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59
It was necessary to call upon the owners to construct
entirely new systems of drainage in connection with 154 of
these houses, and in the remaining 32 cases the existing
drains were properly repaired.
The chief defects discovered were leaky joints, fractured
pipes, unglazed pipes without collars, and absence of or
insufficient fall. In many cases the percolation of liquid sewage
from the drains had resulted in dangerous soil pullution. In
one instance it was found that the drain had been made with
chimney pots, and, in addition, was connected with two large
cesspools before it ultimately discharged into the public sewer.
The supervision of new drainage work has, as hitherto,
taken up a great deal of the Inspector's time. Frequent
visits were made while the work was in progress
in order to ensure that the requirements of the Council were
carried out in a satisfactory manner. All new drains are laid
with a minimum fall of 1 in 40, on a solid bed of good
cement concrete at least six inches deep. The material used is
salt glazed stoneware pipes with cement joints, or, heavy cast
iron pipes coated with Dr. Angus Smith's solution, the joints
being run with lead and caulked. Proper provision is made
for efficient trapping and ventilation, and in most cases manholes
are built on the line of drain for cleansing, testing, and
inspecting purposes. The drains are subjected to the water
test before and after the trenches are filled in. A disc, the
full size of the pipes, is also passed through the drain, where
practicable, to remove any superflous and projecting cement
which the workman may have neglected to remove when
making the joints.