Offence against 251 clause of the G. P. Act

[jennywren001]

The 'steam residue' one has got me a bit puzzled I can understand the smoke residue - that one sounds like you need your lum cleaned. When I was a kid and you put your lum up so many times your name went in the Dundee Telegraph - oh the shame   I think my dad put ours up twice - then we had a gas fire fitted!
Jen

[djct59]

The precise wording (including the unusual use of capitals) of the offence for which a constable may lock you up is -

"Every Person who shall discharge any Smoke or Steam from any Premises (otherwise than from the Top thereof) into any such Street, or suffer or permit the condensed Water or Moisture from any Steam Pipe, Flue or Funnel to fall into or upon such Street:"

[jennywren001]

So dripping water! 

[RJ_Paton]

So dripping water! 

Not Quite ....   

Basically it was an offence to discharge steam/steam residue/ smoke etc unless from  a chimney or vent at roof level where such measures as required for the dispersal were in place.
Think of it more as fledgeling Health & Safety legislation 

PS. This was still an offence in 1892 when this legislation was replaced by the Burgh Police (Scotland)  Act 1892 which itself introduced a few more "offences" which would raise eyebrows today

[HysterySleuth]

I am hoping that djct59 or someone else can tell me to what offences Clause 345 of the General Practices Act pertained. Great Great Grandfather was guilty in Fraserburgh 1886. Go ahead and tell me; I can take it. 🙃

[djct59]

Clause 345 of the 1862 Act made it an offence, punishable by a fine of up to ten shillings, of allowing your chimney to catch fire (unless you could prove this was not due to omission, neglect or carelessness on your part or that of your servant). You also had to pay the expenses incurred in putting out the fire.

[Forfarian]

They could have simplified things by making it an offence to do anything anyone objected to 

What a good idea! I can think of hundreds of things I would make illegal just by objecting to them

[HysterySleuth]

So here is the irony of my 2xGreat Grandfather being found guilty of offending Clause 345 of the G. P. Act,  allowing his chimney to catch fire in the winter of 1886 Fraserburgh. He was fined 2/6 or order to spend 1 day in jail. He paid £9 2 and 6, which I suppose is the cost of putting out the fire? 
However, he was the keeper of the Fraserburgh jail! Either way, he was spending the night there. So I can picture him toting his bedroll to the cell for the night and telling the rest to move over some. :-)

Thank you, djct59, for the prompt reply!

[Skoosh]

The offending steam might, mixed with smoke, condense on a cold day & land on the washing. Folk living next to the railway had this problem.

Skoosh.