Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-10-17
SEWAGE IRRIGATION.
The Commission Visits the
Vernon District.
RESULT OF THE INVESTIGATION.
The People Say they Desire to
Keep the Sewage-It is
Not Unhealthy.

tied the Vernon district, where the sew
age of the city is being used for irriga-
ton purposes. The party, which was
driven in coach drawn by four horses,
furnished for the occasion by VIM. Fer
guson, consisted of Messrs. g. w. Knox,
J. P. Culver, Ex-Msyor Toberman, @. N.
Wells, E. M. Hamilton, DIR. Sinssbaugh,
VIM. Ferguson and Councilman Shafer.
The start was made at O'Clock in the
afternoon and the route taken was along
Main to Jefferson, to Central avenue, to
the Ballona crossing, where the first
sewage used for irrigation was seen. The
party was driven for some distance south
of the Santa Fe track along the continue
ton of Central avenue. Unfortunately
for the investigation the sewage was not
being distributed on the land in this
vicinity, and it was afterwards ascer-
tanned that the land had been flooded
with it two days before. The soil was
apparently dry and there was no
perceptibls odor attached to it. Some
of the party dismounted at one
or two places and made q closer in
spection OF the soil, which was..sandy but
with the aid of the sewage capable of
producing luxuriant vegetation. A Chi
nese vegetable garden appeared to be
Hourishing and was planted to sweet
potatoes, caulifower, Strawberries and
various small vegetables now in the mar
ket.
The commission was DESTROYS of inves-
tigatiDg the sewage distribution in its
most Objectionable phases, and after q
short drive the land belonging to Mr.. j.
s. Slauson was reached. Mr.. Slauson
happened to be visiting the place for the
first time in some weeks, but he kindly
volunteered to conduct the members oil
the commission over the 800 acres
belonging to him, all of which was Guilt
waited by the aid of the sewage. Mr..
Slauson said that he knew of no objection
to the sewage but he would show
his visitors the worst places in the neigh.
borhood, and let them judge for them
selves. The party walked for an hour or
more over the ranch, along bitches in
which the sewage was flowing, in bitches
where it had run tor three years, and the
unanimous opinion was that the commits.
sion was greatly disappointed. It had
been expected that the open bitches,
especially, would be very odorous, but
this was not the case. One place where
the sewage stood stagnant. having been
backed up by q dam to carry it when
flowing to higher ground, there was very
little odor, and while the banks we're
covered to some extent with a crust, il
was found upon examination that the soil
underneath was as free from odor as that
in the open field beyond. There was a
wind blowing from the ocean, and in
order to get the benefit of any odor, il
there was any, the party walked to the
windward side of the ditch, but none o.
them we're able to detect smell Of any
kind.
Mr.. Slauson then conducted the party
to the ranch house, near which was
about half an acre of squash, and judg.
ing from the number on this small
patch, the ground is very prolific. He
said that he had purchased the land at
about $40 per acre, and that since it
had been under the sewage irrigation
the acreage rent he received was $22
per acre. Without the sewage he said
he did not think the land would rent for
81 per acre. In fact, nothing could be
raised upon it except, perhaps, small
amount of grain if the sewage were
taken away. He was emphatic in Lia
statement that the sewage should not be
wasted by being carried to the ocean,
and said that it could all be used. He
also said that he would rather have
sewage for the ranch than fresh water
from the river.
The party next visited the point where
the sewage energies from the pipes in
great volume and flows through the
bitches. Here it was found that there
was considerable odor, although it was
said not to be dangerous to health, as
the sewage was fresh. While the exam
ination of this part of the system YVES
going on, several members of the party
expressed the opinion that the sewage
should at least be deodorized and disin-
fected if not filtered.
The party next interviewed was Mrs.
Wiley, who resides on Central avenue
and has q very handsome place, covered
luxurisntly with fruit trees and flowers.
Mrs. Wiley said that the neighborhood
was very healthy, and that she knew of
no complaints in the neighborhood. She
had lived there since January, and had
not felt any i'll effects from the distribu-
ton of sewage in the vicinity of her
house. Once in q while, when the sew
age was being distributed over the
grounds, she had found it necessary to
close the windows to keep out the odor,
but this disappeared as soon as the sewage
sank into the ground. Occasionally also
when the Chinese in the vegetable gar
den across .he street were irrigating, she
detected the odor, but Notwithstanding
this she said that she would not like to
give up the sewage, and did not care to
live elsewhere.
Mr.. Onward, who has lived on Central
avenue for eight years and has used
sewage for six years, said that he was
decidedly in favor of having the sewage
Of the city used in that neighborhood.
The district was an unusually healthy
place, and his family had steadily i'm
proved in health. He said that he had
married about six years ago, and that
his wife was not in good health when
they were married. Since then she had
been gradually growing better, until at
the present time she was quite strong
and healthy. Diphtheria and typhoid
fever were unknown in the district. In
fact, he had heard of but two cases of
diphtheria, and those were contracted at
Santa Monica and not in the district. He
had never heard of any sickness trace
able to the sewage, and did not think
there was as much sickness in the district
as in other places in which he had lived.
The only time he noticed smell was
sometimes in the night when the wind
would blow towards his house from some
place where the sewage was being dis