The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-24
THE DEFECTS POINTED OUT.
Further Action by the Board of Health
on the State-House Plumbing.
The State-House Commissioners Formally
Asked to Correct the Various Defects in
the Work as Sanitary Necessity.

DR. G. n. Metcalf, secretary Of the State
Board Of Health, yesterday sent to the State.
house Commissioners the following communica-
ton, authorized by the board, in relation to the
defective system of plumbing in the new Capitol
building:
ITO the Honorable Board of state-house Commits
si0ners:
'Gentlemen-The following resolution, intro
duced by DR.. James r. Hibberd, of Richmond,
Ind, and unanimously adopted by the confer
ence OF town, city and county health officers,
held at Indianapolis, Feb. Ii, 1886, to-wit:
Whereas Henry T. Hudson, president Journey
man Plumbers Steam and Gas-ftters Association,
Of Indianapolis has made public declaration that the
plumbing n thenew Statehouse of Indiana is imper-
Whereas The ctof March 7, 1881, establishing a
State Board of Health, provides that said board
wise officers of the government other State boards
in regard to the location, drainage water supply dis
posa Of excreta heating and ventilation of any public
institution or building therefore,
Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention
that the State Board of Health should at once
institute such inquiry as shall determine with GER
the sanitary arrangements of the Statehouse now
under constructions; and, IL anything defective be
found in the ventilation plumbing drainage of the
building or'grounds, advise the State-house Commits.
soners of the nature extent and consequences of the
defect and what should be done to remedy it.
I'm accordance with this resolution this
board, within the past two months, have several
times visited the State building now being con-
the medium of their secretary, and a practical
plumber employed by them, have made careful
examination OF the system of plumbing and
house-drainage made use of, and found the fol-
lowing defects to exist:
"First-A brick sewer, four feet in diameter,
passes from east to west beneath the building.
This sewer is SO large that it cannot be thor
oughly flushed, and if it could be so flushed
this board would not approve of a
sewer passing beneath any building, either pub
lie or private. which is to be occupied by human
beings, as it imperils the lives of the inmates 1t
is unsanitary and not in keeping with the teach
ings of modern authorities on sanitary science.
'Second-The soil pipes, urinal and wash
stand waste pipes and down spouts enter the
sewer by separate connections beneath the build
ing This is contrary to the latest and most ap-
proved methods of dsposing of sewage.
'Third-The ename-lined iron waste pipes
from urinals enter vitrifed earthen pipes in the
cellar The joints, being made with Portland
cement, are liable to become defective by the
contraction and expansion of the iron.
s'Fourth-In the cellar northwest from the
dome down spout was found with it's sections
slipped into each other, and the joints were not
sealed leaving an opening for sewer gas to es-
cape; that is if the down spouts are 10 be en-
ployed as ventilating shafts for the sewer
'Fifth-The down soil pipes are five inches in
diameter, and the branch pipes to the same four
inches The branch pipes should be the same
size as the soil pipes which they enter, or other
wise the down pipes cannot be thoroughly
flushed, it being impossible to flush five-inch
pipe with stream of water passing through a
four-inch pipe. Authorities on sanitary plumb
ing say soil pipe four inches in diameter is suf
fciently large for any building.
"Sixth-We found no provision made for vent
ing urinal or wash-stand traps.
"Seventh-The only provision made for vent
ing the traps to water-closets, as far as we were
able to discover, is into the safe-waste pipes In
doing this, the safe-waste pipes are befouled and
virtually converted into soil pipes. Traps of this
character should be vented by separate pipe
carried up through the roof.
"Eghth-In the closet-room west of the south
entrance the soil pipe enters brick fue and ex-
tends with the same only two or three feet.
This fiue opens into the attic even with the
floor. and does not extend to the top
of the building In no instance tbe-
cause it is unsanitary) should a soil
pipe enter flue or chimney constructed of
brick, as any noxious gases that may escape
from these pipes will penetrate the bricks and
pass into the rooms of the building.
that the soil and safe waste pines entered Aue
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
of the building now being built under your SUI
pervision. We have been informed by mem
Der of your board that many of the defects
which existed at the time of our inspections,
have since been corrected and that other i'm
provements are con templated.
'.We understand that the water-closet traps
are TO be vented by separate pipes and not in
accordance with the original intention, through
the safe waste pipes We hope that the sani
tary defects p0inted out will be corrected so that
- ~~ ~ e ~ l.-.1 l.
insured, and the citizens of the State be bene-
flied thereby.
sBy direction of the Indiana State Board of
Health submit the foregoing for your consider
alton. G. N METCALF, Secretary.
"APR1L 90, 1886"
What action the State-house Commissioners
will take, if any, towards remedying the defects
in the plumbing is not known.