Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-04-22
Disposal of Sewage from Private
Homes and Small Towns.

The subjoined article was read by d.
0. M. Linthicum, of this town, at a meet
ing Of the members of the Montsomer
County Medical Society held in Rockville
on Tuesday.
AT this age of advanced civilization an,
scientific knowledge. when 1t has becom
known that such a large part of the dis
eases to which we fall victims are tn,
direct result Of germs taken into our bodie
through various channels, we are confronted
each year more and more prominently will
the growing necessity Of forestalline thes,
diseases by the destruction Of their causa
tive agents, and the publication and dis
posal of sewage is probably one of the mos
potent means towards the accomplishment
of this end.
1t is difficult to imagine a more fertile
soil for development of bacteria than II
the conglomerate mass that goes to make
up sewage; the dejecta from the human
body constituting only small proportion
Of the Objectionable part Of the sewage
which is found in our homes, towns anC
cities.
INDIFFERENCE OF PUBLIC TO QUESTIONS OF
SANITATION.
There has been a great awakening Of
popular interest in the question of sewage
disposal in the past few years. and yet the
indifference of the public to this question
is still appalling "Out of sight. out OF
mind"-it being entirely satisfactory "a
most people to have this filth hidden from
their personal view, only to come back "a
them or to their neighbOrs in the form OF
some dread disease.
NECESSARY Co-ExISTENcE OF WATER SUPPLY
AND DISPOSAL system.
There is probably no one thing that is
more conducive to the comfort or health
fulness Of home or town than an abun-
dant supply of pure water. and yet there
is probably nothing that comes closer to
being nuisance than an abundance OF
water without proper means Of dispOsing
Of the waste; for il then simply acts as a
carrier Of filth to impregnate the soil about
us. Nor can any city or town long submit
to a continued want Of adequate water
supply, and systematic plan for the re-
mOval of its waste without serious check
to its prosperity.
BACTERIAL AGENCY IN SEWAGE PURIFIcAroN.
1t is now possible and practicable to con-
struct sewage disposal plants which will
convert the foulest and rankest sewage,
with all its disease germs. into pure water
with only harmless chemicals in solution,
and this result is accomplished after all
by natures forces alone, the work princi-
pally Of two classes Of bacteria. One Of
these classes depends upon the oxygen
from the air for existence and is known as
Aer0bic, and the other, not depending upon
air for oxygen. is known as Anaerobic, so
that all of our efforts in constructing plants
for the publication and disposal of sewage
consist in so collecting that sewage and
handling the same as to give these two
classes Of bacteria the best possible oppor-
tunity to work upon il. They can COM
plete the work rapidly and effectively.
RESULTS ACCOMPLISHED IN BEST PLANTS.
Quoting from a report Of the British
Royal Sewage Commission" which is the
highest authority on sanitation in Great
Britain, read:
I'VE are satisfied that it is practicable to
purify the sewage Of towns to any degree
required either by land treatment or by
artificial treatment" and further,
I'VE know of no case where the admix-
ture of trade refuse with the sewage makes
it impracticable to purify the sewage either
upon land or by artificial processes.
Rochester, New York. for instance, re-
ports the publication Of the foulest sewage
from the city, transformed in twenty-fOur
hours or less, to absolutely pure water,
microscopically and chemically as pure as
our best drinking water.
Ultimate AIM OF ALL SYSTEMS.
Whatever plan is adopted for the work
must hdDe for its object The ultimate puriticd-
ton Of the selodge, the removal and trans
formation of all organic matter which
would. If left alone. tend to produce disease
and death.
The day for converting our lakes into
cesSpOols. and our rivers into sewage canals
is indeed passed. and the OldfashiOned
plan of emptying household waste into
dry wells is a veritable nuisance, for nc
more foul form of pollution ever reaches
our wells or spring heads than the product
of these putrefying pits.
There is no community, there are few
families and comparatively few animals.
without disease. and unless the excretiOns
from such sources are known to be render
ed innOcuous before being liberated on to
the soil or streams about us, we must be
expected often to pay the penalty with our
lives.
First. after a pure water supply. for the
health of any community, is a carefully
arranged plan whereby these deadly enc
mics may be carried of and disposed Of to
their ultimate destruction.
THREE CHIEF METHODS OF PURIFIcATIoN.
The principal methods Of sewage disposal
now practiced in this country are three,
and may be spoken Of as crude disposal.
disposal by irrigation, and disposal by fl
tratiOn. Other schemes less favored, are
in use. but will not be referred to here.
CRUDE DISPOSAL PLAN.
Crude disposal systems discharge the
sewage into some nearby stream or body
Of water in its crude. unclarified state.
This is usually by far the cheapest method.
but unless the town be located on the
coast, where sewage can be conducted by
pipes into deep water, and there sufficient
" diluted to render Ii harmless. this plan
should be universally condemned. When
emptied into smaller streams or rivers
where the dilutiOn is not sufficient to per-
nit of publication by the oxygen and BAG
terra in the water we are all well aware
Of the dire consequences resulting to the
unfortunate people further down the stream.
who are compelled to depend upon this
stream alone for their water supply. and
that too, most frequently. without any FL
ration whatsoever. Along the banks, too.
Of these crooked streams much Of the I'M
dissolved solid portion Of sewage finds lOdg-
ment, there TO set up its proportion Of trouble.
This crude disposal plan is being unre-
servedly condemned by the best sanitary
experts in the world.
COMBINED AND SEPARATE SYSTEMS or Col
LBcrNG SEWAGE.
Before approaching the methods Of puri-
fcation by either irrigation or by filtration.
had best be said as to the best
modes Of collecting and conveying sewage
to its final publication field.
The Combined System" consists Of plan
the sewage is conveyed In pipes
with rain water and ordinary street drain
age; the Separate System" requires sepa-
rate pipes for each. Briefly referred TO.
small towns. summer resorts or private
residences could usually best handle the
Separate System by reason Of the lesser
cost in installing the smaller sewer pipes
(prOyisiOn for storm waters necessitating