Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-08-20
4 GREAT SEWER.
Completed From iSentmere TO the City
MIN Proppsr,i Extension.

completed From hentmere To the city
min : Proppsr,i Extension.
The extension of the intercepting
sewer from Crooked Run to kentmere
has been completed by the Street aud
Sewer Department. The new sever
comprises 2, l45 feet OF 20-inch pipe
and 2S7 fsst OF lS-inch iron pipe. The
total length of, tho interceptng sewer
from the end of the new race at Kent
mere to the foot OF Sixteenth street,
whore ii empties, into the Brandywine
lie about two miles. 1t Is the longest
single sewer in Wilmington. The con
traction of the sewer was begun early
id 1891. All but the last section was
built by Contractor John Jacoby, who
received about $50, 900 for it; tho re-
mainder was constructed by employees
of the department at cost of 81, 500.
The suggestion that an intercepting
sewer be, built along the Brandywine
was made when Frederic II. Robinson
was chief Of the city engineering and
surveying department in lSS9-90. Sur
yeys were then made and Carroll Phi.
Bassett of Orange, N. D., was engaged
as consulting engineer to look over the
plan. Mr.. Bassett designed an entirely
new plan, under which the sewer has
been built. T.Chaikley Hatton mas had
charge of its construction throughout
Since the construction of the main
sewer on the water shed Of the Brandy
wine all connected streets have been
drained into it, The sewer drains an
area of 100 acres.
So far the plan has been successful.
1t is not, however, altogether worked
out; for it ia contemplated to continue
the sewer 10 Rising Sun ON the one
hand and down to Seventh street on
the other. 1t is the intention to have
the sewer intercept all sewers now
emptying into the Brandywine between
Sixteenth and Seventh streets. liz will
then run down Seventh and cross under
the Brandywine by means of an in
verified siphon and thence it will cross
the marshes and empty into the Della
ware river where the sewage of all the
city will eventually be emptied.
At Seventh street the Brandywire in
tercepting sewer will meet the mouth
of the proposed intercepting sewer for
the section of the city draining into
|, tho Ghristiana river. That sewer will
intercept all sewage now running into
the Christiana. The two sewers will
combine and will cross under the
Brandywine andnwill join WITH another
intercepting sewer TO be built on the
north bank of the Brandywine to take
care of all sewage north OF the Brandy
wine. The idea of this system of in
tercepting sewers isato prevent as far as
possible the fouling of the few sur
rounding streams.
Tho sewage thus carried to the Della
ware will be impopnded in reservoirs
to be built on the banks of the river
until the beginning of each ebb tide,
when the gates will be oponed and the
sewage will flow into the river; and
before the tide turns the sewage will
be carried entirely belowe the mouth Of
the Christiana and thus prevented
from backing up along the Christiana
shore. "By this method" said En-
gineer Hatton, who described it to the
reporter, 1--WE hope to keep our streams
much more pure and slightly than they
are at present, and improve the atmos.
phere which our citizens are breath.
ing.
The sewer along the Brandywine has
fall of foot in 800. The lower part
of the proposed extension to the river
will have fall oil but j foot in $500.
At its mouth the one large sewer will
have diameter of 6 feet, 8 inches.
| SSpeaking of the present sewer, Mr..
Hatton said that there has been an er.
roneous idea in the minds of some peo.
| pie that the sewer was built to carry
off storm water in addition to sewage
but sewage only is to be taken off in
this sewer. Storm water is to be
emptied into the Christians.
In one Of his reports concerning
sewers Engineer Hatton has made the
point that the construction of the sew.
ers would be good financial invest
ment for the city. At that time BIT
was looking forward to the year 1910
with population of l23,SSl in the
| city, the cost of the sewer work he pro,
posed would aggregate 5000, 000. Com.
missions appointed in England have
found that 70 per cent more deaths oc
cur from zymotic diseases in city be
fore sanitary precautions were taken
| than after the completion of COCO
wafer supply with perfect drainage
On that basis Mr.. Hatton figures gu
that between 1871 and 1880, 2,s3;
deaths oceurredhn Wilmington which
might have been prevented. He alst
estimates that 81, 996 persons nigh
have been kept from sick beds. TIL,
total expense of illness and death bit
puts at s42. 7S3 AZ the populati OF
grows the aggregate of expense viii
grow, and he estimates that il speed,
sanitary measures are not completet
there will be an annual loss in 1910 o
Sis, l76. Other expenditures nigh
bring the total to Sl35, 1872. Now oil
tho basis of the S966, 600 estimated
cost of sewers, he shows that the an
nual cost TO the city on a basis of I
per cent would be S57, 960, leaving {
yearly gain of S77, 222. Thus it il
| that Mr. Hatton holds that the mir,