[MassHistPres] Using 19th-century cistern as a source of water for gardening

[Sullivan, Charles M.]

The cesspit or cesspool is another commonly found underground structure, and it may be possible to confuse one with a cistern for drinking water. Cesspits are drywells used for disposal of liquid waste; they can be round or square, lined with brick or stone, topped by a stone cover, and accessed by a manhole. Unlike a privy pit, which would be directly underneath the facility, the cesspool would be out in the yard and away from the house. As best I can figure, they were an intermediate solution to the problem posed by the need to dispose of piped water, before the introduction of sewers. Early ones at least functioned like a septic system's distribution box and leaching field combined; liquid dispersed into the soil, while solids remained and had to be dug out periodically by nightsoil men, who sold the material to farmers.

In Cambridge, piped water was introduced apparently universally after 1852, while sewers were not universal until the 1890s, leaving a large range of buildings where cesspits might be found. By 1880 (at least) cesspits and privy vaults were regulated by the city, which licensed nightsoil collectors (who could not be on the streets between 4AM and 9 PM). Privy vaults had to contain at least 80 cubic feet and be "made tight, so that the contents cannot escape therefrom" (although it's hard to believe that liquids were not mean to escape) and placed at least two feet from any public way. The ones I've seen have had a large vitreous pipe coming from the direction of the house; perhaps this is a way of distinguishing a cesspit from a cistern used for drinking water. These structures have been known to collapse, and should be filled or otherwise made secure.

Check out the entry in Wikipedia, which quotes H.L. Mencken to the effect that Baltimore in the 1880s smelled "like a billion polecats<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk>" before the introduction of sewers.
________________________________
Charles M. Sullivan, Executive Director
Cambridge Historical Commission
831 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Mass.  02139
617 349-4684 voice, 349-3116 fax


On Jan 31, 2010, at 8:09 AM, Ermmwwt at aol.com<mailto:Ermmwwt at aol.com> wrote:


Can anyone suggest a consultant in evaluating how an old cistern may be cleaned out and turned into a source for water gardening?  Our local drainage company suggested they could find a kid to get down into the cistern to clean it out.  I am hoping by "kid" they meant someone who is of working age but small for his age.  Still the horror of standing in 4 feet of water filled with roots and other debris (which has been pretty stagnant for recorded memory) prevents me from agreeing to this suggestion as the first choice.  In addition to cleaning we need to find an appropriate pumping mechanism.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Earl Taylor
Dorchester Historical Society
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