Tags
Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY, sewage, water, water history
From Calvin Hendricks, Engineer, to the Mayor:
“It all comes down to the fact that we are getting nearer to the laws of God than ever before, which laws man cannot improve on, but can only strive to follow. For instance: The pumps lifting the sewage from the low level to the Outfall Sewer, is the sun drawing the salt water from the sea to the cloud; the flow of the sewage through the Outfall Sewer to the Disposal Plant, is the cloud drifting through the air; the spraying of the sewage over the stone beds, is the rain falling from the cloud to the earth; the trickling of the sewage down through the stones is the rain sinking into the earth; the purified sewage coming out into the settling basins, is the spring water bubbling out of the ground, and the electric light produced by the flow of the sewage is the sunshine after the clouds have passed.”
The sewers completed and under contract, about 160 miles, if placed end to end, would almost reach from Baltimore to New York, and a portion of them are large enough to drive through in automobiles. I feel safe in stating that the entire built-up portion of the City will be completely sewered and in operation in 1914, the time originally stated, provided we are allowed to continue in the rapid manner in which we have so far prosecuted the work.
Water and Me 
The history of big city sewerage projects always fascinates me because of they way they so often lagged the growth of the city. This was especially true on the 19th century frontier around the Pacific rim. But also seems to have happened in older areas. The Bazalgette project in London is a case in point.
I have just started my research on Baltimore’s sewers after about ten years of researching the water supply, so I am kind of new to how other countries have dealt with it. I do have some photos of French and German sewerage works. From the early Annual Reports (Prior to starting construction) the engineers did travel to London to look at the works there.