American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-11-08
The Kitchen Pump.

EVERY kitchen should contain a good
pump and sink, with the necessary drain
age for carrying off the surplus water. In
point of convenience and usefulness, it
ranks next to the cook stove; and it ought
always to be provided when it can be done
without mourning too much trouble and
expense. In some sections, a continuous
fountain of pure water may be easily OBJ
tanned by conducting it TO the house in
pipes from more elevated spring; but
there are few localities in which the pres
ent system of driving wells will not afford
an abundant water supply, with little ex-
pense. Convenience is not the only argu-
ment in favor of the kitchen pump. 1t is
almost always at the risk of health that a
woman passes from the super-heated at
mosphere of the kitchen into the open
air, to obtain this indispensable article of
domestic use. We cannot estimate the
number of premature deaths whose origin
is traceable to causes of this kind; but if
we could, its magnitude might perhaps
appall us.
Unless some obstruction is met with, it
seldom requires more than half a day to
drive down tube, attach a pump, and
pump out the water until it comes clear !;
and it may be driven in the kitchen al
most as easily as anywhere else. If a Gel
lar intervenes between the floor and the
ground, it makes no difference, except
that the tube does not require so much
driving. Cast-iron sinks may be OBJ
tanned at most hardware houses,
and are preferable to wooden ones,
as they do not leak, are more easily
cleaned, and are always free from odor.
Unless the drainage from a pump of this
kind is properly accomplished, it is some
times a source of great annoyance. If the
water is allowed to flow from the sink ont
upon the surface of the ground, it too
often forms source of ill-health in sum-
mer, and of danger in winter. Even when
it is conducted in pipes into underground
cisterns, unless the arrangement is cor
rect, nauseous Odors may return from the
cess-pool to contaminate the air of the
kitchen, or the pipes may freeze up in
| winter either of which is very great an
noyance. The cistern should always be
| of sufficient depth to reach through the
| impervious subsOil, and allow the water
to soak away, and should be securely Gov
| cred over with flagstone or plank, some
| distance below the surface of the ground
The water should all enter the cistern by
one pipe, or circulation will be pro
| duced which will drive the noisome gases
| from their subterranean prison. The pipes
which are probably best made of .earthen
should be not less than three inches II
diameter, and should extend from the cen
tire to a point directly beneath the outlet
of the sink. Here it should turn perpen
dicularly upwards until it reaches within
a few inches of the bottom of the sink
The water should pass into the earther
pipe through a small tube an inch in
diameter, which should extend downward
in the centre of the large tube a few
inches. Thus arranged it cannot freeze
up, because the water does not touch the
earthen tube until it is below the surface
of the ground. OF course this pipe SHOULD
be laid sufficiently deep to be out of thu
way of the frost, and should have sufficien
| fall so that no water will remain in it. l
is probable that small sum of money
could not be more wisely expended thar
in thus providing in the kitchen con
venient access to a fountain of pure waite
for drinking and domestic purposes
| Country Gentleman.