The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-19


called to proper means of overcoming the evil eff
fects. Dependence upon traps has proved unrelia.
ole and nd ng that sewer gas is imperative ia the
| open air uor men work daily in and about sewers
without ans prec able danger the attempt has been
made TO provide free access of the atmosphere to
every pa of the house drainage be it ever SO intr-
cate. 10 do this efectually is more expensive oper-
| alton than most pc pie are willing to undertake,
| and yet when case of sickness in house is in.
duced DIV pad drainage the cost of curative medi-
1 cine is not thought Of No one thinks of asking
number OF physicians to look the matter and
give the lowest estimate for temporary repair, but
Is till acknowledged to be cheaper to provide pre-
vention than cure.
| And now few words about what is generally
found to be the trouble in ewn city. 1t is but a
few years since any attention has ncalled TO
ltarV matters Since people have begun to read and
understand the cesities of the case more attens
| ton to details are required.
Our physicians as body are interested in this
matter and frequently refer their patients TO the
necessity of caring for their drains. We find the
drains general thug laid under the cellar floor
| where leakage can not be detected put together
usually by the contractor and at buried out of
| sight, aud out of mind. II every mechanic and
laborng man was a sanitary engineer and so strict
ly conscientious as to do every piece of work Just
right there would be less danger than now. A Gaze
| or two may be noted. When the Maine General
| Hospital was erected the drainage as very care
| fully arranged for. A man was selected to carry
out the plans, material being furnished him without
| stint. few years after dscoloration of the
gravel In the cellar discovered, an examination
maze and it was found that when the pipes
were laid they were placed together ana cement
pastered the top and down the side as far as the
men could reach conveniently, leaving the under
part of the Joints open + the fluid waste TO soak
out into the ground. The drain was at once discon
| tinued and iron pipe substituted for 1t.
ibis summer having occasion to open the sewer
| in the street opposite my house we found a
| piece of culpabe carelessness in laying the pipe
rhe Arsenal street sewer, u inch cement pipe is
continued down Bracket St. and instead of using
| bends the curve necessary to change of direction
1 was accomplished by laying the pipe open on the
outside edge and when examined there was no APP
/ pearauce If its having been laid in cement The
pipe entirely clean upon the joint thus allowing
the liquids to run out into the coarse gravel For
tunately there but few wells in that vicinity or
| there might he sudden outbreak of sickness that
conld only be accounted for as a mysterious vista
ton OF providence" as was the case at Princeton
| college, a few years ago.
We are very apt to think that our own way of do
ing Things IS the best, and SO it is difficult to
secure that intelligent attention to details that is
| quired L. is very unpleasant to tell any what
on thns should be done in given case when you
feel sure thai your motives will be misunderstood.
| Specifications are written up to sound well but
leaving the mechanic only the friendship Of the
4 chitecl to depend upon for his profits.
! piece of plumbing work was mpleted in this
| city, approved by the supervising architect and
paid for b the owner. when it was found that the
main soil pipe into the cellar bottom few
inches instead of being connected to the cellar drain
and so to the sewer In this neither the archi-
| tect nor the plumber were Portland men. They
| were imported for the occasion.
One reason perhaps why not find so much
sickness among our best class of houses is the al
most universal custom of laying the cellar floor in
| cement. Leakags in drain pipes will not be de-
impervous to gas, the matter Is only Ii tie longer
delayed when the well defined effect OF bad drain
age will call the physician or the undertaken to the
| house
do not wish to be thought an alarmist or as wish
ing to needessly frigbten people, hut since we have
| no official Board of Health to enforce the regua-
| tons known to be required in healthy homes, it
becomes the duty each of u.s. especially those
of us engaged in the building trades to know how
avoid those evils that have been allowed in the past
i through lack of knowledge perhaps than
through intention And so, as my contribution to
i the general fund of information for the improve
ment of our homes, and in the interest of humanity
bring you to-ngh these Thoughts gathered hastily,
but as carefully as very busy life would allow.
Hoping that an ther triennial festival OF
| the Nj. M. A. it may be our good fortune to has q
acquired so much knowledge upon this and kindred
matters per tanning 10 our homes that shall be
aole to acknowledge that ''ounce of prevention
| Is better than pound Of cure" and wishing you
each happy. healthy home leave the matter with
] you.
| At the close of Mr. Pencils address, which
had been listened to with attention, pleasure
and profit, more music was furnished by the
| quartette. They sang 'sCheerful wandsrer," and
| again delighted the audience.
