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other similar diseases, in houses which drained into cesspools only,
and in which very fetid smells were of common occurrence: the
only really efficient plan of trapping and ventilating house drains
is that patented by your Surveyor, Mr. Lovegrove. As it is extremely
important to place this matter before the public in its true
light, I propose briefly describing the old, and Mr. Lovegrove's
plans.
In the old plan, when complete, all the inlets, whether in the
house or in the yard and outbuildings, are supplied with a watertrap,
and the outlet into the sewer with a flap or shakle-trap; or
else a dip-trap is placed near the outlet. Now, when water is
poured into the drain it drives out a corresponding quantity of air,
unless there be a dip-trap, in which case a considerable pressure is
exerted on all the bell-traps; when, if they or any joint be defective,
the foul air will be driven into the house. If there be a shakletrap,
the water in escaping from the house drains separates it from
the mouth of the outlet and fills the lower part, but allows the passage
of air from the sewer into the house drain, to replace that
which had been previously driven out. This current at times is so
great, that on a large pailful of water being poured quickly down a
water closet, I have seen a lighted candle blown out by the rush of
air from a bell-trap which had become dry. A similar train of events
takes place when the house drains are connected with a covered
cesspool, but with greater certainty, because the cesspool being
filled with drainage matters, and with air and the gases evolved
during decomposition, the bulk of water poured in must displace
in the cesspool a similar bulk of these noxious gaseous bodies If,
therefore, the traps are in good order no great interchange of air and
gases will occur; if not (and the film of water in a bell-trap is so thin
as soon to admit of the free passage of air into and out of the sewer,
unless frequently supplied with water), a free communication will
exist between the houses and the sewers, and more danger will be
incurred by the inmates than if they had no drainage at all.
Now, Mr. Lovegrove's plan provides a remedy for all these
evils; for, not only are his water-traps at the inlets of a much better
construction than those already employed, and the trap at the outlet
also more efficient, (as it is composed of a dip-trap and shakletrap),
but especially because he provides the means of ventilating
the house drain, and of allowing the bulk of air displaced by the