The following extracts, referring to features connected with the hot and cold water-supply in the residence of Mr. H. H. Cook, of New York, are taken from Volume X. of the Sanitary Engineer:

Figure 136 is a detail of the means provided to reach the hand-holes of the traps of the rain-water leaders and hand-holes of other traps beneath the basement-floors. The rain-water leaders are brought into the house-drains in the positions intended to be the fittest for the flushing of all parts of the drains. There are two fresh-air inlets, one in the outer wall of the Fifth Avenue area and the other in the area at Seventy-eighth Street. The sewers at these points are each six inches in diameter and the air-inlets five inches. All the house-drains and sewer-pipes, as well as such back-air pipes as are not of wrought-iron, are of extra heavy cast-iron. The heads of all the rising-lines, as well as the back-air lines, are run alongside the roof-rafters to one point near the apex, where they are all connected into a copper hood of large area, whose opening to the outer air is turned downward.

The water-supply is taken from both the Fifth Avenue main and from that on Seventy-eighth Street. The object of this is to be able to take water from either streets should the water in the mains of one of the streets be shut off. The pipe from each source of supply, after passing the service-cock, is one and a half inches internal diameter, and is Aaa lead as far as the position marked A on the plan. Here the different services pass through their respective meters, the mode of distribution from this point being shown by Figure 137, which is a detail at A on the plan.

Figure 136.

The water, after passing the meter that may be in use at the time, passes to a 4-inch brass header, as shown; thence it is distributed downward, through brass pipes, to get it underground once more, to join with lead pipes of the same diameters, for distribution to the principal parts of the house; one of the objects of putting it underground being to keep it at a lower mean temperature than could be obtained by running it on the ceilings through the basement.

The order of the pipes in the detail corresponds to the order in the plan, and may be traced to their point of delivery thereon. The centre pipe (one and a half inches) is for the main kitchen boiler-supply only The basement-supply, as well as supplying water to the basement fixtures, furnishes a "Riker" gas-pump with water, to be forced to a tank in the top of the house at times when it will not rise there, for a high-pressure or tank supply. The other three pipes run to the principal divisions of the house, to supply the fixtures with cold "Croton" water as high as it will rise. Air-chambers are used on these pipes near the stop-valves in the position shown, their object being to prevent water-hammer at these ends of the pipes as is supposed likely to be caused by the reaction of the flow and column when suddenly checked, although there are air-chambers at the heads of the lines and ends of the principal branches.

Figure 137.

The cold "Croton" supply is carried as high as the third-floor fixtures, which it reaches at nearly all times, the pressure in the night being sufficient to fill the tank in the attic without pumping.

The cold tank-supply for the second, third, and fourth floors is carried from the tank downward to the basement, thence it is distributed and run to the different rising-line recesses, up which the cold and hot supplies are also carried to the lines of fixtures.

Figure 138, page 208, shows the hot-water distribution from both the street-pressure and tank-pressure boilers, commonly known as "Croton" boiler and "tank-boiler." These pipes are all carried just beneath the basement-ceiling on specially contrived hangers, and may be seen in the kitchen sketch, Figure 139, page 209. Figure 138 is the fac-simile of a sketch made by Mr. Alexander Farmer, foreman for Mr. Muir, before the work was commenced, for the purpose of illustrating the principle to be followed by the workmen, and a comparison of the same with the finished work as shown in the kitchen (which is drawn from a photograph) will go to show how closely the original plan was carried out.

A double boiler is used, as shown in the diagram, the high-pressure or tank-boiler being inside the low-pressure or street-supply boiler, from which it receives heat in the usual manner. To a plumber it is not necessary to analyze the diagram, but for other readers who take a general interest we will outline the course of the water through the different pipes. The "street-supply" in diagram Figure 138 is the continuation of the "boiler-supply" in Figure 137, and is the (cold) street-supply to the low-pressure or outer boiler. It enters the boiler at the upper end, the water being carried down within it through a supply-tube. A branch of the street-supply is also carried to the inside or tank-boiler, but does not enter it direct, connecting with the tank-supply at the nearest point. The object of this connection is to insure the filling of the inside boiler with water from the street service, should the tank become empty from any cause. To prevent the tank-water from running backward through this connection the check-valve shown is provided, which valve will open upward and let the water pass when the pressure in the tank-pipe is less than in the street-pipes. A check-valve is also used in the street-supply to the outer boiler, to prevent the emptying of this boiler through an empty main should the latter be drawn out. The two stub-pipes shown at the left are the pipes which maintain the primary circulation between the outer boiler and the water-back of the range. The second circulation is through the "Croton hot" main pipe (see diagram) from the top of the outer boiler to the different branches, and the lines of fixtures to a point just below the "cut-off" in a line.

Figure 138.

From this point it returns through the "Croton circulation " to enter the water-back and boiler again, as may be seen by tracing downward in the direction of the arrows. The third circulation is through the "tank hot" main, whose branches are carried to the higher stories, from which the "tank circulation" returns from a point above the "cut-off," and enters the inner boiler again by passing through the bottom of the outer one, as shown.

Figure 139 shows the interior of the kitchen. The walls and ceiling are white marble slabs, about four feet square, set with plaster of Paris, and held in position with brass rosettes, which form heads or nuts to tap-bolts which fasten with the iron joists and to expansion-bolts in the walls. The floor is of small white ceramic tiles, laid in cement upon a concrete bottom, as before mentioned.

Between the boiler and the range, and also under the sink, will be noticed positions in the floor where hand or peep hole covers to the house-drain are placed, such as are shown in detail in Figure 136. The sink is of very heavy white earthenware, with the back supported on a marble cleat, and the front resting on nickel-plated brass legs. Otherwise it is as plain as possible, with no place for lodgment of dirt. All the pipes shown are seamless brass and tinned, with nickel-plated fittings, valves, and hangers.

Figure 139.

Under the hood of the range are two vent-registers, aggregating four square feet of area in the clear. They open into two chimneys, 12"x20" each, which run parallel with and at each side of the range-chimney, which is of cast-iron, that the latter may communicate some of its heat to them.

One point worthy of special mention is the warming of a plate-closet in the butler's pantry by a branch from the primary or water-back circulation. It will be noticed that between the hood of the range and the boiler are two pipes, one starting from a tee close to the side of the boiler and the other returning into the circulation-pipe as it flows backward to the water-back. These pipes are the "flow" and "return" from a hot-water coil of about thirty feet lineal of 3/4-inch pipe which is placed within the plate-closet. It was the intention of the master plumber to take the flow-pipe from the head of the boiler instead of from the primary circulation-pipes; but fearing that should any considerable quantity of water be drawn from the boiler it would cool the coil also, he changed it to the tee in the pipe, as shown, in which position it warms the coil shortly after the fire is started and before the boiler is very warm, giving a constant temperature of about 1800 at the coil.

The architect was Mr. W. Wheeler Smith; the plumber Mr. James Muir.