Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-10-28
THE SEPTIC
TANK SYSTEM
OF Sewage to Be Installed in
New Santa Fe High School
Building.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION
OF the Most Successful Plan Known. /.
Same Plant as Put in al MssilIs
Park College by |. W. Case.

Acting upon the advice Of Manager
Frank Owen, of the Santa Fe Light 4
| Water Company, and Lauren w. Case.
who has made study of the Septic
Tank system of sewage disposal and
has installed plant at the New Mex
leo College of Agriculture and Me.
chanic Arts, at Mesilla Park, which
is performing very satisfactorily, the
city board of education has decided to
install this system for the new high
school building, the Nelson Septic
Tank Company Of st. Louis, to fur
nish the material and do the work.
The process Of this system Is to
pass the crude sewage into a tank, es-
pecially designed to hasten natural
decomposition and to liquify all ami
NAL and vegetable solids. These lat
ter, being thrown into solution. pre-
vent the formation Of sluge, and the
| heavy expense incurred in dealing
with 1t Is avoided. The sewage, thus
freed from these solids, passes in a
continuous stream from the tank, and
may be discharged into clear creek
or river, or further dealt with by irri-
cation or filtration.
nIets for Sewage.
The system, which is the result of
years OF research and study, consists
of tank of suitable dimensions, from
which light and air are excluded. The
sewage enters this tank through sub.
merged inlets, SO that the contents are
disturbed by the inflow as little as pos.
sible. The outlet is also submerged
and consists of a slotted pipe
through which the effluent passes
from the tank to filter or onto the
ground for the purpose of irrigation or
| seepage.
This transformation from crude sew
age to comparatively pure water Is
due to the application Of the laws of
nature and the indescrstable action Of
a class of n crobes, under peculiar
cor a't'ons. These microbes, which
will exist in an atmosphere absolutely
free from oxygen, are the chief agents
In the breaking up of the solid matter
of the sewage.
Germs, Disease Microbes.
Il With the exception of two or three,
all pathogenic germs are aerobic. The
anaerbofc conditions provided In the
Septic tank, are calculated 10 destroy
them, and while these same conditions
are favorable to the production of an
aerobic germs, il they were to escape
from the tank, they would be de-
Istroyed by coming In contact with the
laerobic conditions furnished In the FL
ter beds or in the process Of irriga-
tion.
A scum, from two to six inches thick
forms upon the surface of the sewage
in the tank, and 1t Is under this that
the anaerboic bacteria perform their
important and valuable functions.
These microbes, which, as stated be-
fore are active only in the ebsence Of
. oxygen, multiply in proportion to the
amount Of sewage. Owing to their de-
structive action upon the solids there
is very little sluge formed. There
is a very slow deposition Of dark
= peaty substance, which is so gradual
, that 1t is of little consequence, espe-
cially in small plant.
Some may ask why part OF the
! solids does not sink. 1t does, but ow-
ing to the gases of fermentation 1t Is
again floated to the top and into the
II bacterial zone, to be again acted upon
e by the microbes This continues until
r. the microbes have succeeded IN
" forcing it all into solution. This action
ID in the tank, without the aid OF chemic
le lals or artificial substances, produces q
re clarified eff1uent which can be run eth
10 Ter to a water way, or to filter beds, OF
e. for use in irrigation. This effiuent Is
,e colorless, odorless and has been used
lg for drinking water.
Advantages Of Tank System.
le Many, many ways have been devised
N to carry out this plan Of sew
1T age publication, but none have me
C. with the success Of the Septic TAM
n system. This was invented In 1SS
rs by Donald Cameron, of England, an
10 was for number of years known q
'r- the Cameron system of sewage purif
TO cation and disposal.
at The advantages of the septic tan
us system Of sewage publication are: W
IL ficiency with economy; non-productio
re of sluge tank effluent In the pes
rd- possible condition for either irrigatio
we or filtration cleanliness and freedol
nd from nuisance; the process navin
an nassed beyond the experimental stag
. Is now acknowledged to be the onl
method which can convert the putr
fable matter Of sewage into inone