The Ward County independent., 1906-05-17
(Minot Daily Optic.)
BEATS THE Kilkenny CATS.

(Minot Daily Optic)
BEATS THE Kilkenny CATS.
The ordinary plan of getting rid Of
thesewerage of city is to shun it off on
somebody else. If the city is located on
a river the sewerage is dumped into the
stream and is carried down to poison
the next town below, unless oxidized
before it reaches there by the action of
the air and current. If on the sea it is
dumped into the bay tu poison the fishes
and the oyster beds.
But at Saratoga, N. Y, according to a
recent official report. they have adopted
a more altruistic method. This is to
treat the sewerage so as to make it inoc-
cuous and harmless. There, are two
tanks or basins. The sewerage flows
into the first (Which is covered so as to
expel the light. In this cesspool, mic
robes, which can only live in the dark,
are rapidly developed. They eat the
sewerage, grow fat on it and cry for
more. In search of additional food they
crawl through holes left for the purpose
into the next tank, which in sight.
There are other microbes which thrive
only in the light, have developed and
are stronger and fiercer than in the crea-
lures of the dark. Lying in wait they
pounce upon the invading microbes like
wolves in a flock of sheep and devour
them. The final result of the battle of
the microbes is that the noxious matter
is all eaten up and the residium is clear
water 9Sh per cent purer than the av-
erage drinking water.
We should be inclined to reject
kofo ~
nance but for the assurance that the
city engineer OF Burlington, Vt, who
has recently investigated the Saratoga
system, vouches for the purification of
the sewerage and has recommended the
adoption OF the same system by his own
municipality.
The joker who invented the story of
the Kilkinney cats, if he we're alive now,
might throw up the sponge and &C.
knowledge himself outdone by the
scientific imagination of the modern
chemist and engineer.
The system which the above
article has attempted to describe
was recommended by our cosult-
ing engineer from Fargo and the
plans accepted and bids adver-
tised for. The cost Of this
tank is estimated at about
$1,000.
The septic tank idea is a good
one and indispensable for a city
such as MiEot, for with but a
small stream flowing through
the city into which it's sewerage
cannot be dumped some other
provision must be made. Land
holders below US have already
warned the council that action
would be brought against the
city if sewerage was turned into
the river. With such a condition
to face some method must be
employed for the disposal OF
sewerage and no better could be
employed than the septic tank.
The basis OF this system is that
carried out by nature for the dis.
pOsal OF dead organic matter
and is as follows: Bacteria or
microbes as they are commonly
calico, are animal or vegetable
forms OF microscopic life. A few
of these are known to cause dis
ease but many are ofvast benefit
to man. Some of this latter class
are known to perfect food for
plant life and on their presence in
the soil do certain crops depend,
Again the presence of undesira-
bic kinds in the soil may cause
a crop failure such as was shown
by our state experiment station
in connection with flax. Wheat
smut is another type OF undesir-
able bacteria as everone recog-
nizes and through the recogni-
tion has found the cure.
Nature in the disposal OF dead
animal or vegetable matter
brings about it's decomposition
into organic matter through the
aid of two classes of bacteria, the
one live only in the presence OF
air, the other only when air is
excluded. Organic matter fall
ing upon the ground is acted on
by the bacteria living in the pres
ence of air, and as it decays and
the juices soak into the ground
they arefurther decomposed into
their elemental state, leaving
water and inorganic salts.
We have harnessed many OF
these bacterias in our Industries.