Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-11-25

prepared statement OF The relative use OF
water by differeu: classes OF closets, sub
Cochituate water board will be found 20 con-
tain information ut once interesting and val
uable and at the same time equally applica-
Die to this District as TO Boston.
HOPPER WATER CLOSETS.
January list. 1914. there were 3,i37 Of the
different style OF these choppers located
within the premises of water takers. They
are found in all classes of houses; in the best
ones they are usually situated in the area
under the sidewalk or in back premises, ex-
posed TO frost. for the use of servants. The
crank, whereupon the water runs until
turned Off; and this turning off is precisely
what is omitted, because, totally unlike the
pan closet which must of necessity close
when the hand is removed-the water in the
chopper" flows on until the specific operation
of turning the crank again is performed,
which Is very apt to be inadvertently negli-
gently or wilfully left undone.
sELF-ACTING WATER CLOSETS.
Under this head are 300 selfacting closets;
that is to say by opening door or seat pres
sure. These allow flow of water only when
IN use, consequently the liability of these
being left open is less than with the plain
chopper" but they require a much larger
quantity OF water than either the pan or self
acting closet. For instance. a family OF
seven, each one using the self-acting closet
five minutes q day, the 200 closets call for
:6,515 gallons daily; while the same service
by pan or self closing closets would call for
but 5,S2 gallons, or saving in favor of the
pan or self-closing' of J01Z3 gallons per
day"
The manifest economy of the pan or self
closing closet over the hopper" is still more
forclDly shown from cases which the intro
duciion OF meter measurement has enabled
the department to set forth accurately, and
which are cited i'm the report.
The result of the five cases shows in thir
teen closets alone a total saving of 3, 2i9, 49,
gallons year. or a daily saving of 6sj gal
Ions for each closet at the same time afford
1Tg all the needed service. In these ease
meters We're attached and the water is doubt
less shut of at night, showing in part that the
great waste was in the working hours of the
day. But for the meter which compels the con-
sumner to pay for the water wasted as well as
used the estimate of loss above given would
be moro than doubled
Note.-The closets termed hopper in the
above which are identical with the several
valve closets" used in this District which
the supply is controlled by a crank or wheel,
in other words closets which will flow con-
tinually unless the supply is shut Off by a
crank or wheel.
CENSUS OF WATER TAKERS.
Attention is particularly invited to a table
which IL the result OF thorough canvass of
the city, and personal visit and Inspection
OF each house taking Potomac water by the
assistant inspectors. The table shows that
i,E0 squares were examined aud II ,964 houses
inspected.
CENSUS OF HOUSES
In my last annual report i embraced q
complete census of the houses in the cities of
Washington and Georgetown. as follows:
Brick. Frame. T0ta!
V washington g eity...19,9a 12,i;! 233,l2i
Total. .....f1.995 1928 25,2SS
This year the census of houses was not
taken, but adding the number of houses
erected during the past year will give an alb
solutely correct census OF houses III the Dis
triet: a fact worthy of mention at this point
Is that most of the Old dwellings owners have
been compelled to introduce water or allow
their property TO remain idle. This is the
universal admission of those whOown houses
OF any pretensiOns. and proves that tenants
are not willing TO foregO The water privilege,
even at the expense OF raging additional
rent.
RECOMMENDATIONS 10 pEryENT WASTE.
As further TrecaltiOn ID prevent waste in
private residences recommend that more
stringent rules than have vet been adopted
in regard to the class Of fixtures 90 be used,
and the persons to whom it is intrusted
should be adopted. To secure this end sug-
gest the following. Us a. Ike just TO the water
department, the plumbers and the con
list. Before any plumb shall perform any
service IN building Vaere Potomac water
is used, he shall DE duly Licensed; shall be a
citizen of the United : .ales, p years OF age
shall have permanent place of business in
The DIstrict.of COlumJia, shall furnish, salts
factory certificates from IyO licensed plumb
ers OF his practical ins lCIction in the bust
ness; shall give bond for faithful work.
shall make no alterations or additions TO the
fixtures OF any premises without notice to or
monthly returns Of wOrl- lone by him calcU-
lated to increase or decI-.-Se the water rate of
premises ard of all work pat into newly
erected premises, a.d tine wafer shall not he
turned on until all The fixtures, pipes. &C.
have been examined and tested 10 the salts
faction OF the water Il purjmcnt.
2d. No class of fixtures shall be in use or
no material or work furnished except such
as is approved by the water department.
Sd. Running closets and urinals will not be
hereafter introduced, and those air ,ady in
- E.sts .T,S.Ng y -
4th Potomac water used IN hotels, restau-
rants. dye houses, breveries, livery stables,
&C., shall be charged by meter measure
lnents.
The subject Of meter for the supply Of large
cities is still attractiu the careful cUnsidera-
ton of the water autl 90 ties ard civil eGei-
neers of all countrieS. IN Liverpool. Eng
land, where each house Is supplied w tn wa
ter, as is shown by recent report of the ''Bo-
rough and Water Engineer" after ~ series OF
experiments to preveE, the waste of water
the authorities finally decided upon what is
known as the intermittent supply" In
other words. during certa Il hours of the night
the supply was drawn OF from all the mains,
thus leaving the inhabitants only such water
as they had stored In their cislerns during
the day. This effected q considerable saving
but the system was so Objectionable TO the
water takers that in order 10 prevent the will
full waste and still have q constant supply,
an automatic contrivauce known as the
"waSte water meter was adopted. This in
- 10 l1e mann. re-
cords the time and rate Of flow through IL,
after the manner In which an indicator dia-
gram records space and pressure. II requires
not only the change of velocity induced by
the closing OF any stOp-cOCk during the night
but the time AT which the men begun and
ceased To work. The city is divided into
120 waste-water district, the largest of which
contains 4,271 inhabitants, the average being
2,551. The meter is fixed in Il central position,
and the ordinary Intermittent supply of wa
ter has been ascertained. The District is
placed under constant service through the
meter, for from a TO IS hours. The number
OF residents or taker, is then ascertained and
stOp-cocks attached 10 the service pipes OF all
premises. The diagrams both for constant
and Intermittent service are worked out and
entered upon q suitable book. A corps OF
night inspectors are furnished with copies of
said diagrams, and commencing NJ IL ID. M
begin their inspection. They subject each
stop-cock on The sidewalk to a test, to ascer-