Places Philadelphia

Sewer crawler Clarence Baskerville checks tunnel for leaks. He has faced the dangers of working in sewers for past three years, 1971

Inspector looking for problems in sewer

General view of sewer looking up manhole as other Water Dept. personnel look down.

Sewer crawler Tom Cross, heading down the manhole at 26th and Grays Ferry, 1982

Joe Cerrone, Inspector, Industrial Waste Unit, PWD, enters storm drain to search for source of oil spill, 1989

Sewer worker Anthony Holston enters sewer, 1990

Black and white photo of a worker with darker skin, wearing protective clothing, gloves, and a hard hat with the number 25 on the front, reaching up out of a sewer manhole, only head, shoulders, and left arm visible.

Manholes like this give access to city’s sewer system, 1961

Black and white photo of a worker with darker skin, wearing protective clothing, gloves, and a hard hat with the number 25 on the front, reaching up out of a sewer manhole, only head, shoulders, and left arm visible.

Sewer Inspections: Vintage Images

Bill for Privy Cleaning, 1869

Philadelphia Underground, Jan. 29, 1961

“Philadelphia Underground,” Jan. 29, 1961

30th Street Sewer

30th Street Sewer

Upper Roxborough filter beds

Upper Roxborough filter beds under construction, July 1902