SANITATION 589 



the bottom carbonized into charcoal ; the volalihzed 

 products are led through a condenser and received into a 

 chamber, where they settle out into : — 

 " (i) A heavy ammoniacal liquor, 

 " (2) A layer of oil, 

 " (3) Gaseous products. 



" These last are piped off to a burner, where their com- 

 bustion provides the heat required to produce the dis- 

 integrating action on the sewage that takes place in the 

 partitioned chamber. 



" The ammoniacal liquor forming the lowest laver in the 

 receiver contains pyridine bases, which are of value as 

 an insecticide and as a bactericide. The laver of oil is 

 collected and used for working the motor that actuates 

 the revolving comb or scraper in the cvlinder first men- 

 tioned. The solid carbonized residue is practically pure 

 carbon, which may be used as fuel or for many other 

 purposes. Hence these excretory products can be ren- 

 dered innocuous and disposed of at a very minimum of 

 cost, or even at no cost at all ; it is quite possible that the 

 residue charcoal may come to be a source of profit. At 

 any rate, it seems proved that the working expenses are 

 covered. The fact of the apparatus being self-contained 

 and self-supporting — viz. : (i) That the heat required for 

 the destructive distillation of the excreta is provided by 

 the gas which is set free; (2) that the petroleum oil for 

 running the motor is also obtained from the results of 

 the same distillation — distinguishes it from all other 

 chemical processes or methods of disinfection depending 

 on heat. 



" It is stated that no fuel is required at all except for the 

 commencement of the working. That an insecticide and 

 a bactericide should be obtainable from the condensation 

 liquor is also much in favour of this method, if in practice 

 it can be recovered without difficulty. In camp life such 

 a substance would be most useful for the destruction of 

 flies, fleas and vermin generally, as well as for its more 

 important disinfectant applications to contagious patho- 

 genic material." 



Cesspools. 



Cesspools or receptive tanks for houses or blocks of buildings are 

 generally difficult to keep clean and to emptv. 



To correct these nuisances several methods of emptying cesspools 



