Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-09-04
THE CITY'S SEWERAGE
Health Officer Rains Writes of
His Observations on His Re-
cent Trip TO Morris.

His Observations on His Re-
cent Trip TO Morris.
To the Honorable the Mayor and
City Council of Willmar.
Gentlemen:-At the suggestion
of Prof. Bass of the State Univer-
sity, Mr.. C. Z. Selvig and myself
visited the city of Morris, where
they are putting in system of sew
erage. It is city of about $500
population. They have already
completed about three and one half
miles of sewers and surface drains,
costing them, including septic tank,
$23, 900. The tank alone cost So, O3O.
They have just let another contract
for 5000 feet more, at a cost of
$8, 600, or about $31, 900 in all.
The septic tank they consider is
large enough to take care of sewer
age for city of 5000 population,
figuring that only about 4 per
cent, or about 5000 people, will use
the sewerage system in a city of
5000. The septic tank is located
about one-half mile from the edge
of the town and is built of con-
crete, REINFORCED with iron bars.
It is so feet long by % feet wide,
divided longitudinally into two
compartments, one 12x5O and the
other 8x50. 1t is about eight feet
high from the bottom to the outlet
pipe, and four feet above that, or
twelve feet in all. The dividing
wall is built of concrete, making
two separate and distinct tanks,
either of which may be used indie
pendently or both at once.
The separate system is used at
Morris, that is, they lay tile along
side the sewer pipes for surface
drainage. They are very we'll salts
fed with the results from the drain
age from tile. The tile drains the
surface water all the time, day
and night, winter aud summer,
and so keeps the ground around the
sewer pipe dry all the time, so that
there is no danger of freezing.
| There is fall of 8 feet from the
center of town to the septic tank,
which is situated about 1000 feet
from the center of town.
Cost to property owners: so feet
of residence property pays about
$35, payable in three years at six
per cent interest; business property
may pay as high as $50 for so feet,
depending upon depth Of sewer and
size of thing pipe. Fifteen inch
sewer pipe is the largest that has
been laid; IL inch pipe on Main
street, and 6 inch pipe in residence
parts. Cost mentioned above in
cludes the laying Of both sewer
and tile pipe. The estimated cost
for laying tile is as follows: 4-inch,
l6 cents per foot; 6-inch, Is cents;
8-inch, % cents. Sewers are laid
from 9 to IL feet deep.
| All that the city has to pay for
is the laying of pipe from Main
street to septic tank and the cost
Of tank.
/ All the sewer oipe is connected
with Portland cement, and each tile
joint is wrapped in burlap, and the
tile is covered with gravel, which
allows the surface water to filter
into tile pipe much better than if
covered with earth. There is a
manhole in each block, or 40 in all
and also 8 inspection pipes.
| The efluent from septic tank and
surface water empties into a small
meadow and from there passes into
the Pomme de Terre river, which
at Morris is about the size of the
ditch south of town.
The contract work is being done
by Mr.. Tanner, who built the state
fish hatchery at Glenwood. He
uses tile digger for digging ir
the streets for the laying of the
sewer pipes. He digs from $50 tc
400 feet a day, and it is certainly
a great improvement on the ole
pick and shovel style of laying sew
) ers. Men who lay the pipe seen
to keep right up with the machine
The city employs an engineer
: Mr.. Horace Dunleavy of St. Paul
to superintend and inspect the
work, at salary Of SIPS a month
The city authorities consider the
: salary paid him a good investment
as he sees that no defective sewer
. pipe or tile is laid and that they
are laid according to grade.
: Our thanks are due DR.. Caine
the health officer, Mr.. Dunleavy
the engineer, Mr.. Tanner, the con
tractor, and Mr.. Burpee, the cit,
$ clerk. for showing us everything
and giving all the information pos
2 sible. They all accompanied US al
I over the ground, driving us to al
! parts of the city.
1t is our opinion that in re pro
e posed Second ward sewer, the cos