nning of pipes to
supply pure water to buildings, the erecting of fixtures for the
use of this supply, and the installing of other pipes for the
resulting waste water. The work of the trade divides itself
therefore into two parts: first the providing an adequate supply of
water; and second, the disposing of this water after use. The first
division offers few problems to the plumber, little variety in the
layout being possible, and the result depending mostly upon the
arrangement of the pipes and fittings; but the second division
calls for careful study in the arrangement, good workmanship in the
installing, and individual attention to each fixture.

The trade had its beginnings in merely supplying fresh water to a
community. This was done by means of trenching, or conveying water
from lakes, rivers, or springs through wooden pipes or open
troughs. By easy stages the trade improved and enlarged its scope,
until at the present time it is able to provide for the adequate
distribution of tons of water under high pressure furnished by the
city water works.

In the early years of the trade the question of the disposal of the
waste water was easily answered, for it was allowed to be
discharged onto the ground to seek its own course. But with the
increased amount of water available, the waste-water problem has
enlarged until today it plays the most important part of plumbing,
and the trade has had to change to meet this waste-water problem.

The first simple system of a pipe running from the sink to a point
outside the building was sufficient. As larger buildings came into
use and communities were more thickly populated, the plumbing
problem demanded thought and intense study. The waste pipes from
fixtures had to be so arranged that it would be impossible for foul
odors and germ-laden air to enter the building through a plumbing
fixture. The importance of this is evidenced by the plumbing laws
now in use throughout the country.

One of the first plumbing fixtures put into common use was a
hollowed-out stone which served as a sink. It was with considerable
interest that the writer saw a sink of this kind in actual use in
the summer of 1915, at a house in a New England village. This sink
had been in service for about 100 years. From this beginning the
well-known fixtures of today have developed. The demand for
moderate priced, sanitary closets, lavatories, and baths has led to
the rapid improvement seen in plumbing fixtures