The times., 1897-11-06

IS94-'95 attention was briefly invited
to the necessity for proving he vast tract
OF marsh located in the Eastern Branch, or
Anacostia River, and IN the present report
reference has already been made TO the
high death rate in the eastern section Of
the District when compared With the death
rate for the central portion tf the Di'trict.
in which conditions OF life are similar,
which, it may fairly be assumed, Is due TO
the presence OF this marsh.
The District appropriation act, approved
March z, 1889, providedfO tile appUintInen
by the p residentofthe United States of three
competent sanitary engineers to examine
and report upon the system OF sewerage
existing in the District OF Columbia, to-
gether with such suggestions and recomnien-
Ciations as might to them seem necessary
and desirable tor the modification ana eX-
tension of the same. The report or the
committee appointed under this act was
published during the following year, $40.
The disposal OF the city's sewage by the
system OF drainage in opera tion a he time
OF the Investigations OF this committee,
which is practically that now IN use, was
found defective. a fourteen points along
tfr Potomac and al eight on the Eastern
Branch sewe ers Of various sizes discharged
their contents
And because OF the relation existing be-
tween the tides and the current this dis
charge was frequently not carried eff, but
along the shores on tile bottom and on
the flats there it formed n breeding place
osclated along the river front, settling
for various forms of mlcTo-oraaniSns, and
gradually underwent decomposition with
the usual accompaniInepts in the way or
tieleterious and foul gases. This condition
was much worse III the La stern branch thafi
on the Potomac, because OF the relatively
small volume of the stream and the pres
ence OF SO much shallow water and swamp;
In addition to this improper disposal OF
sewage after its discharge. certain points
Of the sewer system within the city itself
were found to be sources OF nuisance, VIZ,
the Street Outlet Canal the ames Creek
Canal, And the low er portion or Rock Creek.
In the presence of such conditions the
board Of sanitary engineers found it neceS-
Sary to devise a plan whereby all sewage
of the city would be disposed of III such
a manner as to prevent its deposit within
the immediate vicinity of the city, and
by which the open sewers abOye re-
lsting defects OF more or less Importance
corrected. To this end 1t recomme nded the
establishment of pumping stations and
the discharge of the entire output into the
Potomac River at point some distance
below Giesboro, with mum merous changes iii
the present sewer system. Practically this
plan has been adopted by Congress, and
APPROXIMATIONS have been made for the
construction OF portions Of the proposed
work.
But by this piecemeal method of CON-
structiors it is to be feared that the popu-
iation Will outgrow the plans before the
work is completed, SO that the present
generation, after paying the cost, viii
not have tue use or benefit OF the sewers,
aud the next generation viii have TO de-
scheme OF It's own. In view of the fact,
therefore, that more than fifteen years
have already elapsed since the need OF
imuroving the sewer system OF this Dis
trict was first reaIzed, and SO little
progress has been made toward the COM
T,Ietion of the work, which has been out
lined for that purpose, steps should be
taken to hasten that end.