The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-08
have had n effect even if it's condi-
ton had been bad.
THE SEWERAGE AND PLUMBING.

have a any effect even if its condi-
|tion had been bad.
THE SEWERAGE AND PLUMBING.
WheE the first dormitory (brick) was
built in 1892 a sewer pipe was laid
with which was connected one water
Icloset (Which was kept locke and used
in case of sickness), the bath tubs,
the wash pipe from the kitchen sink
and five downspouts from h roof.
In 1895 a new system Of sewers vas
put in and the old sewer abandoned,
as was supposed, except as a drain
age pipe for the roof water. but it
turns out that the plumbers. when
a connection for the sink OF the
new kitchen, made it with this,
thinking it the new sewer which was
of the same siZe-eight inches. When
taken up as was done. the trench be-
ing d~isinfected). this old sewer. while
very to the nose, from the
ldecaying animal and vegetable mat
ter from the kitchen sink. il the old
fashioned dunghill at the back win
dow OF many a country kitchen, was
said to have been tight and well scour-
led. 1t showed, however, one defect
which should be mentioned in this dis
icussion, viz: A small opening at the
top, due to a bad joint in the space
under the buffers pantry, adjacent to
the butter room.
| The new sewers, as far as examined.
were in good condition, except the
stoppage of one near the presidents
house, about 100 yards below the
ITeague house, by the roots of a tree
AN accident which is said to be practi-
Ically unavoidable. This had been rem
ledied at the time of my visit.
THE PLUMBING.
While mended plaster and stains on
the wall under lavatories and bath
tubs in some instances indicated de-
Elective work at first, these defects had
been remedied, and / should say that
the interior plumbing was good. l re-
gret to say that the same cannot be
said of all the external plumbing, by
which is meant the connections be-
tween the house fixtures and the sew
Ter, for one notable exception was found
in a leaking soil pipe connecting the
waterclosets on the second floor of the
main or brick dormitory with the main
iSeWer. This pipe was not leaking at
the time of my visit, for it had been
torn out and replaced as soon as the
leak was found. but all agree that it
was leaking when Xamined-on the
lSth, If l mistake not-and hat the
adjacent soil was wet. This pipe was
seventeen feet long, the first five feet
from the down pipe being of iron, and
the remaining twelve of six joints of
terra Gotta, which latter section, be-
lg1nning not quite a foot under the sur
face of the ground, rapidly descended
to the main sewer at a depth of four
fleet. 1t ran under the buffers pam
try, or serving room of the lining
room, the floor of which is about two
and a half feet above the ground.
parallel to n eighteen inches dis
lance from one wall ora closet under
! h CfnnC loo IfN- f-~-o 49,
to the dOrmitOry above, in which closet.
for the lack of any other approx
mately cool place, h butter was kept
only, however, for a few days at
moSt-after being received from the
ldalrles before being consumed, the
cakes of butter. with very rare ex-
cept1ons, being wrapped in impervious
parchment or paraffn paper. In the
wall Of the butter closet adjacent to
the soil pipe an opening, 20x42 inches,
the bottom being on the floor, which
was practically on a level with the
ground, had been cut for ventilation.
Opposite this opening n in q line
across the leaking soil pipe the satu-
rated earth, and about twenty feet dis
tant was h only opening in the foun-
dation wall of hat section of the
building.
In this discussion of the sewerage, ]
IWEoI " OWu my ln~QeDCoOneS
to Colonel A. w. Shaffer, the sanitary
engineer of h board of health, and to
Mr.. J. L. Ludlow, G.. E., of Winston, al
ex-engineer OF the board and now SO
we'll and favorably known in that a
pacity throughout our state and other
southern states, was employed by the
tcollege ITO make an inspection.
FLIES.
Flies convey the germs by walking
over the bowel discharges of a typhoid
fever case and carrying them on their
feet to food in the kitchen or dining
room. I made careful inquiry as tc
the occurrence of typhoid i'm the neigh
borhood of the college. I could learn
only of one a in the person of the
night Waterman, who was sick in Au-
gust. I sent for and questioned him
Jas to the disposal OF his OBJECTIONS and
was informed that they were invariably
placed i'm a hole dug in his garden, dis
Infected and covered up with earth.
Files did not frequent the sewerage
wet earth, around the leaking soia pipe
because it was too dark for them.
The fly must be excluded in this in
tstance as q cause. In passing I should
say that there was no possibility OF
the contamination OF the drinking wa
ter by this patient
THE MILK
There was no reason ITO suspect the