Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-09-07
CITY SEWERAGE SYSTEM.
Members of State Board of Health and
Others Examine Same.

trip of inspection of the sewer system
and publication works last Tuesday,
The city was fortunate in having DIR.
Scion Marks and DIR. TO. Il. Wingate u
the State Board of Health, Messrs.
Graham and Kline, members of the
Board of Trustees of the Racine County
Insane Asylum, and Assistant City En-
gineer Perrigo of Milwaukee, as out Of
town guests, while Wauwatosa was
represented by Health Com. DR. Hath
away. Drs. Cutler, Schmitz and Dewey,
Board of Publicly orks, Mayor and mem
| bers of thu Common Council as well as
number of other prominent citizens.
| The present works consist of a main
trunk % inch sewer from the purifica
tion works to Fifty-ninth Street and
an 10 inch from Fifty~ninth Street to
Fourth Avenue. Here - inch sewer
branches off which gathers all the flow
east of Second Avenue, and in the
ncighborhooo of the pumping works.
The main branches up West Main
Street, Church. Wisconsin, North Main
and Wauwatosa Avenue, concentrate
at Main and State Streets. thence east
through Is in. mainon State Street to
Fourth Avenue into the main trunk
sewer
Early in the season Mr.. George L.
Zimmerman, contractor, purchased of
the Austin Mfg. Co. of Harvey, H., Il
trenching machine, this machine has
greatly facilitated the excavating, Dig
gng about roper cent of the work at an
average of 400 feet Of 6 foot ditch per
day. The complete contract covering
nearly ; miles of sewer at cost of
about S25, 1000
The publication works are located
on the north side of the river in the
vicinity Of Fiftyfourth Street just east
of the old site Of the Wisconsin Bridge
Works.
The main trunk sewer enters a small
division chamber where the sewage is
detected through fur submerged in
let's into the septic tank.
The septic tank consists of a
brick building covering a concrete tank
20x53xl0 feet deep. The tank itself is
divided into five compartments SO ar
ranged that any one or more may be
cut out should it be deemed necessary
tn 1acvaacp tho ti,ns, f,F IN es ,c, ,.c,,,rl
the tank. Two feet from the inlets a
| battle board extends down into the
| tank breaking up counter currents and
/ causing uniform flow throughout the
cross section of the tank The solid
matter in suspension quickly rises to
the top, forming spongy looking
scum on the surface. 1t is here that
the anerobic bacteria are very active,
| breaking down the solid tissues into
organic matter in solution, inorganic
matter in suspension and Iiberatiug
quantities of gas known as marsh gas.
! A considerable portion of the suspend
ed matter upon partial decomposition
! dilt ltttIdti'h Va tHC S"N HtltNS 10 the
bottom where the action continues
until sufficient amount of gas has
accumulated to float the particle and
il comes to the surface like IL large
dirty bubble, bursting into hundred
smaller pieces as the gas is given off.
This continual rising and sinking, to-
gether with the tank flow. causes the
particles to be carried toward the out
let end of the tank. Before the last
compartment is reached, however. all
of the organic matter has been broken
up and the only visible result is a more
or less turbulent etliucut and - black
maddy deposit in the bottom of the
tank, having no commercial value as a
fertilizer. From the tank the cilluent
passes into the controlling chambec.
Here are set six 10 inch siphons which
acting in rotation discharge the tank
effuent upon six sand beds
The ingenious simplicity Of the sell
controlling device strikes one at once as
they enter the chamber and is based ON
the well known principle of the auto.
matte siphon,
Each of the six siphons are connected
through the floor with II small valve
which normally stands closed As tho
tank etliuent fills the siphon tank, a
galvanized iron hoat working in a
wooden box guide raises a inch brass
bali which rolls down a short incline
upon wooden trip, the weight of the
ball forces the trip down thus
opening the air valves causing the
siphon 20 discharge As the siphon
tank empties, the bail rolls off the trip
onto the next float in readiness for u
Irehling OF the tank, the discharge
lasting from to minutes and avera.g-
ing one every 20 minutes. The action
of the controlling device is thoroughly
automatic requiring no attention what
ever after cOmpiete adjustment. Tins