Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-21
ExCELLENT sANIraRYM g1sUREs
Proposition to Connect the Bancroft
Drnin-pipe with the Brandywine Inter

Proposition to Connect the Bancroft
Drain-pipe with the Brandywine Inter
ceptor.
At the meeting of the Street and
Sewer Department Wednesday evening
communication was received from the a
Joseph Bancroft Sons s. Company ask
ing permission to connect the drain
pipe from their place and from the
Kentmere factory with the Brandywine
intercepting sewer.
The Bancroft pipe runs from the mills
location along the south bank of the
river to point about 800 feet above the
i. & o. railroad bridge. There it crosses
the bed OF the Brandywine and con-
meets with the Augustine mills drain on
the north bank. The dye-stuffs from the
mills empty into the north race at the
head gates at that point.
The advantage of direct drainage into
the interceptor so far as the public is
concerned is that there would be a
dimlnution of the volume of dye-stuff
entering from the Brandywine head
gates at the north race. There would
be none at all from the Bancroft mills
and the extent of discoloration would
be restricted to that entering from the
drain from the Augustine mills. Under
any circumstances the regular custom
OF the Bancrofts was to drain their dye
stun refuse into q reservoir. When this
was full the Water Department was
notified. The pumps stopped working
while the reservoir was emptying and
the pumping engines did not resume
work until sufficient time had elapsed
to preclude any possibility of river water
faint.
The head Of the Brandywine inter
ceptor is within 100 feet of the bend in
the Bancroft drain, where it crosses the
Brandywine.
II the department make arrangements
with the Bancrofts, all drainage and
dye.stuffs of the mills on the south side
will enter directly into the interceptor.
A thorough drainage system for Ban
crotts Banks will be attainable, and ali
possibility Of house drainage precolation
into the Brandywine will be done away
with. This, of course, is in the direc-
ton OF insuring a still purcr supply
OF drinking water, and in every way a
most desirable sanitary Improvement.
The Brandywine interceptor is large
enough to meet all the demands in
question. At the point referred to the
lnterceptor has Il 20-inch terra Gotta pipe.
Several years ago, when Mr.. l5assett,
the great national authority of sewerage
engineering, was consulted By the Street
ana sewer Department in regard to the
Brandywine interceptor, he arranged
Tor capacity of $50 cubic feet per
minute OF factory waste and other
matter which would eventually be dis
charged into the sewer from the present
and future mills along the south bank
OF the Brandywine. Hence Mr.. Ban
crofts desire has been anticipated in the
construction of the Brandywine inter
ceptor.
The matter is now in the hands Of the
department.
In taking into consideration the whole
city sewerage system the contempla-
ton for future action is to construct
another interceptor along the north
bank of the Brandywine. This would
meet all sanitary requirements in that
region and would do away with the
emptying of any dye-stuifs into the
north race. As temporary measure
and until the north bank interceptor be
constructed it would look feasible for
drain to be thrown from the Augustine
Mills across the Brandywine to tap the
southern interceptor at some suitable
point. Such a measure would at once
do away with any use at all of the
north race as dye.stuff drain and pre-
clude the possibility of faint or dis
celebration from any direction entering
the Brandywine at the north race head
gates.