The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-08-17


ural water courses or other suitable
places where it may be turned loose.
Neglecting then the rainwater Of
roof and street, it is essential at pres
ent and for several years that sewers
for the removal of the soluble and
liquid wastes only of the city be built,
and this may be accomplished at com
paratively slight expense by the con-
structlon of sewers of small diameter
made of vitrified earthenware pipe.
Such sewers may be built of the
best material and in the best manner
at an average cost of less than $4,000 a
mile and the ten or eleven miles need
ed. that the system may be nearly ca
extensive with the proposed water
system, should cost less than or about
$50 600
The outfall or terminus OF the sew.
erage for the main portion of your
city would best be along the creeks
at or near the city limits.
Since these creeks have nearly dry
beds during most of the year II might
not be advisable from sanitary con
sideration to discharge the raw ma
terial into them. Modern sanitary
science has provided ways by which
this raw sewerage may be broken up
and destroyed, rendering 1t, after
such treatment comparatively, If not
actually. free from the obnoxiousness
attending raw and decomposing sew
erage. The cost OF plant needed is
slight, while the operating expense is
practically nothing, requiring at most
the services of one man in its most
elaborate application for a small city
The ehluent may be rendered near
ly free from odor and purifying tend.
encies and entirely suitable to be dis
charged into the creeks at the place
suggested.
Whether the city may build all of
this ten or more miles depends upon
the financial methods adopted. Many
are available. Perhaps the fairest
and most equitable to build sewers
only along such streets and alleys
as the property owners whose lots
face on the sewer will agree in writ
ing to pay, or actually pay beforehand,
a portion Of the average cost of the
sewer conditioned upon the city pay
ing the remainder. To illustrat 2
this, will say that in many Northern
cities the owner on each side of the
sewer pays one-third of the cost, and
the city by bond issue or general ia:
pays the cost of the disposal works
! and the remaining one-third.
! Since the average cost of sewers
E here cannot well exceed 80 or 80
, cents per foot complete, it follows
, that the owner along the sewer will
be required to pay about 30 cents per
front foot of his property thus benefit
. ed and his neighbor opposite pays an
other 3Octs. The owner of so IT, would
thus pay only about SIS, trifle as
, compared with the cost of building
: and cleaning a cess-pool. The proper
! ty, by reason of the sewer along 1t
: will be increased in value seyera
! times the 30 cents per foot.
r A slight amount of thought vii
= show how unfair in comparison i
r would be If the city paid the Who'll,
( of the cost. The city in this light IL
simply the individuals owning prop
s erty in it, and what the city pays al
h the property owners pay.
If the city builds a Sc 1er on an.
! street or avenue for private users III
l property owners on every other stree
5 in town must help pay for 1t, Will
they derive no benefit from it. 1t 1
: wholly, and should be largely pai
a for by the people specially benfted
The street intersection, and becaus
Z. of the fact that the main sewer serve
Ii a large portion of the city, indicate
a propriety that the general publ
l. should pay portion of the cost One
II third each seems to be fair propol
t. tionate subdivision of the total cos
e If this plan be adopted and mad
l. the practice Of the city the owne
whose property cannot be reached b
= the first sewers built, or even n
o some years, does not object. 1t cost
1. him little and he knows when IL b,
n comes his turn to pay for sewers h
o will be treated in the same way.
s The adoption of this plan woul,
therefore, reduce the expenditure {
the city to about $4,000, the remain
e der being paid by the property ben,
n fitted.
It If all owners are willing that tn
cost should be recorded as a lie
Il against thair raaltv drauino fntai