Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-14

Col. Geo. E. Warning Discusses n Prob
lem Which COnfronts Philadelphia.
The Importance of a sanitary disposition
of the sewage of a city has long been rec
ognized, and yet there have been few i'm
provements attempted by the leading cities
of the country. The local authorities pass
stringent regulations as to the drainage Of
buildings within the city limits, and yet
they will consent that the whole of the
city's sewage, full of germs of disease and
death, shall be poured into a stream that
may be the only possible source of water
supply for their citizens or for towns be-
low them 1t means great expenditure Of
money and of thought, and bitter strug-
gle with prejudice and narrow conservatism
Tor the adoption of any of the improved
systems OF sewage disposal.
Colonel George h. Waring, jr., who is
one OF the most eminent of sanitary ex-
perts in this country, has written timely
article on sewage for the April number Of
the Century, wherein he gives attention to
the problem that confronts Philadelphia.
be says: The tendency of legislation, here
as well as abroad, is toward the prohibi-
ton OF the fouling Of rivers, thus far main
ly Tor the protection of sources of water
supply. This is doing much and promises
to Go more in the way of restricting the
free discharge of sewage into streams. There
IS also a growing sentiment in favor of
have hitherto been disregarded are now at
tracing attention. Those who occupy lands
past which streams flow are beginning to
assert and to enforce their undoubted right
to have them flow in their naturally I'M
fouled condition. So, too, on the larger
streams, villages are growing to towns,
towns are growing to important cities, and
conditions which were formerly tolerable
are now becoming intolerable The Schuyl-
Kill river, for example, which is the most
important source of water supply for Phil
adelphia, is lined with populous and grow
ing manufacturing towns, which have only
this river for an outlet. The same condi-
lions exist along many of the rivers of the
older parts of the country generally, and
they are extended westward. 1t is, there
fore, clear that, in case of towns not lying
the rights of riparian owners will demand
the increasing adoption of means for with
holding crude sewage fro;l them"
Colonel Warning then takes up the three
systems OF sewage disposal by broad irri-
cation, by intermittent filtra ton and by the
chemical precipitation. The first two OF
these methods are the ones that commend
themselves to this expert. '"rhe withhold
ing of paper pulp and other fhrous matter
In the irrigation process may be affected by
q method applied at Wayne, Pennsylvania
where the flow of sewage during irrigation
Is at the rate of about 10000 gallons per
hour. The field is divided into five sections
of about two acres each, for alternate USE
The sewage reaches them over and through
areas FORMED broken stone
(macadam), averaging about eight inches
deep, seventy-five feet wide and ninety feet
long. These retain most of the flbrous and
gummy materials and they gradually dis
appear. Just as the coarser parts of the
sludge-forming material attach themselves
to the surfaces Of the broken stone so the
finer parts attach themselves to the sur
faces of the earthly particles, grass etc
over which the flow continues and the sew
age is thus clarified very early in its course
Each Of the three fan-shaped sections of
the field begins with a screen Of broken
stone, having an area of about 6. $50 square
feet The sewage. previously screened of
Its rags, etc, in flowing over and through
these stones deposits all of its coarser i'm
purities. 1t then passes over an area about
seventy feet wide. having a fall of one foot
In three feet, and containing nearly 10 900
square feet. At the lower edge OF this a
porous barrier collects the flow for even dis
trtbution over the next section which has a
fall of one in four. IS sixty feet wide and
has an area OF nearly II 900 square feet
At the foot of this the sewage has little
color and is freely drunk by dogs Here II
passes through another barrier and flows
over section with fall of about one in
six. 40 feet wide, with an area of about
$4,000 square feet The condition of the
sewage is now vastly improved BY the
time 1t has reached the lower edge of this
section 1t is perfectly clear and apparently
pure. 1t is often tasted by visitors 1t Is
obviously better effluent than that Of anv
precipitation works of which the conditions
have been published If the hillside were
| less steep the result would be still better
| The three sections occunving the hillside
vary little In size and Arrangement"
| This method Colonel Warning looks unon
| as the most perfect vet devised and with
| + he t'''rks the ent'rn rrnhIer1 is solved He
| cnmmen1s II esneciallv for the protection of
New York's water supply in the Croton wa
tershed. where strict policing and inspec-
| ton are of little avail