New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-07
SOME or rHF PLUNBER'N DETTCES.

orHINIFS FOR ADDING ITEMS To HIS BILI-ClR
CrMvrNruD BY \ LAWYER
The Tribune deserves all praise said lawyer
recently for 10, exposure u the method that plumbers
use 10 hold job hut IT,, article merely presented one
ph 90 If the many Sided nature of the plumbers genius
have had . series Of experience, with the knight
Of the older that would be- excessively ANNOYING If
/ wcr, not something Il philosopher. know the
evil cannot hc iv.mcdicd. aud therefore do uot LET II
worry oycrmuch
The INST difference l had with my plumber was
over the Item OF charcoal 900 hi bill. Thought 10
pr,tty cool OF him to charge Tor ,havoa when ho
had heated h, soldering tong, in nv stove and had
prev,utcd my servant, IRONING for halt day. mcn
toned mi, little fact 10 the collector who presented
thc bill. but D., said that that va, impossible. The
item Itself wa insignificant paid it without morc
ado
The next time the plumber visited me he actually
brought hi, furnace. some repairs were 10 he made
II, tine ba hroom So had the servant prepare place
for the furnace. She placed piece OF hnc on the
floor and made IA little platform Of brick, on The zinc.
she lowered the window to let ont the smoke and told
the plumber 10 put h, furnace on the BRICKS.
lie did IT. Not much. lie went up on the roof
which Is oil tin, and set mp his furnace there
Naturally the solder Of the roof melted for col
siderable area around where the furnace stood and
when the next ran,torm came our clrrc delu lcd
Thi, Of course made the services of the plumber
sary again.
Another scheme Of my plumber. which protested
against i'm vain. VITO hi, plan 81 strengthening the
wafer pipes, Just above the boiler In the kitchen
are pcrfcctly straight sections Of the hot and cold
water pipes which sections. hc said wclo subject 10
fl very Great strain. lie therefore went ahead 10
strengthen the particular lar> OF the two pipes by
cutting them in two aud soldering them together again
reasoned with him. and finally ,ormed at hiln. hut all
10 no purpose patched MP pipe was stronger than
one that wa, In It's original state was his proposition,
and he calmly went 10 work IN accordance.
Not long aftcrwah one Of the pipes Sprang a leak
NJ the point where he had STRENGTHENED IT, know
thn in every case when repairs were t. DE made the
Number first sent man TO nnd out iu, what was To
bee done ard when this scout hli made M, report.
di,p,tchcd men with the proper tools to put thing,
I'm order A. did not care 10 pay for such recon
motoring trip a, 1t WI, entirely cc,,ary under
fine ,rCum. tauCr- went to IN" plumbers saop and
wrote down IA he order book jU,' what was To be
done Nevertheless the next day one of the helpers
spllpterrd into house without his tools. tool, "A
long and critical survey Of the leak. strolcd ont again
and me next day rcappcarcd with companion and h,
ht and furnace. and required n, pip. when the bill
In prction. but had 10 give In rs usual
There was one occasion on winch ! got ahead Of
repair 10 u pipe. wien usked him how much his bin
was lie said there no hurry ab,u, paying IL.
but insisted that there was. and finally compelled
~ 30. which joyiuy paid. II had let him wait
for few weeks. when every one had forgotten how
much time he had spent on the Job would not have
There Is one other thing In whch have outwitted
the plumber. J have forbidden the servant, under
pain Of Instant Dismissal 10 have amy thing 10 do with
her he gts through his work In half the time he did
formerly