The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-23
DRAINAGE is FINISHED
LAST WORK ON THE SEWER sYs-
TEN HAS BEEN DONE.
1T IS ONLY TO BE TESTED.
THEN A COMPLETE GRAVITY sYs-
TEN WILL BE READY.

Finishing Work Yesterday Morning
at O'Clock on Forty-Second
street-Workmen Had a Lunch In
CeIebrntiOn-All Sections of City
Included Save COIlinsvilIe and
West boundary Section - Those
Sections VIII Need Pumping Sta
tiOns - Figures Showing the
Amount of Appropriation for the
Work, the Amount Expended and
the Quantities of Material Used.
The last work on the house drainage
for the city was completed yesterday
morning at o'clock. The finishing strokes
were made on Forty-second street. be-
tween West Broad and Burroughs, and
the 100 men employed upon that line were
then through with their work. The money
they received as wages was the last they
will get for putting in the house drainage
system in Savannah, as there Is no more
of 1t to be put an Until pumping stations
are established for the Collinsville and
West Bundary sections there will be no
occasion for further work on house drain
age. save for few days of testing that
will be needed.
AS the work progressed it was found
that there was not need for as many men
as were placed upon the several lines
early in January. For some time there
were from $50 to 400 men employed upon
the work, as it was necessary to have as
many gangs as there were lines to be
constructed.
The cost of construction was greater
than had been expected. When the bud
fr%w.1
the City Council, an item of $4,000 for
the completion of the house drainage was
included. 1t was thought at the time that
this would suffice for the work, but, as
operations proceeded, 1t was found that
the account for house drainage would
have TO be considera bly, overdrawn. Wet
weather was the principal difficulty with
which the director of public works Mr..
George M. Gadsden, had to contend, and
relieving the bitches from the accumuia-
tons of water required a larger expendi-
ture than had been expected. The quick
sand, too, was buster because of the wet
weather. and it always offers a serious
obstacle TO such work. There has been
72,9S6.1S expended showing that the
house drainage account has been over
drawn $17,936.1S.
Sewer lines of 6, 8, TO- Il, Is and 18-inch
pipe have been laid All told, there have
been 1921 feet of sewer laid. For this
work 1906 US and 800 rs were required.
Ninety-one manholes and .245 lamp holes
were put in, while IS flush tanks were re-
quired. The total cost of material, haul
ing and handling, was $S4,5O7.96, while the
cost of labor was $50, O995S. The engineers
commission of $6,S2S. SO sent the. total
cost 10 81, 936.1S, or S7739S a foot.
The test of the system will be made
at once. Gravity is the power that will
operate the system, and the method of
testing will show conclusively whether
it Is perfect. Wooden balls will be drop
ped into the sewers and water will be
turned on behind them to send them roll
ing on their way to the mouth of the
| sewers. The balls will be observed as
they pass the openings IL one stops, 1t
may be seen that the work Is imperfect.
and the ground will be opened and the
defect corrected.
Two inches of play will be allowed the
balls. In the six-inch pipes four-inch
| balls, in the eight-inch pipes, six-inch
balls, in the ten-inch pipes eight1nch
balls will be placed, and thus through
! the several sizes When the test has
been completed, should it show no de-
fects, Savannah will have what has long
been wanted, a perfect system of house
drainage.
1t is probable that the Collnsville and
| West Boundary sections will not be
equipped with house drainage for some
years. This Council, 1t Is asserted, will
certainly not provide for the expendi-
| ture that would be required To build a
| system that is operated by pump is not
| quite such expensive work as to build
| gravity system, as such depths do not
| have to be reached but the cost of main
| tenance plays an important part, as the
pumping stations require machinery, fuel
and labor to be kept in action. In course
OF time however. the growing city will
demand that those sections be equipped,
and it is said that ultimately pumping
stations will have to be established.
A great many houses have already been
connected with the house drainage sys-
| tenn. The first section in which the de-
mand was made for the connections is
| that south of CASTOR and east of Bull
street. Property owners have nearly all
complied with the requirements of the
ordinance. Those who do not will have a
bill presented by the city, after 1t has
had the work done.
| The next section with which con-
| nections will be made is that
! north of CASTOR and east of Bull street.
The ordinance allows property owners 20
begin this work in this section on July l.
At intervals of four months thereafter,
| the other sections will be permitted to
begin making connections with the sys-
| TEN.
The laying of the last pipe at West
| Broad and Forty streets was cele-
brated by the workmen in an informal
lunch. Mr.. T. II. Jordan was the chief
speaker, and, in an interesting address
pointed out the many advantages that
would accrue to the city from the new
sanitary system, and 'complimented most
highly the men that had been engaged in
the work. He concluded his address with
/ . ha gf 20 he xfavlr,
troubles be as light as the foam on this
beer. and your happiness as full as the
glass"
|