Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-20
Defective Plumbing and SeWe
Gas.

From all our large cities the report comes OF
malarial disease that Is traced by the sanitary
and medical authorities directly to the poison
OF sewer gas entering dwelling houses from
defective plumbing or through want OF proper
ventilation. Some Of our leading Washington
physicians now Ia cases OF disease of this kind
make their first inquiries in regard to the con
dition OF the house drainage rather than as to
that or the patient. They say that In nine
cases out of ten of malarlal dis Ease
they can detect the smell Of sewer
gas on entering the premises of the sufferer.
This Is the talk OF medical men everywhere,
throughout the country. There Is a call from
all quarters for legislation calculated to
remedy the evil. Two measures are suggested
In this connection,-0ne Of these provides for
the registration OF plumbers, and requires that
the plans for the plumbing Of all houses shall
be approved by the board of health before any
houses can be built; the other is for the
foundation OF classes for the instruction or
plumbers In the theoretical part OF their bust.
ness, In technical schools.
1t Is found that either through ignorance OF
sanitary laws, or disposition to scamp" the
work, there is frightful amount of defective
plumbing, applied, not only to cheap houses,
but TO those Of an expensive character and
where the owners have fondly supposed they
were securing model residences. Houses OF
elaborate design and costly material, and sup
piled with marble wash basins, silver-plated
faucets and all the outward appearances OF
good workmanship, prove On examination to be
fatally deficient in barriers against sewer gas,
In some cases the soil pipes are too small: In
Others the castings are defective, or have
been broken by settling of the house.
sonnet mes the "sktn plumbing Is
manifested In the attempt to make one trap do
a mr. fTx-NT oh h.o Jt Ic
practice in the line OF cheap PLUMBING to omit
a trap on the bath, bath overflow. and basin In
the bath room. and simply connect the waste
pipes from those fixtures below the dip of the
trap or the water closet. The effect Of this is
TO make all these pipes above the trap reser-
voir for the foul gases produced by the decompo-
sition of their soapy lining. They are also filed
with the foul air given Off by the water closet
trap, especially when its contents are agItated
by the discharge Of hot water from any OF
these fixtures In other instances it Is found
that the iron end OF the receiver Of the closet
Is smaller than the end of the lead trap 80
that there Is space at this point that has not
been closed The putty connections at this
point prove defective In many instances. It is
frequently found that pieces of broken drain
pipe have been inserted by workmen to con-
ceal their carelessness In making the Dreakaga:
and thus a constant leakage of foul matter is
going on under the house to poison the In.
mates. Where these earthern pipes are not
absolutely broken there is very often leakage
at the joints that is almost as dangerous.
The remedy for this unpleasant state of things
seems to be the employment OF plumbers of
known reliability. with Instructions that no
cheap" plumbing Is to be tolerated In their
department Of the building, whatever may be
It's defects In other respects. Next, it should
De made the duty Of the health officer to care
fuily inspect all buildings and pronounce upon
their sanitary condition.
The most effective safeguard against sewer
as Will be the exclusion of all Water-closets
sd sewer connections from the interior OF the
puse In many OF our best and most expen-
aVe modern houses the bathrooms and water.
eosets are built On externally and the old fash
ioned ever and basin have displaced the hot and
cold water connections In the sleeping rooms.