Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-09-14
SEWERAGE Of LONDON.
Taken Out and Scattered
Over the Sea.
IT IS A MODERN SYSTEM.
The Method of Separating the smadge
From the Efiuent,

deck of tho Audge ship Is broad and
clean; tho deck house or saloon small
but comfortable; on the bridge q fresh
breeze Is blowing; the sunlight sparkles
brightly on the ruiiled surface OF the
river, and you scarce can realize that
this fine steamer IL carrying a thousand
tons Of London sludge out 10 sea. Ye,
such Is the fact. The Idea that Che
''nu9 b.rso." .. sae county oo4-.eD.
which take out the precipitated portion
OF London sewage to the Barrow deep,
are simply dirty dredges Is quite q mis
take. They are powerful twin screw
steamships, worked by two sets Of triple
expansion engines, and fitted with three
large tanks, kept covered. and abso-
lutely free from nuisance 70 anybody
even to the seamen On board. They can
make two trips out TO sea IN every
twenty-five hours, steeIninq about ten
knots, and, as matter Of fact, they
thus dispose OF al 900 tons OF sludge IN
d week.
The sludge Is precipitated by troat-
ing the sewage with lime and sulphate
Of iron. First, six huge cages catch
debris, such as sticks and dead rats and
cells, ETC., In the great rushing sewers
which drain London. This rubbish Is
burned In Instructors ut tho rate OF
something like hundred tons a woek;
then the black river Of sewage Is stirred
in tanks with hme--or, more correctly,
lime water-in the proportion of about
81 grains to the gallon. The effect OF
the lime rs b precipitate matter In sus-
pension and solution and also 20 dTodor-
lie. You may take smelling bottle
with you II you like, but with plenty Of
hme about you will hardly neoi It. But
walking ON along the top OF tho twenty
seven feet wide sewer, which is probably
to become beautiful boulevard for
Barking. one comes 10 the sulphate of
iron SHOP" where $50 tons at time
are received, and where, after being dis
solved in the proper proportion as di-
rected by the chemist in charge, it, too,
finds ite way 30 the swift river Of SOW
age.
But then comes pause in tho rivers
mad career. It Is admitted through tho
Penstock chGmber-that Is, a building
with number of iron gato--to set OF
covered precipitating channels, whore it
can leisurely mediate after It's wild
rushings from London. Hero IN It's
quiet bed the lime and iron, IN casting
down tho solid portions, can take full
effect, and tho clear portion Of the liquid
at tho top-now called the efiuent-
Is lot oH over the head OF wall at the
end Of the chamber to channel at tho
other side; whence, gathering speed
again, 1t rushee TO reservoir, from
which at ebb tide it joins the Thames
The sludgo passes through pipes from
the bottoms Of the precipitating cham
bers TO another reservoir, whence 1t Il
pumped to the tanks In tho sludge
ships and conveyed 10 sea.
The effect on tho river is most salts
factory. On the testimony of the har
Dor master IL is cleaner now than IL has
been for some years, whiLe Mr.. Thudi-
chum, the chemist at tho Barking tout
fall" works, joyfully maintains II has
30 per cent. Of oxygen, which 1t has not
rejoiced In for some summers past. Bot
the clean foreshore and the soent 81 seq
weed at Barking, and tho much purer
looking water IN the Thames itself, are
proofs TO the uninitiated Of the success
of the ''now" system.
That system is only now getting into
full working order. The county ooun-
cil have added two moro ships % the
fleet, making now five in all; and they
are conveying some az, 900 tons of siudgo
out TO soa every week. -Four ships are
constantly at work day and night, apd
one takes It's turn of rest week for
painting, repairs. eto., and affording a
lighter time for tho men. These are
sailors, and sIoep on board, regular
watches being kept, except one twenty
four hours In every seven days, whom
thoy are allowed off duty.
The discharging ground of the steam
ers Us tho Barrow deep, come miles be-
yond the More light. The deep IL an
unused channel, the north bound vessels
taking coarse considerably 10 the left
and southwark ships far TO the right.
Tho channel has been buoyed by the
council, and no captain may commence
discharging until he has passed the
North Knot buoy. The discharge Is
quickly effected by opening valves in the
vessels bottoms tho principle being
much the same as that used on the self
@nptying lifoboat-whioh, indeed, Is bat
an adaptation OF the law that water finds
its own level, the bottom Of the tanks
being built on level with the soa Tho
valves are easily opened from the deck,
and 30 quick Is their action that the
whole thousand tons can DO discharged
In seven minutes. Generally tho hrae
occupied. however, is longer, the vessel
perhaps steaming ten miles while empty
ing her strange cargo. The white wake
of tho ship Is discolored, gulls hover
over IL, and then among tho tumbling
waves and the fresh breezos the siuigo
The mind can hardly grasp tbs f,,c,
that hundred million gallons Of sewage
pour down the huge drain % Barking
every twonty-four hours. But IL w
think for a moment that this immense
mass Of sludge would, hut fUr tho ships.
have boen discharged'into the Thames
between Gravesend and London bridge,
and bo washing backward and forward
with the tides, and that this would b.
always going on month after month, we
may begin 10 have some conception Of
tho benefit gained. st. james Oazctto
misnamed
"why ID we say 'motl earthr"