avoid nuisance on the beach, and moi
otherwise. Moreover, if ready assimi
lation did take place, there would be nc
necessity for aeration, and the grea
thing to be desired would be preven
tion of aeration, and 30 let it, with all iti
noxiousness, be swamped in the
sstumbling pillows OF the main."
The very fact that the liquid sewage
.uouM be aerated proves that the matte
must rise to the surface in order that thi'
aeration may be accomplished but thi
is no argument that the solids of thil
sewage will not rise to the surface, or tina
they will not be cast back upon th'
beach. =
The great stencil that would arise a
Il L - ne.