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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: Perfect Names for Their Professions
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 04-10-2003 10:31 AM
Evans Just for you.
Thought you might want to read this.
The History of Plumbing:
in Babylon - in Egypt - in Crete - in Greece - in Jerusalem
in Pompeii and Herculaneum - from Roman to old English Times - terrible plagues and epidemics
Sir Thomas Crapper Myths and Realities - the water closet - in America - the White House plumbing
to fun Fecal Matters page
"When you consider the contributions that plumbing and sanitation makes to the quality of our lives,
then much of the other things that we do just seems so much less significant." - 1995 our founder
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to P & M magazine for allowing us to share the information about Sir Thomas Crapper
Thomas Crapper: Myth & Reality
The debate over who Thomas Crapper was---or even if there was a Thomas Crapper at all---continues. His contributions to the plumbing industry are even more suspect. But with this article we intend to replace myth with fact, for we have found a cadre of Thomas Crapper scholars who have made it their life's work to prove that Crapper is more than just a slang term brought home by the World War I doughboys.
For this article we interviewed Dr. Andy Gibbons, historian of the International Thomas Crapper Society, and Ken Grabowski, a researcher and author who is writing a book on Crapper’s life.
Myth: Thomas Crapper as a person never existed.
Fact: Though we do not know his actual date of birth, we can now say the man Thomas Crapper probably was born in September 1836, since he was baptized the 28th of that month. Crapper did have a successful career in the plumbing industry in England from 1861 to 1904.
The date of Crapper’s death has also been a source of confusion for many years. For example, "Chase's Annual Events," the authoritative book for listing special days and dates, has listed January 17 as Thomas Crapper Day and January 17, 1910 as the date of his death.
After all his research, Gibbons was certain that Chase's was 10 days off. The actual date of Thomas Crapper's death was January 27, 1910. The error probably resulted from an honest typo in "Flushed With Pride," by Wallace Reyburn, says Gibbons, "but I waged a 10-year battle with Chase's to get them to change the date." He finally won his battle this year after supplying them with a photo of Thomas Crapper's tombstone, notes from a living descendent and a copy of the man's official death certificate.
Myth: Thomas Crapper invented the toilet.
Fact: No one in the know about Thomas Crapper would ever make this statement. In his research, Grabowski has created a detailed history of Crapper's business life. The man holds nine patents: Four for improvements to drains, three for water closets, one for manhole covers and the last for pipe joints. Every patent application for plumbing related products filed by Crapper made it through the process, and actual patents were granted.
The most famous product attributed to Thomas Crapper wasn't invented by him at all. The "Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer" (No. 814) was a siphonic discharge system that allowed a toilet to flush effectively when the cistern was only half full. British Patent 4990 for 1819 was issued to a Mr. Albert Giblin for this product.
There are a couple of theories on how Thomas Crapper came to be associated with this device. First, is that Giblin worked for Crapper as an employee and authorized his use of the product. The second, and more likely scenario, says Grabowski, is that Crapper bought the patent rights from Giblin and marketed the device himself.
Myth: Thomas Crapper never was a plumber.
Fact. Oh yes he was. He operated two of the three Crapper plumbing shops in his lifetime, but left the business three years before the final and most famous facility on Kings Road in London. When Crapper retired from active business in 1904, he sold his shop to two partners who, with help from others, operated the company under the Crapper name until its closing in 1966.
Several of London's current plumbing companies trace their trade roots to Thomas Crapper. One, Mr. Geoffrey Pidgeon of Original Bathrooms (Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, Great Britain), continues the trade of his great uncle and grandfather, both of whom apprenticed under Thomas Crapper.
Thomas Crapper did serve as the royal sanitary engineer for many members of England's royalty, but contrary to popular myth, he was never knighted, and thus isn't entitled to use the term "Sir" before his name.
Myth: The word "crap" is derived from Thomas Crapper's name.
Fact. The origin of crap is still being debated. Possible sources include the Dutch Krappe; Low German krape, meaning a vile and inedible fish; Middle English crappe, and Thomas Crapper. Where crap is derived from Crapper, it is by a process know as, pardon the pun, a back formation.
The World War I doughboys passing through England brought together Crapper's name and the toilet. They saw the words T. Crapper---Chelsea printed on the tanks and coined the slang "crapper" meaning toilet.
The legend of Thomas Crapper takes its flavor from the real man's life. While Crapper may not be the inventor of the product he is most often associated with, his contribution to England's plumbing history is significant. And the man's legend, well, it lives on despite all proof to contrary.
This series of articles may NOT be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine. Contact them at pmmag.com.
at THE PlumbingWorld, we offer thousands of plumbing products and more:
Evans Did you say Otto Titsling
OTTO TITSLING [Spoken:] "The next story is a true story.
It concerns two of my favorite subjects:
Industrial theft and-a...tits! Mmm, what a combo!
This is the story: The inventor of the modern foundation garment
that we women wear today, was a German scientist and opera lover,
by the name of Otto Titsling! This is a true story.
His name was Otto Titsling.
What happened to Otto Titsling shouldn't happen to a schnauzer.
It's a very sad story. I feel I have to share it with you.
[Sung:] Otto Titsling, inventor and kraut,
Had nothing to get very worked up about.
His inventions were failures, his future seemed bleak,
He fled to the opera at least twice a week.
One night at the opera he saw an Aida
Who's tits were so big they would often impede her.
Bug-eyed he watched her fall into the pit,
Done in by the weight of those terrible tits.
[Spoken:] Oh, my god! Thar she blows!
Aerodynamically this bitch was a mess.
Otto eye-balled the diva lying comatose amongst the reeds,
and he suddenly felt the fire of inspiration flood his soul.
He knew what he had to do! He ran back to his workshop
where he futzed and futzed and futzed.
[Sung:] For Otto Titsling had found his quest:
To lift and mold the female breast,
To point the small ones to the sky,
To keep the big ones high and dry!
Every night he'd sweat and snort
Searching for the right support.
He tried some string and paper clips.
Hey! He even tried his own two lips!
[Spoken:] Well, he stiched and he slaved and he slaved and he stitched,
until, finally, one night, in the wee hours of morning,
Otto arose from his workbench triumphant. Yes!
He had invented the worlds first over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. Hooray!
Exhausted but ecstatic he ran down the street to the diva's house
bearing the prototype in his hot little hand.
Now, the diva did not want to try the darn thing on.
But, after many initial misgivings, she finally did.
And the sigh of relief that issued forth from the diva's mouth was so loud
that it was mistaken by some to be the early onset of the Seraken Winds
which would often roll through the Schwarzwald with a vengance! Ahhhhh-i!
But little did Otto know, at the moment of his greatest triumph,
lurking under the diva's bed was none other
than the very worst of the french patent thieves: Phillip DeBrassiere.
And Phil was watching the scene with a great deal of interest!
[Sung:] Later that night, while our Broom Hilda slept,
Into the wardrobe, Phillip softly crept.
He fumbled through knickers and corsets galore,
'Til he found Otto's titsling and he ran out the door.
Crying, "Oh, my god! What joy! What bliss!
I'm gonna make me a million from this!
Every woman in the world will wanna buy one.
I can have all the goods manufactures in Tai...wan..."
[Spoken:] "Oh, thank you!"
[Sung:] The result of this swindle is pointedly clear:
Do you buy a titsling or do you buy a brassiere...?
(Note from the webmaster: thank you Frank!)
[ BETTE MIDLER ]
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