CESS-PITS.

Shannon News, 12 April 1927, Page 3

CESS-PITS.

(To the Editor.) Sir--Kindly permit me to say a few words, re cesspits. I have observed that these pits are, in some cases, dug with straight, flat sides and ends. This is a very wrong way of doing them, because it is the weakest form for them. The ground around Shannon and elsewhere is a sedimentary deposit from the mountains, and very free to move about when even slight earthquakes are roaming the land. Indeed it may well be said that the ground is never " still. This, and the more so is to be said, makes flat-sided pits, unless specially protected, the worst form for sueh things. The natural sequence is there- . fore that such fiat sides of pits, bulge, more or lo?.s, to the pressure of such earthquakes, large or small, the result being that portions of their sides and end flats, drop into the pit and being soft stuff, form mud at the bottom and choke up, what percolation there may be in the gravel, to which the pit should be sunk. In time this processcontinues until the seepage is blocked and the pit fills up. This is augmented by surface water draining thereinto. Overflows take place, ard if dwellings are in the line of this overflow, serious consequences must, sooner or later, and take place in sickness and perhaps death. Now this kind of cesspit should never be allowed," but it is done. Town Councillors should awake to these things and prevent them for they owe a duty to the townspeople to preventsickness, etc., of this kind which is otherwise preventable. I was born in a two-storey dwelling that was built, over an old cess-pit, the result being Jhat sickness was never out of pur home (eight of us) and death also. This old cess pit was afterwards filled up to the raquirements of medical science, and our family quickly removed to x a more healthful locality. Now, all such cesspits should be dug circular and well brick-lined to proteet these sides from such injury as I have mentioned. All drain pipes should have a quick fall thereinto. And the Town Council should enforce this most necessary injunction.—l-am, etc., PROFESSIONAL MAN.