The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-10-08

From Wilmington, Del, under date
or September 80, Consulting Engineer
J. Chalkley Hatton has written a
lengthy letter concerning that Devil
Hers street sewer outlet, the cOnlmun-
1cation having been read at a meet
ing OF the board of works last evening.
Mr.. HattOn confesses an inability to
attribute the causes OF defects with
the information in hand, but ex-
presses the opinion that pieces OF
pipe, once broken by some tug, have
remained In the pipe. although the
diver reported otherwise. Covering
this point Mr.. Hatton wrote: -
We are not absolutely positive that
some broken pieces OF pipe are not
remaining inside, as We had to en-
ploy a diver to do the work and he
assured US that alb the pieces were
removed Not being divers ourselves,
We had to repose confidence in him
and he may have given us the facts,
but TO me 1t has every indication that
something is in the outlet pipe which
should not be there"
To force the outflow, Mr.. Hatton
recommended that the manhole be
closed, and made water tight. This
did not meet favor with the board
the stand being taken that sewage
would in such probability be backed
up into houses and make a confessed
ly bad condition much worse.
Another recommendation was the
placing of a small pumping station at
the foot of DeVilliers street, TO be
used only when the tide is extra high.
This was recommended following his
showing that the street level Of De-
Villiers street was only 1.0I feet
above mean high water.
The communication was heard with
close interest and was pronounced by
Mr.. Fisher as a very reasonable eX-
PLANTATION. The city engineer, how
ever, intimated that he could make a
good suggestion in the way Of relief,
and he was given such opportunity
before recommendations In the Hgtton
letter were acted upon.
THE LETTER.
The letter verbatim Of the consult
ing engineer was as follows:
Wilmington, Del, Sept. 80, '09.
Board OF Public Works, Mr.. L. q.
Aymard, Clerk, Pensacola, Fla
Gentlemen: Just as / was leaving
Pensacola on Saturday morning, Sept.
20, for the west, your letter OF the
oath was handed me, too late to make
an immediate reply, but l hasten to
answer IL as my first duty upon my
arrival home today.
The motion OF ths board was re-
quest for me to explain to you the
reason OF the defects in the working
OF the sanitary sewers at the corner
OF Zarragossa and DeYilliers streets.
/ wish l could explain this with en-
tire satisfaction to myself, but frankly
I cannot. / have examined the De-
Villiers street sewer throughout dur
ing my recent trip to Pensacola and
found the water standing in the man
hole at DeVilhers and ZarragOsSa
streets 70 within eight inches OF ths
top Of the manhole, although the tide
was low at the time and a good flow
was shown at the outlet in the bay.
Two days before when the tide was at
Ieaat three feet higher ] also exam
ined this same manhOle and found the
watef standing within eight inches OF
the top OF the manhole, or at the
same height regardless Of the stage OF
the tide. To me this hardly seems
possible, but 1t is true nevertheless,
and it is quite unexplainable TO me-
unless there is some partial impedi-
ment in the sewer south OF Zarra-
gossa street.
when l examined this sewer in
June last, the water in the manhole
was eighteen inches deep and had
good velocity toward the bay. When
IL rose high enough then to Row out
CONTINUED on Page Four.)