The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-02
Mr.. VINCENT
lFAVORS Herring
SEWER Plan
Member of Board of Apportion-
ment Discusses Reasons That
Influenced Body of Which He
is a Member
Believes Smaller Sewers, With
Special Carriers For Storm
Water, Are improvement
Cost of Pumping

water, Are improvement
Cost of Pumping
S. E. Vincent, who is member OF
the Board Of Apportionment, for the
benefit Of the readers Of The Farmer
today discusses the sewer problem.
defending the Herring system, at least
to the extent that it is being followed
by the tax board. He is in disagree
ment with Za1mon Goodsell, also a
member of the Board of Apportion-
ment and his argument is made with
special reference to some of the views
Mr.. Goodsell has expressed.
Mr.. Vincent says:
AT the very outset let me say that
this article is intended to place fair
ly before all the people of Bridgeport
an outline Of the so-called Herring
seweH system and the attitude Of
various departments Of the city gov
ernment towards 1t.
The Herring system is approved py
practically every person who has
made q thorough study of it In COM
parison with the old haphazard meth
nected plan. The sewer committee OF
the common council with Alderman
James O'Neill at it's head, after care
full study believed it wise to proceed
along the lines of the Herring plan.
The subcommittee on sewers of the
board of apportionment was of a
similar opinion. Practically all the
members of the board Of apportion-
ment approved this action but not
till the matter had been thoroughly
considered by them.
Under the Herring plan a more ef-
Aos1 I,o ,,1i1f F1V~
the expenditure of an equal amount
of money. Under il, the wasteful
methods Of the past and almost of
the present, will be eliminated. Ev-
cry foot of sewer will have a we'll
defined relation to the big general
work to do and will do that part in
harmony with all the other parts Of
the system. And as / said, the ex-
pense will be, if anything, less in
proportion to the results accomplish
ed.
That we have up to avery recent
eperiod, built sewers in a haphazard.
disconnected sort of way, without de-
finite aim, I believe Is fact that
needs very little proof or much argu-
ment to establish.
The Common Council recognized
this fact, in 1906 by passing an ordi-
nance to establish a special commits
sion "to consider our present sewer
conditions, the probabilities of the
future needs of our rapidly-grow1ng
city, and the establishment of a de-
finite plan for further expenditures Of
money in the construction of sewers" !"
The following well-known gentle
men were appointed on that commits
sion: B. D. Pierce, Sr, chairman, s..
T. Davis, Jr., George M. Eames, Frank
]. Mulcahy. George w. Jackman. /
do not believe anyone will question
the assertion when l say, that the
committee was representative, nom
partisan one, made up of men who
have been very. successful in their
business undertakings, men accustom-
ed to consider large Industrial prob
lens and men Of practical and eau
tious temperame
Provided with an appropriation of
$3.50 with a thorough knowledge OF
what was wanted, also fully impress
ed, as the committee tells us with the
must be sanitary, second, that for
Bridgeport 1t must be Feasonably
economical system, and third, that it
must be practical and convenient, the
committee began its work. Possess
ed of this knowledge the committee
help in the solution Of one Of our
most difficult and expensive prob
lens, asking and receiving nothing for
their services.
The committee held twenty-seven
private meetings for the consideration
eight meetings with engineers and
experts in sewer work. After all this
careful consideration of the subject,
they advertised for estimates for
making plans in accordance with de-
finitely outlined specifica tions. Bids
were received from Jas. H. Fuertes,
Herring & Fuller, also from Waring.
Chapman and Farquaher. Herring &
Fuller were, the successful bidders
and to show the high esteem in
which Mr.. Herring was held as a
scientific authority on the subject of
sewers and the disposal of sewage, I
will quote the language of the COM
mittee in their report to the Common
Council, dated Sept 11th, 1908, which
is as follows:
LAS is well known the senior mem
Der Of the firm Of Herring & Fuller,
Mr.. Rudolph Herring, is recognized as
the highest authority on sanitary en-
gineering in this country. 1t was
gratifying to your commission, there
fore, to be able to accept their bid
for the work as being the lowest bid
submitted
On account of our lowland levels
and the slow moving waters of our
rivers and creeks, only two plans
were thought to be practical for the
satisfactory removal of our sewage.
OI0 pIdu IS 10 Tie sewage u
purifying beds where it can be
liquifed, bacterialized and oXygenized,
thus rendering it harmless and in
offensive. For this process we should
require a piece of land covering an
area of twenty-seven acres for a city
of one hundred thousand inhabitants
and our future wants would increase
in proportion to our growth. If we
take into account a city of three
hundred thousand, which the Herring
plan contemplates, we should require
eighty-one acres over which we could
spray our sewage for liquification and
disinfection. This plan seems out of
the question: first, for lack of land,
second on account of high cost of re-
ducing sewage by this method, and
third because we are not sure that
such plan would not prove a fail
ure and a nuisance, as we'll as a
menace to health.
The other plan is to collect the
ge at two central points and then
pump it far out into the deep waters
of Long Island Sound. This plan has
worked we'll in other cities convent
emily located to large bodies of water
and has been found sanitary and
This plan is the one
by Mr.. Herring for
The cost per capita for providing
such a system in other cities has been
considered and it has been shown that
by improving and utilizing substan-
(Cootin1Ied m Para AZ