56 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



worth, Kansas, to investigate some septic tanks that the Govern- 

 ment had installed there at their Army Post, the City of Elgin 

 being right up to the point where they are investigating ways and 

 means of disposing of the city sewerage. Septic tanks were 

 recommended and before going to investigate any we found out 

 that the Government Army Post had one at Ft. Leavenworth, 

 and as you know the Government is very careful before it 

 pays for an article to see that it comes up to specifications and 

 that it actually does what it was guaranteed to do. We were 

 told that an army engineer had watched the operation of these 

 tanks at this place for a year and that the Government waited 

 until they had his reports for a year before they accepted and 

 paid for the tanks. Upon arrival at Ft. Leavenworth, we were 

 taken to the barracks where the soldiers were quartered and they 

 keep several thousand here. From the barracks, we were taken 

 to the sewerage disposal plant which is the Septic Tank System. 

 First we were shown a reservoir all tightly enclosed into which 

 flowed all the sewerage from these barracks. Then we were 

 taken outside and shown where the septic beds were. There are 

 six of these beds in three pairs. The first two pairs are covered 

 — neither sunlight or air getting into the sewerage. The theory 

 being, as I understand it, that in the absence of air and sunlight, 

 the bacteria which are very prevalent in this filth increases 

 amazingly and that they devour this stuff. There is a certain 

 amount of filtration in the bottom of these beds and a certain 

 amount of oxidation. The stuff then goes to the second pair of 

 tanks which are also covered over, and into which no sunlight 

 or air can penetrate. Here the bacteria further consumes this 

 stuff and the further settling and oxidizing goes on. It then 

 flows on into the third pair of tanks which have openings in the 

 surface to admit sunlight and air, or daylight and air, the theory 

 being, as it was explained to me,, that the daylight and air de- 

 stroy this bacteria, which have in turn aided in destroying the 

 filth. From this third pair of tanks, the water at this particu- 

 lar place flowed on out into a creek that ran along the edge of 

 the ground, and I am here to tell you that I saw this water, 

 scooped some of it up in my hands and smelled of it, and it was 



