New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-07
TIE FOCL AIR or LONDON.

rro7 Professor Ee,rs AdGrcss before NE CitH md le-
clOhicdl Ln0ineer'S NOc,efy
The popular idea of drainage was very simple.
You enpticd the Stops into the sink, and they went
the devil knows where. That was the popular
idea of drainage; but they, Is professional men,
knew where the Stops went. They knew also, that
they were occasionally arrested IN then progress IN
these most inefficient and lll-contrived underglounc
channels. They knew That the SOL when was
taken oil as say euphemiStlcally, by water
carriage. was often arrested and allowed TO remain
AMI GecOIpose, and pass INTO the form OF gas
they knew gas was generated J. Y the decomposition
of this decaylnr matter. when deposited, IN how
ever slight a degree, upon any Interior surface
What followed They knew this gas had TWO
qualities which were extremely oonoNlous; one
quality that It asccndcd TO the highest level nT
reason OF denc eut specific gravity: and the second
quality was that when II reached the highest level
il exercised pressure beng an extremely elastic
gas lie need scarcely point oul tie effect OF these
two considerations. W hen TIE SeWer-gls 49, most
excellent name. without gong INTO particulars as TO
whether III should Zee called -&o or Fapoi; the lame
sewer gas carried an idea of otensIyeness which
was extremely c0nVcneut-Wheu the seWcr--l'
had reached the highest level IT eNeici~eu power
tuI elastic pressure to force IFS way outani succeeded
ln forcing It's way. He need not say where 1t
forced It's way. II got INTO the house; ana II there
were no other grievance there this 10 cor. plain
Of-that TINS pe,terous and poI>onOu, easIorru- Us
way from the sewers into our houses. reached the
air-hath and OF course reached the vital organs of
those VINO occupied lt. 20 much for the sewer-et'.
That was not ali: there was nest the question
which he had hammered nj Tor several years ID ms
GuIct way. namely. the ground OF basement an
They knew as well q, he could tell them. anu per
haps better what tbs ground-alr was. They knew
that i'm the aIr-batn If which he Was speaklnG-
that was the interior If any chaMhcr-when In
cold weather the air without was cold and The air
within warm and when IN the nighttime OF warm
weather the ar without was cold ana within warm,
a baromcric pressure was set up ana the ar passed
from the or side under the foundation. and through
the door INTO the house from beneath. That was
the question of grOuud-ar: II was no Use 10 Diink
the matter. II was plain and simple 20 those W no
understood the simple question Of science involved
when once II was pointed Out 10 them. The public
Ia .1r4fr rri 4ref al
| not talk about air coming from the lounlaion; III
is of 30 use talking about AR playing through a
brick wall: We know better that j. Oyer-reined
science But those whom he was now addressing.
who pI0frssed to know something OF the arcaIia oi
these matters. knew that 10 was a scrou, IIacbcal
consideration IN both cases and in tins particular
they considered the form 1t took, c.,,.
ionabe quarter of London was built upon market
gardens. and inasmuch as the soil, which had not
been removed, was composed 0l O,d, decay ing
pe-tilental matter which was called manure, the
rouudair carried with n n much OF this ~ II con
veuieutiy could into the houses of The people of
South kensincton and elsewhere, ana tins had be-
come "a very serious grievance; anu ne was lolu
that there were wise doctors who told their
patients the truth. and advised them TO leave and
90 and live IN Russcl square But lac knew u they
went 10 live in Bloom sburv they would fnl the
state of things very much the same there, but from
different causes. Bloomsbury was not huili on Z
markct-garden. but the drains OF the bloomsbury
houses Land a. the time me houses were hll' were
square brick drains which were the worst coufIiv-
Fuces possible: and he would Leave them 10 Judge
what was the condition OF those drains nOi Only ll
Bloomsbury alone Int In the older districts 81 Lon
don. The hquid soil. carrying as much %, II could
of solid matter. passed through the lontS or these
extremely impe feet bricks and the consequence
was that the soil under great many OF these me
houses vas absolutely saturated, and where there
was grcund-ar passing into these HOUSES he need
NOT tel them what N carried with IT, lie heard
mentioned the other dag. by a careful man. tbs
point which he lad not heard before; he SaG
" ben you have got house on gravel SOL. DO
l.4 that Z ON f
Gus ground-air. for If q drain in the adjacent houses
happens to leak. and the soil under the adjacent
houses j. saturated with sewage, the ground ar
there NAV pass through the house and carry the
impurities of yOur ncighbOr." Therefore. unless
artificial contrIyances we're adopted 10 prevent the
erouud-ar entering 40 all. could not be Tree from
fuc risk of poison bV these means