Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-16
PLUMBING REGULATIONS.
the Pioneer City to Adopt
Them.


ONLY TWO OTHER CITIES cLAiM PRECEDENCE,
But THEIR ASSERTIONS ARK SAID TO BE WITH
OUT FoUNDArIoN-THE BENEFIT THE REauLA.
TIoNs HAVE BEEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
81 see by the Sanitary Engineer that certain
correspondents are trying to controvert your
claim to the effect that Washington was the
first city in either the old or the new world to
adopt and enforce regulations governing plumb
ing, house drainage and the ventilation Of
house sewers" said STAR reporter to Mr.. J.
C. McGinn of the health department
YES" said he, "two persons have taken posi-
sition against me, but neither on ground that
is tenable. One claims the honor for Frank
fort-on-the-Main, Germany, and the other for
Somerville, Mass, the latter acknowledging
that the so-called regulations were more in the
nature Of friendly advice. as no inspectors were
provided for and no penalties imposed in case
of infringement My claim was and is that the
first plumbing regulations issued and enforced
under authority OF existing law in the history
of the known world emanated from the health
department of the District of Columbia De-
cember Is, 1881, under authority of an act of
Congress approved January IS, 1881. They
were regulations in the true sense Of the word
and
STAND AS THE FOUNDATION ROCK
upon which has been built the regulations now
in force in hundreds of towns and cities in
both this country and Europe. They provided
for a bonded officer inspector; for the regis
tratlon OF Plumbers; for the filing of plans of
the drainage system; for the distinction to
material to be used under different circum-
stances; for the concentration OF pipes; for
trap ventilation; for weight of iron pipe to be
used; Tor running trap and fresh-air inlet on
main drain; Tor size of vent pipes; for the
method OF laying the lateral sewers; for the
prevention Of con illumination of supply by
waste; for their own proper enforcement, and
In fact for about all the main features consid-
cred as of paramount importance in the regu-
lations OF today, with all the intervening years
of experience
And you claim all this as originate"
las code OF regulations say emphatcally,
yes! Many Of the features referred to had OF
course, been recommended by sanitarians civil
engineers, ana writer's on the subject Of house
drainage and plumbing work, and we consid-
cred everything pertaining to the subject when
the work of compiling the code began
why, tell you there we're the most sur
prised set OF people in our department that you
ever saw when, in the summer of 1881, the
| answers to our requests for copies Of plumbing
regulations. which We had sent to all important
cities in both the old and new worlds, -began
to pour in and we found the universal answer
ANSRS>sAohs
subject"
DIGGING FOR FOUNDATION.
''You had to dig for foundation, did you?'
THAT is just what we had to do and the dig
ging was carried on industriously from
January to December 1881, before we were
ready to present code. DR.. Townshend said
in his report for 1882: Early in my experience
as health officer l began to appreciate the me-
cesslty for applying some remedy to the evils
which were constantly appearing as result of
effectively constructed sewers and '.scamped'
plumbing work. In my report for the year
1878 called attention to the subject under the
head OF Sewer Gases in Dwellings," as one
worthy OF and demanding special attention. /
said then:
'.'There should be employed, under direction
OF the health officer, competent person whose
duty II should be to inspect all houses in course
OF erection and investigate the construction
and arrangement of the sewers sewer traps
waste and drain pipes.
1T should be necessary to have certificate
as to the correctness of the sewers sewer traps
and drain pipes ere the property could be in
hablted, and any person failing to do plumbing
work properly, whereby noxious gases might
enter premises, should be liable to fne."
CALLING UPON CONGRESS.
81 urged that the attention of Congress be
| called to the matter, and in the winter of 1878
had bill Authorizing the employment of an
inspector Of plumbing in and for the District
| OF Columbia, and for other purposes" framed
and presented.
1.-The necessity for such legislation was made
apparent to the members of the House COM
| mittee on the District Of Columbia and thew
reported the bill fsvorably. 1t passed the
House OF Representatives in the early part OF
1879, but action could not be secured in the
Senate at that session of Congress. In my re-
port for 1879 dwelt at length upon the SUBJ
ject OF House drainage. sewer gas, and defec-
tive plumbing, and tried to give. in the most
forcible manner possible, the reasons why there
should be no further delay in making and en-
forcing laws covering the subject. The passage
Of the bill by the Senate was finally secured,
but it was slightly amended, which, Of course,
sent 1t back to the House, where, owing to a
press of other business, it was left untouched
| upon the Speaker table. Laborers in a good
cause should not be discouraged, however, and
at the last session Of Congress it was again pre-
scented and finally passed. On January 70,
| 1881, 1t received the approval OF the President
AND BECAME LAW.
1.-THE duty imposed upon the health officer
| Of executing and enforcing regulations was no
light task. but it was entered upon as earnestly
| as the previous work in the same direction had
been pursued. After careful study of the
| theories Of some OF our best-known authorities
on pluInblng. sanitary engineering. &C.. and
| comparison with what our experience taught
w
line OF regulations was framed. copy of this
outline was sent to each of our leading
authorities on the subject in this country and
ono to each of the plumbers in this District
Ito them it was stated in plain words that as
we were the pioneers in this sort of work in
this country, and, indeed. as very little had
been done in the same direction anywhere. we
had not the experience of others to guide US.
and consequently must rely, to a great extent
upon the practical experience of practical men
i'll getting an insight into what might be re-
CURED to secure the proper performance Of
such work. That it was the earnest desire Of
the health officer to do nothing which would
work unnecessary hardship to the plumbers
and to leave nothing undone which would tend
to promote the health and protect the lives of
the people of this District
Correspondence was had with such men as
Col. George E. Warning, James c. Bayles.
Charles F. Wingate, Henry c. Meyer, DIR. j. S.
Billings, and many of the plumbers of this city
and others. The city plumbers were requested
to meet and confer with the health officials.
and they responded promptly. The provisions
OF the regulations were, as a rule. satisfactory
to those whom they were intended to control,
and the few points which met with objection
the plumbers were asked to confer among
themselves upon and suggest such change as,
in their opinion. justice demanded No change
was made at that time, and thus went into
effect the first code of regulations governing
plumbing. house drainage and the ventilation
OF house sewers in the history of the known
world.