Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume Ii Part 298

Sulphate of soda 4651 gr.

Sulphate of magnesia 3955 "

Chloride of sodium 6110 "

Chloride of magnesium 3025 "

Bromide of magnesium 037 "

Sulphate of potash 152 "

Sulphate of lime 1034 "

Carbonate of lime 011 "

Carbonate of magnesia 116 "

Silica 033 "

------ 19025 gr.

Carbonic acid 532 c. i.

(LIEBIG.)

TOEPLITZ. 16 oz. Temp., 14 Fahr.

Sulphate of potash 0098 gr.

Sulphate of soda 0290 "

Carbonate of soda 2635 "

Phosphate of soda 0014 "

Floride of silicium 0351 "

Chloride of sodium 0433 "

Carbonate of lime 0330 "

Carbonate of strontia 0027 "

Carbonate of magnesia 0088 "

Carbonate of protoxide of iron 0019 "

Carbonate of protoxide of manganese 0021 "

Sulphate of alumina 0020 "

Silica 0443 "

Crenic acid 0034 "

------ 4804 (WOLF.)

VICHY (Grand Grille). Temp. 106 Fahr. In a litre.

Carbonic acid 0908 Bicarbonate of soda 4883 Bicarbonate of potash 0352 Bicarbonate of magnesia 0303 Bicarbonate of strontia 0003 Bicarbonate of lime 0434 Bicarbonate of protoxide of iron 0004 Bicarbonate of protoxide of manganese a trace Sulphate of soda 0291 Phosphate of soda 0130 a.r.s.eniate of soda 0002 Borate of soda a trace Chloride of sodium 0534 Silica 0070 Organic matter, bituminous a trace -------- grammes 7914

WOODHALL (Lancashire).

Iodine and bromine, with chlorides of calcium, magnesium, pota.s.sium; more than 1/2 grain of bromide of sodium and 1/4 grain of iodine of sodium.

190 grains in 20 oz. Strongly impregnated with carbonic acid.

=WATERBRASH.= See PYROSIS.

=WATER-CLOSET.= There are a number of conditions necessary to be observed in the construction and arrangement of the water-closet if we wish to prevent its becoming a nuisance and a source of danger to the health of the inmates of a dwelling-house. 1. As regards situation there can be no doubt that, upon strict sanitary principles, the closet, instead of forming part of the house, should, whilst within easy access to it, be entirely detached. Owing to various causes, however, this isolation is frequently impossible.

Under such circ.u.mstances the closet, whilst forming part of the dwelling, should be built out from it, so as to have as little connection as possible with the rooms, corridors, &c. To still further accomplish this end the approach to the closet should be through a small vestibule or pa.s.sage connecting the closet with the corridor, and opening into the latter by means of a door. Where there are more than one closet, they should be built upon the plan just proposed, and one over the other. The bas.e.m.e.nt of a house is a particularly objectionable locality for a water-closet, since the warm house acts as an aspirator, and thus draws any fetid and poisonous gases there may be in the closet into the house, and causes them to be diffused throughout it. The water-closet should, therefore, always be placed in the higher parts of a building. 2. As regards construction, &c., it would be impossible for us to attempt to canva.s.s the merits or the reverse of the numerous designs, patents, &c., that relate to this part of our subject. We shall indicate, therefore, only the more important desiderata, which are--That the pan should be nearly cone-shaped, and not round, like a half-circle. It is mostly made of earthenware, sometimes of metal and occasionally of enamelled iron. The preferable substance is earthenware: the pan should always be ventilated, and there should likewise be a sufficient flow and force of water to sweep everything out of it, and thoroughly cleanse it.

The cistern supplying the closet should be kept solely for this purpose, and not, as is sometimes the case, be taken from the house cistern, as this latter practice may lead to the contamination of the drinking water, owing to the gases rising from the closet.

The bottom of the pan is attached to the soil-pipe which discharges into the drain. The soil-pipe is mostly trapped by means of a syphon valve; and it is important that the points of junction between the pipe and the syphon valve and the pipe and the main drain should be thoroughly secure and air-tight. Furthermore it is imperative, if we wish to prevent an influx into the pan of the gases and foul air which rise through the syphon as the water runs off, that the soil-pipe should be ventilated.

This may be effected by attaching a small pipe having connection with the outer air to the discharge-pipe just below the syphon, and carrying it up to the top of the house. Another advantage arising from ventilating the soil-pipe, besides the prevention of the escape of sewer-gas into the house, is that there is no danger of its corrosion (if it be of lead) by the action of the pent-up sulphuretted vapours. The seat, which is mostly of wood, should be so arranged as to be easily movable, and thus allow of easy inspection of the different parts should they get out of order.

The seat as well as the closet should always be ventilated. A good and simple method for the ventilation of the latter is to carry a tube from the top of the closet into the outer air. "If the closet is in a bad situation it should be heated by a gas jet."[262]

[Footnote 262: Parkes.]

The lid attached to the seat should have a hole cut in it, so as to allow of the handle being pulled up when the pan is covered, which, strange to say, in perhaps ninety-nine cases out of every hundred it never is, after being used. Of course, in the absence of the ventilation of the pan and soil-pipe, the result of keeping the seat covered over would only be to fill the pan with malodorous and more or less dangerous gases, which would escape into the closet when the lid was again raised.

3. Precautions.--The use of unduly large pieces of paper, such as cause stoppage and obstruction in the discharge-pipe, should be particularly avoided. Any defect or impediment in the working of the closet should be remedied at once. As a general rule, servants are very careless in all matters connected with the water-closet; so much so that the masters of many houses are themselves compelled to exercise supervision over it.

