Evening star., 1894-03-31
SEWAGE DISPOSAL,
Col. George Z. Warning, jr., Says the
Problem Has Beeu Solved


Col. George E. Waring, jr, one Of the
most eminent sanitary engineers of this
country, has an exhaustive article in the
April number of the Century Magazine
on the disposal of sewage He describes
the different processes that have been
| tried in this country and in Europe, and
declares that the only one that gives sat
isfaction, and seems a perfect solution of
the problem, is disposal by irrigation or
filtration. In this connection, he COM
mends highly the system that is carried
out at Wayne, Pennsylvania, where the
sewage is SO disposed of that it is no
| menace to the health, and is attended
by no unpleasant features
The purihcation of sewage is evidently
on the eve of great extension in this
country, writes Col. Waring, and it's sue
cess requires that the Importance OF MAX
ing it as thorough as possible should be
generally appreciated. If the work is to
be done at all, it is worth while to do 1t
well. Halfway measures, like chemical
precipitation, may satisfy present legal
demands and they may in exceptional
cases be advisable; but they will not meet
public opinion that is now growing up.
| The means for entire publication are with
| in reach, and imperfect results will not
| long be accepted as sufficient
In practical work two cardinal priu-
| ciples should be kept in view, and should
control our action:
FIRST. organic wastes must be discharged
| at the sewer outlet in their fresh condition
| before putrefaction has set In.
| Second. They must be reduced to a state
| of complete oxidation without the inter
vention of dangerous or offensive decom-
position.
AS the difficulties attending disposal are
| due chiefly to the water in which the
| wastes are borne, sewage should be- in
| the interest of economy no less than of eff.
cheney, protected against an excess and
| fuctuatiOn in volume, due to the admix.
| ture of storm water. c. H. Latrobe c. E.
| describes proper system of sewerage as
| being IAN efficient and well-regulated ma.
| chine for the speedy and unobjectionable
| removal of water borne filth, and it's de.
| livery as substantially uniform product
at such point as is desired, and in a
| condition capable of treatment in a uni.
| form manner by uniform plant, whether
| chemical, mechanical, or otherwise"
| Only by such uniformity of flow, day by
| day and week by week. can our problem be
| simplifed and our work shorn of unneces
| sary embarrassment. This implies the
| adoption of the separate system of sewer.
| age, by which only the water necessarily
fouled in houses and needed for the proper
| removal of wastes shall be admitted tc
| the flow that is to be dealt with; othe,
| means being used for the removal of storm
! water, and the filth of streets being taken
! care of otherwise than by discharge into
sewers with the gutter flow. Street dirt
| should be swept up, not washed away
! This exclusion of storm water will, per.
| haps, never be reached in all cases, but
wherever it is, or is likely to become, ne.
cessary that processes of artificial purifi
| cation should be adopted, there at least
| the withholding of storm water and street
wash should be secured. In the great ma.
jority of towns now contemplating sewer
| age purifca ton is sure to be demanded
| sooner or later, and sewerage systems
| should there be regulated from the outset
| with that end in view.