For example, one can recall without difficulty the conditions on the
ground at the back of the house where the kitchen sink-drain commonly
discharges. At the beginning of summer perhaps a rank growth of grass
starts up vigorously in the vicinity, and the path of the surface drain
can be traced by the heavy vegetation along the line of the drain. If
the slope of the surface away from the house is considerable, no other
effect may be noticed through the season, since the surface slope
carries away the sewage, spreading it out over the ground so that the
soil really has a chance to breathe between successive doses. But if the
ground is flat, it will be remembered that before many weeks the sewage
ceases to sink into it; the ground becomes "sewage-sick," as they say in
England, and a thick, dark-colored pool of sewage gradually forms, which
smells abominably. If a piece of hose a dozen feet long had been
attached to the end of the drain and each day shifted in position so
that no particular spot received the infiltration two days in
succession, it is probable that no such pondage of sewage would occur,
but that the mere intermittency of the application thereby secured would
permit the successful disposal of this sink waste throughout the season.
The same effect is to be noted in some cesspools where, because of the
great depth to which they are dug and because no overflow into the
surface layers of the soil is provided, the pores of the ground around
the cesspool become clogged and choked, and the cesspool becomes filled
with a thick, viscous, dark-colored, objectionable-looking, and
evil-smelling liquid.
The three principles which will avoid these conditions are, as already
stated, plenty of air, presence of bacteria normally found in the
surface layers of the soil, and intermittency of application.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account