The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-21
TIE sTATE-HOUSE PLUMBING.
Reply Of the Board of State-House Commits
soners to the State Board Of Health.

lished In the Journal by the Board of State
house Commissioners:
To the Honorable State Board of Health:
Gentlemen-Your report submitted to the
5 tate-house Commissioners, of what you desig-
nate as defects in the State house plum 2,
was received on the 23d of April Through the
medium of the city newspapers of the 2ist of
April, the Commissioners received the report to
your board OF j. C. Dunn, of Indianapolis, en-
ployed by you as an expert plumber, TO examine
the work in the building. containing a similar
statement of defects in the plumbing. The
State-house Commissioners regret that their
time since the receipt of your report has been
necessarily consumed In examining bids ana
awarding contracts for furniture, gas hxtures
electric clocks and frescoing for the building, so
that they could rot reply to it at an carrier day
The report of your board contains ten specific
items of defective plumbing, as follows
Frst-A brick sewer four feet in diameter from
east to west beneath the building This sewer is SO
could be flushed this board would not approve of q
passing beneath any building either public or
private which is to be occupied by human beings as
it mperils the lives of the inmates 1t is unsantary
and not in keeping with the teachings of modern
authorities on sanitary science
Second-The soil pipes, urinal and washstand waste
pipes and down spouts enter the sewer by separate
connections beneath the building This is contrary to
the latest and most approved methods of dsposng of
sewage.
Third-The enamel-lined waste pipes from urinals
enter vitred earthern pipes in the cellar the joints
being made with Portland cement, liable to become
defective by the contraction and expansion of the ron
Fourth-In the cellar northwest from the dome q
down spout was found with its sections slipped into
each other and the joints were not sealed leaving an
opening for gas to escape, that is if the down
spouts are to be employed ventiatng shafts to the
sewer.
Ffth-The down soil pipes are FIVE inches in diam
eter, and the branch pipes to the four inches
The branch pipes should be the same size as the soil
pipes which they enter or otherwise the down pipes
cannot be thoroughly flushed, it being impossible to
flush FIVE inch pipe with stream of water passing
through fourinch pipe Authorities on sanitary
plumbing say that soil pipe four inches In diameter
is sufficiently large for any building
Sixth-We found provision made for venting
urinal or washstand traps.
Seventh--The only provision made for venting the
traps to wsterclosets, far able to dis
is into the safe pipes. In doing this the
safe waste pipes befouled and virtually converted
into soil pipes Traps of this character should be
vented by separate pipe carried through the roof
Eighth--In the closet room west of the south en-
trance the soil pipe enters brick Hue and extends
INTO the same only two or three feet This ue opens
to the top OF the building In instance (becaase it
is unsanitary) should soil pipe enter fue or chin
may escape from these pipes will permeate the bricks
and pass into the rooms of the building.
Nnth-We found in the attic ON the west side that
the soil and safe waste pipes entered ue which had
fire CRATES beneath Also at the north end the soil and
waste pipes enter the main chimney.
Tenth-This board does not approve of the system
as they found it, of the plumbing and house drainage
made of ir the construction of the building now
being built under your supervision.
We have been informed by a member of your board
that many of the defects which existed at the time of
our inspection have since been corrected, and that
other improvements contemplated
We understand that water-c closet traps are to be
vented by separate pipes and not II accordance with
the original intention. through the safe waste pipes
We hope that the sanitary defects pointed out will
ha hat hao1t Il e+b..
building may be insured and the citizens of the State
benefited thereby.
The report of your expert plumbers also con-
tains ten specifications of defects, as follows:
Frst-There is no freshair inlet to soil and waste
pipes.
Second-The safe-waste. which Is a two,inch cast
iron pipe. is made to do double service-that of
waste from safes, and also to venate the traps of
the water closets and urinas. / find one line of
soil pipes at the northwest corner of the dome TWEEN
ty and twelve urinals all vented by this
twonch pipe and the same pipe is to be for the safe
waste that line of pipe.
Third--On the first floor, in the closet ROOM west
of the south ent ance there four water closets
vented into brick fue, the soil pipe extending
up only about three feet above the floor to where it
enters the hue. This fue is not pastered. but has
been washed over with thin coat Of hydraulic &C.
ment put on with brush.
Fourth-At the extreme north end of the building
find that the safewaste vent pipe is connected to
the soil pipe, and then the soil pipe enters tie large
Fifth find that the four-inch waste pipe from
several urinals is up and vented into back
[brick9l fue. The same fue has fire.
CRATE openings.
Sixth-Three water closets are vented into another
brick fue with CRATE OF enings.
Seventh-The waste pipes, down spouts and over
flow pipes from the tanks connect in the cellar to the
ordinary stone sewerppe and are there run into the
sewer. These pipes are now connected and lay ex-
posed on top of the ground
Eighth-In the closet room, the southwest
corner. found joint of the safe-waste and vent
pipe loose. not having been properly coupled.
Ninth-Traps placed in the cellar, at the bottom
Of each stack of soil and waste pipes and there is
fresh-ar inlet, the pipes become air-bound and the
free passage of the water Is checked.
Tenth find that some of the dUes which the soil
and waste pipes enter for ventilation do not run out
through the roof but to be left open with the
floor the attic where number of ventilating fues
find number of joints in the soil and pipes
that not than about half full Of lead putty
being used to fill up with
The reports, both of your board and your ex-
pert plumber, give the impression that the
plumbing described is already completed. when,
in fact, some pipes are not yet in the position
quired by the specifications. They have reached
various levels and it will require some time yet
before all the plumbing can be in its proper place.
The Commissioners referred the reports Of the
Board of Health and of the expert plumber to the
architect and superintendent of the building, for
their examination. upon which they have SUBJ
mitted the following report:
To the Board OF state-house Commissioners:
Gentemen-In compliance with your request to
carefully examine the report of j. O. Dunn, plum Der
to the State Board of Health the plumbing of the
State house, we respectfully beg leave to submit
the following
Frst-A soil and waste pipes trapped at the bot
tom fresh-air nets not provided for it is not
believed best to do under existing circumstances;
in this latitude coldai nets would freeze the traps
in the winter time.
Second-The safe waste in no instance is to do
double service that of safe waste and of vent for
traps The traps vented by separate pipes put in
for this purpose only.
Third-A brick hue the first story is used as a
vent hue this 1ue has CRATE openings, and is not
connected with any other ue and it extends up and
through the roof when completed.
Fourth-At the extreme north end of the building
safe waste vent pipe and soil vent pipe enter the
large smokestack Such connections universally
adopted and approved by sanitary engineers The
pose needs explanation. any sanitary engineer
would approve of this method
Fifth-The expert shown some pipes ventilated
in the indicated in his report, and in
formed at the time that this mode Of ventating
l