The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-06-15

In rCssrd to the siphons, they were de
lrued to cave for house sewage only. and
anul such time as nothing hut house
levage passes through them obs,ruct.ous
VIII occur In them
The cost Of making the changes necessary
70 cbviate the difficulties now existing wi
The siphons is exceedingly small. matter
simply Of an expenditure NJ about ~ per
cent, or not to exceed 5000 These changes
h be accomplished by means OK gravity
inc crossing the Buffalo bayou and White
OAK bayou on trestles, and the construct Oh
Il n screen chamber at the pumping sta
tiou. The city rs very fortunate in being
able 70 adopt p system designed to carry
the wastes from sewers only TO one for
carrying also street detrius and drainage
nt such n minimum Of expenditure for had
ihc system been originally designed to
meet this need fully, MS was the Boston
system for Instance. IL would have cost
tho city over SlNo.O0o Instead Of $500
No and therefore IL now. In re-adaptins
his system TO these very expanded condl-
Stems. there occur a few difficulties WITH
the operation ~ the slphons, which need
unlimited care and vigilance TO mako them
perform their added aud double duty 10
does not seem 20 NE that the city has my
right 10 complain or 90 cast unjust and
unreliable criticism upon their new sewer
age system but rather should nave given
the means for the pcrtcofin- cd [Iis drsi. ed
change on their part lt Is taif 90 compare
loo siphous 40 Boston ana Maiden with
those nt Houston, as they were designed
60 meet entirely different conditions, ana,
moreover, with the same materlal passing
through ana with the same depth OF siphon
1ur experience at Boston would be gN'
acily similar 70 that at Houston, and No
fair comparison has been drawn between
What seems TO he dam In the sewer
mentioned by the city engineer and which
the engineer has decided to remove, was
In reality q sand catcher, similar to thos,
at Boston and Maiden.
'rhc city engineer states thnt h. has r.
moved from the siphon large objects nm,
that It is difficult To imagine how they
could have gotten there. Immediately ate
construction these sphons were CAREFUL!
examined and found to he perfectly clear
After being operated for some time, how
ever, they clogged mp and upon examining
them We removed from them n large por
ti9p OF buggy top, large bundle Of OK
adequate protection having been give
them from street detritus, etc.
FUNDS DIVERTED.
The screens referred to by Engineer Dor
mcnt are exceedingly necessary and wer
recommended by me In February last afte
~e had had the opportunity OF learning el
actly what was finding its way into tn
sewers. These can not be too quickly IL
and other necessary changes recommends
by me were not carried out by US becaus
Of the exhaustion Of the sewer fund. W
had confidently counted that before tn
completion of the work there would hay
been restored 90 us for such necessary cl
pcnditures and extensions on the sanitNr
sewers, the premiums received upun tn
sewer bonds, whicD properly belonged
this fund aud 10 no other, and also on,
half the value NJ the lot purchased out 9
his fund for the establishment Of a mi
nicpal lighting plant, both these amount
ing TO about S4oooo. $1,000 or $4,000
which would have enabled us To hav
changed the construction 10 meet tho ne
conditions and demands upon the system
IL the plans had been designed for hot
storm drainage and house sewage tho e.
pense thereof would have been three tim,
the amount appropriated by the city for III
carrying out of this Improvement. II ma
be possible to make this system serve Z,
the carrying of OF sewage collected bot
In the strictly separate sewers and In tho.
whieh also carry storm water. street 4
tritus, buggy tops, panks used in layn
paNements, etc, etc, but In order to
SO the city viii have to be willing TO
70 slight additional expense TO cut o.
the siphons and thus meet the condition
which were not expected in the incepti,
OF the work.