Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-15
A SUGGESTION FOR THE FUTURE OF
SACRAMENTO.

Wise communities look beyond the pres
cut. Citizens of public spirit have some
concern for the future of their home town.
Civic pride moves the good citizen to look
ahead and consider what will be and
should be the conditions under which his
children are to live in the city of his
home, and what is to be the future of the
community in which the best years of his
life have been spent. Shall we not, then,
in Sacramento look ahead so much as ten
years, and take some action now for the
Sacramento of the next decade? Is it too
much to ask the people to consider some
thing beyond the present, and the details
of the moment in municipal economy !?
We think not.
No local question should more concern
this city than that involving the disposal
of its sewage. In a short time it will be-
come one that our people cannot put
aside; it will come to the front despite
our indifference and the manifest disin-
cIinatiou to face it. The RECORD UNION
has twice described the cremation system
of disposal which is economic, and prob
ably the best offered by sanitarians. We
have also described the sewage farm or
evaporation and tillage system, which re-
quires artificial power for the election of
IL 10 lis4apoa th rOrlob
close pipes.
We have now to call attention to the
chemical system. 1t has been adopted by
the city of Worcester, Mass, and thor
oughly tested, and the demonstration of
its economy and effectiveness has been
made to the satisfaction of all the people.
The sewage is collected in large tanks, in
which chemical precipitation is effected,
and the efiluent discharged into the Black
stone river so pure that the chemists say it
might be drunk with safety, though, of
course, that is intended as a figure of
speech to emphasize the explanation. The
solids left in the tanks are deoderized and
removed for stimulation of soils.
There are several cities in Europe where
this method is adopted and gives entire
satisfaction. There are two cities in the
United States, we believe, where crema-
ton of the sewage is practiced, and with
entire success, and there are several in
Europe. Cities located upon low levels, as
is Sacramento, cannot dispose of sewage ex-
cept by carriage or a system of daily draw
ing the matter to a central point through
pipes, where it must be treated chemically,
by cremation or By removal bodily.
Now, since it will not do to think of con-
tinuing for many years more the system of
retention of sewage in pits as now prac-
ticed here, with occasional cleaning out Of
a few, and the neglect of the vast majority,
why would it not be wise to set on foot
costless inquiry to be pursued, for perhaps
two years, or even three preparatory to the
adoption of some other than the ceSspool
method of disposal of sewage matter. Be-
fore such an inquiry will be likely to be
concluded Sacramento will be in a condi- |
ton financially and otherwise, TO adopt |
plans for new system of disposal, and
which, when agreed upon will probably
consume three or four years of time in put
ting it into operation.
The plan suggested is that the Board of
Trustees, advised also by the City Board |
of Health, select committee OF, say ten or
twelve citizens, who will consent to act as
an examining board into all systems of
sewage disposal, and report its conclusions
say at the end of one or two years. This
procedure would not be without precedent. |
Many instances can be cited of cities that
have appointed similar boards of public
spirited inquiry, to gather data and put
questions of municipal economy and need
into such shape, that they can be discussed
aud understood by all the people.
The erection of such body would by no |
means imply the intention to adopt any |
plan reported, or the plunging of the city |
into debt, or the expenditure very early Of
any large sum. The Commission sug-
gested would be purely pubic.spirited,
stimulated to service by civic pride, and
acting for the benefit of all the people. 1t
would be put to no further expense than
such as postage and correspondence in
volve, in order to open up communication
with cities where the several plans of sew
age disposal have been tried, and to secure
the details of the plans Of the engineers in
America and Europe who have suggested
in wears past methods of merit.
The information such a committee
could collect would be of the utmost
value. and of the greatest usefulness to
Sacramento, whenever she feels able to
adopt a proper sewage system-a thing