Hints on How to Keep Down the Number of Winter Mishaps Intensely cold weather such as Shanghai has been experiencing the Jast few days naturally brings forth many anxious questions as to th possibilities.of frozen pipes and a mild wonderment that the entire system of the Shanghai Waterworks does not get frozen up. As a matter of fact though, the latter is impossible, the pipes conveying water being. too deep laid in the ground to be affected and those that are exposed, such as the aqueducts over the Soochow creek contain water that, is moving too swiftly to freeze. The only possible point where the cold might do some damage being in the larger air Vessels at the water pomps, domes filled with air at the top into which the water is pumped to relieve the strain of continual shock on the pipes as the water is forced in, before it is sent away into the mains, but as these are all securely covered with much straw and a canvas jacket this is not really likely to happen.
That Northern Aspect In ordinary houses, however, 0 have a burst pipe is quite a usual matter, Shanghai roofs in many, for rather in most, eases not being built to keep out the cold, the tiles are fixed to battens whereas there should be an inner roof of boarding fand perhaps a layer of felt before the tiles are laid. Another thing that most bedrooms are built facing: the south to get what little breeze is to be had in those far-away and, this" stage almost unbelieveable, summer months, which means that the bathrooms are on the north side fof the house and exposed to all the cold winds.
Foch house, however, is provided with a stop-cock just below the Towest tap in the house, usually the kitchen tap, and this should be turned every night and the pipes, both hot and cold emptied, and if this were done there could be no danger of a burst through freezing.
The hot taps, though it may seem a little surprising at first, are really more liable to burst than the cold for the pipes themselves are weaker through continual contract tion and expansion as the water in them grows cold or hot and water that has been heated is known to freeze quicker than cold, And let it be said too that the management of the stop-cock should never be left entirely in the hands of the servants, for unless the matter be attended to by the householder himself he exn never be certain that all is well, for what matters it to the boy if the pipes burst? Probably not enough to dra him out of the back quarters on a frosty night when he remembers that he has forgotten.
Another thing that helps to avert the disaster of frozen pipes is to have all outside pipes which are not insulated well covered with hair felt
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.