The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-29
THAT DEFECTIVE PLUMBING.
The Answer Of Secretary Metcalf to the
State House Commissioners.
Authorities on Sanitary Engineering Cited
in Support of the Charges Made by
the State Board of Health.

Or. ". N. Metcall, secretary Oh the CCato DoaIu
Of Health, has prepared an answer to the recent
Unpublished reply of the State-house Commits
sioners to the State Health Boards communica
ton directing attention to sanitary defects N the
State-house plumbing. and requesting ..,,.at they
should, in the Interest of pubic health, be RENE
died. p. Metcalfs answer is addressed to
the public, as he has no desire to
enter into any further correspondence With the
commissioners. owing to the insulting charac
ter of their response to his communicative
which was, as he states, respectful and
couched in such language as one body of gen.
tlemen would employ in addressing similar
body" The answer of DR.. Metcalf is quite long,
and embraces many quotations of authorities in
support of the charges that serious defects in
the system of plumbing and drainage exist In
this connection he asks, IF the system of
plumbing adopted by the commissioners
is as perfect as they would have
the public believe it is, why do they not cite
ognized authorities on sanitary engineering in
support of it. instead of endeavoring to hood
wink the people with written reports from their
architect and superintendent and one Levi r.
Green, who is employed by the firm which is
doing the steam-ftting in the buildings"
In answer to Mr.. Green's assertion that the
sewer is built of brick. laid in cement and lined
with cement, DIR. Metcalf declares that the
sewer is not lined with cement, and
asks anyone having any doubts in regard
to the matter to make an examination.
He says, further that the sewer is not provided
with any means for flushing except the rainfalls
which may occur during the spring. summer
sand fall and flushing in this way can never be
thoroughly and properly accom- plished when it
should be. Ii this means Of flushing is de-
pended upon, the filth deposited in the sewer
during the winter months must lay there to de-
compose and generate sewer gas and breed dis
ease germs to enter the building In support of
bis assertion that the only material from which
house drains should be constructed is iron, DR..
Metcalf cites section A. Of an ordinance now in
force in Boston for the regulation of plumbing,
which prohibits the use of drains made Of any
other material; William Paul Gerhard, civil en-
gineer. of Philadelphia, member OF the Ameri-
lean Public Health Association, and the author
of work on house drainage; Baldwin Lathamy,
past president of the London Society of En-
gineers, author of a work on sewerage;
James G. Bayles. editor of Iron Age;
Waring, Helyer. Davies, and other authorities
on house drainage. The system of house drain
age and plumbing adopted by the government
sanitary engineers does not embrace brick
ers and earthen drains DR.. Metcalf says AN
other serious objection to this sewer, rather
the use that the commissioners intend to make
Of it, is that they intend that the engines that
are to be used in running the machinery of the
building shall be exhausted into the sewer. This
will cause sudden changes In the temperature of
the air of the sewer, producing unequal
air-pressure in the DRAIN which will seek
relief at the points most easily forced, and these
points will be the water-sealed traps which ara
used for the purpose Of protecting the house
from sewer gas, as well as to force 1t through
the permeable brick walls and any of the defects
existing in the house drains. The same effect
will be produced by the sudden flushing of the
sewer by heavy rainfall-a method which the
commissioners SO highly prize
In reference to the statement by Architect Sher-
rer and Superintendent Pendergast that 1.-The
plumbing has been arranged in accordance with
the cardinal requirements of perfect house drain
age" Dr. Metcaf remarks that the two gentle
men admit that the earthen ware pipes were
buried from eighteen to twenty inches beneath
the basement floor line, while the leading
authors on sanitary plumbing all declare that the
drains should be kept in sight, in order to make
it possible to quickly detect leaky joint. DR..
Metcalf says that the State house drains are
inaccessible, and whenever a leak occurs it will
pass undetected and the building will
become saturated with noxious gases. The
earthenware drain pipes are laid in a crooked
and irregular manner, to meet the exigencies Of
the case, and no attention has been given to
many instances the cement has been simply
plastered around the edges of the hub, and has
cracked and fallen off, If anybody doubts that
this state of affairs exists will take great pleas
ure in showing them these defects"
He further says that Messrs. Sherrer and
Pendereast do not state the case
correctly when they say that the iron pipes en-
ter the stoneware pipes eighteen inches beneath
the level of the floor 1.-THE truth is that the
point of connection is above the grade level, and
hov yya fO hrP tha ion IF fhn nil
at the depth which they have stated they would
so effectually bank up the doors of the vaults in
the cellar that they would be unable to use
them. Anyone doubling this can prove
its correctness by making an examina-
0n ss sss'FsF a and p pads sEs iST s oss
is used as vent fiue and extends up and
through the roof when completed The fact is
that this hue ceases at the attic, and opens into
1t. and from there up is solid brick wall. There
is no way of carrying 1t through the roof with
out making botch job of it, and even if it could
be done 1t would not be admissible. Works on
sanitation teach that in no instance should
brick flue be used as vent. The noxious gases
from the soii-pipes will permeate its walls and
pass into the rooms of the building"
In answer to the statement by the commits
sloners that "fresh-a air inlets are not provided
for, as it is not believed best to do so under ex-
listing circumstances, because in this latitude
cold-air inlets would freeze the traps in the win
Ter Time, Dr MetcalI states That the pure-a1r
inlet is used in all the best plumbing done in
Boston and Philadelphia, where the winters are
mora severe than in indianapolis. Various au-
thorities are quoted upon the Importance of this
matter. In reference to the Bessemer method of
ventilating the House of Parliament, mentioned
by Levi f. Green, DIR. Metcalf says there is no
similarity between it and the State house case.
The main smoke-stack in the capitol building
is inside the structure, and will at
no time have q bed of burning Goals at its
Thu fire. will ho in <ho f,,rp md ha
smoke will be conveyed to the smoke stack
through sheet-iron pipes. Furthermore, fire
will not be kept in them the year round. When
the fire is extingushed this extensive fue will
become impregnated with noxious gases, and
the great liability of befoulng the rooms in that
part of the building is apparent
In conclusion DIR. Metcalf SAYS, 'sWhile the
board is so extremely anxious to defend a system
of plumbing which has been acknowledged to be
defective by one of It's members, and that, too,