Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-22

a new survey, in order to be of any eff
ciency?
The above statement has never been made
by the chairman of the sewer committee.
Imperfections may have existed in our
sewer system but not sufficient to warrant
such an assertion. r. J. MARTIN,
Chairman Committee on Sewers.
We submit that the writer of the above
communication in correcting (?)" one i'm
preston has conveyed one, which to those
not so familiar with the matter as he should
be, is very erroneous and the comparison he
has made is not fair one.
That the city is suffering because of
lack of decent sewerage and that good be-
ginning was made under Republican rule
he will not care to deny. Furthermore,
the present city government, neglecting as
it did necessary expenditures in other direc-
tons, has not carried on the work as it
might and as it should have done. The
editorial from which the writer of the arti-
Gle culls his first quotation refers especially
to the notorious neglect under Democratic
rule in tbi llty of the sewers already con-
structed No plea of economy can be made
to screen the neglect to properly flush the
sewers. Flushing them properly would
simply entail little more work on certain
Off cisls but which they evidently did not
care to perform.
While the writer of the communication
has avoided much of the editorials from
which he quotes such extracts as we wished
to reply to, we cannot accept his conclu-
sions.
Figures are sometimes treacherous. Those
which he gives seem to convey the impress
sion that the Democratic party has done
more in the past year for our sewerage sys-
tenn than did the Republican party the pre-
ceding year OF course he doesn't men
ton the amount of money expended under
the last Republican administration for nec-
essary improvements in other directions
than for sewerage, but confines himself
wholly to the amount and cost of the latter.
He doesn't say that this sewer pipe was laid
in the places most needed, whether the bulk
of it was laid in Ward or Ward |. He
says there were so many feet laid, with so
many branches and so many catch basins at
so much expense. He declares that the
pine was bought for less than it can be
again, whether because much more was
bought than could be laid. or for some
other reason, he doesn't state. We are in-
formed BY a reputable dealer in sewer pipe
that he will be only too glad to duplicate
the figures at which last years pipe was
bought.
Now if the writer of the communication
wishes to give the public q correct impress
sion of the matter he should explain sew
eral things. One Of these we will mention
now, and others in later issue, when we
have more space at our disposal. The
word "catch- basins" as used by the writer,
seems to be somewhat misleading. A rude
openinp into the sewer, with no trap what
ever to keep the sewer gas from poisoning
the immediate neighborhood, may be eau-
tied to the name catch-basiu, such ~ the
writer bestows upon it, but it describes An
altogether different and vastly inferior ar
rangement from the catch basin put in by
the Republicans in connection with the
work which is brought up for COM
psrison. While the older sewers have
had the pest hole catch basin, those of re-
cent years have been supplied with traps.
OF course the expense has been greater
but to put in any other is worse than to Al
low the sewerage to run on top OF the
ground, provided it runs freely. More gas
generates 10 the sewer than does ON top OF
the ground, and where this gas is allowed
to escape freely, Is we understand It Is
With the ..catch basins" which Democratic
economy provided. the sewer il more likely
to be . nuisance in the neighborhood than
otherwise. Yet We are informed BY parties