Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1877-01-20 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

SHOCKING MURDER IN  1077.  'TILE TOWN SEWAGE QUESTION. Mr. Bolster-Booth, as President of the Local , Government Board, authorised Mr. Robert Rawlinson, CE., Mr. Clare S. Read, M.P., and Mr. S. Smith, as an assistant, to inquire as to the great difficulties of devising means for the disposal of sewage, and also as to the practical efficiency of the chief systems then (1875) in operation, by sewage farms, land filtration, and by precipitation, or chemical processes, whose report was published on Wednesday. The commissioners visited Edinburgh, Wrexham, Chorley, Blackburn, Doncaster, Harrogate, Wolverhampton, Leamington, Warwick, Rugby, Banbury, Bedford, Croydon, Norwood, Reigate, Worthing, Aldershot, Romford, Tunbridge Wells, Cheltenham, Merthyr Tydyl, Barking, Norwich, and Enfield ; Kendal, where the downward intermittent principle is carried out; Leeds, Bolton, Coventry, Tottenham, Edmonton, and Hertford, where sewage is treated by a chemical process; Bradford, Birmingham, and Luton, where sewage sludge is precipitated by the addition of lime; and Halifax, Rochdale, Salford, and Manchester, where the pail system is partially used for dealing with excreta. They also visited Leyden and Amsterdam, where the pneumatic system was partially in operation; Paris, where only a portion of the sewage was utilised in irrigation; and Brussels and Berlin, where the sewage was about to be disposed of in irrigation. From all the evidence which has been before them the commissioners come to the following amongst other conclusions "That the retention for any lengthened period of refuse and excreta in privy cesspits or in cesspools, or at stables, cow-sheds, slaughterhouses, or other places in the midst of towns, must be utterly condemned; and that none of the (so-called) dry earth or pail systems or improved privies can be approved. That the sewering of towns and the draining of houses must be considered a prime necessity under all conditions and circumstances, so that the subsoil water may be lowered in wet districts, and may be preserved from pollution. That most rivers and streams are polluted by a Itarge into them of crude sewage, which practice is highly objectionable. That, so far as we have been able to ascertain, none of the existing modes of treating town sewage by deposition and by chemicals in tanks appear to effect much change befond the separation of the solids, and the clarification of the liquid. That, so far as our examinations extend, none of the manufactured manures made by manipulating town reiuse, with or without chemicals, pay the contingent costs of such modes of treatment; neither has any mode of dealing separately with excreta, so as to defray the cost of collection and preparation by a sale of the manure, been brought under our notice. That town sewage can best.and most cheaply be disposed of and purified by the process of land irrigation for agricultural purposes. That land irrigation is not practicable in all cases. That towns situate on the sea coast or on tidal estuaries may be allowed to turn rewage into the sea or estuary, below the line of low water, provided not nuisance is caused."  discharge  Highest form of benevolenee—helPing men to help themselves.