Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-07
BUILDING TO A LINE.
Ninety Miles of Sewers Already Con-
structed According TO
PLANS OUTLINED BY CITIZENS.
Remarkable Effect Upon the Health Of the
East End District
SOME TROUBLE OVER ASSESSMENTS

An dccur1te esIlm6te OF Tue totdi bc"ero
age of this city was completed yesterday by
Assistant City Engineer Wakefield. 1t
shows that on February I, the beginning of
the present fiscal year, there had been con-
structed an even 80 miles of public sewers
and since that time nearly four miles more
have been added. In 1887 there were only
43H miles of sewer In the whole
city, and the bulk of these drained
only the 1880 acres comprising the
old city. The territory known as the East
End, containing 8,018 acres, or little over
43 per cent of the whole area Of the city did
not contain q public sewer of any kind.
Since that time sewer building operations
have been pushed forward with remarkable
energy, as the total mileage shows
In 1886 when the confines of the old city
were found to be toosmall for the rapidly
growing population and the great rush for
East End habitations began, Councils ap-
pointed . commission of public spirited
citizens and officials to plan a complete
sewer system for that portion of the munici-
pality. The necessity for such action had
been recognized years before and efforts had
been made to establish such movement
A Committee of Citizens Appointed:
Chief Bigelow was then City Engineer,
and, acting under instructions of Councils,
he investigated the subject and prepared an
elaborate plan of sewsra He visited the
leading cities of the country and even went
to Paris and London at his own expense to
learn what he could of their great drainage
systems, introducing the knowledge thus
gained into his plans for this city. He
studied the topography of the land, laid the
East End out in basins into which the
water sheds naturally drained, and located
main sewers to drain each basin,
together with tributary branches to catch
the domestic drainage on numerous streets
snd proposed streets. This work had re-
uuired several years to accomplish and
when ir was about completed the commission
of citizens was appointed, in response to
public sentiment, to further investigate the
subject and recommend sewer system ade-
| quate to meet the city's demands for all
time.
The commission had the late John Dun
| lap for Chairman, and consisted of Joseph
| MCDOWELL Alexander Bradley, Charles
Lockhart, Robert Pitcairn, Controller Nor
| row and Chief Bigelow. Frank Case was
| Secretary. They spent months on the work.
Other cities were visited, plans were made
of the land to be drained, much of which
| was then only farms and vacant fields, the
plans of Chief Bigelow were carefully can
| vassed, the natural drainage was studied
| and the points where the lateral sewers
| would naturally come into the main drains
| were established. The necessities for sew
erage at different points were Investigated
and the sizes of sewers required at all points
were determined.
Needed Sewers in the East End.
A comprehensive report of its work was
| submitted by the commission to Councils on
| January 10, 1887. As indicating the popu-
| lar sentiment for sewers in the East End at
| that time the following conservative para
gragh from the report is quoted: "We are
personally cognizant of the fact, and the
truth is palpable to every observer, that in
| warm weather many parts of the East End
are absolutely unfit for habitation, owing to
the polluted atmosphere arising from open
runs of filth of every description"
Then the East End was the unhealthiest
section and had the largest death rate of
| anv section of the city. To-day, only five
| years later, it is the healthiest and most
| pleasant section of the city, and as the
| reports of the Bureau of Health show has a
smaller death rate than other quarters.
The sewer commission, after all its Iabors,
| practically adopted the plans Chief Bige-
| low had originated, and with few changes,
recommended them to Councils.
The system was made the official sewer
| plan of the city by Councils, and under the
street improvement act of 1887, the neces-
sity for which was demonstrated at the same
| time, 15% miles of sewers were laid during
| the year 1888 In 1889 II miles were laid.
| In $780, unde: the new street act OF 1889,
| 151z miles were laid. In 1891, owing to the
action of the Supreme Court in striking
down both these acts, Improvements were
practically suspended and only ~ miles
| were laid. Under the new act of 1891 great
progress is now being made in all branches
| of street improvement, and this year will
| probably excel any previous one both in
sewer building and street paving.
objections From Property Holders.
One of the greatest trials the city officials
have in constructing sewers is the objections
offered by persons whose property is af-
| fected thereby. It is frequently necessary
| to run line through private properties,
often to the great Inconvenience and dis
| comfort of the ownera Objections in such
cases are vigorous generally, the owners
being unable to understand why a sewer
must traverse their land when there is no
necessity for draining it. The answer of
the City Engineer in such cases is always
the same. He is following the plan ar
ranged by the sewer commission and
adopted by the city. It is arbitrary, and
the sewer must follow the lines laid down
in that system in order to secure proper
| drainage.
In its report the commission decided upon
five great drainage basins, designated as the
Two-Mile Run or Thirty-third Street basin,
the Negley Run basin, the Four-Mile
Run basin, the Soho Run and the Haight's
Run basins All but the Four-Mile Run
sewer in this list have been completed, to-
| gether with numerous branches and lateral
connections. Some of them are brick and
stone structures. with q diameter of teet
| at the largest points, running down to and
feet, as drainage necessities require.
Draining Enormous Territories.
The Thirty-third street main sewer drains
with its trunks and branches territory of
| 1,SOO acres, from Penn avenue at Thirty
| third street, to Denniston avenue, A 2-foot
branch from it runs out Winebiddle avenue
and drains the territory bounded BY Lib.
erty and Penn avenues, Pearl street and
| Winebiddle avenue. Another, known as
the Cayuga street branch, now in process of
construction, will drain the large district
known as Bloomfield Other branches
drain the Roup and Shadyside districts, the
territory bounded by Negley and Penn ave-
nues and Rebecca street and that lying be-
| tween Penn avenue and Margaretta street,
Negley and Highland avenues
The Neglev Run sewer basin contains
| 2,548 acres. The main sewer, not yet built,
is planned to run from Butler street to the
Allegheny river at Negley Run. It has q
4-foot 9-inch branch already built, known
as the Butler street trunk, which runs to
Denniston avenue. Another 4H-foot