Jan. 16, 1Sj">.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



53 



CHAPTERS OX :\IOnT]RX 

 ECONOMY. 



DOMESTIC 



XI.— THE FRAMEWORK OF TUE DWELLIXGIIOUSE. 

 GENERAL PRIXCIPLES OP CONSTRl'CTIOX — (continued). 



IX a letter to Mr. J. Conyers Morrell, the founder of the 

 modern ash system for the treatment and utilisation 

 of household refuse, Dr. W. Moore, of Jlay Fair, very 

 pithily remarks : — " If prevention is better than cure in 

 disease, it is no less so in sanitary matter.-^. The dry 

 system goes to the root of the evil, and prevents the forma- 

 tion of sewage tluid in its worst and nastiest form. It is 

 only when human excreta are mi.xcd and churned up with 

 water that poisonous gases are generated, euterio fever 

 diffused, rivers polluted, aud public decency outraged. The 

 ■water-clostt system is a delusion and a snare. It makes 

 sewage, it is bad in principle, it connects each house with the 

 sewers, as if on purpose to poison or offend the inmates with 

 foul gases ; it does not touch the fountain-head, and it wastes 

 a valuable fertiliser. It puts excrementitious matter into one 

 end of a long tube, at the other end of which are found a 

 congi-egation of civil engineers and chemists frantically 

 engaged in the vain work of undoing what has been done." 

 This may be taken as almost a summary of the value of 

 the process ; but to be precise, we may formulate its 

 advantages, and redirect the attention of our readers to 

 those premises, given in our immediately foregoing chapters, 

 from which our conclusions are drawn. 



(a) The original cost of the apparatus required is much 

 less than that for an ordinary water-closet. As it is not 

 open to damage from frost, the expenditure for repairs is 

 obviously almost ail. When improper substances, such as 

 stones, large pieces of paper, ic, are thrown into the 

 receptacle, they lie there perfectly harmless ; whereas, we 

 are able to state from experience that the prevalent syphon 

 pipe of a hopper or other basin is a source of constant 

 annoyance of the worst character from this cause. 



(b) The quantity of water used is considerably dimi- 

 nished, and there is no loophole here for the contamination 

 of the cistern. Our observations in several parts of this 

 city have shown that the majority of buildings of moderate 

 size, and of date anterior to about 1865, and many of even 

 recent erection, are most unwholesome in this respect. A 

 common form is where the closet water-supplj^ comes 

 directly from an exposed or an inaccessible cistern over- 

 bead, which also supplies the scullery sink and kitchen. 

 Another variety is only an improvement on the above. 

 There is a kind of semi disconnection of the cistern from 

 the closet-pipe by the intervention of an inefficient water- 

 waste preventer. 



(c) As an absorbent, deodoriser, and disinfectant, earth 

 and ashes applied to excrement is a positive preventive 

 to the rise and spread of zymotic disease. The combina- 

 tion of the earth with the waste matters is directly an- 

 tagonistic to the development of germs and the foul 

 exhalatioLS which are always attendant upon fermentative 

 processes. 



(d) The resultant product is a manure of the high value 

 of £3 per ton, which may be permitted to accumulate in 

 vaults for months without any disadvantage, or can be 

 removed at short intervals, from specially-constructed 

 apparatus, in the ordinary dust-cart, without the slightest 

 degree of offence ; indeed, the removal of decomposing 

 garbage from the dust-bin of the present day is open to 

 greater objection. The total quantity of waste matter thus 

 periodically removed is only equal to, or even less than, the 

 aggregate of the filth of to-day ; so, that, far from an increase 

 of expenditure for its removal, there may be, under careful 



man.igcnu'Ut, an appreciable decrease. We must also bear 

 in mind here, that there is an enormous saving at the same 

 time of rates for water, aud the total abolition of expensive 

 sewage works. Directly and indirectly, therefore, the 

 pecuniary gain would be almost fabidous. 



(<) It has been estimated that tlio system can be per- 

 fectly organised forcomnuinities of 10,000 persons, presided 

 over by special local boards, and that the authorities so 

 constituted can make it pay amply for all expenses. Here, 

 then, is room for a redistribution of local boards, to be 

 gauged by the number of individuals within each sanitary 

 boundary. 



A\'o have now stated enough regarding the diy system 

 for dealing with refuse matters to show conclusively that 

 it deserves to become, ere long, the dominant practice of 

 the future. We have shown that the modilicatiuu of the 

 present hydraulic system might easily be cllected by appor- 

 tioning the work of each district to its local authorities, 

 and that the initial expenditure need not be so great as to 

 overtax the pur,<es of landowners and house proprietors. 

 Yet nevertheless, the joint boards seem to be bent upon 

 carrying all these products, that would otherwise be valu- 

 able, by an immense unventilated and costly sewer to the 

 sea. This measure, if carried out in its integrity, will 

 retard the progress of sanitary science of the highest order, 

 aud although it may be found effectual, the result will be 

 attained at the increased taxation of the public, a waste of 

 much valuable material, an intermittent drought of the 

 rivf r Thames, and the enrichment of the water companies. 



The dry system, on the other hand, if universally intro- 

 duced, would probably cause an .increaseel taxation pro 

 tcmj'ore, but, in the course of time, it would develop into a 

 vast source of wealth to the country ; it would secure for us 

 freedom from epitlemics, extreme cleanliness in our homes, 

 and no undue waste of the water of our rivers, which will 

 then be able to return to their original purity. Instead of 

 the enrichment of water companies, the public will be incal- 

 culably benefited. Let us hope that the time is at hand 

 when the reverse of Charles Kingsley's words ("The sewers 

 vomit their pestilential riches into the river, hurrying to 

 the sea vast stores of wealth, which might be elaborated by 

 nature's chemistry into the ready materials of food ; pro- 

 claiming, too, by their foul smell, God's will that their con- 

 tents should be buried out of sight, in the fruitful all- 

 regenerating earth. We despise His laws, atd therefore 

 are alHicted with pestilence, tilth, and drunkenness,") will 

 become the order of the day. 



Although we have anticipated matters thus far, we must 

 bear in mind that the sewage system is a present and pre- 

 vailing evil, and it therefore remains for us to consider 

 those principles which ought to be carefully attended to in 

 a house provided with pipes for the removal of excremen- 

 titious matters. 



(i) Soil-pipes ought never to be included within the 

 shell of the building ; that is a recognised fact amongst 

 even the most unenlightened builders. Many houses, how- 

 ever, which may be said to have been built in jire sanitary 

 times, still harbour internal soil-pipes, and it is in- 

 variably the case that where such a state of affairs 

 obtains, the closet is packed away beneath the stair- 

 case, in a position where it can be but ill-lighted, 

 and still less well ventilated. Kearly all the seiious 

 faults of a badly-placed closet are generally found 

 associated ; its obscure position, away from the fresh 

 air and sunlight, is an incentive to the " penny-wise 

 and pound foolish" landlord, who tries to save labour and 

 expense in omitting to plaster the partition, and fasten 

 floor-boards beneath the seat. This is a constant cause of 

 escape of foul air into adjoining apartments, aud to it may 



