Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-12-02
DRINKING FOUNTAINS
DEVISED
FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The problem of sanitary and sufh.
GENTLY cheap drinking fountains to Da
used in school yards and in public
places seems finally to have met a sat.
isfactory solution. The Board Of
Health has for several years past
wrestled with this problem. Several
parties have on various occasions dij-
preached 1t with plans for the erection
of drinking fountains for man and
beast but they have all been found uK.
satisfactory, either because the foun.
tains proposed did not come up to the
| required sanitary standard. or. where
they were satisfactory from a sanitary
| point of view. because they wore too
| expensive to allow the government
under its present system Of rigid econ.
| omy to procure them.
The Board OF Health has for some
time past been looking about for L
SCHEME whereby the present system
for providing water TO the children in
the public schools could be done away
with. The Board of Education also
took the matter up. and the two depart
mcnts cO-operated for the same pur-
pose, namely: to get perfectly SAM
tary drinking fountain of price
which was not prohibitiye. Heretofore
the children had had to get their water
from taps in the school yards, using
drinking cups, Even when these cups
were in good repair and kept clean,
they were the cause of some danger Of
infection as they were used by all the
children promiscuously. The cups, how.
ever, very soon became clipped and
cracked, the cracks becoming most per.
feet breeding places for microbes of
various kinds.
The conclusion was soon reached
that the only satisfactory drinking
| fountain was the one which dispensed
with the use OF cups altogether by
squirting forth small jet of water.
where the drinker can Quench his thirst
by applying his mouth directly to the
water. Such fountains are made on
the mainland. but they cost about $40
apiece and the cost Of connecting them
with watermains and sewers adds about
$50 to the cost, making the total out,
lay for each about $50. This price put
these fountains entirely out of the
question.
In the meantime Plumbing Inspector
Keen exercised his ingenuity and de.
vised drinking fountain which could
| be made here at moderate cost, and
which answered all the requirements.
The Health and Education authorities
combined to try the experiment, with
the result that II was found 10 be most
satisfactory. A fountain of this kind
has been erected in the Normal school
yard and Is now in use. 1t consists
Of neat white painted trough about
ten feet long, in the bottom of which
runs pipe from which four small
pipes stand up about four or five
Inches. From these the water squirts
up In small jet from which a person
can easily an. conveniently drink by
bending over II and letting the water
squirt into his mouth. At the end of
lie trough Is an Quiet through which
the waste water runs into the sewer
The water can be turned off, so that il
will only be used when the pupils are
at liberty. 1t is intended to place a
cement basin near the trough where
the children can wash their feet. This
Will be connected with the building by
o cement walk so that the children will
be able to enter it perfectly clean. The
cost OF this arrangement Is only about
Sl5 to 500. 1t is the intention to place
the fountains in all the city schools
and also in various public places about
Honolulu.