The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-13
SuR<ArN or z2EH>ALf
he absence of sewer gas and other evils


concnmitant with poorly constructed or
unwisely designed system OF sewage.
"lts the system itself which deserves all
the merit" he will tell you. 1--WE use
only small pipes and the automatic gravity
fusher That is the secret Of the whole
matter"
And Mr.. Frodden is correct. as CALL
reporter who looked into the merits II
Alameda's famous sewer system yesterday
was abundantly convinced.
Three or four times in every twenty-four
hours the entire sewer system of Alameda
is completely flushed.
1t is the automatic gravity flusher that
does it. In ali there are 200 of these flush
basins. Each basin is connected with the
city water pipes and fills and empties it.
srIf automatically.
The stranger in Alameda often wonders
what those oblong iron covers at the edge
OF The sidewalk may hide from view. And
they may never know the true reason un-
less some one tells them, for those iron
covers are screwed down in a manner most
discouraging to the unofficial investigator.
Mr.. Frodden unscrewed a couple OF those
iron covers yesterday for the Inspection OF
The CALL man. An oblong concrete
vault was disclosed. In this vault Is
large iron tank that holds fifty gallons of
water. The tank runs to long point a.
the end nearest the adjoining sewer and is
balanced on pivOts so nicely that when
full of water it tips Of its own weight and
discharges its contents into the sewer
pipe with which it is connected by con-
crete outlet.
Above the water tank Is faucet at the
end of the city water pipe. This is turned
on so that the water merely driDs into the
tank. Eight hours of this steady dripping
fills the tank. and the mere weight of the
water in the tank oveIbalances the re-
ceptacle and the flushing takes place.
Av,6 hn Ane tan hoc toa
charged its contents it Immediately rights
itself. The water keeps on dripping. and
in due time the tank is topheavy once
more. and once more the sewer is cleansed
of all its accumulated impurities.
1T works like charm" says Mr.. Frod-
system has been In use here we have not
known what 1t was to have foul sewer"
Aside from its sanitary features the
strong point OF Alameda'S sewer system is
its rare simplicity and its cheapness.
True. the flush tanks and the concrete
basins III which they repose do cost some
thing, for they are well made and work
admirably. But their cost is more than
compensate for by the inexpensive 6-inch
lronstone sewer ri pes. VIII CHI answer every
purpose of the big brick tunnels. which are
so costly in construction and so expensive
to keep clean and pure.
"a small sewer pipe is great bugbear
l.
have an idea that large sewers are eeded.
That is false, AS our own experience in
Alameda has abundantly proven. AS a
demonstrated TACT, 6-lnCh sewer pipe Will
more than carry off all the refuse for the
distance OF mile aud half OF 5000 in
habitants.
'Of course our system is far more lib
eral than that, for nowhere Is SIM
gle six-ihch pipe made to do service for so
many inhabitants for such distance. And
all of the street sewers empty directly or
indirectly, into one or the other OF these re-
ceiving-se
'The receiving-sewers are Of Pinch
irOnstone pipe. except the one that starts
at the borax works in the west end and
empties into Oakland harbOr at Union
street. This is wooden flume. AT It's
inception near the 0orax works is huge
flush basin. which at every tide IS filled
with 100000 gallons of sea-water. At low
receiving-sewer, with but the one outlet at
Union street, is flushed thoroughly by the
accumulated waters.
This recelylng-sewer, and the one that
starts at Broadway on Atlantic avenue ard
empties at Union street. carries off all the
flow north OF Central avenue.
ION tho south coast the receiving-sewer
starts at Christina street. near the bay,
and runs out Clinton avenue to Park street,
down Park street to Bay Island avenue.
and out this thOroughfare to the outlet near
High street.
I'm this way we escape detiling the
waters of the bay on the south coast. I
where the private and public bathing
houses are located.
TT so happens that the grade OF the CITY
is hghest at Central avenue. and from
that thoroughfare the street sewers flow
north and south into the larger receiving
pipes.
These receiving sewers ara much larger
than they need be, but 1t is SO difficult to
convince people of the utility of small
sewer pipes that we had to use them.
Il would like to show some of these
douoters the flow of water. at its utmost.
that goes out through these big 12-inch
pipes. Take it Monday morning. when
folks are washing. or take it any time
when the greatest use is being made of the
sewers. and you will never find more than |
about four inches of water running out
thr0ngn the big receiving sewers.
Ine hushers are placed at the highest |
point OF the sewer in each street and one |
al the mead OF each lateral sewer that flows
INTO the main sewer. This produces a |
complete flush OF every sewer four times a |
day. or as often as desired. and each main !
sewer Is also flushed as often as are the |
lateral sewers.
These frequent fushes keep the tenn
poratur0 within the SewarS at an Inv an |