ABSTRACTS FROM THE PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS OF THE NEW JERSEY SANITARY ASSOCIATION.

BY D. C. ENGLISH, M.D.

NEW JERSEY SANITARY ASSOCIATION-SESSION OF 1884.

The tenth annual meeting of the New Jersey Sanitary Association convened in the Assembly Chamber of the State House, Trenton, on Thursday, December 4th, 1884, at 3:30 o'clock P.M.

Dr. J. W. Pinkham, of Montclair, read the first paper, on "The Sub-Surface Irrigation System of Sewage Disposal, as Illustrated in New Jersey."

Dr. Pinkham referred to other names by which this system is known, as the "Waring System," "Sub-Surface Irrigation System," and "Interrupted Downward Filtration System." (See p. 60, Seventh Report.)

After describing what the system is, he points out that it is necessary for the success of the system that the ground employed should be drained, either naturally or artificially, so that absorption will take place promptly, and that there should be a flush tank discharging its contents through an automatically-acting siphon. There should be such relation between the size of this flush tank and the soakage area that the whole system of pipes will be filled at one discharge of the tank, and such relation between the whole amount of sewage to be disposed of and the soakage area employed, that the liquid from one discharge of the tank will have become absorbed by the soil into which it is distributed before a second discharge. Then the nature of the soil must be taken into consideration. A clayey soil may be too retentive, and a soil composed mostly of sand may be too loose for the perfect working of this system; but as the area required is small, it would cost but little to add sufficient sand to the former and sufficient clay to the latter to render it suitable.

After referring to the absorption of the organic matter into the soil near the surface, and the change which it undergoes in coming in contact with the air and condensed oxygen contained in the porous soil, and that thus treated the organic matter is as much destroyed as if it were burnt, and the resultant products are as harmless as the products of wood and coal, Dr. Pinkham observes:

Theoretically this system is perfect, but the question, "Will it work?" is legitimate. The best answer to this question is the answer to the question, "Has it worked?" It has been tried for several years. It is important to know, not what a system will do under skillful management, but what will it do under the somewhat negligent management which it is likely to receive. To ascertain the opinions of those who had tried this system he had addressed circulars to about sixty persons who, for various lengths of time, had employed it, asking ten pertinent questions calculated to demonstrate whether it had been successful or not. Answers are given in the paper from about fifty to these several questions.

The Doctor, in closing his paper, makes the following summary of conclusions, which he thinks fairly deducible from the testimony thus given:

1. In Orange, Montclair, Caldwell and Dunellen, N. J., Goshen, N. Y., and Bryn Mawr, Pa., this system, constructed under the superintendence of Messrs. G. P. Olcott and James C. Bayles, of Orange, and Mr. James Owen, of Montclair, has, after, in many cases, prolonged trial, proved a success.

2. The first cost for a family and house of average size is about two hundred dollars..

3. The cost of annual maintenance is about ten dollars for such a house.

4. The ground selected should be free from shade and may be either lawn or garden.

5. By means of this system all liquid sewage from the smallest dwelling-house or the largest institution may be effectually disposed of without nuisance and without peril to health.

6. This system should take the place of cesspools in all suburban and country places which have sufficient ground for the distribution of pipes.

The paper was then discussed.

George P. Olcott, C.E., of Orange, said he had this small pipe system in use at his own home. Described its use at Dunellen. When the land was flat an artificial grade is necessary of 18 inches fall, and siphons used of from 11 inches up. Had seen some cases where it worked well without siphons, by allowing the liquid to dribble from the second tank, but in winter there would be danger of freezing. The best system has two tanks-the drainage led off from the second tank by lateral pipes of glazed tile, one foot long, with joints broken so as not to come too close together. Stoppage and disarrangement of this system, owing to carelessness in the house by servants, often occurs. He had seen a croquet ball taken from the house pipes. The solid matter which settles in first tank should be taken out and carted away at least every two months. He had adopted a plan of putting in two systems of lateral drainage pipes with a switch, and instructed the family to use each system alternately for about two weeks at a time. The soil over one system dries out while the other is in use. This system can be safely recommended

J. T. Hilton, C.E., Paterson, desired to know if some plan could be found to obviate obstructions.

Mr. Olcott replied that the caps could be taken off and frequent examinations made.

Rev. William Harris, Princeton, spoke of the disposition of house sewage along the sea shore. While often sewage in the soil is harmless, when it polluted the water it became a very serious matter. Can this system be used in the light, sandy soil along the sea shore? If sewage was run backward into the creeks, they soon become polluted and sources of disease. He had thought it might do to make a soil by ramming clay under the pipes, that would so far retard the drainage that the grass might take it up and prevent its affecting the water. He thought this a most important subject, in view of the possible invasion of cholera.

Mr. J. C. Pumpelly, Morristown, believed that great expense would have to be incurred to get the filtration necessary to take up the sewage.

Dr. E. M. Hunt, Trenton, thought this system not applicable where ready access was to be had to rivers or sewers. A strong argument against its general adoption is, that while it has been prominently before the public for the last nine or ten years, it had not been accepted as a substitute, but only as a modifying suggestion in other systems. It

did well in many places, but it was not, in his opinion, a perfect substitute for other systems.

Dr. Pinkham thought that the slow-progress argument had but little weight against the evidences of decided success recited in his paper.

James Owen, C.E., believed that the whole question of disposition of sewage from isolated houses was one that required as much care and watchfulness outside the house as inside.

Mr. Olcott thought there had been considerable progress made in the introduction of this system, when the adoption of it had increased in a few years from one to sixty.

Dr. T. W. Harvey, Orange, had the system in use in connection with his laundry. When put in at first the pipes were laid on hard pan. The result was the drainage from the pipes flowed over the surface of the ground. Then more pipes were put in to increase the discharge, and the hard pan was broken up. The system now works well.

Upon motion the general subject of sewage was then taken up for discussion.

Dr. Hunt spoke of the various and widely diverse opinions in regard to the disposal of sewage at the sea shore, which was now a very important matter to an immense number of people. The ocean, while handy and inviting as a receptacle, is liable to return it by the inflow of the tide. The same objection exists against leading it into our rivers, and he believed the time was rapidly coming when some rivers so used will reach a degree of pollution which will prevent the use of their waters for any domestic purposes. He believed that chemical processes are being found out whereby sewage can be satisfactorily disposed of. A plan was now being tried, with much success, whereby the sludge was solidified and so readily removed.

Mr. Owen was much interested because he lived in a town where they were debarred from a river exit for their sewage by the necessity of not polluting the Passaic. They must have some disposition of it Some plan of solidifying at a reasona

otherwise than by the river.
ble cost seemed the most practical.

Mr. Pumpelly spoke of the trouble at Sheepshead Bay, which had been remedied by the Waring system.

Dr. Hunt was opposed to cities committing themselves to the purchase of patents. While we have engineers and chemists who are