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CINCINNATI COMMITTEE ON
  SEWAGE AND DRAINAGE

     REPORT
      I860 
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
        Bethesda, Maryland
 
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SEWERS & DRAINAGE
PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL,
JULY 11th, 1*60.
      CINCINNATI:
      "> Ca».»., iVty *j) $<*er4 y A Pr^a,
GAZETTE CO. PI'.IST, CORNER OF FOURTH AND \rINE STREETS.

          1860. 
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             REPORT
                         0 N

SEWERS  AND  DRAINAGE,
 TO THE HONORABLE CITY  COUNCIL:

   Gentlemen:  The undersigned, one of your Committee on
 Sewerage and Drainage, having recently had occasion to
 visit several of the Eastern cities, and being desirous of ob-
 taining correct opinions in regard to the seAverage and drain-
 age of those cities, prevailed upon our City Civil  Engineer,
 Mr. Gilbert, to accompany him, and aid by his professional
 experience and knoAvledge in the inquiries he might  he able
 to  make.   We Avere  accompanied  also by his Honor, the
 Mayor, and together made it our business during  the  short
 time that Mr. Gilbert could remain Avith us, to devote our
 attention almost exclusively to  the  subject of seAverage in
 Philadelphia, NeAV York, and Brooklyn.  And here, I take
 pleasure  in saying that, though clothed  Avith  no special
 authority  by our Council, and  visiting only  as  citizens of
 Cincinnati, Ave were given  every facility by  the  municipal
 authorities of those cities for the examination of the subject
 of our  visit, Avith great cheerfulness and in the spirit of the
 most enlarged liberality.  Believing  this subject to be  one
 of great importance to our city, I feel it my  duty to  state
in as brief a manner as possible, the  facts elicited by our in- 
4
vestigations, only premising this much, that the more I have
examined the matter the more I am convinced that  the ques-
tion of City Sewerage is one of the  most important  Avhich
claims the attentive consideration of the municipal authori-
ties of our large cities.
                    PHILADELPHIA.

   First, in  regard to Philadelphia.  We find  that previous
 to the consolidation  of the city, Avhich  took place in 1854,
 no plan for  general  drainage had been arranged, but seAvers
 ay ere built Avith a view to the then present Avants of the city;
 and  since the consolidation, the endeavor has been to adapt
 former Avorks to something like a system, and  arrange new
 works to meet the wants of the future as Avell as the present.
 The system which the experience of Europe has  demonstra-
 ted as the best, by brick sewers  for the mains,  and glazed
 stoneAvare pipes for the lateral drains, is the one  noAV bein"
 gradually introduced by the Chief Engineer of the  City of
 Philadelphia, Mr.  Kneads.  A large main  seAver of  brick,
 ten feet in diameter, was in progress of building at the time
 of our visit. This is intended as a main for  a  very larce
 area of 1,959 acres, and  is upAvard of one mile in  length,
 with a fall of only -37-100 of a foot in each 100  feet.  The
 smaller sewers, for the drainage of lateral streets, and tribu-
 tary to the mains,  are glazed stoneAvare pipe, one  foot in
 diameter—a glazed pipe of eighteen inches diameter being
 considered by Mr. Kneass, A\ho has charge and arrangement
 of all seAvers, as equal in capacity to a  brick seAver of three
 feet interior diameter.
  In all cases where sewers are built,  the  property  owners
on each side of the street are taxed  seventy-five cents per
front foot to pay for the same, whether the seAver be large or
small.   An annual rental also of from one dollar to ten dol-
lars is charged parties using the drains and  sewer. 
'•)
   Since the  consolidation of the city it has been divided in-
to  twehre  districts,  in each of which  is elected a city sur-
veyor.   These twelve surveyors  together with the Chief En-
gineer, constitute a Board someAvhat similar to  our Board of
City Improvements,  to Avhom is referred all  petitions  in re-
gard to sewers and improvements,  and each surveyor  in his
respective district superintends the  construction of these
works and certifies the same to the Chief Engineer.   Private
parties frequently build drains in the streets at their OAvn ex-
pense,  subject in their  construction,  location,  size, <tc, to
the approval of the Board.  We found all the inlets answer-
ing somewhat to our well holes at the intersection of  the
streets, trapped to prevent the escape into the streets of foul
gas, and also to prevent rubbish and filth from streets enter-
ing the sewer, each inlet having  Avhat is termed a " catch-ba-
sin " to secure the rubbish and  washings of the street,  and
which,  when filled, is cleaned out by the street scavengers.
The inlets noAV used in Philadelphia arc formed of cast iron,
and are considered a very perfect arrangement and complete
success.  All matters of  a fluid or semi-fluid character are
passed  into these sewers and drains;  and Mr. Kneass is urg-
ing strongly upon the City Councils the propriety of taking
steps immediately to  prohibit the use of cesspools in the built
up portions of the city altogether.
   The  total length of sewers  noAV  built  and  in operation
in Philadelphia, is estimated  at  something over  three hun-
dred miles.

                       NEW YORK.

