Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-10-26
At National Home Near
ing Completion.
Plant When Finished Will Cost
About $4,000.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
Mechanism Of System.

nearing completion and will cost about
S42. geo. The work was done by J. Il.
Greer of PittSburg. Pa, and was under
the direction OF Engineer James Hard
ing Of Pittstield, Mass. an expert in
largest of it's kind in this section.
About 500 feet Of pipe have been laid
and six stone filters have been con-
structed, consisting of layer OF hall
pipe at the bottom and are filled with
course crushed rock, With partitions oi
cement, also four sand filters.
The line begins at the Kennebes
Central depot, runs north to the Opera
house where it turns south and runs
back Of the Home buildings to the
pump house which is located just at
the rear OF the cottages. In this house
is located two 4-inch centrifugal
pumps. each with capacity Of 6oo,0oo
gallons per day and are run by two o.
II. F. Westinghouse electric motors.
These motors are controlled by d
switchboard which is 50 arranged
that one or two pumps are working
according to the quantity OF sewage
III the line
FROM mere lIie sew ttSSt - puillptt w
the disposal plant which is located
about 100 feet south of the cottages,
first into the septic tank, where II
works eight hours before it gets into
the primary contact filters, where II
takes three hours to get through, next
Il goes into the secondary contact
filters for another three hours, and
then into a settling basin for four
hours more and finally into the sand
filters for a half hour when 1t runs
into the stream as clear as ordinary
brook water, with Il purity of about 3S
per cent.
Located between the septic tank
and the primary filters is a small brick
building containing what is called a
dosing arrangement which works au-
tomatcally by the pressure OF ar IN
pipes caused by the flow of the sewage,
The purpose of this apparatus Is, when
No. | filter is filled, to close it and
direct the flow into No. and after
this one is filled it is directed into NO
3, and opens No. to its secondary
contact filter Thus having one filter
full. one filing and one being emptled
at the same time, or one can he Gut
out altogether for q rest
This plant is called a bacteria sys-
TEN" because Of its method of work :
ing. The sewage first goes into tin"
septic tank and in order to under
stand the use Of this tank one must
'inow that there are three kinds Of
;cwage. fresh. stale and septic. Fresh
sewage is a mixture of filth and or
santic matters of all kinds with ,th4
waste water of q town. as it IS found
in the sewers before much time mas
.lpaSed in which mechanical, chemlCal
and bacterial changes can take place,
This sewage contains generally Tree
oxygen and nitrogen in form of nit
rates. and the proportion of organic
matter in suspension is comparatively
large.
stale sewage is the sewage formed
ont of the fresh sewage as it flows
along in the pipes. by action of NC
chanical. chemical and bacterial forces
m. on ii and its composition is dis
tinctly changed This change is prac-
ticallv the breaking up Of the organ
ic matter into simpler forms, and IS
the initial step in the process by which
the organic lIldlttT II clltiliStt ilil' IL
organic matter When the changes
which occur in fresh sewage containing
free oxygen have Just exhausted the
free oxygen and increased the free am
monia to the maximum. stale sewage
is produced.
When the oxygen is exhausted bac-
terial life continues active and chem
col changes go on and continue the
breaking up of the organic matter INTO
simpler forms. But as oxygen is not
present. the action by which the organ
ic matter IS still further changed is
n. putrefving one, and the sewage be
comes very ill-smclling on account of
the generation and escape of hydro
gen compounds Of carbon. sulphur and
phosphorus. Nitrogen is also set free
in this putrefying process. The result
OF al, these changes is to decrease the
amount Of carhonaceous and ntrogc-
nous matter in the sewage. Sewage
when in this state is now known as
septic sewage
The chief difficulty in the publication
Of sewage by filtration is the destruc-
ton of the organic matter in Suspen-
sion. The septic tank allows processes
by which the percentage of suspended
organic matter may be much reduced
the sewage being retained in the tank
until the bacteria Of decomposition and
following this those when Of putrefac-
ton break up the matter into simpler
forms The sewage when drawn from
the tank has generally an offensive
odor and is darker colored than when
it enters but always clearer than the
ordinary sewage. 1t contains a small
or amount of suspended organic matter
and this matter is more finely divided
than in the frcSher sewage. This tank
has a capacity of 100000 gallons. Frolp
this tank the sewage flows into the
primar contact filters, which are built
or cement foundations. with tile under
drains of half pipe laid rounding side
up and covered with very course and
thar finer crushed rock. About 10 per
cent. of air exists in the spaces of the
loose rock and certain bacteria which
REQUIRE oxygen for their existence.
form on these rocks and help to destroy
the organic matter in suspension These
beds are rested from time to time. that
is. drained dry and the matter which
has formed on the rocks at the bot