688 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION H. 
‘7.—HOUSEHOLD SANITATION. 
By Grorce Gorpon, M.Inst.C.E. 
| Abstract. | 
THE requirements for a wholesome dwelling are—lst, a good site 
and correct construction of the house ; 2nd, plenty of fresh air ; 
3rd, a pure water supply; and 4th, the speedy, and as far as 
practicable, automatic removal of all refuse. 
Under the three first heads, which are not entirely in the 
control of individuals, it is urged that where the ground-water 
level, or a clay subsoil, is near the surface, the whole area occupied 
by the house should be covered with a layer of concrete or asphalt, 
and the space intervening between this layer and the floor joists 
should be thoroughly ventilated. Hollow walls are recommended, 
and when practicable such an aspect that the morning sun shall 
shine into as many bedrooms and livingrooms as_ possible. 
Thorough ventilation is insisted on, but no special arrangements 
for artificial ventilation are needed, except in the case of buildings 
inhabited by a great number of persons. It is pointed out that 
where there is no town water supply a moderately roomy house 
will generally, where the rainfall is 22 in. per annum, yield from. 
the roof sufficient water for drinking and cooking, and partly for 
washing purposes, and that an equal additional supply of inferior 
water would sufiice for other purposes. Jron tanks above ground 
are preferable to underground brick tanks, as being more easily 
cleaned, and not liable to have the water contaminated by infil- 
tration from surrounding soil. If the latter are used, they should 
be at some distance from, and at a higher level, than the house 
and outbuildings, the water being led in by a cast-iron pipe into 
which the down pipes are fixed. 
The special subject of the paper is the removal of all kinds of 
refuse liquid, which can easily be removed by water without 
manual labour, and solid, which it would be impossible so to 
remove. ‘The first is practically all the water used in the estab- 
lishment and fouled in the using, and coming from the kitchen or 
scullery, bedrooms, water-closets, washhouse, and from the scrub- 
bing of floors. 
The principles on which the house drainage should be designed 
are simple, viz., these :—There should be no stagnant fluids ; they 
should be discharged into the sewers as quickly as possible, and 
there should be no possibility of foul air from the pipes or sewers 
entering the houses, that is to say, there should be no cesspits, 
and all drains should be trapped. The use of water-closets is 
advocated for town houses, wherever there is an underground 
system of sewers, because they are the only unobjectionable means 
of removing fecal matter, and their use adds little to the liquid 
