The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-17
PRACTICAL SCIENCE.
SEWERAGE TREATMENT woRxa
Methods Used In Great Rritain fer Dispos.
Ing OF the Sewage OF Large Towns.

| Aeth0os Used In Great Rr1tain for Dbspoe'
ing OF the Sewage OF Large Towns.
FROM Ne E.gis,.,ips Reord
During my recent travels through Great
Britain I visited several OF the works for the
treatment Of town and city sewage. which are
to be found In such abundance In that country.
the Importance OF guarding the purity Of
streams being. perhaps. more fully appreciate
ed there than anywhere else.
| The density OF the population OF England and
tho small sizc OF her rivers and streams have.
with the adoption of the modern system OF
water carriage for all household sewage. rem
dcred lin most OF its towns>. some treatment OF
the sewage before its discharge into n flowing
stream absolutely necessary. Coventry. noted
for the careful and intelligent supervision
given to the treatment Of its sewage. is ease
in point quite surprising to one visiting the
place for the first time. The town has popu.
lation of some $4,000 the amount OF its dry
weather sewage is about two and a quarter
million gallons daily Ia trifle over forty gallons
to the MISUNDERSTANDING a much richer
sewage than In most cities OF the United
Statcs. and the actual measured sum nj er flow
OF the river into which it is discharged. made
two or three years ago. was only about 1000 q.
600 gallons daily. really less than the amount
| :. At Coventry tho sewage is precritatcl by
lime and sulphatc OF auminu. After the usual
partial solution in water these ing gradients are
snlphate Of alumins first. The sunerintcnd.
ent seems to think 1t immatera which is first
Il shasa be ea.hsr hFss'STs
TINT the sewage as received is alkaline.
TIL The chemicals seem to be pretty thoroughly
being more or less dissolved in water Tor
rather with some of the sewage itself in d
| vertical miNcre Is run into another similar
mixer having n revolving vertical shaft with
raulal arms. and open at the sides so that tho
| The sewage is about six hours in passing
through the precipitation tanks which are
co con nnM IN their Neutrality-suspicious. emrted
two days, The enluent is run over i,Iter beds
composed OF underdrained ordinary soil a, d
about eight acres OF litter beds. being ' much Hs
too small for the sewage thrown upon them.
The siudse is pumped up from the tanks Is" into
tho ordinary, cylindrical receivers. or mont.
JUS; from which It'll forced out by impressed
Coventry being remote from London and
oter large cities in the vicinity OF which
to sell its compressed sluIge cake to farmers
for from one shilling to one and siNpence per
@es was r eaH t saes prices
but now that the output has doubled. there il
tendency, for. the sludGe to accumulate. In
pie. at Chiswck and Hendon it is difficult
a ,,;,, ), t. :. give i away, to any who
before its admission to the pumps. aud Il
seems Sc n to have met with much more iaror than
Manchester considering the size and i'm:
por,ance Of the r!lnce; and the small amount OF
the sewers discharge. has been slow to
adort any method Of purifying its sewage
f %s xs st"d{ th wa" sss ss1s
tan,s to be used had been decided upon, ' -,
Glasgow is another large city which still
con,nminutes the river upon which it borders
with its untreated sewage. But plans are also
that in use at sheiied for works for pIr i
ITS sewage
At Kingston-on Thames. WHICH is in the
close vicinity OF London. tho Native Guano
Company.s; or 4 B process is used,the plant
* the town being operated by
from the corporation in compensation for its
werk the q tax Si 3D. pound
treat sewage up to As gallons per inhabitant-
receiving extra compen sation for any sewage
in excess Of thi. amount-and agrees to make
servancy Board.
CHARCOAL are !. and clay ground up in pug mill
the sewass-to great extent deodorizinG it
and then alumina ferric dissolved in water
bdo i9d aoes Of
So, to be considered any longer an essen
tial element of this system.
and internationally. or connected together and
worked continuously: As | saw them. they
The sewage Of the little town Of Surbiton is.
by twenty years agreement with Kingston.
ts IS At ut the o same works The sewage Of
works. amountinsto about 1.25O.OUU gallons
daily from , that i runs ur to 2OVoOO gal
As saw it. the c!iriuent was little clondy: but
Board that it was ordinarily clearer than the
The sludse cake from the sludce presses is
Eklr n a mr. on1 al,.t.
gtes. ordryins it; and then reduced to pow pow
NATIVE 1brinsns * los 1a' per sq1 tons as
II at any time i does not meet with ready sale.
it j. ;, stored d.. frequently for considerable
cause 81 offence. although the works are On
the banks OF the Thames but short distance
villa residences lining the opposite shore.
j. found. myself. very little odor from the
cept in the drying and packing room. where it
warf ses asd
by;, increasing the number of settling tanks.
For the purpose of seeing something Of the
Gnternstiona! Water and Sewage Publication
Company. visited Hendon and Acton. neither
H s then o v"s t ho city ST
against this method. which was dissipated
after seeing the results OF the process though
other methods. did not succeed in obtaining
full enough data to speak with authority.
About 45O.ONO gallons OF sewage are treated
daily; The works are operated by the local
board Of the borough. the total operating eX.
penses per year being, some f7tW. which in
cludes rates. taxes. and tithes icstimated on
the same basis as for am; other property The
the Hitter bed. has been in place and in us" for
three or four years. and shows no signs OF de-
terioration. recent examinations Of the bed
indicating that no oxidation OF the ,polarte has
yet taken place. Tho filter beds have only
n69ne20 square yard. prea. and are not
instead Of through them. My informant con-
sldered that they ought to have fully three
times their present size.
At Hendun was ablo to make careful in
spection OF the works. which arc operated in
this case under contract by, the interna-
psaP1y ; oo The sewage district has a population
sewage received being 4uU.OUO gallons in
twonty-four hours; In heavy rains the flow
runs up 10 four or Ave million gallons Dor day.
An. overflow exists for. turning tho storm
water into the river. which receives the erlu-
ont from the savage works. bnt hitherto II has
not been used. all storm water being treated
IN the same manner as the ordinary sewage
EXCEPT in tho mode Of filtration.
The ferrozone. which is the precipitant lap
peartng; also. to have deodorizin. proprties).