Mayans, Nomads and Gas Explosions

An article in Archaeology magazine says the Mayans used a series of underground conduits to control water from springs. One of these ran down a steep slope and narrowed at the end. It would have been able to shoot a jet of water 20 feet in the air. With that kind of water pressure, it is very possible the palace on this site had running water. I know what you’re thinking, big deal so what? And probably, why am I reading Archaeology magazine to begin with It’s simple. My wife, Danette, always wanted to be an Archaeologist, so we subscribe to Archaeology magazine. It’s actually really interesting but I digress. If the Mayan’s usage of the conduits is true, it’s a huge deal. It was originally believed that the concept of pressurized water arrived in the new world with the Spanish.

For me it is a stark reminder of how important plumbing actually is. Often plumbing and plumbers are the butt of so many jokes (I know that was so cheap). Think about it. Every great society revolves around the need for an ample supply of fresh water. As well as means of removing the used waste and other “used stuff” (this is a family blog, I’ve got to keep it clean). In fact, not just every great society but every society.

If you can remember back in April 1992, there was a gasoline explosion in the sewers of Guadalajara. It ripped through six miles of sewer lines. Killing people, leaving thousands homeless and causing millions of dollars in damage. I It was just a couple of days when the first reports of Cholera started killing people. As you know, Cholera is a severe bacterial infection usually contracted through contaminated drinking water or infected food. Cholera is one of the major causes of death in the world.

Imagine for a moment, you are the leader of a large Nomadic tribe in 1600 BC. This moving from place to place? It starts to get a little old. So as leader, you decide to no longer indulge in nomadic ways. You find a nice place to settle down. Maybe even something with a view. Your fellow tribe members start drinking the water while they work the land and build homes for their families. It doesn’t take too long before the waste from so many people starts to pollute the water and the land. Guess what happens next? They start dropping like flies. Unfortunately, these people had no idea what was killing them. Perhaps they blamed it on cursed land or evil spirits. I know one thing; I sure wouldn’t want to be known as the leader who made his people settle in cursed land. This scenario must have played again and again. It’s sad to think how many lives were probably lost because of sheer ignorance.

Here in America we take plumbing for granted. The fact is Licensed Master Plumbers as group are responsible for the health of every single American. We have saved more lives than all the doctors and hospitals combined. Please understand, I have nothing against doctors. The fact does remain doctors depend on our plumbing to do their job. Think of it. What if we woke up tomorrow and all the plumbing was gone? The bulk of the people would die off and our cities would empty out. We would be forced to live in small, constantly moving groups. Sound familiar?

I stand corrected

So, my dad read my blog. “Sal, you got it wrong” he said.

Oh well, let’s try this again. My grandfather and his brother Frank where not mostly contractors. They were mostly plumbers. In fact grandpa Mike was also a dock boss, owned a bar on Fourth Avenue and seemed to do pretty much whatever it took to squeak out a living. One should remember Brooklyn was a different place back then. They had to work quite hard to get by. At least that’s what my father says but he also claims to have had to walk up hill to and from school as a kid.

The contracting thing was really something that happened after they bought the business from Mr. Curry. Let’s get back to Mr. Curry for a moment. He was a plumber but he was also a roofer and a tinsmith (Oh the days when men were men). Apparently Mr. Curry was the kind of person that was always on time for work. I mean you could set your watch by this guy. One day Mr. Curry was late for work. My Grandfather turned to my father and said he must have died. Mr. Curry had passed. He wasn’t on time for work that day but I bet he was the first guy on line at the pearly gates.

Its all new to me.

Hi, I’m Sal Vigilante this is my first post to my first blog. I am hoping to make this as interesting as possible. Ok maybe today won’t be so interesting because, I haven’t even figured out what to write about yet. Going forward we will talk about jobs that go good and even bad. Maybe help a few of my “readers” learn a thing or two about the industry that may be helpful. If you’re a home owner, a plumber or want to be a plumber or a home owner I’m happy to field any questions, observations or general rambling.
Some quick information about us we were established in 1927 by my grandfather Mike and his brother Frank. They were mostly general contractors at the time. In the 1950's my dad Tony his brother in-law Mike Mazzeo and my grandfather Mike bought a plumbing company from a man named Mr. Curry. He was a German man with an accent so thick you could barely understand him. After he sold the business he stayed on to answer the phones (that must have been interesting). He lived to the ripe old age of 96.
Eventually the company stopped doing contract work and focused on plumbing and heating. We added air conditioning in the early 90's. Today the company is owned by my brother Anthony and myself.
Here at Vigilante Plumbing Heating & Air conditioning we deal with peoples comfort, safety and health. Some jobs go from strange to weird back to strange. Other jobs we get to be the heroes and save the day, restore the heat or stop the flood. Either way it’s a pretty interesting job and it’s actually quite satisfying. I mean a lot of what we install today will outlive all of us how many companies can say that.