El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-06
SANITARY
MEASURES
Will Be Undertaking BY The
Council
THE BOARD OF HEALTH
Reports That the SEWERAGE System
Needs Overhdulin0. and the City
Engineer will Be Sent to Fresno
to Look at Theirs.

The city council met in special ses
sion yesterday afternoon and consid
cred recommendations from the boar
of health for the improvement of tn
sanitary condition of the city.
The board of health submitted lon
written report which dealt exclusivel
with the sanitary condition of the cit
and recommended measures for it
improvement. The principal troubl
reported was with the sewer system
which fails to work properly an
which the board says never was an
never will be in good condition unit
the system is entirely cnanger. Tn
to be intolerable and in neeu of i'm
mediate Improvement.
| The committees report wound III
| by saying to the council I'VE hav,
done our full duty and now the mat
| ter is up to you
After some discussion the recon.
mendations were adopted and DR.. An
derson was appointed to fill the posi-
ton of sanitary inspector.
Alderman Clifford urged that the
city get rid of the pest house. there
no longer being any need for it, and
as the county had declared to share
the expense he thought the best thing
the city could do would be to shut it
down. Other aldermen favored Mr.
Clifford's suggestion and Messrs Cliff
ford, Ogden and Badger were appoint
ed to confer with the county commits
sioners in regard to the matter.
At this juncture C.. R. Morehead, of
the board of health, suggested that
City Engineer Wimberly be sent to
Fresno. California, to study the sewer
system of that city with the view of
improving the system of this city.
Mr.. Morehead said he was satisfied
the S. P. road would donate transpor-
tation for Major Wimberly and he
(Morehead) was willing to put up $25
toward paying the city engineers ex-
penses. The council authorized Mr..
Burton to arrange for Major wimber-
ly's trip.
Ell PaSo uses the Waring system of
sewers, while Fresno's system is en-
tirely different. The Waring is good
where the fall is sufficient to cause the
clean out the sewers. The following
letters received by Mr.. Morehead fully
explain the system in use in Fresno:
Fresno, Cal, Sept "a, 1900.
Mr. C. R. Morehead.
Dear Sir:-Your communication
dated September 20, 1900, at hand, and
its contets have been carefully noted.
l herewith answer your questions
with the following:
l. For the ventilation of the main
sewers. perforated iron covers are
used in manholes, which are from 400
to 1000 feet apart. These manholes
are "a inches in diameter at the sur
face of the ground and four feet on
the bottom. And are principally con-
for the purpose of flushing
and brushing the sewers. which is
done every two weeks The brush
used is wire brush having the same
diameter as the sewer that is being
flushed. and while the sewer is being
flushed we generally turn in a 2H
inch stream of water from a fire hy-
irant.
=. There is no disinfectant used
here as there is no gas in any sewers
'or the reasons the offal from a city
ioes not begin to create any gases un-
ii one to three hours have elapsed.
And by that time it is carried several
niles out side of the city.
3. AS to flush tanks we engineers
AIRY in opinion concerning their use
ulnesS- AS to my experience with
hem I find that their usefulness is
'ver rated. And that if fire hydrants |
re placed within 400 or 500 feet of |
aterai sewers and brushed and flushed |
With a good head of water once |
month 1T gives far better results.
Yours truly,
Louis Manuel.
Fresno. Cal, Oct 1, 1900.
fr. c. R. Morehead.
Dear Slr:-Your favor of the 2Sth
ecelVed, and in answer to your Ques-
ion. how a sewer brush is used will |
tate sewer brush is made by taking
piece of hard wood about two feet
ong and four inches in diameter, and
ircular in form. and boreing a hole
nrough the center of the same and
utting a A-inch iron rod through
aid hole; said rod as eye bolts on
ach side, so as to admit of attaching
large rope. On this piece of wood
tackled with staples steel spires.
Thich protrude out far enough so as
have the brush correspond in diam
ter to the pipe that is to be brushed
hat is to say, the size of the brush
hould be used in accordance with the
lze of the pipe.
Now, in order to get this brush
trough the pipe we use what is ,
81 l.