BoBSON. — On the Sanitary Hequireinents of Toinis. 80 



What are we going to do with our house-slops ? Bearing in mind that 

 the surface-drainage of the streets themselves unavoidably communicates a 

 considerable amount of impurity to the rivers, into which it ultimately 

 flows, even with the most efficient system of street cleansing — it appears, 

 to me, idle to object to passing the house-drainage to the outfalls through 

 the street gutters, provided that the excreta and all solid refuse are kept out 

 of the house-drains, as previously suggested ; and that they are kept con- 

 stantly flushed by an efficient water-supply. 



If, however, the closets discharge into the house-drains, a distinct 

 system of sewers must be provided, leading to a pumpiug-station, at which 

 the sewage is lifted for disposal upon the land, as the cases in which this 

 can be effected by simple gravitation are quite exceptional. And this in- 

 volves, — 1st, that the rainfall must be kept out of the house-drains, to avoid 

 the risk of the pumps being overpowered, and the sewage thrown back upon 

 the houses in heavy storms ; and, 2nd, that there must be special means 

 provided for flushing the street gutters, as the domestic water-supply is no 

 longer available for this purpose. 



Lastly, let us take into consideration the different methods of disposing 

 of the excreta, to which I have previously briefly referred. 



The ash-closet is a great advance upon the cesspool system. There is 

 no risk from sewer-gas, and no pollution of the soil fi-om leaking or over- 

 flowing cesspools. The ashes act as absorbents and deodorizers, and there 

 is but little smell or inconvenience experienced at the emptying of the 

 closets ; and as their contents are ready to be placed on the land without 

 undergoing any intermediate process, the sale of the manure goes a long 

 way to recoup the cost of collection. 



The system is, however, less adapted for use in closely-built cities than 

 in villages and small country towns, where there is ample garden-space 

 round the houses, combined with an absence of municipal machinery for 

 the periodical cleansing of the closets. 



The system of closet-pans has the great advantage of giving facilities for 

 disinfecting the excreta of persons suffering from infectious disease, an 

 advantage which cannot be too highly estimated. "With properly con- 

 structed pans, their removal may be effected in the day-time mth no more 

 annoyance to sight and smell than is occasioned by the visit of the brewer's 

 dray, Avhilst the freedom from sewer-gas and the absence of complicated and 

 expensive machinery, ■►which is constantly liable to become deranged in un- 

 skilful hands, are great inducements for the adoption of this style of closet. 

 The water-closet is, probably, of all three systems the most luxurious, and, 

 in theory, the most perfect method of disposing of the excreta. Its success- 

 ful introduction demands three conditions — 



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