96 



BULLETIN" 414, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICTJLTURE. 



Covered can. 



This type [fig. 3] consists of a stout water-tight can fitted with a wooden top having a 

 suitable hole in it to serve as the seat. The hole in the seat is covered by a hinged 

 lid. The seat board is closely fitted to the top of the can and the lid fits closely over 

 the hole. To provide ventilation, the lid may be a framed screen. This simple 

 type of sanitary privy, which can be set up for about SI, if operated with care can be 

 kept sanitary. 1 Where a sanitary privj^ house already exists it can be improved by 

 filling the old pit with earth, removing the old seats, thoroughly cleaning the interior, 

 laying a new floor and installing one or more of these box tanks. 



Any water-tight receptacle of suitable size may be used in a sanitary privy. Expe- 

 rience has shown that wooden receptacles soon warp, become leaky, and are, therefore, 

 unsafe, and in the long run expensive. Cylindrical cans made of strong galvanized 

 iron generally are most suitable. A can about 15 inches 

 in height and holding about a bushel is a convenient size. 

 This type of can costs about 60 cents and is obtainable at 

 most any store where hardware is sold. The painting of 

 the inside of the receptacle with coal tar increases dura- 

 bility and makes cleaning easier.^ 



The cans should be inspected frequently to see if they 

 leak. 



Sanitary Receptacle for Use with Convict Cages. 



A water-tight metal receptacle should be 

 obtained at a hardware store. This should be 

 of sufficient size to hold the excreta voided 

 by the men from the time they enter the cage 

 at night until they leave the camp for work 

 the following morning, and in addition to 

 this it must hold 1 gallon of a strong solution 

 of coal-tar disinfectant for every bushel of ca- 

 pacity of the receptacle. A wooden box, fly- 

 tight and substantially constructed, should be 

 built to contain the receptacle (Fig. 4.). This 

 box is to be fastened firmly to the flooring under the cage by 

 means of angle irons and bolts, and should be placed so that 

 the receptacle which it contains will be directly under the hole 

 in the floor through which the excreta pa^s. The most accessible 

 side of the box should be hinged in order that the receptacle may 

 be removed each day for emptying and cleaning. The toilet seat 

 inside the cage should be provided with a tightly fitting hinged 

 lid, so arranged as to drop into place of its own weight when the 

 seat is not in use. For purposes of ventilation and easy removal 

 it is well to have a space of two or three inches between the top of 

 the receptacle and the under surface of the flooring of the cage. 

 A flue made of a few lengths of stovepipe and a couple of elbows 

 extended from one side of the box to near the top of the cage will 



Fig. 3. — Covered can. The 

 simplest tj^pe of sanitary re- 

 ceptacle pri-^-y. Used with a 

 suitable drying powder, or dis- 

 infectant solution, it may he 

 kept sanitary and practically 

 odorless. The seat should be 

 provided with cleats on the 

 under surface to hold it in 

 place on the can. 



1 Public Health Bulletin No. 68. 



