In some hotels and clubs urinals are fitted up similar to Figure 322, but, instead of the iron gratings on the floor, perforations are made in the slate foot-stone, and an earthenware receiver, with flushing-rim and water-supply attached, is placed to catch drippings.

Figure 332 is a plan of one basin showing this. This drip-pan has a waste pipe connected, and is flushed at the same time as the urinal-basin. One large London club has, by the advice of their sanitary engineer, removed the fixed urinals of this kind and substituted small portable utensils. A slop-sink, as shown at Figure 230, is fixed for emptying the bowls into, and a hot-water tap fixed over the sink for rinsing purposes. An attendant is told off for the special duty of keeping these places clean. The man's wages is a bar to a general adoption of this system, but where this is not objected to the cause of smells is removed. In another London club a range of six urinals having been fitted up, the plan of each stall being as Figure 332, was a cause of complaints by reason of the smells being driven out at the bottom end of the waste pipe each time the automatic flushing-cistern was discharged.

Figure 333 is a sectional elevation. The stench was so bad that the grating, at A, had to be removed, a solid cover bedde.. over the gulley-trap, and a vent pipe fixed to a considerable height to carry away the unpleasant odours. The new vent pipe is shown by dotted lines.

Figure 332.

Figure 333.

Figure 334 is a sketch, drawn from memory, of a urinal that was shown at the International Health Exhibition, held in London, in 1884. A was a white porcelain bowl, rounded to fit the back of the stall, and the front part extended beneath the iron grid on which the users would stand. The back, B,. was made of one piece of thick glass, bent as shown in the sketch,, the whole being enclosed with white veined marble. The flushing was-done by means of an automatic flushing-tank arranged to empty itself at regular intervals of time through a sparge pipe bent to fit the back. The grid, C, was easily removable for cleaning the bottom basin. Although this urinal was shown by itself, there is no reason why it should not be fitted up in a range.

There are sanitary engineers who prefer to have a narrow step fixed to urinals, for the reason that users must then stand close and so avoid spreading urine over a larger surface than necessary. An opposite argument may be used, that people in a hurry would stumble at the step, especially when fixed in a dark situation.

One large firm of sanitary engineers in London fit up a urinal with a mahogany enclosure, so arranged that upon lifting up the top of the enclosure the sides open at the same time by means of the necessary brass couplings, and by an ingenious piece of mechanism a valve is opened so that water streams over the whole of the inner surface of the basin during the time the place is being used. On closing the lid the sides shut up and the water is turned off.

Figure 334.

Figure 335.

Figure 336.

Figure 335 shows the fitting closed up, and Figure 336 when it is open. It is spoken of as being suitable for offices and billiard-rooms.

There are two or three makers of sanitary fittings who fit up a wash-hand basin and urinal in the same enclosure. Figure 337 is an illustration of one. The urinal-basin is fitted to the door, on opening which water begins to flow. The waste pipe is connected to that of the wash-hand basin by means of a hinged and telescopic joint.

There are also one or two folding - urinals in the market.

These are hinged on the back edge on to a cast-iron frame fixed over a recess made in the wall. The basin is pulled down for use, after which it is closed by lifting up the front edge, when the contents are tilted into a kind of hopper and so run away down a waste pipe.

Figure 338 is a sketch showing one that is spoken of as being compact, and suitable for offices, ships, and other places where space is limited. A round basin and slab, in one piece, fitted up in a similar way as Figure 338, makes a compact wash-hand basin. In this case the rod which connects the basin to the key of the supply-cock should be omitted, and bibb-faucets, having jointed nozzles for pushing back out of the way, used so that hot and cold water can be turned on at pleasure. A great many of the fittings that have been described are very ingenious and compact, but they all have the disadvantage that unless they are well looked after and get the necessary attention they soon become offensive-smelling. For this reason urinals should always be situated in a well-lighted place, and, if possible, away from the dwelling. When, of necessity, they must be fixed inside the house, the room in which they are situated should be thoroughly well ventilated, and an attendant instructed to thoroughly cleanse the basin, and as much of the waste pipe, etc, as can be got at as often as possible - even once a day would not be too often.

Figure 337.

Figure 338.

In some public museums and exhibitions urinettes are fitted up in ladies' cloak-rooms. Figure 339 is a sketch of one. These are mostly arranged with a valve beneath, so that when the seat is depressed a stream of water flushes the basin. There is no doubt that all urinals, whether stalls or basins, should have a constant stream of water running over the parts exposed to the action of urine, but in some places the supply of water is limited, either by scarcity or by the rules of the Water Companies, to a discharge through a water waste-preventing valve or cistern of about one-half to one gallon to each basin; but it frequently happens that even this limited quantity of water is not used - people come and go and never think of flushing the place after them. To ensure a periodical flushing of the places under discussion automatic flushing-cisterns are in great favour, as when once started they require no further attention beyond making good any of the working parts that may wear out. Most of the Water Companies in London permit the use of these cisterns, but some of their inspectors put seals on the regulating-cocks after testing that a not too extravagant quantity of water is used.

Figure 340 is a sketch of a very simple automatic flushing-cistern holding about two gallons. If required to empty itself about every eight or ten minutes a small tap can be fixed and regulated to fill the cistern in that time; but if it is intended to discharge about every ten or twenty minutes, it is sometimes necessary to fix a reversible ball-valve. The action is as follows: The bottom parts of the pipe-coil inside the cistern retain a small quantity of water, the upper parts being charged with air. This makes the coiled pipe what is commonly called air-bound. The water has to rise in the cistern so as to cover the coil a few inches so that the weight of the water is sufficient to overcome the resistance offered by the pent-up air inside the bent pipe. A small supply-cock, set so that the water dribbles very slowly into the cistern, will not fill it quick enough, so that the water will dribble away down the pipe as fast as it comes in. By adding a reversible ball-valve and regulating it so that when the cistern is partly full the floating ball will open the valve and let the water run in at full bore, it will head up so quickly that any small quantity dribbling away has no effect on the ultimate results.

Figure 339.

Figure 340.

Figure 341 is a sketch of one which acts precisely as Figure 340, but a great deal depends upon the depth of the bag part, A.

Figure 341.

Figure 342.

Figure 343.

Figure 342 is a patent automatic cistern used for the same purpose. Another kind is shown by sketch, Figure 343. In this case the inner chamber is hung on bearings fixed slightly out of the centre, but so shaped that when quite full of water the part B becomes the heavier, so that it falls down and allows the contents to escape into the outer chamber and down the pipes. When empty, the other end being the heavier, it falls back to its original position. Indiarubber buffers have to be fixed for the tumbling chamber to knock against, otherwise it is very noisy in its action.

Figure 344 is another description of automatic flushing-tank. In this case a syphon has to be fixed as shown at C, so as to retain the air in the syphon pipe, D, so that the water will head up to the dotted line, when it will have sufficient weight to drive out the air and start the syphon. These cisterns are also made to a large size and used for flushing drains, etc.

Figure 344.