The herald., 1898-04-22
IN A DfCAyING STATE
THE MASONRY IN THE OUTFALL
SEWER RoTTINo
Engineer Vincent to Experiment in
ntilation-Request of the
Superintendent Granted

| Heads of water and suction and exhaus-
ton pipes were the topic Of discussion
at the belated meeting of the sewer COM
mittee yesterday afternoon. Engineer Vim
cent furnishing the information in these
directions.
The committee recommended for pas
sage the ordinance of intention for the
construction of a sewer on Main, Sichel,
Hancock and Barbee streets and Eastlake,
Thomas and Darwin avenue, there being
no objections to this expressed direct to
the committee.
Then 1t was that the outfall sewer came
up for consideration. The superintendent
of the sewer, it will be remembered, sent
communication to the council, which
was read at its last meeting, asking that
two heads of zanja water be introduced
into the sewer. as the gases and secre-
tions were deteriorating the brick and
cement work on the structure. The coun-
Gil referred the matter to the sewer COM
mittee for definite action.
H. p. Vincent, assistant in the engineers
office and the man who superintended the
construction of the sewer, appeared before
the boar0and explained in detail the con-
dition of the masonry of the sewer, and
Wllsl ia iliS opiiiioH WSiS HSSuCu ~ iSihCoy
the fast-falling work. Besides recon-
mending that the committee grant the
request of the superintendent for two
heads of water, he was there to appeal for
permission to make an experiment, the
cost of which would be about 800, more or
less.
The cement and mortar work is being
destroyed by sewer gases" Mr.. Vincent
said. 1.-The mortar is now cheesey mass
that can be scraped off with the fingers.
The drop chambers, especially, need at
tention and fixing, otherwise they will
soon become useless.
1.-The worst of these drop chambers is at
Englewood, and the two others less ef-
fected are one mile from the ocean and at
Hyde park. The one at Inglewood will
cave in in six months if not Immediately
altered.
1.-The plaster in the tunnel is also weak
ened, but not to the extent of the cham
bers mentioned. have never in my life
seen anything to equal it, and really be-
lieve that 1t is the strangest thing in the
history of sewerage.
II propose, as an initial experiment, to
run two pipes into the sewer at the place
most effected. One pipe will be to drive
the pure air down into the sewer, and the
other to expel the foul air from it. Ven
tilation is the keynote to the betterment
of the sewer, though ventilation and
strong flow of water will operate better
yet If my experiment proves successful
the city can have a plant erected for the
forcing of pure air that will cost less than
one thousand dollars, and be the means
of saving them money in the future"
Mr.. Baker wanted to know If these ex-
haust fans and pressure blowers were the
only solution of the difficulty, and If water
would not do. and Mr.. Vincent answered
decidedly that it would not
The committee thereupon granted the
two heads of water asked for and In
structed Mr. Vincent to go ahead with his
experiment.
He will commence his work in about two
weeks, by which time he thinks the pipes
will have been made. When the expert
ment is in progress it is probable that the
residents in the neighborhood will be
heard from with objections many and
strong. Reference is made to the air that
will be forced out of the sewer into the
open, which Mr.. Vincent admits will no
doubt be annoying to those within range
of it's blasts.
He gave some statistics about himself in
connection with this work. He super
vised its construction, and during the
progress of it examined the work as 1t was
done. He travelled one thousand feet in
the sewer every two hours, which, by a
little figuring, will show that Mr. Vincent
spent 1872 hours underground.