Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-02
Drainage Canal Nearing Completion at the
City of Mexico.
SOLVES A PROBLEM OF CENTURIES
Andrew Roscwntcr Talks of His visit
40 the Ancient CnpitnI-Work
of ModcrnizinE IL Vow Fro
grcsrinp.

mastering '"e Pioo'e'"s Vi INC
OF civilization.
The primary object Of M. Rosewater
tourney was in connection with the sewer
= .,,,,,., - ,ho cue, ~ MayIco which Is
10 ~ =, ,i,a. ,h, o,,,lot drain
TO DE ihauBuratel HoW 'i"' '"' 80 -.
age canal ana tunnel an lHpor '""t i"''O'
I'm the historic capital for centuries, Is near
inc complption
.,ro,,, ,oo,,o ,o,, familiar with engineer
-. 80. ,,,,,t idoo
ing enterprises can lor"h d" "u'q'''e w.
of the stupendous PROJECT now almost accom-
plished by the Mexican government said
Mr. posowatar "Tokinp into account the
...,,is. -,.,a.ta., ~, ,ho oi. II, a basir for-
pecuiar s''ua''oii Vi ''e Il'y' !" '"''' ~
nation among the mountains 'he proo'e"i
almost seems impossible of solution to the
casual observer. For years past the drainage
question has been partially solved by the es-
tablishing Of a steam pumping station, which
emptied the contents of few radiating street
mains into a canal at a considerable eleva-
tion above the city, disposing of it somewhat
after the manner of the old system employed
at the Lockport works of Chicago Th.s Is
at best but a makoshft, proving entirely
inadequate to the demands placed upon 1t
during unusual rainfalls, and the government
was at length forced to pursue PROJECT
which had been suggested over fifteen years
previous, but which had always been de-
layed on account of its enormous expense
COST OF THE WORK
Once decided uron the government noated
tbe 6rst of n sorios ~ bo,ds with EnyIisb
svndirotes which in the agpregote is ron9rted
as reaching grand total 5f 500 600 0O6 and
active onerations nnon ~ drainarS canal and
tunnel throush tho mountains y,itb n force
of several thousand laborers. we're begun.
Through the courtesy of General Cosi9 n
member NJ tho nresidont,s cnbinat hoV,;nsr
In charge tho notional nublic ror,,s on5
senior rsniposa chief enginnsr bov:ng cha~g,
of the cnnstrmction n snaciai train rn,rit.
carnI ,as n,aoad o. Nt 'Ie p,',,nt, .tS W 1i 1n'
nnsoi Tb 80 ~ az t,o, %. wa az uIS-
oft ~ an a mas sIoppeu d. al, ueslrao!e
hpustiye survey Of tha wnr,. o,dmr Nv ts 'n nrtSo
length.
The canal is most thoroughly constructed
and is thirty-five miles in length. Five
miles of its course are through mountain
tunnel This section is fourteen foo. in
diameter. The canal in MANY sections is
over sixty feet in depth and 200 in width
from bank to bank at the ton Tho cuts
on bo:h sides of the mountains are many
and very heavy and impress tbe observer
with Tho rnoani,Id s 80 wy wy ,I, SIi ,et
some Of which owing r. cbeop iabor r'N,rs, ,,,t,
done in a very primitive manner In man,
places where tho train e+onnad tbo ra' S
of excavation was wotohed m,ith 'lu - pio0tsS
terest. The men are dIvided in n,''r,aro,',
gangs and each man 10 eoninnad With - IaUI
wicket basket canah,o Of hnIdin WIN ~ a isis
earth weigbing fror, Itn t t-z ioau VI
These haelots ora si,od ~ 10 pouhus'
the lahorere n,ona thn,,, W Lne shoVtiers,
and thon tniI ~, - ~ - Ii Ti thelr shouluers
to tho outer IeIoi 1 tt,es III 'ne pahks
Tbo oo,tinno,,,N N,tiI tneS are Jumped
carriera nre , 'iS s.Iai 81 am 10 Wh.Ga these
wouId brool, do,,, 80. 10y pnu pelel anu
order Tho no,, th, d VIZ, VIZ iapoleI III shor,
enuaI IN hmariooo,, my o, isIeNe t per uay "ouid
Tho foroa 80, ,on' LIN on, aDo9t - cents
yarias fron, IS"o .i''PioSeu Sen upon the cahal
work is conGneS " a. S,,s soUV men ana thelr
tion Of % tbn unr,, 70 a inishlns up tne last sec
locl,s ana r,otea ,il ant III con constructing the
nota, az S"'us ,,, Nhlcn control the How OF
no ditoh WIN Soon eou'se through the
20
BENEFITS OF THE WORK.
The henefits which will be derived by the
CITY or Mexico through the utilization of the
canal ia incalculable, not only from a san
1tary point of view, but also by the removal
of factor of destruction which has menaced
tie city for centuries. This exists in the
form of a number of lakes situated at q
high elevation above the city which at times
during the rainy seasons have overnowed
and caused great damage to life and prop
erty.
AS soon as the main canal Is completed
the government will undertake the recon-
structlon OF the sewers of the city. Some
attempt has already been made in years past
io ioo,, ou.tu t Snal rauiaIihg iaterais but the
cntirev new ayetop, ,iiI 80 9to" ~ ma -. an
WSoIa sacttons 90 tb Ia o ~ s,ii De ouu,,
have no outlet and sotnrate tbo ell ~ s,,nI
an extent az, TO create n narnetuaI nnis,nca
and menace to nnhIic be,itb
The present nlumhinr In tbe buI,d,ros or
any size is of simple design. freouentiv con.
sisting of merely n single connectinn with
the main sewer into which the refuse is
dumped. A limited number of the buildings
have a supply of water from a small pump
ing system The supply Of water in the city
is far below the average, being less than
forty-fve gallons per person per day
When it is taken into consideration
that this amount ehall suffice for
all uses, including the sprinkling of the
street in front of the premises twice daily,
as required by city regulations, the supply is
found to be very small In most of the hotels
the water Is supplied by means OF carrien9
who deposit II In large eartheh Jars on each
hoor where 1t Is uttered through porous
cups
one OF tne most pecullar lacts hotaDle IN
connection WIN the eoihestic economy Is lhe
shail Gonsulhpt,oh vi ice uSeI ~ inns @ SEM.
trop'cal Clt!s "Itnousn uoIu uiiihins M"ts'
10 10 pg ioumu at'lose oNs' ~, ~
a,'Ge i"ns aunutt 10 hinh t6rouob uoe
VI ia' %, io tn tbo uarr ein,ato ro-
49, " tbo iennnrat,,ro ~ tho water remoin-
t,,'.n.itttt - ~
'As ",,M 'In, an, ,,,,r,,, cr,DD,y
~