The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-04
CARE OF PLUMBING
RECOMMENDED BY THE INsPEC-
TOR IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT.
TO GUARD AGAINST DISEASE,
HE ADVISES MEASURES TO BE
FOLLOWED BY HOUsEHoLDERs.

HOuse Drainage System-Sanitary
Precautions That should be Oh
served-What Residents should
DO on Leaving Their Houses for
the Summer Notwithstanding
Statement of the Work of the De-
partment.
The annual report of Plumbing In
spector Campos was filed yes
terday with the Mayor. In addition
to his statement of the conduct of his
office for a year, the plumbing inspec-
tor gives some advice for household
ers.
I'm common with other departments
of the city" the plumbing inspector re-
ports, the labors of the Inspector of
plumbing have been greatly increased
during the year just ended, brought on
by the new house drainage system. OF
course this increased the work of the
department very much | am able to
report the same marked Improvement
in the work that has been a feature
of this office since the first year of its
inception. Occasionally during the
year perplexing questions in regard to
the construction of the laws have
arisen, but they have been decided
without any controversy, and, in my
judgment, in a manner that will best
subserve che public welfare and bring
about better sanitary conditions in the
home and workshop. 1t was for just
that purpose that the Office was Gre
a cd In fatx 7 III
to appeal to the courts for willful VIC
lation of the ordinances. In each case
the party was fined and ordered to
comply with the ordinances.
The work of changing over the
drainage system of houses from the
old sewer to the new house drainage
system is going on constantly, and in
the rearrangement of the plural'ing
the general tendency is to comply with
the laws, aud most of the property
owners are only too anxious to fill up
the vaults and remove the unsightly
houses, and. at the same time, to
arrange their closets and fixtures in
compliance with the law to obtain the
best results from a sanitary stand
point.
"A very gratifying Improvement has
been the promptnessi with which the
property owners have corrected defec-
live PiuiiiOllS WnGD SUCH mas DGGn
brought to their attention. While it
is not one of the requirements under
the law for this department to in
spect plumbing in buildings in which
the owners or occupants believe that
because of some defect in the plumb
ing or drainage system, foul air is
being admitted, such inspections have
at times been made and the difficulty
pointed out. 1t is very gratifying to
in Af
has been unsanitary plumbing, where
sewer gas contains disease germs, to
find their way into the rooms of the
household or the workshop, that mod
ern improvements are being daily con-
structed. In fact. what a few years
ago were considered to be luxuries to
be enjoyed by only those possessed of
ample means are to-day regarded as
necessary to the health of the house
hold.
I'm my opinion, great deal of sick
ness is caused by people not caring
for traps under plumbing fixtures dur
ing the summer vacations. Very often
family, after being away during an
entire summer, will come back from the
seaside or mountains and, without any
preliminary airing of the buildings,
move into the house. Later a case of
typhoid fever develops, and people are
at d lOSS " dCCOunl LOT IL. But SOfne-
times the outbreak of fever is easily
explained. During the absence of the
family the water in the trap has evap-
GRATED and the seal is broken, leaving
an open connection between the sewer
and the open rooms of the house. Sewer
gas pours in, and the disease germs
are lying in the furniture and dra-
peries, and sickness often results If
the water is taken out of the traps
before the house is closed up and neu-
trail oil put in its place, that would
prevent the breaking of the seal and
there would be no open connection with
the sewers.
THE bursting of water pipes during
periods of low temperature has been,
as is most universally known, an evil
of great dread and the source of wide
spread destruction, and the expense
and inconvenience of doing without
water the unsanitary condition and
the great waste of water constitute Il
problem of high Importance to the own
ers of property and to the waterworks
department. This stretching, splitting
or bursting of pipes is well known to
those familiar with hydraulics to be
due to the irresistible expansion which
water undergoes when changing from
the liquid state to ice. There is no
ordinance governing the putting in of
water pipe through the buildings, and
l would recommend that an ordinance
be drawn up covering this branch of
There should be placed on
the outer curb a stopcock and a box.
and on the top the words, water box
this stopcock to be approved by the
board of plumbing examiners, and in
side the property line should be put
into the supply a drain-water cock and
all water pipes be run, so as. when
water is shut off, all water will drain
out of the pipes.
valuable assistance has been rem
dered this department by the two in
spectors of house drainage, Messrs.
Sheftall and McDermott. During the
year they have inspected 2,136 connec-
lions with the new house drainage sys-
tenn"
The plumbing inspector closes his re-
port with the following statement:
Total number of inspections
made ........................ lS5
Total amount of fees collected 81 ,091 so
Total number of inspections for
health officer ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81
Total number of permits issued
for connections with house
drainage system .............. 1880
Total number of houses con-
nected up .................... 2lS6
-~-~-s-
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f3.su.on, csava,,oh ga AFc..,.....-.... -.