The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-06
suennN RErLIEs ro MAxwELL.
He Objects TO Deductions Developed
Frnm OIfactory Nerxes AIone.

to-day i notice a communication from Dr.
George Troup Maxwell. Of Jacksonville.
eriticizing my remarks anent my recent
visit to this city. and the position take
regarding the proposed sewerage outlet
for Savannah. To reply fully to all DR..
MaxwelPs plausible assertions would
occupy more space than your valuable
paper could afford. and take more time
IN proportion than / can give. With a
copy Of his communication before me I
will take his points as they arise and reply
TO them as concisely as possible.
II the idea that running water purifies
ITSELF is exploded. the explosion has only
taken place ia a few minds. Organic
matter submerged in water is not pre-
served indefinitely. Vegetable matter
may exist in fresh water for some time,
but animal and excretal matter is quick
Is decOmposed and annihilated. In salt
water vegetable matter disappears much
more rapidly than animal. Take DR..
MaXwelTs ilusuations-the Instructions
removed from Savannah river. The only
remains left 10 be removed We're wood
ana metal, but never a leather belt or an
article Of animal formation. Piles
In fresh water, rot of between high and
low watersowing 10 a mechanical action
set up by the alternate wetting and dry
ing. In salt water piles are eaten Off and
disintegrated below the water by the ac-
tion Of living organisms. The bacteria
responsible for purifying sewage are NOT
air breathing organisms, tut simply re-
Quire a certain amount OF oxygen 10 ena-
bic them TO do their work. This they can
obtain in any ordinary stream TO a con-
siderable depth.
II sewage discharged into a water
course is preserved" and 'there is con-
rffatff fr fa
becomes "a matter Of time to carry u TO
its logical conclusion, when the sewage
will have displaced the water There
are, however, thousanCs or rivers, lakes
and water courses which nave been re-
ceiving the sewage OF cities Tor several
generations, yet the sewage has not ac-
cumulated and in proportion, TO the in
creased quantity thrown into them to-
day, are as free from sewage contamina-
ton as they We're ten years after they
commenced 20 be used as outlets. Does
any one for moment be
neve that the sewage Of Au-
gusta is preserved" and accumulated
in the Savannah river until II reaches sa-
Vannah? III so, then for years our wa
ter supply was grossly contaminated and
we should have been assailed BY all the
ellis that flesh is heir TO
DR. Maxwell says he has found deposit
Of sewage ia. the st. Johns river "A foot
thick II sewage is preserved and ac-
cumulated in stream, as Or. Maxwell
SAYS 1t does. then If IL deposlst one
foot In six years, with a population using
Il Of $500. i'm nifty years, with abe increased
population there would be enough sewage
preserved" ana accumulated 10 thor
oughly block and stop the flow OF the
river. This may be ia accord with the
speculations and theories Of science out
is dead against the laws of nature.
DR.. Maxwell says "he knows that the
nuisance on the banks Of the ST. John rs
caused by sewage How does ne kho"
He says 10y smell Ny dear doctor, is sew
age the only thing with amy odor. A cab
bage in decomposng state smells pretty
high. Grass dried in the sun has a pleas
ant aroma. but rOtted by moisture IS
most offensive! The top soil or mud
taken from rice field or "a swamp
after being under water some time, is not
agreeable TO the smell and / can quite
understand that sample of IL confined
in a small room would be quite offensive.
y Mud from the bottom Of any river car
rying i'm suspension so large an amount
of vegetable matter as the 81. Johns, VIII,
when exposed to air, give or an ouen-
sive odor. But. my dear doctor, TO give
IL as your ultimatum as a medical and
scientific man that the mud In question
IS the result Of sewage because i smells
bad Is hardly IN line with medical ami
scientific research where the microscope
and analysis have played such prominent
parts.
Mr.. Ellis's views in this closely coincide
with mine.
Experience may not. in the chain OF
events. come before theory. but is 10 be
preferred before unsubstantiated theory.
The soundness Of theory is established by
experiment. If Dr. Maxwell would eX-
pertinent some as a means Of gaining eX-
perence, he would ma some Of his theo-
ries untcnable.
An men who stand alone" on any sub
mo
and I am afraid II these men had main
tanned their ideas with as little logic
as DR. Maxwell their names would have
been unknown to history.
Dr. Maxwell says the disgusting null
sance" he complains of extends for miles
above and below the city" Take miles
in their minimum number of two. Then
for two miles above and two miles below
and opposite the city front of Jackson
willie this sewage is deposited BY
simple calculation you will find that IL
for the past six years the whole of the
solid eXcretsl matter from the sewers OF
Jacksonville had been preserved and
spread over the bottom of this i've miles
of St. Johns river we should only have
a deposit the two hundredth part of an
inch thick or about the thickness of
sheet of note paper. If Dr. Maxwell has
found a deposit a foot thick he may rest
assured that it is not of sewage forma-
ton.
II L misunderstood Ut. Maxwell as TO
the location of his proposed sewage farm I
apologize for the error. But even substi-
tuting the plan, as now proposed by him,
my remark still holds good that the ex-
pense Of constructing and maintaining such
farm is unWarranted.
DIT. Maxwell lays great stress on the
possibility of typhoid fever being pro-
duced from a stream into which sewers
empty The extensive researches of the
state board of health of Massachusetts
answer this question very decidedly and
are entirely opposed TO DR.. Maxwells
ideas.
A sanitary engineer in solving any san
itary problem has to approach it from all
sides, consider it in all its bearings and
take into consideration and be guided by
varying circumstances and surroundings.
Very few men in the medical profession
can give such latitude TO their ideas in
these matters, as is evidenced by the at
tmpt to form an analogy between the
St Johns and Savannah rivers, two
streams entirely different in every way
rom their source TO mouth.
I agree with Dr. Maxwell that SANTA
ion is an important study and the re-