New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-15
ASK $5l,oOO,OOO
FOR new SEWERS
Metropolitan Commission
Outlines Plan Requiring
ID Years to Finish.
DISPOSE WASTE OF
CITY OF 5000, 1000
Protection of Rivers and Harbors
Included in System Proposed
After Eight Years Study.

The Metropolitan Sewerage Commits
sion. watch since 1906 has been consid-
ering vays and means OF providing New
/ York with an adequate system OF sew
ago disposition. in its final report, which
will he made public this morning. recon-
mends the building Of system that VIII
take sixteen years TO complete ana cost
ISL 100000.
The system recommended by the COM
mission resembles in the main the sys-
tenn insugurated by the metropolitan
Sewer Commission Of Massachusetts,.
The problem here in many ways resem-
bles that presented in greater Boston
ONLY on an immensely larger scale ana
the great jntercepting sewers and dis-
tributinG stations planned find the"
counterparts in the sewers that traverse
the valleys Of the Charles and Mystic
rivers, and in the big pumping statl"nS
at Moon Deer Island and Peddocks ISL
and. in Boston Harbor.
The scheme calls for 2 series OF trunk
and intercepting sewers TO carry all sew
age 20 central points along the water
front. there 10 he partially puriiled DC
fore being dumped II also proposes inc
building, with the aid Of q fleet OF tank
steamers. Of an island about three niles
from shore between RockaWay Point ana
Sandy Hook for the treatment and dis-
position of sewage in excess OF the ca
pacitv of the harbor TO digest. This
island is 10 be connected with the MAIN
land by tunnels as large as existing SUD
ways.
According 10 the estimates OF the
board. the work. il begin now. Will COST
,1A 600 600 bv 1916. s25.000.oOo by 1920
SIS. coo. 900 by 1925. leaving SlS,OOe'ooo
10 be expended before the work is com
pleted in 1880.
Such work. the commission recon-
mends, should be done undor the super
vision OF q central body. and operated
bv such body, IL not made part Of some
existing department, such as that OF
water supply. The construction OF
works by the boroughs and operated by
borough officials is said 10 he imprac-
ticable, it's success depending upon cree
ton and operation by central body re-
sponsible only TO the whole city.
The report, q most bulky and COM
plete document. is signed by DR.. George
A. Soper, president of the board; James
II. Fuertes, IT. de b. Parsons, Charles
Sooysmith and Linsley r. Williams. All
have placed their designations in the
hands OF the Mayor, with request that
they be relieved from further duty and per-
mitted to turn over their records to the
Board Of Estimate. At the request of the
Estimate Board the commission will con-
tinue in office short time longer that the
board may have the benefit OF its ser
/ vices in considering the new project.
Commenting on the report, Dr. Soper
says that the works recommended are
necessary 10 clean up and prevent fur
! ther pollution Of the harbor. which ne
now asserts to be the dirtiest Of any of its
size in the world, and avoid the neces-
sity OF spending vastly larger amounts
later on, when the growth of the city will
have doubled the amount of sewage to be
disposed Of daily and make the harbor a
menace TO life.
The system recommended consists large
ly OF intercepting sewers running parallel
to the waterfront TO collect the sewage
from the local systems, with outlets at
the bottom Of the deep and swiftly flow
ing channels. The scheme being one
which provides for future construction
and needs is so designed that each
part as completed will in time become q
link in the system. that, while not needed
, now will ultimately be necessary, the
works 10 be commenced in the near fut-
ure being only such as are Immediately
necessary from sanitary standpoint.
AS designed, the plans permit of the
utilization of new methods " sewage
disposal that may be discovered without
"scrapping" any part OF the plant that
may have been constructed, even OF some
system by which the values OF sewage
as fertilizer may be recovered with safety
10 the community and at cost that
will not be prohibitive commercially. 4
large part OF the commissions report is
devoted TO demonstrating the fact that IL
is net at present, at least, possible to in
stall a system by which the 81, 900, 900
worth of manurial values in the cty's
sewage now dumped into the sea can be
utilized.
The commission is fatty against any
scheme calling for the collection OF all the
sewage OF New York at one central point
and disposing OF il by sending it out TO
the sea. because OF the extreme cost-ap-
proximately three times the estimated
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