The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-05-23

ject ms topic of conversation, you may
MD not only yourself. hut every fellow
townsman. Spend but on. hour less a
week in talking politics and speak noou,
this, he true politics of your city It
will repay YOU, | believe.
PRACTICAL LESSON.
And here would Iilla to describe an
easily made experiment. TO show you
how The ali i Icing continually polluted
with sewer gases. An empty glass
jam pos vii! serve Neatly fiji II with
wa;er, rut in It piece Of cha!l; about
as bis as q walnut. Add about tea
spoonful OF acid (oil5, of Vitroil fo: cX-
ample. and close the jar by tying piece
or thin india rubber tightly acroEs tn :
top. Watch the rsult Nyrads OF gas
bubbles fo.m at the bottom OF the jar
The water becomes imprcsnatgd. Then
the space at the top fills with H. Anon
rs more gas forms The pressure causes
the India rubber 10 bulge upwards, and
finally to burst with report. The gas
must go somewhere. The India rubber
in actual practice is replaced by Il small
column OF water in the closets or ,ri-
vate houses closing the drains as the
former does In the experiment. only ia.
nearly as efectually. II you will rcpeat |
IL and substitute 4 small piece Of iron
Sulphide for the chalk then ma. tcrs will
be brought more neatly home 10 you
For then the gas will be the identical
oilc NIicli IL alWaNS forming IN tha sew
ers.
I suggest you do this in the open
tive. the smell IS. when. the India rub
Der burst, far from pleasant The odor
is that of eggs in state OF putridity
and although poisonous is in reality far
less so than when formed In the sewers
Tor the gas then contains organic or live
atoms which como Ia maturity only in
a warm blooded animal as man, and then
produce most Of the infectious diseases
known. Now this IS the insidiouS pohs-
on. viz: Sulphuret,ed hydrogen. with
Its attendant microbes. which Is at pres
ent coming straight into our houses
by the system Of closed 81 drains.
reiterate, that though i. is in quantity
small it is in quality fatal Better, far
better If all the sewers OF the city
ran along in an open aQueduct, opan to
the sky at every point even in our main
street. Then. al least. the de2omposed
proceeds in it, such as carbon Of dioxide
carbon monoXide, sulphide Of hydrogen
ammonium compounds, etc, would be
ditIused over a grea ter area and could
and would escape as soon as generated
1t would not as nov. first collect then
emerge from confinement into our dwell
ings, our sitting and our eating rooms
DANGER OF EXPLOSION.
Unqucstionabiy open rainagc is far
preferable 10 closed, al all times One
more danger Of the prcEent system. al
though remote, is that OF explosion. F0r
the gas being generated under pres
sure, will diffuse through the pipes (,he
latter not teing metaD and ire likely 10
coilec; in the man-holes, there mixed
with atmospheric air. an explosive mix
ture is formed y chance spark from
any accidental cause would. Of course
suffer violent combustion, i'll est ex-
plodc
Bu; thee IL little need 10 be cdously
prolsX as to the multitudinous risks
which The public runs under the presen,
system II epidemic diseases, noXious
Vapcrs, chance OF fire and general incon-
venience, be impotent 20 start a pubic
movement in the matter. then some.
agent more powerful than my pen will
be required 10 effect this end.
Having now individualized some OF the
principal drawbacks Of the present sys-
tenn OF drainage in Norfolk, i; becomes;
a positive duty and a pleasure to sug-
gest or endeavor to suggest remedy
REMEDIAL SYSTEM.
AS a pain which l believe 10 be appli-
cable to THE end, being prac:ica bile. sim
pie and in every way hygienic. l shall
|attemp: to describe the suggestion or NJ
Patrick Matthew, civil engineer and sur
yeyor, Of Main street. He places cul-
verts under the city, built solidly Of
brick.
There should be two main ones The
smaller to run nearly east and ives;
from end to end. through Ihc city, open
ing at It's termini into the river
The larger Serving to carry waste
from the northern part Of Norfolk)
should start at q point In the Eastern