Hey its me!

[Andy Staves]

Hey,
Just wanted to say hi, you may have seen me on the news section, so here is a little about me.....

I am in the UK, born here, but lived in the US for almost 5 years (in Tampa of all places!) and was introduced to this site by a friend I used to work with over there.......

Any questions, please ask :D

[Tundratot]

Welcome to the D'D.

Did you know you have an accent? What are your thoughts when the sun goes down? Do you raise eyebrows in your hometown?

Oh, yes, I forgot to ask, and it really must be known: Are you a hooligan at soccer games?

[cubby]

Hi!

[AngelFire]

Hey it's me too!!! Welcome Andy!!!

[Tundratot]

Since the British are generally considered quite learned, I have another question for you:

What was Sir Thomas Crapper's major contribution to the great and rollicking history of Seattle?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Welcome

[Alf]

I spent three years in the fens of East Anglia. Good beer; great people; miserable weather.

Welcome.

--Al

[Valasca]

What was Sir Thomas Crapper's major contribution to the great and rollicking history of Seattle?

Couldn't you give him a harder, less known question?

[Tundratot]

Couldn't you give him a harder, less known question?

Just because you know the answer to this doesn't mean everybody does, Amazon. Maybe this will motivate him to join the demons in Seattle? Or, you could jump in and spoil his fun.

I'm sure I can think of something else. . . .

Erm . . . what is the preferred treatment for the eradication of bedbugs?

Oh, I know! Draw a straight line through history from the Knights Templar to Sputnik. How 'bout that?

[princessgrandma]

Wow. A week late I am (as usual) and way more than a dollar short.

Welcome to the Demon.

One word of advice. Don't believe any of the rumors you hear about @Tundratot. She really is quite learned. She just can't answer the questions she asks. Otherwise, she's really very cool.

OK, I'm going to throw down my toys and go home.

[Tundratot]

Don't believe any of the rumors you hear about @Tundratot.

Yeah! Like that.

She just can't answer the questions she asks.

I have an inquiring mind. That's why I ask.

But I don't think Andy Staves is coming back. I probably frightened him.

[biteme]

Yo

[Tundratot]

I'm very disappointed that Andy never came back to answer even one of my many entertaining questions. But, I think you've all been holding your breath about the Sir Thomas Crapper question. Which also means you're dead . . .

Sir Thomas Crapper manufactured flush toilets. Sir Thomas was very proud of his plumbing devices and he put his name across the tank of his products, rather prominently -- "Crapper". Always good for a laugh.

When Seattle was a young and bustling frontier metropolis, toilets were now being added to the amenities of many downtown buildings. There was, though, an unfortunate problem, in that Seattle is a low-lying place. Right down at sea level, in fact. And the main streets of the town were close to the waterfront. Not up on bluffs, or in the hills. The sewage pipes from the Crappers led down to the water, and for proper flow, there needed to be a downward trend. So, toilets were generally in rooms (water closets) on raised platforms. Picture going into a shop, needing to use the Crapper, and being forced to climb a ladder to the necessary in your long skirts. Gentlemen would obviously be gathering to help you up (and get a little look-see).

All that still wasn't quite enough, though. Tides had a disturbing tendency to cause backflow. Imagine a nice shot of sewage water blasting right back at you as you pulled the chain. Eww. We're not talking about a bidet here. Double eww. So what to do? What to do. . . . One answer was provided by the city's newspapers. The papers in Seattle began printing the daily tide tables on the front page. They still do as far as I know.

Another answer was to address the tide dilemma in a profound way. Raise the city. Since the city was nearly at the level of the water and already being built, the way to raise the city was to raise the streets. Once the streets were raised, there followed the need to raise the shops to the level of the streets. So, up one floor. When the shops were raised, the sidewalks were raised to cover the lower, abandoned walkways between the streets and the shop fronts. Underground Seattle was born.

So, Crapper lead to tide tables in the papers and was one factor that directly led to Seattle's famous basements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Crapper
http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/history.html
http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...weather/tides/
Sons of the Profits. William Speidel.