Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/254

 210 'Sloan's Architectural -Review and Builders' Journal. [Sept., any edifice Throughout the fine arts, the study of architecture ra&y be looked upon as one of the most delightful of all the courses they embrace ; all the more where there is an innate genius to conceive and a well-stored mind replete with the images of the public buildings of former ages, to chasten and con- firm. In a future article we propose taking up this subject, and giving a brief re- sume of the different styles of architec- ture, which have arisen, flourished and declined, from the earliest ages down to our own times, showing the different local causes, national traits and moral convictions, which gave origin, character and prevalence to these styles. DRAINAGE. By A Builder. HOW often is the complete drainage of buildings altogether overlook- ed, or else done in such a bungling and insufficient manner, that it is a source of continual annoyance and expense. It should be, in fact, the first step of the builder to ascertain what are his fa- cilities for drainage ; to determine the point where all his drains must empty ; and then to build his house, and regu- late his grades accordingly. You cannot have too much descent for drainage. The greater the pitch, the greater the velocity of the water ; thence the more certain guarantee that, no sedi- ment forming, the pipes will be self- cleansed. The principles of underground drain- age are so simple, and the culverts in this city so accessible, that buildings in almost all localities can be thoroughly drained. Vitrified pipe, such as is man- ufactured by the well-known firm of Link & Black, is the best to use, being strong and lasting. Its glazed surface, inside and out, renders it impervious to water or decay. Besides, as the interior is so smooth, it offers no resistance to the passage of dirt or sediment. The pipes are made three feet long, with a bell- head at one end, into which the pipe fits nicely ; and when cemented with Roman cement, the whole conduit is perfectly water-tight. The proper way to lay the pipes is, first to dig the trench, with as much straight grade, and as few angles, as possible, from the part to be drained to the culvert. Make the bottom of the trench even, deepening it where the bell- head rests, so the whole pipe can lie solid. Cement all the joints with Roman ce- ment. Make every inlet into the pipe smaller than the main drain, and each new inlet into any of the branches smaller than the preceding one. Be careful to have every inlet properly and safely guarded, so that no foreign sub- stance can get in the drain, to choke it up. Connect all your soil-pipes with the drain, as also all your rain-water con- ductors, and whatever waste-pipes you desire, and having put a trap in your main drain, before it reaches the culvert, to prevent any effluvia arising therefrom, you can fill up your trench, perfectly satisfied that j r our drainage will be tho- rough and complete. The iron bell-head trap is the most effectual and best inlet for surface draining. Your drains, if laid with the care I have recommended, should never get out of order, and will last for ages. A fruitful cause of the disarrangement and clogging of drains, is the bungling- manner in which the pipes are joined. Instead of its being done carefully and skilfully, the work is intrusted to an ig- norant laborer, who, with some mud or clay, fills the bell-head, thinking he has done it all right. The first heavy rain