﻿20 THE AIR OF TOWNS. 



vapors of pitch, which was run out in the early morning, was sometimes 

 wafted into my bedroom and would awaken me with an indescribable 

 feeling of nausea. Fill up the scene with a forest of smoky chimneys, 

 begrimed walls, screeching steam whistles, and the steadj^ rumble of 

 strings of coal carts, and you have a picture which represents the not 

 unusual surroundings of the workingman in a manufacturing district. 

 There he lives, buried in one great, blank mass of ugliness, neither 

 vestige of green around his dwelling nor even an untainted sky above 

 his head. 



T do not think that in passing through such a spot it is possible to 

 imagine the life that belongs to these surroundings. It certainly made 

 an imi^ression upon me, which I never previously realized and which I 

 shall not readily forget. Perhaps not the least melancholy side to this 

 picture is the reference, which Mr. Acland made to it in a recent speech : 

 ^^All those who are making a careful study of the condition of our towns 

 were perfectly aware of this fact, that a great deal of the work in the 

 towns, which necessitated strong and healthy men, especially in Lon- 

 don, was done by those who had been brought up in country homes, and 

 not in those of the towns." However, I have no wish to appeal to any 

 sentimental feeling. Political economy has nothing in common with it, 

 we are told, and "business is business," which I suppose means the same 

 thing. I have pointed out that some few works have to fire their fur- 

 naces intermittently and some smoke or fume may be unavoidable. 

 This does not apply to the large majority of steam users, who require a 

 fairly steady steam pressureT;hroughout the day. Let us see what is 

 the opinion of persons who have carefully studied the question. 



The Sheffield Smoke Abatement Association subcommittee, after a 

 careful experimental inquiry, state that "it is certain that smoke may 

 be almost entirely and completely prevented from steam-boiler chim- 

 neys." Deputations from the cor]3oration of Bolton, Kochdale, Black- 

 burn, Bury, Oldham, Middleton, and many local boards, made a round 

 of visits to smokeless works, and the corporation of Rochdale passed a 

 resolution that there was to be found in the market apparatus, by which 

 coal could be burnt for trade purposes economically and smokelessly. 

 A special subcommittee of the Blackburn corporation passed a resolu- 

 tion, stating that "they are convinced that the smoke nuisance in 

 Blackburn can be for all practical purposes done away with by the 

 application of these coking machines, and that it is of advantage to 

 the steam users to use them ; and they are further of opinion that no 

 hardship will be inflicted uj)on steam users if the law respecting nui- 

 sance from smoke is strictly enforced." The larger boroughs named 

 are now all prosecuting. 



From the following list of works using smokeless apj)liances, compiled 

 by Mr. Herbert Fletcher in 1888, it is interesting to note the great variety 

 of industries represented. To this list must be added, further, 28 firms 

 representing 174 boilers since adapted with smokeless appliances. 



