The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-14
TO DO AWAY WITH B1LBo CANAL.
Col. Screven Throws Some Light Up
on Drainage Outlets.


Bilbo canal and the Bolton street sewer
which is of interest. in view Of the gen.
eIal discussion now OF the proposal 10 eN-
tend the sewer TO the river and cover
ever the canal.
Capt. Purses proposal to do away with
the Bilbo canal and to extend the sewer
to the river. partly along the line OF the
canal. is nothing new. as will be seen by
Col. Screven's statement. which shows
that such was. the intention Of the city
fathers over twenty years ago. when the
Bolton street sewer was constructed.
Col. Screven was mayor OF the city at
the time and as he took a special interest
in the subject then as he does now, he
has clear remembrance Of all that &C.
CURED then in connection with the sew
erage system.
THE Bilbo CANAL he said. was adopted
as the main outlet for the sewage of the
city in 1872 or 70 when Mr.. ]. B. Howard
was city surveyor. This outlet was adopt
ed by the city council on the recommen-
dalton of the city surveyor to-
gether with an advisory board
consisting of Gen. Gilmer, Mr..
II. S. Haines and Mr.. August Schwab, all
civil engineers, Gen. Gilmer, was an en-
gineer of extended experience whose opin-
ion on such subjects We're valuable. There
we're three routes considered and surveyed,
the first to the Vernon river, the second to
ST. Augustine creek and the third the Bilbo
canal to the Savannah river. The Bilbo
canal route was adopted on the recommen-
dalton of this committee as the shortest,
least expensive and most reliable of the
would have been made a covered sewer
then had It been within the means of the
city government to do so. Such not being
the case the old Bilbo canal was widened
and deepened. This was fixed upon as the
outlet for the sewerage system intended
to be provided for the greater part of the
city permanently or for great length OF
time. 1t was not decided upon until the
grades of the city had peen carefully de-
termined and mapped out. The grade of the
Bilbo canal route was found to be especial
" favorable. 1t was the first instance in
which system or sewerage for Savannah
on large scale had been attempted.
1.-THE Bolton street sewer and the Bilbo
canal extended from the mouth of the
sewer, were to form the outlet for The
entire system. In consequence of the eX-
pense of the undertaking, the plan could
not be Immediately carried into effect,
but was left to be extended and finally
completed as the means of the city would
allow and it's exigencies require. Its con-
struction, therefore, was confined to the
building a sewer along Broughton street,
East Broad street and Bolton street
Short branches were connected with the
Broughton street sewer. 1t was contem-
plated that the drains for the western
side of the city should be independent
of this system. The city is divided by
ridge, which follows along the line of JEFF
ferson street. which makes a separate sys-
tenn for the two sections necessary.
"The report made by Mr. Sugden upon
the subject OF a sewerage outlet is most
admirable one. and presents the subject
in a most convincing manner to my mind.
There is no doubt that the route advo-
Gated by Mr. Sugden is the most feasible
one. because satisfactory results of such
a route are self-evident, whereas the re-
suits to be expected from other routes
which have been discussed from time TO
time, are entirely matter of experiment.
When our commission considered this SUBJ
iect in 1872 we did not have the same light
upon the question of sewerage, its dilu-
ton and the volume of water necessary to
remove it, but there was no doubt In the
mind of the committee that there was sur
ficient volume of water in the river to re-
move the filth as fast as it was emptied
from the sewer. Modern research and the
recent Investigations of the subject prove
by undoubted figures that such is the
case"
Col Screven said that the sewerage sys-
TEN which was begun in 1872 was intended
to answer not only for the removal OF
sewage, but for drainage as well. A num-
Der of ponds existed right in the heart of
the city, and during a rainy spell such as
we are now experiencing Broughton street
was hardly more than pond from begin
ming to end and many of the squares were
also converted into ponds. In fact, Col
Screven says, the majority of the resi-
dents of Savannah have no idea what
drainage has done for the city.
"Mr. Howard, the city surveyor, was
sent to Europe" said Col. Screven, land
though the science of sanitary engineer
ing had not advanced to the stage which
it at present occupies. he returned with
lot of valuable information. The con-
struction of the Broughton street. the
Perry lane and the East Broad street
sewers is peculiar. In the first place, they
are laid at considerable depth. Instead
of building the sewers up from the ground
rows of cross beams were laid, followed
out inoval form, and upon these heavy
boards an inch to an inch and quarter,
were laid, the space between the beams
having been filled up to the
level with sand. Then up
on this planking the sewers were built
up. The bricks were laid without NOR
tar for the reasons which l will
explain to you. Mortar was used from
the middle of the circle to the top but no
mortar was used on the lower half of the
work. 1t was by this means that the water
from the entire section surrounding the
sewers entered the sewers and was drained
off. There were ordinary pumps at every
corner on Broughton street at that time.
AS soon as the Broughton street sewer
was laid every one of these pumps went
dry That will give you some idea of the
drainage effected by these sewers"
Col. Screven gave an instance of the
amount of the dilution of the sewage
through the increase of the water in the
sewers by percolation. Col. H. s. Haines
at that time had his office in Savannah as
general superintendent of the Savannah,
Florida and Western railway He took a
great deal of interest in the sewerage
question. Before its connection with the
East Broad street sewer the Perry lane
sewer emptied into the field east of the
city owned by Gen. Lawton. Col. Haines
walked out one afternoon to take look
at this sewer. He was surprised to find
several teamsters with their animals at
the mouth of sewer and both men and
horses drinking of the water. He remon-
strated with the men and told them that
the water was filthy and polluted. The men