Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-05-13
SEWAGE In TIE CRRISTlANA
The Opinion of Assistant Engi-
neer w. T. Miller.
REPLY TO T. GHALKLEY FlATT0N
Quantity of Solids Carried Into
Harbor.
Periodical EmptyinG OF Accommodations at
Foot of Lombard Street Violation OF
Spirit of Law Forbidding Deposits of Ma
reriai Into NsvigabIe Waters.

his reply to Engineer In Charge of
Sewers 4. Chalkley Hatton, concern.
ing the matter of sewage in the Chris
tiana. Says Assistant Engineer Miller,
under date of May 5th:
Dear Sir: 1t is not in my province to
enter into discussions of matters per-
tanning to the U. S. Engineer Depart
ment; but as ! made an examination
as to the quantity of solids carried into
Wilmington harbor through the city
sewers, during period of six months,
and as the results obtained by me are
no largely at variance with the con-
illusions given In your report, which is
published in tbs papers. / wish to say
something on the subject, lest my
silence should be regarded as an ac-
quiescence in what you say.
AS you admit your calculations are
largely theoretical, and for the in
genuity with which YOU have from as
sumed premises brought out as a con
clusion that the deposit FROM the entire
city ia. but little more than is actually
known to be deposited at one place
Rlone--in front of the works of the
Harlan d Hollingsworth Co.-you GER
sainly deserve credit, in certain way.
,W l have no means Of knowing the cities
with which you compare this city for
the purpose of your calculations; but
shere are probably few cities, hope
certainly few cities in northern Europe
las you refer to European eities), where
the streets are generally conceded to
be well kept. in which the regulations
and their enforcement are so lax in the
matter OF the deposit of rubbish on the
streets as in this. And as to the clean
ing OF the streets you know as we'll as,
II not better. than others, to what a
large extent this work is done for the
city by rains. The topography of the
city facilitates the discharge of the
refuse through the sewers into tho
river; and it is apparent that ad.
vantage is taken of this without regard
to Its destructive effect upon the chan
mel into which the sewers empty. L
have your report for 1894 and it may be
interesting in this connection to quote
what you say therein ON page los; you
say I'VE have now several miles OF IL
and 10 inch terra Gotta pipe sewers into
which storm water Inlets are built and
through which all kinds of debris is
expected to be carried, from a cobble
stone to dead animals. and it is out of
the question to have such things to
successfully pass through small pipe
bo"Ol lufo " Itl I6dbDudUle Inc
inlets are located on the corners of the
streets very often in front of a green
grocery store. and as it is impracticable
to put gratings with small openings in
front of these inlets many things from
the stores that cannot be sold goes into
the sewers. - This, it is true, was said
several years ago. 1t indicates how.
ever, what was expected of sewers
generally then, and it is what is
actually the practice to-day. Possibly
some improvement may have been
made by the construction of catch
basins: but even with them consider
able solid matter enter the sewers, the
quantity being variable and dependent
upon attention they receive in the re-
moval of their contents. If they are
no better attended to then are tho
streets, which is probable, they are of
little service.
The tests made by me in my examina-
ton subject were OF the discharge itself
from the sewers at various times and
places and under varying conditions
and from the surface of the streets dur
ing rain storms, liz order that should
reach reliable result assumed, as
you have done, that 800, 600 cubic feet
of water sntefs the sewers daily, in
addition to the rain fall and found,
as an average of all my tests, that the
ratio of solids to liquids in the sewage
was as to LAG and in the street washings
as ! to 242; and that upon this basis
the quantity of solids carried out into
the Christiana aud Brandywine in a
year was about 6S, 600 cubic yards.
Mr.. A. Stierle, assistant engineer.
now on duty in New York harhor, made
series of observations at the mouth
of the ChIistiana River in 1895 and
1896, and found as result that on the
ebb tide the proportion of solid in sus-
pension was HIS l to 1407 and on the
Hood as | to 1907, in 1895; and in 1896
when the tests were made under less
favorable conditions the ratio was
found to be ! to 1850 on the ebb and
l to 1858 on the food tide. 1t is to be
borne in mind that these proportions
are of the water at the mouth OF th.
Christiana River, where it is compare
lively pure. But, according to your
report, the sewage and street washings
emptied into the harbor through the
sewers contain only the proportion of !
solid to 3S46 liquid from which state
ment it follows according to your cal
culations, that the sewer contents are
Two or three times as pure as the Chris
tiana River water at the mouth, and
this too, from the sewers which are en-
pected to carry "all kinds of debris
from cobble stone to dead animals, -
The absurdity of your calculations
must be apparent to every thinking
person.
This matter of excessive doposits
from the street sewers is not agitated
now for the first time. Time and again
engineer boards and prominent epgi,
neer officers have called attention to it,
and it has been discussed in Congress
and many promises are understood tc
have been made from time to time thai
the lIatter would be corrected. So fai
nothing appears to have been done in
that direction, and now an effort
is made to belittle the extent Of
the deposits. practically denying thai
there is any worth considering III
the quantity you name is all that is
deposited what reason was there 70,
promises nf correction, of plans for an
intercepting sewer to carry the matter
to the Delaware River, &c?
1t is not asae ted that the entire
quantity of solid matter carried
through the sewers is precipitated il
the harbor; but it is strongly believed
that a large proportion of it is 9
much larger quantity than ia necessary
or should be permitted, by reason, az
you express it of the existence of tbs
city on the banks of the Christians
River.
The appropriation 20 far have been
insufficient to make and maintain the
Ia foot 6anfh uhi,b fro,o.,,.,,. :4..-i-