246 



The Country House 



soil about, leaving the solid matter and grease in the cesspool. It is thus seen that 

 the contents of the cesspool are left to decay slowly, while the soil about becomes 

 stagnant with the considerable liquid impurities. As to the water used in flushing, 

 it is merely a carrying agent and has no material purifying effect. 



If the leaching cesspool be used, it is best that it be connected with a blind 

 drain, which may wind in and about such land as is available, at a slight incline, so 

 as to distribute the otherwise concentrated fluid accumulation. The solid matter 



should be removed at regular intervals 

 and disposed of as already suggested. 

 The cost of an ordinary cesspool is but 

 slightly in excess of the similar well. It 

 is needless to state that every cesspool 

 should be located as far from the house 

 and well as possible. 



The good cesspool is the tight type 

 laid up of hard - burned brick and 

 hydraulic cement. It should be built in 

 two compartments, the first receiving the 

 solids and the second the liquids. Each 

 compartment should be circular in shape, 

 domed over at the top and fitted with a 

 manhole having a tight iron cover. It 

 should be ventilated in the best possible 

 manner and be emptied and cleaned 

 frequently. Another type which gives 

 considerable satisfaction is that in which 

 two leaching cesspools with covered tops 

 are used. The first is a septic tank in 

 which the solids decompose. The over- 

 flow filters through the dry stone wall 

 to the second tank, where a syphon 

 discharges intermittently, carrying the 

 liquid through tight-laid drain pipes to 

 several filter beds on the surface. These 

 filter beds are of sand about 4 feet deep, 

 with deep drains leading off from under 

 them to carry the purified liquid after 

 its passage through the sand. The filter 



Hiding an iron standpipe by a wooden shell. A high tower ^eds are generally located in clumps of 

 near farm of Thomas W. Lawson, Esq., Egypt, Mass. A stand bushes OT tTCCS tO be OUt of sight. This 

 pipe shell like this could be built for about $2,000. Cool- i i r ri i J 1 



idge & cariton, architects system, might, with four filter beds, be 



constructed for about $400 or $500, and 



although it is contrary to the principle of not allowing any matter to decompose, 

 yet it is said to give satisfaction. It is argued that the solids become dissolved 

 and largely assimilated by the liquid matter. 



One thing to be borne in mind with all types of cesspools is that they should be 



