The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21
UTILIZATION Or BACTERIA.
Making Them Purify SewaEe-HOw
the Plan Works in England.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
An entirely new principle is being intro
duced in the treatment of sewage in Eng
land. the attempt to check or destroy the
growth of micro-organisms being aban-
doned, and every effort being made to en-
courage their work. The former method
was to add a variety of chemical sub
stances to the sewage, thus precipitating
certain constituents which in the course of
subsistence carried with them all suspend
ed bodies, leaving an effiuent partially, If
not completely, sterilzed, and sufficiently
inoffensive to permit of its being discharg-
ed, either with or without further filtra-
ton, into some convenient WatercourSe.
The success of these measures, however,
was only partial. for when the eff1uent
reached the larger body of water, the diu-
ton was so great that the antiseptc prop
critics of the added chemicals were neutra-
lized, and putrefaction commenced rem
dering the watercourse offensive and dan
gerouS to health. Now the sewage, after
going through transitional stage in a
tank from which light and air are eXclud-
ed is passed into aerating troughs, where.
under the influence of light and air, the
bacili do their work. The effiuent from
these troughS, after passing through coke
filters, escapes in a highly purified condi-
ton, the dissolved and suspended impuri-
ties having been oXidiZed and rendered
innocuous, exclusively through the agency
of bacterial growth.
There is quite a spirit of rivalry be-
tween the different town corporations
which are making the new departure in
sewage treatment as to the adoption of
the best microbe for the purpose. One
borough engineer, who had charge of the
sanitary department as an experiment,
isolated an extremely active variety of
micrococcus candicans from coke breeze
filters and applied IL to sewage purifica-
ton. A four-feet bed of burned ballast
was prepared, and material containing the
micrococcus was added. The sewage was
pumped onto the bed. and when IL was
drawn off at the end of two hours the
effiuent was of sufficient purity to satisfy
the requirements of the rivers pollution
act. 1t Is claimed that the new treatment
Is more rational and natural than the old;
its operation is simple and inexpensive.
-s-o-s-
Every one has noticed on his visiting
card the extremely delicate line of his
name, and most every one knows that
they are produced by printing from an
engraved copperplate, says Harpers
Table. Like many other things of use and
beauty. this art of copperplate engraving
was discovered through the merest acct
dent, by the goldsmiths Of Florence. in
the htteenth century. II is a historical
fact, however, that. one day, an cngraver
on gold. wishing to take a proof Of his
work, made the usual sulphur cast and
then filled up the lines with lamp black
thus enabling him to see exactly how his
work looked. While occupied in doing
same results could be obtained by filling
up the original engraving with lamp
black instead of making an impression
Of II. and filling up that. Struck with the
idea he put IL into practical use. and
with little damp paper succeeded In
getting fair impression from the engrav-
ing The discovery was communicated TO
other workers in the art, and they hailed
it with Joy. as it saved all the arduOus
trouble OF making sulphur casts, but they
never saw the full value Of the discovery
and consequently the art Of plate-engrav-
ing lay for almost a century before It's
true import was discovered and brought
out in all its great and beautiful results
To-day collectors of plate-engravings rave
over the crude results OF earlier times
these early masters to add 20 their coll
lections. Many OF these collections have
been presented 20 museums. where they
may be seen and appreciated by the peo-
pie.