[LINK] OT - delicate question

[grove at zeta.org.au]

On Fri, 8 Apr 2011, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:

> Karl Auer wrote:
>> The Link Institute being suitably eclectic, I feel sure no-one will mind
>> me posing this question, which believe it or not is actually serious
>> research :-)
>>
>> Here it is: In the days of the outdoor dunny (outhouse, long drop,
>> thunderbox), before toilet paper became ubiquitous and affordable by
>> all, with what did one wipe one's bum?
>>
> <snip>
>
> I recall an episode of Worst jobs in history, which
> detailed one of the jobs you could do for the king!
>
> The film about Dunnies may have some info...
>
> Historical records of the Sanitation and Health departments
> may have some info...
>
> and the water board and council archives may have something
> as according to my research, the Sewers were going into the
> cities in the 1890s and there were complaints "that his pan
> was replaced by the by a damaged one by the night soil men"
> <http://www.ramin.com.au/annandale/annandale-borough.shtml>

I had the privilege of being custodian for a short time of one of the 
most famous or at least most photographed loos in history, which was the 
Leaning Loo at Lightning Ridge.   This was on the top of a hill 
on one of the richest opal fields around.  It was a long drop of about 60 feet 
and I always took my life in my hands going there.   But as for what 
we used up there, it was just about anything you could find.

Copies of the Herald were always useful and I always had plenty. 
Any paper packaging would get recycled not just for toilet paper.

I also used to have a bag of lime and tossed a cupful down every 
day to help things along a bit.

I recall a tale of two intrepid miners, working close to a 
well established camp, who were opening up some old shafts, 
to do some exploring over the old diggings.  Once them 
was very eager and had broken through into a new mine 
complex, complete with shaft.   Unfortunately, that 
shaft was actually a long drop.......


rachel

-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia
grove at zeta.org.au                http://www.zeta.org.au/~grove/grove.html
    "The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum." - Finagle's Law