New-York tribune., 1896-02-01
Tile RRONY SEWER OPENING.

The questions that have been raised IL to The
outlet Of the Bronx Valley sewer are worthy Of
serious consideration There is no doubt Of the
need of such a sewer II will be a hinge trunk
conduit. into which will empty smaller sewers.
draining the populouS towns and cities along lis
line II f can bc constituted and maintained
without deilllng the water Of the Bronx ana
without running the lovely scenery along that
stream the route chosen for il is perhaps III"
best that could be- selected The opening of II
Will hr q great boon - mHny communities which
now have no ready means of dispoSins II their
sewage
So far. SO good Ru, whore s the outlet 10
h., What disposition j. 10 be made of the
noN.ou~ nooI that Will. In increasing volume
pour down ih. new "clolra maNlma"F The
plan II IN" projectors appears 10 bee 10 have The
sewer empty directly mo the Sound. To that
vigorous objection has been made and. "" be
ilryr Wll made. such disposition ~ the
-r,vae, viii be- q public nuisance. that soon or
late VIII become nfocrabc For this sewer s
20 be a permanent Thing. on vast scale. ~
fl. ur,S,ui time the communities II viii serve
have large population. and they ar" growing
rapillv The stream OF rwa-c sent ont from
them viii in a few years BE- enormous. II VIII
b, sufficient to poison the waters Of the Sound
for miles. and 10 make The whole stretch. from
H,wery Hay 10 City Island a rocking coSSpool
Th. prcson, condition ~ The raSSalc River. u
,lr narrow watc.S about staten Island and ~
every other stream aul strait into which sewage
is poured wholesale. shows Enthusiastically what
state the narrow part II the Sound. with is
winding shores and alternating currents would
4 ffr,,.i .ipv = srt a 20.
into the open ocean. miles from shore has re-.
suited in intolcrlblr ichiomcnt of the New
Jersey and Lons Island beaches What. then.
would be the condition II the shores Of the Sound
with the sewage of a population Of a million
as there will hc in a few years poured upon
them?
1t Is high time We stopped this wastcful. bar
harous and unsp 'akahy filthy practice Of empty
ing all our sewage into the waters that flow
abou, our homes. other cities. than which New-
York claims to be- more ontcrprising. have ahan-
doncd 1t for n better way. Paris already dis
poses otherwise of a large share of lis sewage.
and hv the end of ia" century will have shut off
the last drop from running into TN" Seine. Brr-
lin has done the same and other European cities
are following the wholesome example. There is
not only cleanliness In it. but much actual profit
in dollars and cents. For sewage is rich in sub
stances for the fertilization of farms and gar
,cns Every year Ncw-iork throws away. and
worse than throws away, that which would
transform desert into a garden. 1t IS time 10
call "A halt. and the construction Of this Bronx
sewer will afford m admirable opportunity II
so doing. Let the sewer open. not Into the Sound,
bnt into the rendering works Of Il sewage farm.
where every bad odor will he instantly de
struycd, and the foul food be transformed into
a mass Of inoifensive and incalculably valuable
chemicals and stream OF pure and limpid