In Allegheny City (now part of Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania, the 1880 US
Census reported 138,087 feet of brick and tile sewers.  Allegheny City had
a core comprised of four wards and nine outlying wards reaching into the
Allegheny River valley uplands.  Most of the peripheral population lived
hollows along Allegheny River tributaries flowing with human wastes and
light industrial wastes from butcher shops and tanneries.  The smells from
one run -- originally named Saw Mill Run and by 1850 known locally as
"Butcher's Run" -- were such a nuisance that one Pittsburgh newspaper
dubbed it the "Valley of Perfumes."  According to the 1880 census report,
 
Liquid household wastes -- The wastes from chambers and kitchen and laundry
wastes are disposed of alike, most of them running into the public sewers.
 In streets where there are no sewers, the wastes are often run into the
street-gutters.  Only a small proportion is run into cesspools, which are
nominally water-tight, but unprovided with overflows.  In many cases they
receive the wastes from water closets.  They are by law to be cleaned by
persons licensed by the committee on health, but in practice unlicensed
persons often clean them.
 
Human excreta -- No data could be obtained by the city authorities in
regard to the relative number of houses depending on water-closets and on
privy vaults.  The ordinances of the city provide that no privy-vault shall
be made within 40-feet of any street, dwelling, shop or well, unless it be
water tight and at least 6 feet deep.  The contents can be removed only by
persons licensed for the purpose by the health officer, but this official
complains that the ordinance to this effect is neglected and not enforced.
 They must be disposed of in such way as the health officer may approve.
 The practice is to dump the night-soil in the river below the city.  None
is allowed to be used as manure on land within the gathering-ground of the
public water supply. [US Census Report on the Social Statistics of Cities
1886:739]
 
 
David S. Rotenstein, Ph.D.
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