Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-18
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.

THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
insanitnry Conditions Prevailing IN
Some Departments.
From the Popular Health Magazine.
referring to the unhealthy condition Of
the treasury building as revealed through
analysis OF the air in some of the rooms as
stated In the September number of the
magazine. it is evident that these conditions
can only De remedied through the intro
oucuon OF proper sewerage system. In
this connection We offer the following re-
concentrations.
In order to get rid OF the old brick sew
ers. which are the source of danger. terra
Gotta pipes Of sufficient size should be laid
In the areas and courts around the build
Ing. and all soil pipes. waste pipes ana rain
water leaders be taken by the shortest cut
with extra heavy cast iron pipe, to the out.
SIDE OF the building and connected with
tnese terra Gotta pipes. This method would
put the building in a perfect sanitary con-
oition and get rid OF all the impurities ana
the vermin that have infested the premises
Ior 30 many years. This work could be
zone while the building is occupied the
present system being allowed to remain as
IL is until the new pipes were all laid ana
ready TO be connected with the public sew
ers in the street
Inc government post office is one OF the
most insanitary buildings in the city. The
oio system of plumbing and drainage has
never been changed since the building was
erected. Inc plumbing fixtures are with
out proper water supply and there is no
.ehuidion Ihere Is no means of carry
ing on the impurities arising from the
basement and lower part OF the building,
Affecting no
In the quarters assigned to the dead letter
once. occupied by female clerks, the i'm
purities arising from the lower part of the
pu.ioing are very perceptible. An observer
remarked mat he had seen young ladies'
IN vigorous health enter this department.
put after few months service in the sal-
leries OF the dead letter office become pale
1 sh siekIy In appearance from breathing
ens Vltiated air arising from below
Inc patent Office is equally unwhoIesome
anu tne condition of the government print
ing ing once is as bad as it can be from care
less supervision. The attempt Was r,a6o
sometime ago to put the plumbing fixtures
ol tne government printing office In good
sanitary condition and a system of plumb-
ing anu DRAINAGE was put in there which.
II properly cared for and kept clean would
nave given comfort and security 10 the oc-
cupants or the building But the fixtures
were allowed to become nlthy and the
woooeh ana cement floors so saturated with
impurities as to affect the atmosuhere OF
tne whole building, and today IL is the foul-
est and most unhealthy Department b,,tld
ing In Washington, due to Insufficient an
sion. i"r
In the Interior Department building the
unuerSround drains consist of main lines
OF or1ck sewers running on the east and
p,,,s,; corrioors and discharging into the
pupnC savers on 9Th street, and terra Gotta
orahch lines on the north and south corr1-
LUIS with connections to rain water Leaders
anu vertical soil and waste pipes. These
t ,a, f teaosrs are the only means of ventila-
uoh Tor this long line of sewerage and as
there is no circulation of air through the
system the inner surface of these mines
must De very foul Under the most favor
apie circumstances such large cayernous
brick and terra Gotta sewers should nnt hs
permitted. All the sewerage and rain fan
OF TINS building could be carried more
quickiy 10 the outside through smaller
pipes. The plumbing fixtures in the toilet
rooms could be so located as not only 70
nave more light and air. but a more rand
exit OF waste made to the outside Of the
euiloing, Some Of the wash-out closets
nave been set in accordance with well-es-
taonshed rules. and some other fixtures in
otner parts OF the building are in Them
serves not especially objectionab BILE. hut the
absence OF SOIL pipe extensions is the gem
eIai RUE with all the work in the building
ana Wherever an attempt has been made To
anord proper local ventilation Il has proved
me1ncient. The stationary wash basins IN
the several rooms have mechanical trans
under them and no yentilation THE ss
simply an abomination, and should NOT he
Tolerated The fixtures in the basement are
an padiy constructed. and the exits IN the
hoors for carrying of waste water and wa
ter from the heating apparatus are NOT nro.
tected by suitable traps but have sinnlv
the old fashioned surface or bell tran which
is two-thirds OF the time uuseaied or
course the air is passing up through tbe.e
openings from the sewer into the building
and polluting the atmosphere of the house
The blow-offs from boilers IN ali thee.
department buildings are connected directly
with the sewers of the building The con
sequence is that whenever the steam is
blown on from the boiler the Joints of fbe
sewers are disturbed. Under the recent
ACT OF Congress all buildings in the Dis
trict OF Columbia-hotels and other nlacer
are required to blow off their boilers fnto
a tank where the water is allowed 10 cool
before IL passes into the sewer. thus nro-
tectlng not only the drainage system OF the
building, but the public sewers from dam
age. ~
The opening OF the windows in the var-
ious government buildings at night should
be enforced as a sanitary measure IN
should be the duty of the superintendent
OF the building to have every window rais-
ed as soon as the clerks vacate the offices
and the building allowed to remain omen for
hours TO thoroughly purify the air In the
rooms. Soon after the clerks leave the
building the windows are closed for the
night, and remain 50 until morning when
The occupants return TO their duties BREATH
Ing the same vitiated air, or that which
was more foul than they left at night.