National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-05-29
DEATH IN THE SEWERS.
The Health Officers Communication
TO Congress.
Fatal Results of Had plumbing--An Urgent
Appeal for Law to Prevent Criminal
ELECTROMAGNETIC Great Mortal
ity from Sewcr-Ghs Poisoning
Necessity for Strin-
gent Regulations.
pInmbing Rcgulntions.

Plumbing Regulations.
When the bill providing for an inspector Of
plumbing and for the execution and enforce
mcnt of regulations governing plumbing,
house.dranage, and the ventilation of house
sewers was reported to the House by the Dis.
trct Committee yesterday, Mr.. Martin Of Del.
aware. sent to the Clerks desk and had read
the following paper, presented to tho District
Committee by 1Iealth-Onccr Townshcnd;
The subject Of house drainage Is one which Of
late years has taken n fast hold upon the minds Of
Sauiiuriaus in all our principal cities and the ne.
Cc,sV for an inspection OF all plumbing work, as
provided for in t9is hill rs witnessed 10y ne iaGt
that at the present time efforts are being made both
in the General Assembly Of New York and the city
council Of Baltimore 10 get legislation covering the
subject
There Is no class Of work attendant upon the
building of structure intended for Use ms hui
man hubimton which needs such carclul super,
vision IN the interest Of the health and lives Of
those who may occupy taitcrward rs docs thcWork
Of the plumber No iuct rests upon a broader ana
more substantial basis of truth than that the gas.
oous cmanatons from dccomposing sewage, com.
monty called scwcrgaS, arc fruitful source OF
Whatever tho agency by which It works we know
that 1t comes with the power and potency Of DEATH.
| Escaping into the free atmosphere, its deadly power
is quickly destroyed by the oxidation OF It's organic
pofsous hut when 1t miuglCs with the confined air
| of our uuycntilatcd living ana sleeping rooms 1t
rclans.lt deadly power long enough to do It's work
Dr. Mnpothcn Of Dublin, an ointment authority,
| states That there occuranuuHlIy IN England lloVOo
| cases of typhoid fever, of which 20uO terminals
fatally, which are clearly iraconble TO detective
! Drainage and scWcrgas poisoning and yet typhoid
foyer IS only one oin long list of prevalent Dmpio
BayilSs IN his valuable work on houscdrainagc,
says. "If we look for the cause of the large NOR
t0ity from zymotc diseases IN our cities we ma II
| principally In SeWcrEnS poisoning. Other causes
| operate to swell the total. but TO bad plumbing
work we may attribute the prevalence of pytho
| matism, daudmalarial ieyerS. Group, diph-
| iberia, AMI many kindred diseases which are al
| most epidemic in all our large Cities
Unfortunately for the progress Of sanitary reform,
! the difference between good ana bad plumbing
work Is usually slight as to escape the notice OF
! any but Iunod expert, but IL Is commonly great
enough to exert an active aud iur-rGaching power
! fprmischiCf. Let us follow tho intelligent
| sanitary inspector in an examination Of tho pipe
| systems of an average New lork or Washington
| house of the better class
In Inc drainage system and It's appurtenances we
see dependence for the suppression of gases often
| held under considerable pressure IN the sewer,
| placed upon suppOsitiOus halfinCh water seals in
traps Of such shape and so placed that they are
| Hkaly to be cmpticd every hour in the day and
| stand emp.y during the night. We find that the
| foul sewer is provided with breOthiug.holCs into
orr houses; that in dark unventGt4d rccrsses adj
| Joining our bedrooms are cheap and hmsy wafer
closets, wrong in principle and wholly unsatiSiuc
| tory IN operation, retaining so much of the fifth
passing into them that they become peStilent
nusamcps. la shQr, we find every condition so
| favorable to sCEcr-gas poisoning that We no Longer
wonderu the great mortality from Diseases Of
pythogcnic origin. As the plumbing Mori, uf ouI
houses is commonly done, It would be better for
most Of Us five had to bring our water in buckets
from public hydrant, and carry our waste to the
| culvcrt at the nearest street corner.
