The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-03
THE REASON WHY.
Sewage Should Not Go into the sa-
VRnmmh River.

Editor Morning News: When separate
system of sewerage shall have been estab-
lished about $4,000 pounds of fecal matter
will be discharged every day into the riv-
er, because all that filth which now ac-
cumulates into the 5000 vaults, the hun
dreds of dry wells and the many miles of
brIck sewers underlying our city will then
go directly into the river. All Of this will
be taken up by the tides and carried back
and forth along our city front for all time.
Fecal matter, whether in solid form or
finely divided, is insoluble and will keep
afioat in running water; but when the
water is still it settles to the bottom Ev-
erybody knows that between the flood and
the ebb tides there is an interval called
slack" when the water is perfectly still.
1t is during these intervals that the float
ing filth settles on the bottom and sides of
the river While the tides are running
either way this floating substance only
settles near the banks of the river where
there is an eddy Chat is to say space
where the water is almost still, but go
ing the opposite way of the stream
While each separate deposit amounts to
a very little, its being repeated at every
turn of the tides, that is, four times in
every twenty-four hours, it is evident that
before long this human erdure will be-
come sensible to both sight and smell, and
as it will daily be exposed to the fer
menting action of our southern sun, it
VIII be a constantly increasing source of
danger to public health In a year or two
those of our merchants with offices fac
ing the river, all persons whose occupa-
tons calls them upon our wharves or on
the river will be RECALLED with the same
perfume which is now confined to the
Bilbo canal. a.
Yes, that much-abused Bilbo canal, foul
as it breath may be, unsightly as are its
contents, has been a safety-valve to Sa-
vannah. How this is 1 will not explains:
The present sewer outlet on Bolton
street was placed there because il was
considered by our engineers the best point
between the river and Twelfth street TO
give our sewers the necessary fall to carry
Off the storm water and sewage of the
city. Here, instead of being carried
straight out to Timber Landing creek, two
and half miles away it was turned into
an open canal, running parallel to the
city, and emptying into the river among
our eastern wharves. This canal, like
the river, is subject to the rise and fall
of the tides. At the present time the sew
age, as we'll as the storm water, of al
most the entire central portion of the CITY.
bounded by East and West Broad streets.
and from the Bay TO Anderson, empty into
Bilbo canal and are carried directly into
the Savannah river during ebb tide. In
It's transit part of theu fecaI matter and
other solids is deposited or stranded: here
1t ferments and emits the smell COM
planned Of
As soon as the tide begins to rise the
contents of the canal are held in-not a
drop goes into the river, but on the con
trary they are pushed back by the tidal
pressure and the water of the river which
takes their place is forced fully a quarter
of mile up into the canal, where ii be-
gins to mix with the sewage nearly up to
the Thunderbolt road. 1t is at this stage
that our boys swim with impunity in the
canal. When the tide GIBBS it takes fully
one hour before this water runs all out so
that when the sewage reaches the river it
is quickly taken down and runs toward the
sea at a rapid rate.
At the slack of the tide the sewage hugs
the south side OF the river below the mouth
of the canal, where during tho flood there
is a current down stream although the
tide is rushing up stream in the channel.
The sewage is caught by this eddy and car
ried by IL down stream along the south
bank, and this Is the reason why the Bilbo
canal sewage never comes up in front of
our city This has saved our merchants
from unpleasant odors and been the cause
that our people have been able to use river
water without harm. AS soon however. as
the sewage is made to go directly into the
river it will be subjected to the same in
huences of tides as the water of the main
channel, of which it will form part.
j. C. I59Hnrdv M n