The record-union., 1891-07-20
Sewers and Sewage.

EDS. RECORD-UN You have been
so kind as to allow me to express my
opinion on plumbing, house drainage,
ventilation etc., through the medium OF
your paper, l wish now to say a few
words about sewers and sewage. My
idea of what the system OF sewers should
be in this city is something like the fol-
lowing: To wit, from Front to Twenty
eighth streets there should be sewers at
least four feet in diameter. made some
thing the shape of a balloon and the
small end down, say commencing on the
alley between Front and Second streets,
extending back to Twenty-eighth street.
These sewers should be put in the mid
die Of every other street, extending from
the north levee to r street. and a sewer
on or near X street leading from Twenty
eighth TO Front street to a reservoir.
There should be a twelve-inch iron
stone sewer-pipe leading from the inter
mediate streets through every alley to
the main sewers as described above. All
cesspoOls that may be required should be
either IN the alley, street, or at the rear of
every lot; there should be an overflow
pipe leading from every cesspool to the
sewers; that would create draft from
the cesspools to the sewer which would
draw all nOXiOus gases off from the cess
pools down through the sewers with the
water to the main outlet and reservoir,
all OF which would be pumped over the
levee into the Sacramento River.
Of course this would not dispose of the
solid matter; that would have to be dis
posed Of the same as it is now, by clean
ing out the cesspools whenever necessary,
and carting off the solid matter into the
country. Ii this system could be car
ried out and do away with the extra
vent pipe that has been SO much talked
about, we would have the healthiest city
in the United States, but if the extra
vent pipes are put in, as the present law
says they must be throughout the city,
then this will be the most unhealthy city
IN the United States in less than ten
years land don't you forget it,.
II THIS extra vent pipe is really good
thing-if it is really beneficial to the
health OF the city to tap our cesspools for
the sake OF drafting all the noXious gases
from them to the top Of our houses so
that the vltiated air can have free cir
culation throughout the city, and have
free access to our houses and bedrooms
l say if this system is really beneficial
TO our community, then / say go out TO
our cemetery and vent every grave there,
1of the one Is just as consistent as the
other.
We have been trying for the last twenty
years to find some system, some remedy,
whereby we could prevent sewer gas
and vitiated air from coming into our
houses. The old idea was, twenty wears
ago, that sewer gas would not pass
through water, but now we know it will
unless there is some other way for it TO
escape, hence this extra trap and air-pipe
outside OF the building. Now what little
vltiated air gets through the first trap
from the cesSpool is carried up to the top
of the house through this air-pipe. Some
one has asked me what better is this sys-
tenn than the one that has an extra vent
pipe leading direct from the cesspool to
the house.
1t is this better-the latter takes all the
noxlous gases direct to the house, where
as the other system prevents almost all
the gases from passing the trap at ALL 1
might say all, unless the cesspool is ceiled
up perfectly tight; even then there would
be but very small portion of the vitiated
air pass through the trap, and that of the
most harmless kind; but where the cess
pool is ventilated with an overflow pipe.
then the gases would all go down through
the sewer. Why? Because it is true
philosophy that water and gases win 90
in the direction where they are the least
obstructed. The open places in the street
cutters for the inlet of rain-water | would
have made in such a manner that they
would be closed up air-tight, and keep
them closed up all through the dry sea-
son, except at such times when they
would have to be opened to let off the
water from the fire hydrants or to flush
out the sewers.
/ have talked with a good many per-
sons in the last two or three weeks about
this matter, and all think as 1 do, except
the plumbers.
n. d. GooDELL, Architect.
Sacramento, July Is, 1891.