History of Sanitation

HISTORY OF SANITATION 81 Section of Bored-out Log Laid in Victoria, B. C., in 1862 and taken out 1900 satisfaction on account of the numerous leaks. They were operated at very low pressure, averaging not over 2% pounds per square inch, but even at this extremely low pressure were found unsatisfactory. During the early days of water supply, following the period of aqueducts, lead was the material commonly used for water supply mains. Later, however, pipes made of bored-out logs were used and continued in service up to the year 1819. The water mains used in Philadelphia were made of spruce logs, reinforced at the ends with wrought-iron bands. A section of one of these old Phila- delphia water mains, which is still in a good state of preservation, is on exhibition in the Builders’ Exchange of that city. So far as is known, Philadelphia was the first city in the world to adopt cast iron pipe for water mains. Cast iron water pipes were laid in Phil- adelphia in the year 1804, ante- dating their use in London, Eng- land, by a few years. The durabil- ity of wood pipe is rather aston- ishing when the short life of logs exposed on the surface of the earth is consid- ered. After lying buried in the earth for fifty or sixty years the wood pipe used in the Philadelphia water- works was sold to Burlington, N. J., in 1804, and remained in constant use there until 1887, when larger mains were required.