96 
BULLETIN 414, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
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 $1, if operated with care can be 
kept sanitary. 1 Where a sanitary privy house already exists it can be improved b) r 
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 rece'ptacle 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. 1 
The cans should be inspected frequently to see if they 
leak. 
Sanitary Receptacle for Use with Cona^ict 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 pass. 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 type of sanitary re- 
ceptacle privy. Used with a 
suitable drying powder, or dis- 
infectant solution, it may be 
kept sanitary and practically 
odorless. The seat should be 
provided with cleats on the 
under surface to hold it in 
place on the can. 
i Public Health Bulletin No. 68. 
