The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-12

without traps and connected IN the usual manner.
OF course, case OF gross neglect, carelessness or
Ignorance on the part or the plumber II the over
now and waste pipes were TO DC carried into tne
soil pipe, below the nam trap they should
also have been provided with traps, for otherwise
the sewer IL practically opened into the house
Though this al ranRement OF pipes IL about Is pad
as 1t could be, IL 10 Dy no means uncommon IN
another instance, when inspecting very costly
Mr.. Bayles, that an attempt had been made'to
form y stencil trap in each OF the waste pipes.
both from bath tubs and oasins but me
OF the trap, mad. in several ances, after bending
his pipe, set 1T up. at such an angle that the
water remaining in the trap would hardly I'LL the
pipe, while In other cases the bends were so long
and 50 nearly horizontal that the force OF the
water would nearly empty them and leave pas
sage for air above it. In most cases OF defective
trap arrangements which have come under my
sS Sa II Is GSt Just 70 say h mat line s1s nay
properly placed, the traps set up wrong or the
WORK IN some way ''botchedn In putting it
together. This SHOWS the danger OF intrust-
ing plumbing work to incompetent ignorant or
careless wOrxmen, when any connection Is to DE
house. Fortunately for many sO-called practical
plumbers but unfortunately for the public health,
work for which they pay Is done properly or NOT
especially when 1t IS go placed as 10 be difficult OF
tected, ana the cause OF It's prest nee Is unknown
1t wound, in every case, he judiciOus economy TO
employ an expert TO discover and remedy the de.
THE CELLARS IN MANY HOUSES
In New YORK, said the speaker, are Hooded with
instances in which hot arr furnaces nave been
supplied with cold afr drawn from cellars so ioul
sas they were useless ,t but coal
readny imagine the effect which the foul, damp
air from such hole, sucked up, heated and
upon the health OF those compelled to
breathe 1t. In nearly all the downtown
along our river fronts crowded with well aed
tenements rise in the tide, heavy ram or gen.
sra IN % eaKs IN se sewers ana osSr
fective Drain pines. what these cellars Hooded
WITH and what is the effect OF such flooding upon
the pubic health During the cold weather water
Is cut OF from great NUMBER OF houses The past
unusually severe winter nas kept the plumbers en-
ceptonai,v busy bnt the freezing OF service pipes
* something mat happens everv year, and In
hunoreds, and perhaps thousands, OF buildings
fltn over empty traps which are not ana cannot
be dusned Tor weeks at a time. / know OF one
Which there are PROBABLY sixty orices. Each
office is occupied by az least five people, taking
the average OF the whole building: on the
constant use and through these not drop OF
water has passed Tor about ten weeks. in
OF sanitary precautions, would not have been
carried 70 the same extent Us IN the case de-
large proportion OF the residents OF this
city were for weeks at time without water
enough to insure cleanliness OF person, much less
ABUNDANT. In many houses occupied by people In
comfortable circumstances, especially those built
In French fats, tanks to which no attention IS
gwen from one years. end TO another are the res
ervOirs from which Is drawn all the water used
for drinking ana cooking. climbed into one
OF these tanks lew days ago ana found 1t
coated on the bottom with bed OF soft,
Oozy, brown mnd, TO the depth oil nearly TWO
inches. 1t would have been deeper had the mouth
OF the service plpe been raised higher above the
bottom Tnere was no means Of clearing OUT this
tank except by partially
EMPTYING 1T THROUGH THE SERVICE PIPE,
REMOVING IN pals what remained and sponginS
out the deposit The tank was wooden box,
lined with sheet zinc and found 1t coated on the
inside with u whiLlsh scale OF considerable Lhick-
ness, composed OF the oxide and poisonous
salts OF ENC, which readily form upon the meta
when subjected to the action OF CrOtOn
water. This Is no unusual case. Whole blocks
Oh houses in the upper part OF the city are sup.
piled with water drawn from just such tanks and
II the dwelers IN mats could be induced to look
into them occasionally with light they would be
Instructed, II not entertained. call attention tO
these facts merely as showing the extent and i'm.
pOrtaDce OF rhesnp,ect which have attempted Ia
discuss so lmperlecty and which i commend to
YOUR consideration.