Baths and wash-houses for the labouring classes.

  • Baly, Price Prichard.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Baths and wash-houses for the labouring classes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    valve or cock for the supplying of the water to, and its withdrawal from the Baths. In the summer, when it is difficult to accommodate all who apply for Baths, one minute saved in filling or in emptying a Bath is impor- tant. Upon 1000 Baths such a saving would be equal to the addition of four Baths for eight hours each to the Establishment; producing, when fully employed, 16s. a day. The cost of fuel depends greatly upon the perfection of the appa- ratus. At one of the earliest Establishments, with coals at 12s. a ton, the average expense of fuel for heating 1000 Warm Baths was about 75s. The necessity of economizing fuel induced the Committee to bestow very great pains on the subject for the Model Establishment, and their success was shown by their accomplishing the heating of 1000 Warm Baths, with small coals at 10s. a ton, at a cost not exceeding 24s. It must be borne in mind that apparatus, which, to those who are not practically acquainted with engineering, may appear to be of the simplest kind, will very often be found to consume an extravagant amount of fuel; and as coals form one of the large items of constant expenditure, economy in their consumption ought to be specially regarded. A very free ventilation of the whole of the building should be commanded. The drain pipes should be so arranged as to carry off into the sewer, immediately and without the risk of stoppage, all fouled and waste water. I have attached to this Report plans of three classes of buildings suited to the wants of different localities in relation to their population. It is needless to enter here into a detailed description of those drawings, as the writing upon them is sufficiently explanatory. No. 1 represents a first class Establishment suited to the wants of a large town. The cost of such a building (exclusive of the purchase of land, but inclusive of the machinery and pipe work) is £.8,500, to which must be added £.400 for furniture, linen, &c. Plan No. 2 represents a second class Establishment, suited to the wants of a town with a population of about 30,000.
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