280 



KNOWLEDGE 



[April 3, 1885. 



Fi". 16. 



upon throughout its course, such as an encasement of con- 

 crete or brickwork, the expense of such a provision would, 

 in most instances, be fatal to its adoption, so that in stone- 

 ware drains, which are to be preferred to iron pipes on 

 account of their chemical 'constitution, a reliable water- 

 tight and cheap joint must be looked upon as sine qwl non. 



The chief diftlculty to be Mirmounted consists in the 

 accurate fitting of the spigot of one piece into the socket 

 of the other, and as such a mechanically true fit cannot be 

 secured in stone or earthenware-pipes, on account of the 

 difficulty experienced in maintaining their forms duriag 

 the process of firing in their manufacture, something else 

 of a cheap, yet durable material, must be cast upon the 

 ends of the pipes. This is carried out in the case of the 

 " Stanford Patent Joint " for stoneware-pipes (Fig. 16). The 

 casting upon the spigot fits into the casting within the 

 socket in such a way as to make the joint quite watertight 

 without the employment of any cement substance ; all 

 that is recommended for use is a little smearing of 

 grease. Subsequent settlement of the drain only tends 

 to make the joint more secure, and, what is of great 

 importance, the drain can be laid by an ordinary un- 

 skilled labourer as soon as the trench for its reception has 

 been made, whether it is wet and full of water or not. 

 The material of the joint does not project within the 

 pipe 80 as to cause any obstruction, and a junction with 

 a water-tight stopper, as shown in Fig. 16, can be pro- 

 vided at intervals for purposes of inspection. All of 

 these advantages are gained at a cost that does not 

 exceed that for a cement joint, and there can be no risk 

 here from unskilled or dishonest labour. Stoneware pipes 

 are, as a rule, seldom used for vertical work, or as soil- 

 pipes ; but, should it be deemed advisable to place them in 

 such positions, the Stanford joint will undoubtedly be found 

 to be the safest and best. 



It has been said that there are not 500 houses in the 

 whole metropolis which can claim to be thoroughly well 

 drained ; doubtless the fortunate half hundred are of the 

 better class of expensive tenements. We may safely say, 

 that although we have examined a very large number of 

 dwellings in the suburbs, we h;ive not yet discovered a 

 single instance anywhere approaching the requirements of 

 a modern healthy house as far as its drains are concerned, 

 whilst artisans' dwellings everywhere are in a most 

 insanitary condition. The reason of this is that the 

 hydraulic system is a great deal too expensive to be carried 

 out in its integrity for the poor ; every cottage, or other 

 building with only outhouse provision, ought not only to 

 have its closet ventilated, but there ought to be one inspec- 

 tion chamber at least, and a good disconnecting trap with 

 its accessories between the house-drain and the main-sewer 

 or cesspool. As it is, there is either no sewer at all, or its 

 place is taken by filthy, ill-constructed cesspools untrapped 



from the house, and polluting the ground of the neighbour- 

 hood with the pent up products of putrefaction. 



We shall now describe some of the most approved forms 

 of apparatus required for houses pro\'ided with water- 

 closets on more than one floor, and which, therefore, neces- 

 sitate soil-pipes, house-drains, yard-gullies, ic. Between 

 the house-drain and the street sewer there should intervene 

 a disconnecting trap, with inlets for fresh air and an in- 

 spection arm to the drain below, or on the sewer side of 

 the trap, which may or may not be continued into a venti- 

 lating or pressure-relieving shaft for the sewer. On no 

 account ought the house-drain to be linked on to that of 

 another abode. This defect obtains so often, that it has 

 gained the distinctive title of " combined drainage system." 

 Of the numerous examples that have hitherto been introduced 

 into the market, the following are the most noteworthy : — 



" Potts's Patent Edinburgh Air-Chambered Sewer and 

 Soil-pipe Trap," Fig. 17, is virtually a well-glazed stone- 

 ware manhole divided into two air-chambers by a partition, 

 the base of which forms a continuous down-sloping channel 



EARTH 



.A- 



I LE.VE L ^___^ M_XXJi,\ """^ TF- 



--S It t" ' " I %' ' ~"-'-xJ Hf^H'.'lSJ B 7^^ 



Fig. 17. — Sectional view of " Potts's Edinburgh Air-Chambered 

 Sewer-Trap." A, air-chamber, 2 ft. 6 in. or 3 ft. long, divided by 

 diaphragm, G, into two parts ; this assists to direct the gas out of 

 the first division of the chamber, A, and thus creates an air current 

 through the trap. The soil passes down the pipe, B, into the 

 channel, C C C, along the direction of the arrow-heads, and through 

 the water seal of the dip-trap, D, into the sewer. The rain-water 

 pipe L, and the household waste-water pipe, R, discharge into an 

 open head-junction between the soil-pipe, B, and the air-chamber, 

 A, and their contents thus aid in flushing the appli- 

 ance. The air-chamber ia covered by a grating, E, which 

 is placed a little above the level of the ground, and 

 when the trap is sunk too low to admit of this, the air-chamber 

 must be provided with one or more raising pieces to bring it above 

 ground. Below the grating provision is made for a disinfecting 

 tray, to meet the desires of the fastidious. A pipe, F, which may 

 be shifted to any position by a bend, as shown at P, is placed on 

 the sewer side of the trap ; it is 3 in. in diameter, and therefore 

 quite sufficient to carry away superfluous sewer-gas. It is not 

 always necessary, and the vent may be plugged and used as occasion 

 requires for inspection on the sewer-aide of the trap. 



leading from the soil pipe and other waste discharges into 

 a shallow dip-trap on the house side of the street-sewer. 



