Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-04
DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE.
INFORMATION ON MUNICIPAL ENoi-
tlEERlNG ABROAD.


A New York Gentleman Visits the Sew
age Disposal works of Berlin, Paris
and Frankf0rt-Some of the Essenti
Differences Between Them.
Mr.. Rudolph Herring, of New York, who
has recently returned from an extended
trip on the Continent and in England,
stated in a recent interview that his object
in this journey was to examine all the sew
age disposal works in which there were
novel features, and which embodied the
latest improvements and employed the
most recent methods Of the best European
practice
THE BERLIN DISPOSAL WORKS
The largest irrigation works visited by
Mr.. Herring, and at the same time the larg-
est in existence, are in Berlin. There, DR..
Hobrecht, their designer, well known to
many American engineers, acted as guide.
In such works it is well known that, where
large quantities of sewage are to be treated,
doubling the flow more than doubles the
difficulties to be overcome, and the skill
required to manage the Berlin fields may
he in some degree understood when it is
called to mind that they are 10000 acres in
extent and serve about 100000 persons.
Mr.. Herring was very favorably impressed
with these fields. While he was there the
second crop of rye grass was being cut on
q large area, but it was claimed that had
the season been dry a third crop would
have been ready, although the date Of the
visit was July H. The grass was of good
quality, and not at all rank in its growth,
probably due to the fact that the sewage is
not crowded on the land. 1t is the usual
practice to food the fields to depth Of two
inches every day for two weeks, after which
the fields remain untreated until the crops
have been cut.
No odors were apparent at the time of
the visit, but it is said that they occasion
ally occur in winter, when the sewage is
run into large storage basins twelve to
eighteen inches in depth. The fact that
the death rate is very low on these farms in
dicates that there is no danger to the health
of the laborers employed, and, indeed, in
one of the districts the city has established
a sanitarium where convalescent patients
are sent from the poor wards of the city
hospitals
Often four or five crops are harvested
annually. Along the roads trees are
planted, and groups Of houses are scat
tered over the farm. The labor employed
Is taken, to great extent, from the poor
houses, each man receiving half "A mark
1219 cents) day Their dwellings in the
district visited (Grossbeeren) are appar
emily perfect, both in design and construc-
ton, and are kept scrupulously clean in
every part
The drainage water from the farm is
often analysed, chemically and bacteria
logically, and is found to he very good; in
fact, the men frequently drink it, and it
is claimed by the engineers, without bad
results following. The water supply is
taken from wells sunk in the fields,
THE PARIS WORKS.
The works at Paris have not made much
progress in the last ten years, Only a third
of the sewage is pumped to the farms or
about 100, 600 cubic meters daily, equivalent
to $4,000 cubic feet but it is proposed to
extend the land on which the sewage could
be utilized. The method employed is to
run the sewage through bitches over the
fields, the farmers being allowed to shut
off the flow from their land at pleasure In
rainy weather all the sewage is discharged
into the Seine, while in Berlin it must be
received upon the fields at all times. The
land In Paris is in private hands, while in
Berlin it is partly the property of the gov
eminent and partly leased. Mr.. Herring
states that, as regards sewage disposal,
Paris is practically where she was ten
years ago, and that few if any novelties
are to be found there
CHEMICAL PREPARATION AT FRANKFORT,
Much progress has been made in the last
decade in the chemical precipitation of
sewage and possibly the best of the largest
works using this process are just below
Frankfort-on-the-Mai in Germany. These
We're designed by Mr. w. II. Lindley, and
are regarded by Mr.. Herring as admirable.
No similar plant visited has as little odor.
The masonry was very even, the wetted
surfaces in particular being smooth and
frequently cleaned.
The preciptants employed are chiefly
sulphate of alumina and lime, about $50,
600 being spent for the former and $1,000
for the latter annually. Labor coal, etc,
cost about $5, 600 in addition, The manage
ment is conducted very carefully.
The sewage is examined every half hour,
and the proper proportions of the chem
icals are determined from prepared tables.
These proportions are communicated to
the mixing room, and the charge is pre-
pared to correspond with the quality of
the sewage actually passing Mt the time.
In this way it is hoped that the best results
will be obtained at the least cost. The
effluent that enters the main is kept sutli
GENTLY clear and pure to prevent any pos
sble objection
The sludge is pumped out from the
tanks into basins and is allowed to dry.
When dry iJ is either taken away for
manure by the neghboriug farmers, or is
allowed to run into barges, which carry it
down the river to farms at some distance
from the city, Mr., Lindley expects that
in the future the city will derive n small
income from the sale of this sludge 1t
may be an interesting fact to all munich
pal engineers to know that about one
third of the entire annual budget is usu
ally devoted to current engineering works.
Engineering Record,
Saved Money on $50 IA Year.