Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-10-07
IMPRESSED WITH
DISPOSAL PLANT
Orange Officials Praise I'm.
hoff Sewage Tanks in
Worcester, Mass.
NOW INCLINED TO FAVOR
PROPOSED SOHO BUILDING
System Inspected Similar to
One Tried UnsuccessfulIy
by East Orange.

Orange officials, including Mayor
Arthur p. Seymour, nearly all of the
members of the Common Council,
members of the advisory committee
and others. twenty in all, paid a fly
ing visit To Worcester, Mass, on Sat
urday to inspect the Imhoff sewage
disposal plant, which has been In
operation there for more than a year.
After going over the entire plant and
seeing 1t in actual working operation
at close range the visitors were deeply
impressed with it's efficiency, and 1t is
probable that the matter will be off,
cially brought up at the meeting of
Z the council tonight.
So much has been said of the sys-
tenn, particularly as to its ~unfitness.
that the visitors were deeply i'm
pressed, as well as surprised, with
their Investigation. The tank itself
was found to be absolutely odorless.
and this in itself, il seemed to the
visitors, shows objection on the part
of Bloomfield and Belleville against
the proposed plant al Soho is without
foundation.
The Worcester plant treats sewage
from a territory inhabited by 500 per-
sons. Besides the Imhoff treatment,
the liquids are sprayed over beds of
stone by a sprinkler system, and the
water after this treatment passes into
a river near the city. The residents
of Worcester. including those who re-
side in the near vicinity of the plant.
spoke in terms of highest praise of
the Imhoff system.
The system now in operation in
Worcester, operated as it is on a 200
acre plot, is similar to one thai was
tried unsuccessfully by East Orange.
City Engineer Frederick IT. Crane, of
Orange, after going over the entire
plant, declared that the prejudice on
the part of the residents of Bloom
field and Belleville was due entirely
to the false idea they secured of the
system as incorrectly handled by the
East Orange authorities a few years
ago.
No Disagreeable OdOr.
The party spent considerable time
IN its inspection of the sludge tank.
They stood over the tank and
watched the treatment, handled the
solids. and even those who do not
look with favor on the Imhoff idea
were forced to admit that the treat
ment on the little section of sewage
handled by the experimenters devel-
oped no odor that reached the people
assembled near the tank. This in it
self was surprising in view of the
fact that many of them had been led
to believe that 1t gave out an often
sive odor. 1t vas brought out also
from the Worcester officials that no
sickness had resulted among the men
engaged in the pen treatment.
No difficulty was experienced in the
winter. according to the Worcester
officials, with this plan or with their
plan of putting the sewage on sanded
filtration beds. After fourteen
months treatment of the sewage of
$4,000 gallons daily but a comparative
~ small quantity of the sludge was
found about. Even this can be
burned.
Experiments are now being made by
Almon l.. Fales. chemist Of the sew
rag department, on several other
systems. to determine upon a new
( scheme for the future, as the present
one must eventually be dispensed
with. He spoke highly of the Imhoff
system and was of the opinion that
the plan would add materially in set
Ting the sewage disposal idea.
Entertained Mt Dinner.
Others with the party who aided
in showing the working of the plants
were James L. Harrop, chairman of
the committee of Worcester,
and Michael J. Comerford, Michael
Clarity, Charles Ostrom and George
A. Lundberg, of the sewer commit
tee. and Matthew Gault, superin-
tendent of sewers.
The Worcester officials were hosts
at a dinner to the visitors at the
Hotel Warren, and Mayor Arthur b.
Seymour and former Judge Thomas
A. Davis, of Orange, thanked the
hosts for the attention and cour-
tesies extended.
Mayor Seymour spoke of the kind
ness of the Worcester folk in trans
porting the Orange men to and about
the sewage plant, as well as the in
struction given them. He mentioned
that Orange has a municipal light
ing system and expressed the hope
that his city could at some futurel
time entertain their generous hosts
with an Inspection trip, should
Worcester choose to take up munich
pal lighting.
Judge Davis complimented the New
England foresightedness'' of the
Worcester officials in carrying out
special experiments to determine the
utility of the disposal schemes, and
In not taking anyone's word for the
merits of a particular scheme. He
spoke of the four separate tests at.
the sewage beds and he declared the
lesson 10 Orange from the visit WAS