Sewer History: Photos and Graphics

Pipes - segmental block (1)
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge image)

Segmental block pipe generally came into use in the early 1900's, and was used until the 1930's, when precast pipe (and the associated machinery and over-the-road transportation vehicles) became more readily available.

Early types had tiles made of glazed terra cotta; some were a combination of glazed clay on the interior of the pipe and concrete on the outside (structural layer), and some concrete all the way through. Some types had the pipe wall comprised of two separate but interlocking layers of tile, the interior one smooth (against which the sewage flowed) and the outside one hollow-cored (the structural layer). The two interlocked (tongue and groove) -- often slid together with a coating of cement grout. In the later years of its use, the two separate layers of the walls were often fabricated as one tile piece ... i.e., much heavier; but the pipe went together faster, with less grout and fewer resulting joints to worry about.

Reputedly, this was a strong pipe once it was together in the trench. However, when it ages and fails, large portions of the wall may fall in (not just one tile). This type of pipe (for ID's of 36" thru 108") bridged the time gap between brick sewers (very labor intensive) and the coming of pre-cast concrete pipe. Segmental block pipe was easier and quicker to put together than multi-layered brick-walled sewers, but couldn't compete with the larger diameter pre-cast concrete pipe that came along in the 1930's. Individual pieces of the clay tile (especially when the two layers were later cast together) were quite heavy to handle .. often weighing 65 to 70 lbs each.


	This pipe was exposed circa 2005 at Adair Park at Catherine Street in southwest Atlanta, Georgia, and may date from about 1900. The pipe is 60" in diameter. The pipe is composed of clay tile with a hollow core. Each tile segment is about 30" long by 12" wide. Source: Pete Stump, Atlanta, Georgia.
	Service connections for segment block construction - section of Amco single-tile sewer and T-branch, circa 1916. Source: J. F. Springer, "Segmental Block Sewers," Municipal Engineering, Volume LI, No. 6 (December 1916), p. 214.
	Perspective of Natco double-tile sewer and T-branch, circa 1916. Source: J. F. Springer, "Segmental Block Sewers," Municipal Engineering, Volume LI, No. 6 (December 1916), p. 215.
	Section of Natco double-tile sewer and y-branch, circa 1916. Source: J. F. Springer, "Segmental Block Sewers," Municipal Engineering, Volume LI, No. 6 (December 1916), p. 215.
	A 45-inch segmental block drain under construction at Gibson City, Ill., circa 1916. Source: J. F. Springer, "Segmental Block Sewers," Municipal Engineering, Volume LI, No. 6 (December 1916), p. 216.
	A 48-inch segmental block sewer under construction in Wausau, Wisconsin, circa 1916. Blocks were made of either clay or concrete. Sometimes the exterior ring blocks were of concrete, while the interior ring blocks (that came in contact with the sewage) were made of clay. Source: J. F. Springer, "Segmental Block Sewer," Municipal Engineering, Volume LI, No. 6 (December 1916), p. 216.
	Segmental block sewer. Source: Harold E. Babbitt, Sewerage and Sewage Treatment, 6th edition (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1949), p. 225.
The Parmley System of Segmental Pipe Construction
	The Parmley System was a comprehensive system of reinforced concrete constructions (monolithic, segmental, and unit pipes). The first patent for the system was issued in 1902. This catalog features segmental pipe construction, which Parmley believed was one of the most efficient methods by which sewers and pipe lines could be built. This illustration shows the solid concrete walls with steel embedded in the segments as they are molded. Source: Walter C. Parmley, The Parmley System of Arch Construction: Catalogue E, Segmental Concrete, Plain and Reinforced (New York, NY: Walter C. Parmley, 1927), p. 11.
	Another illustration of segmental construction. Source: Walter C. Parmley, The Parmley System of Arch Construction: Catalogue E, Segmental Concrete, Plain and Reinforced (New York, NY: Walter C. Parmley, 1927), p. 12.
	Parmley patented concrete block machine. Source: Walter C. Parmley, The Parmley System of Arch Construction: Catalogue E, S egmental Concrete, Plain and Reinforced (New York, NY: Walter C. Parmley, 1927), p. 18.