Evening star., 1898-12-15
CITY SANITATION
Continued From Fourteenth Page.)

Whlch eStaDllShed the beginning OF impor-
tant and comprehensive sanitary improve
ments consisting in the adoption of a gem
eral system of opening, regula ting and
grading of the streets and of their inn
provement by pavement with stone, wood
block and concrete, widening laying and
relaying of sidewalks, arching of running
streams, decoration of parks and spaces,
reclamation of low lands, drainage of
swamps, compulsory filling and draining of
submerged lots, squares and larger areas
extension of the water supply and con-
struction of a system of sewerage. which
however, was planned and built only
where the rapid increase of population and
consequently OF its waste water, made un-
foreground removal necessary at the time
without consideration of ultimate require
ments.'
I'm 1874, after about eighty miles of sew
ers. mostly of pipes had been constructed,
the board of public works was abolished
and the government of the District was
placed under the management of a board
OF three NONRESIDENT commissioners. which
continued the general and extensive plan
of improvements. originated and prosecuted
with energy at great cost by the board of
public works.
Some Grave Mistakes.
Notwithstanding the great progress of
the sanitation of the city especially in the
abatement of many nuisances. and the
transference of others to points remote
from the populous parts of the city. during
the regime of the board of public works
and its immediate successor many grave
mistakes were made, the correction of
which has required, and will continue to
require. large additional expenditures to
BRING the sewerage system up to the stand
ard of modern sanitary engineering
Among the many defects were faulty con-
struction, insufficient capacity to carry the
storm waters, absence of slope. and there
fore of securing velocities imperfect SOIL
drainage and ventilation
of pipe sewers with loose and i'm
perfect connections, permitting their
construction by roots of trees. the
building of James Creek canal which
soon became, as it is today, an open chan
mel of fostering accumulation Of fifth, and
the failure to discharge the sewage into
the channel of the river. or arranging to
do so later The discharge of sewage into
the canal at such elevations as to preclude
its being carried into the river by sewers
| having a free discharge a. high tide ere
ated such a dangerous nuisance by the con-
tinuai accumulation of seWa ge deposit as
to necessitate the filling of the canal and
the construction of the Tiber creek and b
street sewers. The construction of these
large sewers with insufficient grade admits
the entrance of tide water, causing re-
tardatOn of the flow of the sewage to a
distance of two miles from the Eastern
branch in the Tiber creek, and one and a
half miles from the river, in the B street
sewer, and has resulted in accumula tions
OF deposits reaching several inches in depth
and thousands of feet in length. Then
again the sewerage from the b street out
let found lodgment upon the Potomac flats
to the detriment of the health of the gem
eral public, and causing such continual in
crease of disease that the community a I
large demonstrated against the delay in ef-
forts to reclaim these fats
Under the act approved June II, 1873,
the government of the city was placed un-
der the management of three commissions
81 81 HOW
Ger of the United States army 10 have
charge of the engineering work. With the
creation of this form of government began
the work OF the highest scientific skill upon
the broadest lines of modern sanitary en-
gneering. which, with the passage of the
bond bill of 1891, would have advanced the
progress of sanitation in this city beyond
that of any city in this country Faulty
work, with unfit material and obstructeti
sewers. have been replaced with better ma
terlal, in more durable manner Outfa.s
have been improved. Storm water, inter
cepting and trunk line sewers have been
constructed. Many defects have been cor
rected and the nuisances created by such
mistakes have been finally aba ted
Sanitary Engineers Appointed.
Under the provision of the act of Con-
Gress of March ., 1889, entitled An act
making appropriations to provide for the
expenses of the government of the Dis
trict of Columbia for the fiscal year end
ing June 20, lS.U.'' the President was au-
thCrized to appoint three sanitary enCi-
neers charged with the duty of examining
the system of sewerage of the District and
to report with such suggestions and
recommendations as might to them seem
necessary or desirable for the modification
and extension of the same. Their report
comprehends the problems of a system of
sewerage. drainage and sewage disposal in
an uhopJectlonable manner, together with
the prevention OF inconvenience and dam
age from heavy rain storms and freShets
i'll the Potomac river which have caused
frequent inundations of the low areas in
the central part of the city. Recently the
improvements and extensions have been
made in conformity to the recommeuda-
tions set forth in that report.
When the city was laid out there We're
no river flats. At an early date, how early
does not appear, there We're discovered
large areas of shoal water between the
tween the middle and city channels
extending from point opposite 25lh
street to 10th street west, and a large
area between the middle and Virginia chan
nels, extending from about the same point
opposite the foot of 10Th street west to
Greenleafs point which increased by con-
tinuous deposition and finally became one
large area OF exposed surface covered with
a luXuriant growth of succulent and nox-
ious weeds, to rot and stink in the nostris
of suffering community. Popular judg-
llenl dScrlDeu the IOffnaLOn Ol these mats
to the construction Of the AnaloStan cause
way in 1850 and the building of the Long
bridge in 1SoS. 1t may be that these struc-
lures did promote the development of the
flats and ohliteration of the middle channel
but the early maps Q732-SO) of the city and
river front mark the areas of Shoal water
corresponding with the location of the
fats Fortunately these flats have been
reclaimed into an area of 621.12 acres of
park land, which in time to come will add
beauty to the water front and contribute to
the pleasure of the citizens.
Extension of Marshy Area.
LEnfant, in 1871, measured the Anacos-
tia river at the point where the Benning
bridge is now located, to the depth of four
and half fathoms of water. AT that time
the current was along the western shore TO
its mouth. The existing extensive area of
flats must therefore be later formation.
probably finding its cause in the building of
the bridge at the foot of Kentucky avenue
in 1I@5, and the Bennng bridge in 1871.
How much the construction of the north
east boundary intercepting sewer COM
pleted in 1889. mas contributed to the rapid
extension of the marShy since that
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