Q. An architect of this city directs me to you for some information. I am putting two bath-tubs and three wash-basins in my house, and was about to empty them (the waste-water) into a well about 15 feet to the west of my house. Can you let me know a better course? Is there any objection to emptying into this well? If so, what is it?

This, and any information you can give me, will be very thankfully received.

A. If you have no sewer to drain into, a "well" (or cesspool, we presume you mean) must be accepted as a compromise. It should be perfectly water tight, and if it must be as near as 15 feet to your house, it should be tightly covered, with two pipes extending from it, with their open ends above your house, or far enough away to prevent the smell from being disagreeable. The contents should be frequently removed, and great care taken to prevent a nuisance. The proper construction of a cesspool is described in Philbrick's " American Sanitary Engineering," pages 90-93.