St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-25
THOSE DEATH TRAPS.

Our plumbing laws are reasonably
strict in their provisions, and we have
reason to believe that due regard is paid
to their enforcement and yet with all
these precautions physicians say that
one-half of the ailments suffered in our
city homes are the direct or indirect re-
suits Of the deadly poisons which escape
from leaking pipes.
If this statement be true, we should
endeavor to ascertain whether or not
some improvement can be made in our
plumbing system whereby our homes
can be freed from this death trap. The
building season is now about to open,
and there could be no more appropriate
time to investigate this subject.
Plumbers as a class are more honest
than they usually get credit for. In
nine cases out of ten they are as
ambitious to do their work properly as
any other class of artisans, and take
just as much pride in turning out good
job. But the bricklayer or the earpen-
ter may bungle his work without any
serious results to human life. Not so
with the plumber His work requires
more skill and a higher standard of
moral obligation than any other me-
chanical labor that is performed in the
construction of building.
In most cases bad plumbing is not
the result Of general dishonesty among
our responsible plumbers. 1t is more
frequently the result of either ignorance
OF an overwhelming pressure of work
in a busy season, which necessitates the
temporary employment of men whose
mechanical ability and fidelity have not
been tested.
AS rule, the master plumber I'M
AGNES that he has performed his duty
when he has formally complied with
the provisions of the law. 1t doesn't
seem to occur to him that his calling re-
quires him to be both mechanical and
sanitary artist, and toput himself above
the law by doing his work better than
the law demands.
There are two points in the plumbing
business which merit special considera-
ton. One relates to the manner of test
ing pipes, and the other as to the neees-
sity for applying the proper tests to the
drainage pipes and connections, as well
as to the gas pipes. If gas pipe leaks,
the leak will soon be detected by the
family, but the deadly vapOrs that come
from the drainage pipes are generally
odorless. Their presence is not detected
until some member of the family is
stretched Oh a bed of sickness, and the
doctor comes to find that his patient is
dying from the effects of the insidious
poison. As matter of fact, the plumb
ing of house should always be done
under the direct supervision OF the
health board.
Now as to the tests. Ordinarily the
hydraulic, the air and the peppermint
tests are the ones applied, and all of
them are unsatisfactory. The hydraulic
test is reliable enough but danger
Gus. The air and the peppermint
tests are wholly unreliable. 1t is
singular TO say that the sulphur test,
the only one used in London, and the
only one that is absolutely reliable, is
seldom if ever used in American cities.
1t ID a Sllilltlc ttllo luCA pCloiNC bCSt. ttHtl
why it is not universally adopted is a
mystery With the sulphur smoke
forced into the pipes connecting the
house with the sewer, both light and
smell can accurately locate the slightest
avenue for sewer gas to get into the
house, and that Of necessity is COM
plete test.
This is subject in which every resi-
dent Of the city is interested, and it is
the duty of those in authority to give it
the most thorough investigation. With
all the legal restrictions that have been
placed upon the plumbing business, and
all the improvements i'll the plumbing
business that have been adopted, still
the poisonous sewer gas continues to
get in its fatal work through the death
trap of miSft plumbing.