   This  city has at present some four hundred  and ninety
miles of sewers laid,  but not according to any well arranged
system.  Sewers are  built as petitioned for, and  the authori-
ties  having charge of this  branch of  improvement adapt
them as best  they  can to the  works heretofore built.    They
are generally laid throughout the city, hoAvevcr,  but the seAv-
erage is not as complete as that of Philadelphia and  Brook- 
G
lyn.  The sewers are mostly of brick, oviform in sliape, and
they have been constructed frequently Avithout reference to
the future demands and Avants of the population.  Every ef-
fort is hoav being made, however, to remedy this defect.
   The cost of building the seAvers is borne by the property
adjacent,  the city paying the contractor, and then collecting
the amount from  the  property oAvner.  Nevertheless a dis-
cretionary poAver is given the authorities  having the  matter
in charge, as to Avhether the Avhole cost of the Avork shall be
assessed upon the property.  In  some cases the city pays a
proportionate expense, as may be determined by the officer.


                      BPtOOKLYN.

   The city of Brooklyn is  situated someAvhat similar to our
own in regard to having a good elevation  for  drainage,  and
with a population of about 250,000, approximates more near-
ly our OAvn city than any of the others.
   The city authorities  have adopted for Brooklyn a complete
system of underground drainage for the Avhole city, and  cal-
culated for all  extensions Avhich  the growth of the city
will demand.  This system is  the result of the combined ex-
perience of several of the  most accomplished  engineers of
the cities  of Ncav York and Brooklyn, aided by  the expe-
rience derived from European  cities, and is probably as per-
fect as can be obtained at the present time.  This system
consists of brick seAvers for the mains and glazed stoneAvare
pipe for the lateral drains.   The largest sized main is a  cir-
cular  seAver of six feet  interior diameter, Avhich  is calculated
to drain about 3,000 acres of toAvn area, and has a fall of but
two feet per  mile, and is about two  miles in  length.  The
smaller brick seAvers are  egg-shaped, and the lateral  drains
glazed stoneAvare pipe  tAvelve and fifteen inches in diameter;
the connections with houses, <fcc, six-inch  pipe.
   The work is done under  the direction of a Board of Sew-
erage Commissioners,  Avho  were  organized  under an act of 
t
the Legislature empoAvering  them  " to devise  and form a
plan of drainage and seAverage of the Avhole city upon a reg-
ular system, for the purpose of thoroughly  draining and car-
rying off the water and filth proper to be carried off by seAv-
ers, for the health and convenience of the inhabitants of said
city."   The Board are authorized to borroAV such sums from
time to time to meet  the cash outlay in the construction  of
the seAvers. (in anticipation of the collection of assessments).
not to exceed five  hundred thousand  dollars outstanding at
any one time, upon bonds  issued by the  city, and bearing in-
terest not to exceed six per cent, per annum, and payable in
not more than three years.
   The  Board of Sewer Commissioners  are required by the
act " to lay out the Avhole city into seAver districts ;  each dis-
trict to consist  of  a main  or principal seAver, having its out-
let in the river or bay ; and all branches of such main  seAver
and the collateral or  inferior  seAvers running  into the main
seAver ; and said district shall be so arranged as to be inde-
pendent of each other, as  far as may be."  The seAvers, Avhen
constructed, are paid for by assessment upon all  the property
in the district so drained ;  a percentage for collection  being
added to the assessment on the cost of constructing the seAv-
ers.   Brooklyn has noAV  betAveen seventy  and  eighty mile*
of sewers, built under the direction of this Board Avithin the
last tAVO years, and in accordance with the plan adopted.  In
these  cities, Philadelphia,  New York and Brooklyn, the  city is
responsible only for the main and lateral seAvers laid doAvn in
the streets, the  connections Avith houses, &c. being put in at
the expense  of the property OAvners, Avho are alone  held re-
sponsible for their efficient action.
   It may be thought, after these investigations, I should sug-
gest some  action on my OAvn part, but this  I do not now pro-
pose to do Avithout further consultation  with the other mem-
bers of the Committee and the City Civil Engineer, further
than to urge the recommendation made by the present City
Civil  Engineer, in his report upon the  subject of Sewerage.
made  to the Council in March,  1852, viz:   " The adoption 
8
of some  plan for the proper and complete  sewering of the
city, which  shall be simple in general  principle,  uniform in
its detail, and  thorough and efficient as its action ;  such a
jdan as we can  Avork by and  conform to, and will meet  our
wants in our present state, which may groAV  Avith our growth,
n-.nd  Avhich  can be completed at any time hereafter, as the
necessities of the city may require, and which, when finished,
will present  a uniform system of complete drainage." What
this  plan shall be, and Iioav obtained, is a matter for serious
consideration, and your Committee will endeavor to take such
steps*as  Avill lead to some action in regard to it at as early a
dav as possible.   In the mean time, avc purpose to build seAv-
ers  on A'ine and Walnut streets immediately,  the plan and
specifications of Avhich have been prepared by the City Civil
Engineer, and approved by your Committee.   Advertise-
ment proposals for their construction  will be issued  by the
Hoard of City Improvements at once.
                  Respectfully submitted,
                               HENRY MACK,
                  Chairman Com. on Scvcrage and Drainage. 
 
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