62 



Hints respecting the Construction of Warni'-Batlis. 



Warm Baths have lately come into very general use, and 

 they are justly considered as indispensably necessary in all 

 modern houses of any magnitude, as also in club-houses, 

 hotels, and hospitals. But the mode of constructing these 

 baths, and of obtaining the necessary supplies of hot and 

 cold water, does not appear to me to have undergone an 

 improvement equal to the extension of their employment; 

 I trust, therefore, you will not consider a few pages of your 

 journal misapplied to a subject, which I think materially 

 affects the health and comfort of the community, and upon 

 which a variety of erroneous and conflicting opinions are 

 extant. 



The several points which I propose briefly to touch upon, 

 in regard to warm baths, relate, — 



1. To the materials of which they are constructed, 



2. To their situation, 



3. To the supply of cold water, 



4. To the supply of hot water, 



5. To minor comforts and conveniences. 



1 . As to the materials of which they are constructed. — Of 

 these the best are slabs of polished marble, properly bedded 

 with good water-tight cement, in a seasoned wooden case, 

 and neatly and carefully united at their respective edges. 

 These, when originally well-constructed, form a durable, 

 pleasant, and agreeable-looking bath ; but the expense is 

 often objectionable, and in upper chambers the weight may 

 prove inconvenient. If of white or veined marble, they are 

 also apt to get yellow or discoloured by frequent use, and 

 cannot easily be cleansed ; so that large Dutch tiles, as they 

 are called, or square pieces of white earthenware, are some- 

 times substituted, which, however, are difficultly kept water- 

 tight ; so that, upon the whole, we recommend marble. 



Where there are reasons for excluding marble, copper or 

 tinned iron plate are the usual materials resorted to. The 

 former is most expensive at the outset, but far more durable 

 than the latter, which is, moreover, liable to leakage at the 



