The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-09
Finest System in the South Completed at q Cost of
 About $5OO,OOO SPEECHES MADE AND LUNCHEON WAS SERVED sceptic PurificatIon Plant at End or Sewer Permits Water to Be
 soId-Description of
 Branches.

The Valley Creek division and the scep- tic tanks of the county sewer were or fcia.lly inspected yesterday by the Jel- ferson county sanitary commission uho the hoard of revenue. The water was turned into the sewers yesterday and the trunk sewer is now reality.
 The celebration of the completion of one of the greatest achievements in the history of the county, which took place yesterday afternoon at the purihcatioh plant below Bessemer, was a happy oc- casion. E. J. Smyer, member or the commission, and in measure one or the originators of the plan, state in a speech at the conclusion of an elaborate luncheon given by Maj. Frank r. An derson, president of the commission, 10 the inspection party, that the first step had been perfected looking to union or the great Jones valley under one munich pality. MT. Smyers sentiment was loudly cheered.
 The carrying through of this project IS . signal triumph for modern science and skilled engineering. The adoption of the European methods of sceptic ourifica- ton of water without the use of any artificial chemicals, but by nature itself, is an inovation in the south. The dis tinct success of the system introduced and worked out by the sanitary commis- sion and the consulting engineer, Julian Kendrick, is another victory recorded to the enterprise and ability of Jefferson county's citizens.
 Members of Party.
 of ha art V were Maj. Frank Y. Anderson, M. V. Jo- seph, T. H. Motion, J. J. Smith, E. J. Smyer, J. M. Gillespy. Maj. E. M. Tut wiler, Chambers McAdory, J. D. Kirk patrick, A. w. Haskill. members of the sanitary commission; John T. Reed, Job Going, Capt w. H. Crook, J. w. Dickey, members of the board of revenue; Julian Kendrick, chief engineer; Ben Merri- weather assistant engineer; Morris Ad- Ter, Sam Adler, R. J. Smyer, secretary of the sanitary commission; B. Asbury Thompson, M. R. Laird, David Crockett, J. Ed Haigler, D. J. OConnell, represen- tatives of the three Birmingham daily papers and several others.
 The party left the Title Guarantee build- ing yesterday morning at 8 o'clock in
 
 the Dupuy farm near Powderly, where the deepest excavations of the trunk sewer were inspected. The excavation at this point was made through soljd rock and is over twenty-seven feet deep.
 The next stop was where the sewer crosses the OPossum Valley creek, near Brighton. This Is one of the most diff cult feats of engineering on the entire system. The concrete work of the sewer is elevated so as to make the crossing above the high water mark of the creek. The cement above the ground Is over 600 feet long, The test of the durability of the concrete work was made at this point a few days ago when the wind blew large tree three feet in diameter across the sewer. The force of the tree s fall made no impression whatever on the concrete at all, but the tree was broken Into pieces.
 The next stop of the party was made Ut the puriflcation plant two miles be- low Bessemer. The sewerage which was turned in at Birmingham late Tuesday afternoon arrived at the end of the sewer yesterday morning at o'clock.
 Object Lesson to Farmers.
 The sceptic theory Is as simple as it is effective. The sewerage Is first run through a sitter and a san bed, in which Ill tho large decayed substances are re- moved. The sand pit Is 200 feet in diam- eter and twelve feet deep. From the sitter the water Is conducted to the scep- tic tanks. There are six of these tanks. which are 22Ka by 100 feet. Each has a capacity of 1s50OO gallons daily. making 2 total of 990OOO.
 The sceptic tanks were built by the Crockett Paving company at a cost of s5,0O0. By agreement with the Adlers, who are to have the water after it comes out of the tanks. the purification plant was built without any cost whatever to the county. In the tanks there are 800 cubic feet of concrete. 4OOo yards of plas- tering, 300 feet of two-inch pipe, 24OO feet of four-inch pipe, and 2Soo feet of eight