SEWERAGE SYSTEM OF MEMPHIS. 633 
I do not know anything of immediate importance to Kansas City that would 
pay so large a return to her people at the little expense this would be. — Cor. 
Kansas City Journal. 
SEWERAGE SYSTEM OF MEMPHIS. 
Since the adoption of the Waring system of sewerage, the City of Memphis 
is one of the best drained cities in the United States. From the reports and 
exhibits of Maj. Niles Meriwether, engineer in charge of sewers, we gather the 
following interesting information ; 
The city occupies the summits and slopes on both sides of a valley, which 
is drained by a stream known as Bayou Gayoso. The main sewers are located 
on each side of the bayou, and as near to it as found practicable. There are 
altogether about thirty-eight and six-tenths miles of sewers, of which four miles 
are mains, located along the bayou, and discharging into the river by one outlet; 
the remainder are laterals, draining into these mains, except about four and one- 
tenth miles of sewers constructed before the present system was adopted, and 
discharging into the Mississippi by other outlets. The mains are ten, twelve, 
fifteen and twenty inches in diameter. Of the laterals, about 85 per cent are six 
inches in diameter, and the remainder eight inches, except a few short lengths, 
which are fen inches. The mains, for the most part, are laid with a grade of 
two inches in 100 feet, which is the minimum. The minimum grade of the six- 
inch laterals is six inches in 100 feet. At the upper end of each lateral is located 
one of Rogers-Fields' automatic flush tanks, which discharges one hundred and 
twelve gallons in about forty seconds. This tank discharges its contents as often as 
it filled, but it is considered that once in twenty-four hours is sufficient. The sys- 
tem is with manholes freely distributed on the mains. No surface or roof-water 
is permitted to enter the sewers, the system being designed and proportioned for 
house sewerage only. The house drains are all four inches in diameter, and no 
trap is permitted on the main drain, each fixture being provided with a separate 
trap. The soil pipes are of cast-iron with lead joints above the ground, and 
extend four inches in diameter above the roof. Each house drain is consequently 
a ventilator for the public sewer. For the purpose of removing the subsoil 
water, agricultural drain tiles are laid in the trench with each lateral on the 
grade of the sewer, or below it, which discharge, not into the sewers, but into 
the bayou. Additional lines of tile have been laid in the streets in which no 
sewer is located. A large portion of the trenching was done by contract, but 
the pipes were laid by hired labor. The prices paid for excavating and brick 
filling were : 
Trenches 6}^ feet deep, 25c; 6^ to 9 feet, 30c; 9 to 12 feet, 45c; 12 to 15 
feet, 75c, per lineal foot. The pipe laying, including laying drain tile in the 
same trench, also the cost of the cement, sand, oakum and tile paper is estimated 
at seven and six-tenths cents per foot. The flush tanks cost, completed, about 
$45 each, including $10 royalty. The six inch pipes, although draining houses 
