Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-21
THE DISTRICT SEWAGE
THE PROPOSED SYSTEM bT DIS
posAL DIscussEDs
Address by Asa =, PAllips Before
Techniker verein-Tht Fro
gress Made.

At the saengerbund Hall, s14 c street
northwest, last evening tho members OF
the Techniker verein of this city listened
to an extended and entertaining talk on a
very interesting municipal subject the sew
age disposal system Of the District Of Co
lumbia. The exponent Of new system
which the speaker hopes eventually to see
in operation here and make of the capital
city one of the healthiest places in the
country was Asa e. Phillips, M. A. s. G.. E.,
assistant engineer in charge of the sewage
disposal system of the District. and his
remarks We're received with much salts
faction by his audience. -
Aided by many charts, plans and prints
of the various works that have been effect
ed and which are yet in contemplation, Mr..
Phillips carefully covered the territory en-
braced by the sewerage OF the District and
told his hearers what he hoped for the
future of the city and Its environs He
said the cost of the completed system
would probably reach $o,0OO,OO0 about half
of which has already been appropriated by
Congress, and that the people of the city
should do all in their power to get the
necessary balance to complete the great
work that would be a credit to the city
and to the country
He explained the delivery of the sewage
to the great central pumping station. which
is the keystone of the system; the delivery
of storm water, in which he discussed the
gates, sediment chambers, screen chambers,
the pumps and the discharge conduit. Me-
chanical equipment engines, boilers, coal
handling and the like were touched upon,
and waste, ventilation, architecture and
other technical points received their share
of attention.
Will Eradicate Disease.
There are no .marvels in this work." said
the speaker; nor does 1t compare with
that already done in many cities of this
country and on the other side of the At
lantic; but when 1t is completed 1t will be
found to be system that will eradicate
from the District Of Columbia a large part
OF the disease that is now prevalent here
The object of the removal of the sewage
or closely populated area down stream is
10 enable the current to carry 1t beyond the
locality OF its entrance to the water and
when we can keep this sewage moving
away from us the healthfulness of the city
is bound to grow better In direct ratio with
the amount Of sewage thus disposed Of
In addition to the work that is now In
course of construction there are contem-
plated drainage works, dykes for the pur-
pose OF holding back the waters Of the
Potomac during freshet periods and a
storm water conduit which will drain the
low area of the city on both sides of
pennsylvania avenue from the Peace mon
umeht 10 the treasury, a section of. about
one and one-half square miles in extent
T OF thlS we must have pumping machinery
10 raise the water tina tgathers in the seq
tion and discharge it into the waters of
the Anacostia, from whence it will be car
RED by the tides and current down to the
Potomac and thence into thessea
open waterways for cities are NO Ionper
Tolerated, except in such a. city as New
orleans, and even there millions OF dollars
nave been recently spent IN the construc-
ton and equipment of a drainage systen,
which has features that are entireJv novel
and necessary only in cases where the en-,
tire city is built below the natural low
water level. Nowadays streams are arch
ed and houses erected over what was once
menace to the health OF the city,.
All but Rock Creek Gone.
In Washington this system has prevail
ed for some time, until now all open wa
terways are gone except Rock, creek and
the drainage canals, that are soon to 60
The great works at Chicago, notably the
drainage canal, that carries away the sew
age that formerly went into Lake Michi-
gan to be sent back to the water works
and thence distributed through the pipes
of the city, are a speaking example to us
OF the benefits of such enterprises. Since
health of the city has improved wonder
fully, and this will be the case wherever
drainage canals and a modernized sew
age system are adopted by municipality
gress wake up and do anything for the
District Action was then taken board
OF sanitary engineers was appointed and
the real work begun in 1892. Progress has
been fair, and within compar/svely
short time we hope to see this one of the
best severed cities in the world. The
waste of 100000 persons is dumped into the
Potomac river near the mouth of Rock
creek, where it is a constant menace to the
health of the entire city. Not all of it is
ever carried away, for there is constant
supply for the river to work upon, and the
tides return what the current of the river
carries down stream. %.
Seventeenth Street Canal.
THE drainage canal on 18th street, al
most at the door of the White House, is
another serious nuisance that should be
abolished, and the James Creek canal is a
blight an eyesore and disgrace to an in
telligent community. From the marshes
of the Anacostia at Benning to the George
town wharves the waters are polluted by
the sewage of 100000 persons, and the con-
ditions of unhea1thfulness are exaggerated
by the tides. In few years these condi-
lions will, let us hope, be entirely elimi-
mated by the construction which Is now
going on and that which is contemplated"
The speaker then explained the various
sewers, the pumping station. trunk line
sewers and the like, mentioning the great
tunnels through which a man can walk up
right for their entire length. He dwelt
particularly upon the conditions of health
which would obtain in the city and District
when the work was completed, and as
Sured the audience that there was being
overlooked no point that could be adopted
with success with the means at the COM
mand Of the engineers in charge of the
work.