The plumbers work Is covered by the builder
ana al ogrc hidden from sight In few months
complains Ofnn Obsunctc1 sewer, leak in tia Sgil
pine a troublesome odor that cannot be accounted
for, or some othcroihe numerous evils that follow
| ia the wake of "scOnpcd plumbing
| The iu-puiGT investigates and finds pipe oil
insufficient size theIolhta tHl together with com
mon mortar, iustcadOf cement; Improperly iaia, SO
that joints have opened pipe perhaps broken In
the laying and lcn with an opening for escape Of
glsns no trap, perhaps under sink, or closet rthC
| bath tap GGn.!gcicd with soiEpipG below the trap.
The finding Of detect, IN tie private sewers OF
our houses Is of every day occurrence. II tng dgy
report of one our inspectors Is without suGii I
case it Is an exception. 1t mas not been one monlL
since on inspection Of a row of houses in the north
eastern section Ei or city made at the request Of
some person suffering, revealed tig met ihnt nO
one of the sinks connecting with sewers wa
| supplied with proper traps. II was but Inst wect
that II family was forced to Leave h9nSe on
street between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets, OF
| account OF the terrible nuisance created by II de
lrctiycy constructed private saver Gnd thoSC
. things are of daily occurrence and viii continue
so long as some law Is not placed upon the statute
, books making miydcmcanor Of the rockies
crmnaty which characlerlzcs some of on
plumbing work, 1 can earnestly Say, will
former IIcalth.Onccr OF this District
That such law does not stand prominent upon
the pages of the code of every city is u diSgraCcrl
; rcproagh upon the intelligence and civilization o
the prosentNpr" We would bring to speedy nun
shmout the druggist VINO og,ciussly dSDenscs poi
SONS or the grocer who truudulently sells dcrturl
Gus compounds, but permit q plumber and pay hin
well, to open direct communication between on
chambers and the general receptacle Of the iou
drainage of our city, trusting TO his honor for pro
lection, ana he goes uupunishCd for his Tuudulcu
; practices, while wc iguumntly allow the health
life pcrhaps-ol our family to be sacrificed by hi
neglect
Gndor thls bin, if passed an inspector would b
appointed whose duy il would be 10 see that ever
house erected in the future should hnyG rs plumb
ing done under certain wholesome regulations
regulations which would require the use Of pr0pc
material, proper construction adequate ventilation
Observers, nnQ the employment oral proper mean
for the prevention Of The return of poisonous case
from sewers into dwellings.
! Is II not Cmncnty necessary that the people hav
such protection? Is it not asuccessary thutn drain
pipe of proper size and thickness be put in as II
5 that the house itself should have Il wall of ccra
thickncssY is IL not ~ Just that you should prOtcc
the people by having the safeguard Of proper trap
to shut out this deadly gas us II is that You shou
require them to build houses Of certain materlU
20 protect them against the danger Of fire? nshor
II you mako regulations to protect them against "
open, ayGgcd enemy, Is thore not double ucccsst
/ for bnulcadlng against one who Turks in III
. dark aud strikes where we least cXpuct2
The I7whT ant NgHtmp EngbnT! a MONTH
journal published in the city of New York, aud IN
best paper of it, class IN existence In an cdturiu
on this subject. says
The only practical and permanent remedy fo
| THIS difficulty is TO prevent bad work by having
7 inspected 10y competent person, The authorize
should allow no house to be occupied unless thus IL
| hpecltu, MNcTc uuluCllNu Work Is NllclWNru lONh
, they should cancel the license Of the plumber VIII
did H. II he persists in such evil practices, the
send him to the pgniicntiary to learn the evil of h
ways Certainly the evil is of sufficient magnitude
and prevention is both casieraud bgttur than cure
The bill passed the House without opposition
> WE are now Offering all wool clssim ere pan
c at $3.50. Call and see them, Escman
i Schcyer 800 Seventh street. May building.
n ORR $50 SUITS TO ORDER COMPARE f.
" NORABLY WITH SD SUITS EISEWllER
i ElSENAN BROS, CORNER OF SEVENTH AN
+ | T. STREETS,
!, Excursion on Decoration Day
!, The Mount Vernon Ducking Associate
= give their annual excursion on Decoration DI
It to Fair Haven ON the Chesapeake Bay, by w
IS Of Baltimore aud Annapolis, Those who d
g sire to avoid the fatigue and dust of Ion
!, railroad trip should patronizo this cXcusiu
At Tho association has secured fine band of t.
=, pieces aud arranged dancing programme