(Published In 1891.)

The following illustrations and description of the plumbing-work in the new Coates House, at Kansas City, Mo., of which Messrs. Van Brunt & Howe were the architects, have been prepared from photographs of the completed work and blue-prints of the plans under which the work was done. These were prepared by Messrs. E. D. Hornbrook & Co., plumbers, of Kansas City, and submitted with their proposal.

The source of water supply for the new addition, as well as the old portion of the hotel, is from the house tanks located on the roof of the old part of the building. The hot-water supply is connected with the hot-water boilers located in the basement of the old part. The main galvanized-iron supply pipes suspended from ceiling, and which are connected to hot and cold-water headers in the old part of the building, are 2 inches in diameter.

All rising lines throughout the building, hot and circulation pipes, are of brass. Cold water and safe waste pipes are of galvanized iron. At the base of all risers there is a valve placed in the hot, cold, and circulating pipes for controlling each line separately, with tees and drain cocks for draining the lines. Each private bathroom is cut off independently by valves located in each room.

All underground house and rainwater drainage, as well as rising lines, including ventilating lines, with closet traps, vent and waste connections all connected in place with ends closed up, were tested by water test, by filling the entire system with water to 5 feet above the roof, which is 100 feet high.

The method of making the soil-pipe joints was by special tools. The entire job was perfectly tight with but three exceptions, and the plumbing inspector was called upon only twice to pass this entire job.

Underneath all fixtures in private bathrooms there are Italian marble floor slabs, fitted with 6-inch base all round, and polished-cherry wainscoting, 5 feet high all round the rooms. Water-closet partitions, back and sides are all Italian marble 7 feet high. Urinal and closet tanks are also cased with marble. Urinal stalls, backs and sides are Italian marble, backs 7 feet high, and partitions 6 feet. The marble-work is put together and supported in a special manner, without the use of brass or nickel-plated clamps, bolts, etc., such as are ordinarily used.

Figure 1 is a basement plan, showing the arrangement of the underground drainage, soil and waste pipes of the different fixtures throughout the building, as well as the roof drainage. The main roof drainage is 8-inch extra heavy cast-iron pipe with connections leading to the various down-spouts (D D, etc.) and area drains throughout the building. The bottoms of the areas are 5 to 6 feet above the basement floor. This 8-inch pipe is connected to a 12 inch main drain outside of the main house trap, with backpressure valves as shown, so that if at any time the main sewer becomes stopped it would not back up into the roof or down-spout drainage pipe.

The main house drainage is 10 inch extra heavy cast-iron soil pipe, fitted with house trap and 6-inch fresh-air inlet I is a section showing the method of connecting the branch soil pipes with the main 10-inch iron drain ; J is a detail showing method of connecting the wastes from six bathtubs in the Turkish bath department; K is a detail of the overflow and waste from the plunge pool in the Turkish bath department, which is fitted with 4-iuch gate valve and 4-inch Barrett back-pressure valve and trap.

This pool is also fitted with a 3-inch polished-brass nickel plated standing overflow pipe, which is connected outside of the gate valve. The top of the standing overflow is funnel-shaped, 8 inches in diameter, and is so arranged that it can be lifted out of its socket at the bottom of pool when it is desired to empty the pool in a hurry, by the use of both valve and the removal of standing waste. L is the trap under each bathtub, which is fitted with a 4-inch polished-brass trap screw flush with marble floor, from which the vent is connected by a union joint. This method of trapping the bathtubs is carried out throughout all the bathrooms. M is a 4-inch extra heavy branch drain fitted with 4-inch Barrett backpressure valve and trap, which is connected to the various polished-brass floor strainers for draining the marble floors under needle baths, rubbing and shampoo slabs.