136 REPORT— 1872. 



application upon the produce grown, and the degree of purification effected 

 n the sewage, will, it is hoped, prove valuable to sewer authorities and 

 others interested in the question of sewage-farming. Being fullj' impressed 

 ■with the importance of these investigations, the Committee has paid special 

 attention to render them as complete as possible ; but it is felt that to perfect 

 them, especially as regards the important branch relating to the effect of 

 the application of the sewage upon the crops grown, it will be necessary to 

 continue them for, at least, some months longer. This cannot, however, be 

 done unless further funds are placed at the disposal of the Committee. The 

 large number of analyses already made for the Committee, together with the 

 great expense of an assistant constantly at Breton's Farm, and the various 

 other investigations undertaken, have now nearly exhausted the Special 

 Tund contributed by the towns. In requesting its reappointment, the Com- 

 mittee begs to submit to the Council of the Association the desirability of placing 

 it in a position to complete the long and anxious inquiry intrusted to it. 



Section I. — DeoJorlzafion of Sewage and preapkatlon of Solid Matters, as 

 carried on loider the Patent of Messrs. Weare and Co. at Stol-e Union 

 Worhho^tse. 



The attention of the Committee was specially directed to this process by the 

 authorities of towns where the process had been discussed as a possible 

 means of dealing satisfactorily with sewage ; and although only in operation 

 on a small scale, the Committee felt it desirable to investigate the results, such 

 as they were, and accordingly an inspector was sent in September 1871 to 

 the Workhouse at Stoke-upon-Trent. Every facility was afforded by the 

 manager for the examination of the process, which was fairly conducted, and 

 the Governor of the Union kindjy gave the requisite particulars of the 

 administration of the establishment. 



The workhouse contains on an average 750 persons of all ages, whose 

 diet comprises meat and vegetables, puddings, rice, and soup, each on certain 

 days of the week. The supply of water tit for drinking and culinary pur- 

 poses is very small, and is obtained principally from a well pumped by a 

 steam-engine, and that for washing and scouring is taken from a pond, 

 which is chiefly supplied by rain-water from roofs. Every department of the 

 establishment is provided with water-closets, on the trough system, and they 

 are emptied every 24 hours, and closely attended to in order to prevent 

 interference by the inmates. 



The process of purification of the sewage is protected by a patent. It con- 

 sists, in the first instance, of simple filtration through coarse ashes and char- 

 coal, performed in a large tank called the Foecal Tank, which is divided into 

 two compartments, so that one may be at work while the other is being 

 cleared. These compartments are again subdivided into two chambers, one 

 large and one small. The raw sewage is brought to a small receiver and 

 from it turned, by means of sluices, into either compartment. The samples 

 of sewage taken by the Committee's inspector were obtained fi'om this 

 receiver ; the flow was ascertained to be about .5000 gallons in the 24 

 hours, being much below the capacity of the filters, which were constructed 

 for 20,000 gallons per day. Erom the large chambers of the faecal tank the 

 sewage is passed through wooden screens, containing 2 feet of charcoal, into 

 the small chambers, which contain about 5 feet 6 inches of rough charcoal, 

 through which the sewage passes to a smaller tank or well, thus completing 

 the first stage of filtration. The suspended matters are partly arrested by 