During very hot weather, or the prevalence of an infectious disease in a dwelling-house or in the neighbourhood of the house, some disinfectant should be added to the water that supplies the closet. A substance that will very satisfactorily answer this purpose is the commercial sulphate of iron known as green vitriol. A pound of it should be put into the tank when filled with water.

The same disregard of sanitary obligations so frequently shown in the construction, site, &c., of water-closets is more obvious in the case of privies. The Public Health Act not only renders unlawful the erection or rebuilding of any dwelling-house without "a sufficient water-closet, earth-closet, or privy and an ash-pit, furnished with proper doors and coverings;" but also requires that, "If a house within the district of a local authority appears to such authority by the report of their surveyor or inspector of nuisances to be without a sufficient water-closet, earth-closet, or privy and ashpit, furnished with proper doors and coverings, the local authority shall, by written notice, require the owner or occupier of the house within a reasonable time therein specified, to provide a sufficient water-closet, earth-closet, or privy and an ashpit furnished as aforesaid, or either of them, as the case may require."

Although in many large towns and cities a more or less effectual supervision may be exercised by the sanitary inspector in the above direction, as every one's experience of the usual outdoor privy of a small English country town or village, will suggest to them the extreme toleration prevailing amongst the sanitary authorities in many provincial and rural districts in this particular. Ventilation is as essential for the privy as the water-closet, so also is the thorough trapping of the exit-pipe from the pan, as well as the cleansing and flushing of this latter by water directly after it has been used. Yet how rarely do we find not only all, but not even one of these conditions fulfilled in the arrangement of the ordinary privy; but instead an untrapped, immovable pan (and in some cases even this is wanting) covered with filth, and no contrivance of any kind for a constant water supply.

No wonder, therefore, that the atmosphere of an ordinary privy should be so foul and noisome as it invariably is.

The following specification for a useful description of privy is published by Messrs Knight & Co., 90, Fleet Street, London:--

_Specification._--The privy and dust-bin to be built of 4-1/2-inch brickwork, in well-ground mortar of approved quality. Two rows of 4-1/2 and 3-inch bond timber to be built in at back of privy for securing ventilating-shafts. The ventilating-shafts to be 7 by 4-1/2 inches, inside measurement, of best red deal boards 1 inch thick, closely put together with strong white lead paint, and well nailed and carefully seamed to the 4-1/2 inch and 3 inch bond timber. These shafts to have coats of boiled tar both inside and out.

The lid of refuse-bin to be of best 1-inch red deal boards, with two strong ledges or battens across them; to be hung with three strong band-hinges to the sides of the ventilating-shafts, and the making-up piece between the same. A circular orifice to be made in centre of lid, between the battens 10 inches wide. The lid to have two coats of boiled tar both inside and out. A 4-1/2-inch and 3-inch frame of red deal to be securely fixed on top of the dust-bin, as a seat for the lid. A lid over the privy seat to be hinged on at the back, with a child's seat over centre of large one. The larger seat to be provided with an earthenware circular rim beneath. The earth-compartment to be without lid, and provided with a pint scoop for each occupant to throw in a pint of the stored dry earth or dry ashes through the seat into the galvanised iron pail, the contents of which must be scattered over the garden or put in the dust-bin before the pail becomes full. A loose foot-block may be furnished where there are young children.[263]

[Footnote 263: The Earth-closet is described under "Sewage Removal of."]

The dust-bin may be placed at side of the privy if required. The floor of dust-bin to be at the ground level, slightly inclined outwards, and paved with brick. See SEWAGE, REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF, DRAINS, TANKS, CESSPOOLS.

=WATER-COLOUR CAKES.= These are prepared from any of the ordinary pigments that work well in water, made into a stiff and perfectly smooth paste with gum water, or isingla.s.s size, or a mixture of the two, and then compressed in polished steel moulds, and dried. See PAINTING, and the respective pigments.

=WATERCRESS.= The _Nasturtium officinale_, a well-known plant of the natural order _Cruciferae_. It is alterative and antis...o...b..tic, and was formerly used in medicine, but now chiefly as a salad, or a refreshing relish at breakfast.

=WATER-GAS.= By forcing steam through fireclay, or iron retorts filled with red-hot charcoal or c.o.ke, the steam is decomposed into a mixture of hydrogen, carbonic oxide, and carbonic anhydride.[264]

[Footnote 264: Possibly a small quant.i.ty of marsh gas is also present.--ED.]

To this mixture, after it has been purified, the name of "water-gas,"

owing to the source from whence it has been derived, has been given.

According to some chemists the purified gas (obtained by pa.s.sing the crude gaseous product sometimes over lime, sometimes over crystallised carbonate of soda) consists solely of hydrogen gas. Langlois' a.n.a.lysis, however, has led to the conclusion that it is a compound of hydrogen and carbonic oxide gases. Water gas, obtained as above, possesses no illuminating power. This is imparted to it, by impregnating the gas with the vapour of certain hydrocarbons, a plan suggested by Jobbard, of Brussels, in 1832. Another, but less usual method, originating with Gengembre and Gillard, is to place on the burners which consume the gas small platinum cylinders. When these become white hot a strong and brilliant light is produced. See PLATINUM GAS.

=WATER-POX.= See (POX). CHICKEN-POX.

=WATERPROOF'ING.= Cloth is 'waterproofed' as follows:--

1. Moisten the cloth, on the wrong side, first with a weak solution of isingla.s.s, and, when dry, with an infusion of nut-galls.

2. As the last, but subst.i.tute a solution of soap for isingla.s.s, and another of alum for galls.