The chairman then invited the company TO
take seats at the long tables spread with tempt
ing looking viands- This was quickly done, aud
! after the Divine blessing had been invoked by
Rev. DR.. Hin, the ciatter of knives AID forks,
mingled pleasantly with the hum of CONVERSE
ton for the next three-quarters of an.hour.
| supper over, George @. Lttlefeld, Esq. was
/ presented toast master. After brief and
appropriate speech Mr. Littlefield announced as
the first toastt'The founders of Associstion,'
and Gen. Neal Dow was called on to respond.
GENERAL BOWS REMARKs.
Gen. Dow spoke in his usual easy otf-hand
manner, and held the close attention OF all pres
ent. Following is a brief abstract:
| He said he did not remember just when the
| association was organizad,bat at time Portland
! was small and poor. The mechanics were DOOR
! The object of this association was to bring the
| mechanics into communion with each osher for
| mutual Improvement to make them better ac-
| quainred and to give them more education. Ed
| ucation il necessary to obtain respectable and
| influential position in society. The speaker re-
| ferred to ohm Walton, al aged member of the
! association present last evening, as authority
| for observation-disclosures he related, showing
| that among the purchases made in those days
| ruel held quite often the chief place. Gen. Dow
| told in a very graphic manner how through the
observation of Samuel Edwards. mechanic of
| this city galvanized iron had its Introduction
| into the commerce of the world The speaker
| referred to the rem afkable growth of this asso-
| citation, and the good work 1t has accomplished.
He instanced number of men in this country
| and in England who beginning life ns poor
/ boys had by force of Industry, sobriety aad ma
| tive talent become learned and influential Gen.
| Dow closed by dwelling strongly on the adyan-
tages OF EDUCATION in every caliugin life.
! The next toast was 1.-THE Mechanic" and
| Edward A Jordan was called on to respond
This he did by reading an original poem, full
witty plays Gu words and illustrating the
Importance aud wide extent of the mechanic
| arts The closing lines of the poem were espec-
| tally well turned ana of considerable merit as
| poetry. The poem was received with great APP
| plause.
The third toast was ''our City, The chairman
read the following letter from Mayor Deering,
who was not present to respond:
MAYOR DEERINes LETTER.
PORTLAND, Oct. 18th, 1888.
| Messrs r. b. SlCsft and n Gerr5sh, Commit
maattee Of the Maine Charitable Mechanic as
s0eiGti0n
Gentlemen regret exceedingly that my ac-
| ceptance OF previous invitation to participate
! in the Centennial Celebration at Newburg, N.
| X, on the 18TH inst will prevent my meeting
| with your Association at your triennal supper
| on the evening of the same date.
Permit me to say tnat not SO foolish as to
| presume that my individual self will be missed
| upon tie occasion; hut it would have been nv
| grateful privilege and MT less my official duty,
| to be present with you, and to tender you the
| good wishes and hearty cooperation of the mu
nicIpaiity, which should ave the honor TO rep
resent, III your endeavors to promote and en-
courage the mechanic a. ts. and telieve the dis
| dressed OF your Association when in need; and
| also TO your members of the great respect ia
| which l believe your Association is held by
| every good citizen of our beloved city.
This personal pleasure, and honor, il, l
re \ ct, denitd me; but, feeling that the Citv Of
| Portland should not be unrepreseEted, and your
| courteous invitation TO her Chief Magistrate ne
| also to inform you that l have reques ed the
| Chairman of the Board OF Aldermel-sfr. Ed
| ward B. Winslow-to represent the municipality
| upon this pleasant trienniai gathering of Your
| members.
it'll assurances of my personal esteem for
| your Association, and its individual members,
Believe me,
Yours very truly,
JOHN W. DEERING, Mayor.
| After reading the above letter, e. B. winslow,
| Esq briefly responded to the cal of the schair-
man. He said the city has every reason to be
| proud of her mechanics he spoke in high
| praise of the Mechanics Building; that it is
pointed out to straus ers with pride, and nvaria-
| bly, wins words of admiration from the latter
| he hoped the Association would ever be pros
pered in the continuation of its good work.
DR.. r. Fl. Gerrish responded very briefly to thu
toast "Our Lecturers He congratulated the
Association on its prosperity, and hoped the
past was but an earnest of greater achievement
in the future. He thought inasmueh as the lee
turers had on previous occasions been so often
heard and on such variety OF topics, they
| might well afford Tonight to let others occupy
| the time.
| The next toast, "Our Elk .Presidents,'' was re-
| spondsd o by G. L. Bailey, Esq.
MR.. BAILEY's REMARKS,
Of all the men who served as Presidents of
| this Association from the time of its organiza-
| ton down to the year 1868, but six are now
| alive, ana in looking the names of the sur
v1vors whose abil ties as speech makers are we'll