The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-13


in its broader aspects and have discussed
in detail some Of the dangers resulting. on
the one hand, from not treating it at all
l. e., from discharging it. undiluted, into
the river-and arising. on the other hand,
from conveying it 20 a sewage farm TO be
used as irrigant and fertilizer. this latter
method seeming TO be favored by the local
committee as a satisfactory means of
settling the local sewage problem and, pre-
sumably, TO be considered under its two
fold phases. intermittent filtration and
broad irrigation We have considered too,
the difficulties attendant on an effort to
establish such farm, even if such a farm
were desirable. Let US now review all these
matters briefly, that may see at a
glance whether, as citizens of indianapolis.
we want sewage farm at our doors, at
any price.
In the United States there are at present
ninety-five cities and towns of above $500
inhabitants in which some means of treat
ing the sewage is practiced. In 1888 there
were thirty-one cities and towns of all
sizes that had some method of treating
| their sewage So it is evident that interest
in the subject is growing and that COM
mendable efforts are being made to i'm
prove municipal sanitation in this regard.
But. when we consider that in the United
| States, besides the great cities-i. e., those
with above 100000 population-there
| ffty-one cities having between 10000 and
$4,000 population, in which class Indian
apolis is to be found, and literally thou
sands of places below $4,000 and above 1900,
we see how little is of actual accomplish
/ Narrower daf of VrOr lIxy
by these various systems are almost impos-
sible of procurement Reports from English
and continental cities tell of work done, of
costs in detail, of tangible results in all de-
partments; American reports deal in gen
eralities For instance, Mr.. L. c. Kelsey,
city engineer of Salt Lake Utah. recently
| made report on the sewer system of that
place. including the farm. The miles of
pipe were stated, with the cost thereof; the
cost of the farm was Jumped with a large
intercepting and terminal sewer at $4,000.
OF the actual results of the farm irriga-
tion nothing was said. 1t was stated that
not all the sewage was sent to the farm,
| and the report contained this remarkable
| sentence: 1.-The farm has been leased for
/ term of years; so, as far as the farm itself
is concerned, it is a source of income and
| of pumping the sewage to the farm: not
/ word as to whether the farm purifies the
sewage after it is delivered. Thus while
| there are ninety-ive American cities that
are using some system for the disposal of
their sewage, of which twentyfour are US
ing intermittent filtration, either by itself
or in conjunction with some other system.
comparatively little IS known of the results
secured, and it has been necessary to cite
| European authorities almost exclusively in
presenting to you what has been said of
| sewage farms. AS whatever Of success has
been attained has been abroad. so also the
ultimate failures have been in Europe.
We have seen that sewage is composed of
| sewage proper, of manufacturing refuse
and of rain and storm water; We have seen
that it is dangerous to discharge sewage
into rivers; that to achieve the best re-
| suits with sewage irrigation it is necessary
(as at Paris to first remove all the solids
i'm suspension; that even then there are %
offensive and injurious emanations and C2)
the subsoi water is thereby polluted. We
have seen. moreover. that even under the
most favorable circumstances the soil takes
only certain amount of sewage. and that
!
! comes sewage sick" and still greater
| nuisance to those living near it. We have
! seen that fevers and agues and entozoic
| diseases are distinctly traceable to sewage
farms. and that grasses and vegetables
raised on such land are dangerous to both
man and beast. We have seen, also, that
there is no certainty of uniformity of OPP
Grafton; that land which will do effective
work to-day may do no work tomorrow,
| and that rains or the lack of them. heat
and cold, frost and snow and the growth
or nongrowth of vegetation all have their
effects on the results attained. Size of the
city and character of the population are to
be considered as we'll; for there are all
sorts of objections to be met. SUndry ques-
tions at once arise Is it practicable to OBJ
tain sufficient land and land properly con-
/ stituted as regards general character, lev
el, etc, for irrigation purposes? Is this
properly constituted land reasonably near
To the town, so that the cost of conveying
the sewage TO it will not be excessive, but
at the same time reasonably distant, so
that the town may not derive injury from
the nuisance likely at times to result? Is
the land of such a level as to necessitate
! pumping? Is it near a water course? Let
all these questions be satisfactorily an
swered, and then the real difficulties will
/ but begin.
To secure land for a sewage farm is not
an easy matter, even after the proper land
has beer found. 1t usually means fancy
| price. 1t means, too, mass of opposition
from adjoining property holders, who sud-
| denly discover that all the fields in the vi
cinity of the proposed farm or plant are
building ground. The local committee has
| devoted some time and attention to the
Brockton plant. to which l have heretofore
| alluded. On the point of initial cost Mr.
| Charles r. FELTON,, city engineer of Brock
| ton, wrote TO me as follows: "Our filter
beds cost about 100000 completed, of which
I nearly $4,000 was for the land itself. We
| paid for the land at very much higher
rate than the land would have brought at
private sale" BE ii remembered that
| Brockton has population of about 40 900.
| whereas. indianapolis has nearly 10000.
The system is the identical one which pre-
| sumably may be recommended by the local
! committee. /. e., artificial beds for the first