The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-06

Yesterday being observed as Thanks
giving day the offices of the several
state departments were closed. An
interesting feature Of the day was
the very eloquent discourse, or thanks
giving sermon, delivered by Rev.
DIR. Howard, of this city, in the
senate chamber.
COMPTROLLER DEP ARTMENT.
Awards of contracts for furnishing
the lunatic asylum were made as fol-
lows:
r. Bertram, for brooms and Goldfish;
John Bremond, hams. lard, tea, coffee,
beans, pears, dried apples and peaches,
cheese, prunes, baking powders, starch,
bluing, soap, salt, buckets, tomatoes,
canned corn, salmon, peas, flour. vine
gar and matches; Houghton & Robin
son, whisky and wine; Wayland 81
Criser, molasses, grits and pickles;
Phil Abrahams, red pepper. mackerel,
krout and snuff; Crow, Mexican 81
Co., bacon, tobacco, black pepper, cof-
fee Ia sugar, louisiana sugar, cur
rants, soda, soap, peaches, apples
pld apples, maps, mustard, pepper
sauce, w sauce, catsup and backing;
Z. p. Haigler, beef; w. A. Sims, coal;
w. r.. Davis, cedar aud hard wood;
J. w. Kyle, cedar wood; Pawley, tea;
Morley Bros, drugs; L. j. Willis q
Bro, brown domestic and brown drill
ing, lace collars, Coats thread, single
blankets; Crow, Mexican & Co., liLd-
sey, Canton flannel, hose mixed, half
hose, rubber combs, hair brushes,
pants buckles, agate buttons, blankets;
L. Schoolherr Bros, brown domestic;
Gildart 81 Collins, shoes; John Bre-
mond, Alabama plaids, crash towels,
red oil calicoeS, gray flannel, d jeans,
table linen, ticking, napkins, fine
combs, hair pins. ladies shoes, ball cot
tsn, ribbon, pants buttons, shoe laceS.
THE SEWERAGE QUESTION.
The fact that the superintendent of
construction of the new capitol has
resigned, in consequence of some con-
troversy between himself and the
architect, on account of alleged omis-
sions in the architects plans, involv-
ing the question of drainage, induces
us to give place to some extracts from
an article on the subject of drainage
in the Popular Science Monthly. The
question is one which should be thor
oughly considered before it is tooIlatt
to remedy the defects, ii any really
exist, before the building is con
structed, and it is a question which
applies with equal force to other pub
lie buildings which may be IN course
of erection, as it is one which involves
more or less the importance of using
all sanitary methods which the i'm
proYementS of science may suggest:
In a report on an epidemic of ente
rio fever at Croydon, in 1910. says tn
writer of the article to which we re
fer, DR.. Buchanan says: "The AIR 0
the sewer is as it were laid on {
houses" Sewer air, even in its nul
NAL state, is grave source oil DANCE
to health. Trapping, as it is called
has but little effect in keeping sewe
air out of houses. as the entrance Q
the COMMUNICATING air is not so niue
due to occasional and temporary fai
ure ia the fficacy of the trap as I o a
almost constant absorption of sewe
air by the water on the sewer side Q
the trap and its subsequent diScharg
from the house side. DIR. Fergus ha
demonstrated this by experiments j
glass tube so bent as to resembl
the ordinary siphon trap and charge
with water. lt being suggested tia
the results might be different II III
trap were ventilated, the results ID
Fergus says, were much the same, e,
cept that the reaction was a llttl