Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-23

The proposition of providing Los An
relies with a sewer farm seems to be re-
,arded as impracticsble, and yet nothing
s easier. The city of Berlin has popu-
alton of 100000 souls, and yet the
whole excreta of that immense place is
disposed of on two farms OF
) 500 acres. The sewage from the south
srn portions of the city is pumped to Os-
lorf and Grossbeeren, which are located
eight and twelve miles from
Berlin. The sewage from the northerly
systems is conveyed to the Falkenberg
Farms, about six miles northeast ct the
capital of the North German Empire. In
this connection it is interesting to note
that the conclusion arrived at by DR..
of London, from experiments
made by him to ascertain the capacity OF
soils for the publication of sewage, and
published by the Rivers Pollution Com
mission constituted by the British Par
Lament, is that an acre of suitably
constituted soil, we'll and deeply
drained, with it's surface level
and divided into four square
plots, each Of which in succession re-
ceives the sewage for six hours, would
purify the sewage of thirty-three hundred
persons. 1t has been found, however,
by actual practice, that it is advisable to
allow an acre for each one thousand
persons.
The facts ascertained by competent
English engineers who were detailed to
examine the Berlin system may be sum-
married. as follows: The farm is divided
into small fields, the areas and shapes of
which depsnd upon the contour of the
land. And each field is surrounded by
an earth embankmsnt one and one-half
feet high. Some of the fields are
especially prepared and leveled; others
being left with the natural slope of the
ground. The greater part of the winter
flow Of sewage is discharged into some
OF the level fields, covering them to a
depth of from twelve to fifteen inches !;
some is applied to the fields not espe-
cially leveled. The fields that receive
the winter flow of sewage are plowed in
the spring and sown with grain or a crop
of vegetables raised, no sewage being
applied to them during the summer.
Some Of the fields are reserved
to receive the sewage that may come
during the summer months at such
times when not desirable to use it either
upon the grass land, or land under
cultivation. The fields thus reserved are
sown with winter wheat or rye.
The superintendent stated that he had
no trouble in disposing of the sewage
during the winter on account of the frost.
That he had turned the sewage into
fields where the ground was frozen to a
depth Of twenty-eight inches and also
into fields covered with ice, the result in
the first instance being that the sewage
was sufficiently warm to thaw the ground,
and in the second by cutting holes
through the ice the sewage would find
its way under and lift it up.
Some of the land owners adjoining the
farm who at first raised objections to
having the sewage farm near theil
property for fear of odors that might
arise, now utilize the sewage upon their
own land, paying two dollars per year fol-
each acre receiving sewage and paying
all expenses incurred in getting the
sewage from the force main to theil
land.
A portion of the farm devoted to per
manent grass is yearly leased at sixteen
dollars per year per acre, the city at itt
own expense furnishing and applying the
necessary sewage.
The probability is extreme that the
people of Berlin are quite as fastidious al
those of Los Angeles. That there is ne
actual danger to the health of those who
live in the neighborhood of sewer farms
was admitted by Mr.. Herring during hi.
visit to Los Angeles. He even said tha
the health rate in the neighborhood o.
these lands was even higher than else
where.
By employing the rule of three any
one can see for himself the number o
acres which would be required for a sewer
farm in the vicinity of Los Angeles. II
the 1900, 900 inhabitants of Berlin re-
quire only $500 acres, Los Angeles, witt
eighty thousand souls, would have
abundant scope for the sentative dispo
sition of her sewage on FIVE hundred
acre farm. On the supposition, as stated
by the distinguished English engineers
that have made q careful Investigation
of the matter, that one acre will dispose
satisfactorily Of the sewage accruina
from one thousand people, one hundred
atres would accommodate our city fol
several years to come.
There is great food for reflection to the
taxpayers in the facts grouped in thii
article. What is perfectly satisfactory
to the people Of Berlin is at least worthy
Of their respectful attention. II we Car
avoid the outlay Of millions and arrange
our sewage affairs on an economical and
even remunerative basis, 1t may be worth
our while to do so. The matter is a
least worthy of the most careful anG
painstaking investigation.
The violent rains of last night throw 6
very melancholy cloud over the Christ
mas race programme. For long seriei