Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-10-20
SEWAGE OF LONDON.
1T IS TAKEN OUT TO SEA AND SCAT.
TERED OVER THE WAVES.

"Oh, how unpleasant Inc ldea OF go
ing to sea with sludgef' On the con-
trary, you know nothing Of it. The
deck OF the sludge ship is broad and
clean; the deck house or "saloon" small
but comfortable; on the bridge fresh
breeze is blowing; the sunlight sparkles
brightly on the rufled surface OF the
river, and you scarce can realize that
this fine steamer is carrying thousand
tons of London sludge out to sea. Yet
such is the fact. The idea that the
mud barges" of the county council,
which take out the precipitated portion
Of London sewage to the Barrow deep,
are simply dirty dredges is quite mis-
take, They ore 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 to anybody,
even to the seamen on board. They can
, make two trips out to sea in every
twenty-five hours, steaming about ten
knots, and, as a matter of fact, they
thus dispose Of d, 900 tons Of sludge in
a week.
The siudge Is precipitated by treat
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 at the rate OF
something like hundred tons a week;
then the black river of sewage is stirred
in tanks with lime--or, more correctly,
lime water--in the proportion of about
8% grains to the gallon. The effect OF
the lime is to precipitate matter in sus'
pension and solution and also to deodor-
ize. You may take a smelling bottle
with you if you like, but with plenty oi
lime about you will hardly need it. But
walking on along the top of the twenty
seven feet wide sewer, which is probably
to become beautiful boulevard fol
Barking, one comes to the sulphate o.
iron 'shop," where $50 tons at a tim'
are received, and where, after being dis
solved in the proper proportion as di
rected by the chemist in charge, it, too
finds its way to the swift river Of sew
age.
But then comes a pause in the river
: mad career. 1t is admitted through tn
Penstock chamber--that is, o building
with a number of iron gates-to set Q
covered precipitating channels, where
| can leisurely mediate after its will
! rushings from London. Here in il
! quiet bed the lime and iron, in castin
! down the solid portions, can take fu
| effect, and the clear portion of the liqui
3 at the top-now called the ef1uent-
is let off over the head Of a wall at tn
t end of the chamber to channel at I'll
( other side; whence, gathering spec
Q again, it rushes to reservoir, frol
q which at ebb tide it joins the Thame
o The sludge passes through pipes fro
a the bottoms Of the precipitating chan
II bers to another reservoir, whence it
pumped to the tanks in the sludI
Is ships and conveyed to sea.
le The effect on the river is most SAT-
d factory. On the testimony Of the ha
,e Dor master it is cleaner now than 1t h
ot been for some years, while Mr.. Thut
he chum. th,. chemist at the Barking ''or
is I'll. WORKS. joyfully maintains it h
y 50 per t'aut. OF oxygen, which 1t has n
to re,u..el ill for some summers past. B
the clean foreshore and the scent of sc
OF weed at Barking, and the much pun
looking water in the Thames itself, g
at proofs to the uninitiated of the succ'
ag of the new" system.
as That system is only now getting IL
lg full working order. The county col
is Gil have added two more ships to I
VI feet. making now five in all: and th
Is are conveying some 40, 900 tons of slud
ng out to sea every week. Four ships
he constantly at work day and night, q
zee one takes its turn of a rest week
sc- painting, repairs, ETC., and affordin
nd lighter time for the men. These
m sailors, and sleep on board, regu
M watches being kept, except one TWEEN
'ra four hours in every seven days, wi
rk they are allowed off duty.
The discharging ground Of the stes
ers is the Barrow deep, some miles
yond the More light. The deep is
as unused channel, the north bound vesl
taking q course considerably to the
le- and southwark ships far to the rig
nj The channel has been buoyed by
80. council, and no captain may CONNIE
OF discharging until he has passed
20 North Knot buoy. The discharge
ne. quickly effected by opening valves in
out vessels bottom; the principle be
one much the same as that used on the
ca ernptying ifeboat--which, indeed, is
'eE- an adaptation Of the law that water 4
IAN its own level. the bottom OF the ia
Tx being built on q level with the sea.
mo valves are easily opened from the d
tne and 50 quick is their action that
,er- whole, thousand tons can be dischar
the in seven minutes. Generally the
% . occupied, however, Is longer, the W
'nt. perhaps steaming ten miles while EN-
DO ing her strange cargo. The white "
of the ship Is discolored, gulls h
agn over it, and then among the tuinb
'oes waves and the fresh breezes the slr
~ 70 is gone. >,
the The mind can hardly grasp the
ap- that hundred million gallons of sew
ago pour down the huge drain to Bar
'kly every twenty-four hours. But II
ROM think for q moment that this imm
latc mass Of sludge would, but for the 81
ime have been discharged into the Ths
'on- between Grayesend and London bri
and be washing backward and fory
with the tides, and that this woul'
always going on month after month
en-, may begin to have some conceptio
cni. the benefit gained. st. james GAG
ONE Haisnamed. g "
wish "Why do we say mother earthY
en- az don't know. It certainly Is