1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AKCIIITECT'S JOURNAL. 



137 



by their want of professional skill, but by tlie want of power to carry out 

 the most essential improvements ami the best conceived designs. 



If we look at the state of the sewage of the metropolis, we are sure all 

 must agree that its present conditioD is bad, and that even the worst Go- 

 vernment board could not be worse. The metropolis is split up among 

 several irresponsible boards, exercising independent jurisdictions, and 

 acting on the most discordant principles. While the upland is under the 

 Finsbury and Holborn Commission of Sewers, the outfall is under the 

 City of London Cominissioue'rs. The Tower Hamlets Commission take 

 charge of the East of London, sending some of their drains into tlie Fins- 

 bury division. The western parts of London are delivered over to the 

 Westminster Commission of Sewers, who have the Crown Commissioners 

 for Regent-street and the Regent's-park interfering with them throughout. 

 The southern suburbs belong to the Jurisdiction of the Surrey and Kent 

 Commission. 



The result may be anticipated : as there is no central authority, there 

 are repeated contiirts between the jarring functionaries, — for the divisions 

 embracing districts of undulating surface, have not, in all cases, the com- 

 mand of their owu oulfall, or have not the command of the natural oulf.iil. 

 Hence, circuitous lines of sewer are adopted, to the great incorivenience 

 of the public, and to the great loss of the rate-payers. The Regent-street 

 and Regent's-p^rk district, which is under the Woods and Forests, runs 

 right up in a narrow strip through the Westminster division, from Scotland 

 Yard to the Regent's-park, and has its own main sewer and its own sepa- 

 rate outfall The consequence is, that the Westminster Commissioners, 

 instead of sending some of their northern drainage into the Regent-street 

 main sewer, have recourse to a long detour, by a sewer of two miles in 

 length, to join the King's Scholars' Pond Sewer, higher up the Thames. 



Proceedings of tliis kind are fraught with mischief and injustice ; for 

 not only have the Westminster Commissioners to contend with a very slight 

 inclination, and a very bad outfall, through the King's Scholars' Pond 

 Sewer, but a great deal of money is wasted in the original outlay for the 

 circuitous sewer, there is always a difficulty in keeping it in order, and 

 there is necessarily a much heavier charge for its repair. The Regent- 

 street sewer is one of great capacity ; it is carried to a considerable depth, 

 and is sufficient lo drain all Westminster and Marylehone, — and yet a uew 

 and needless sewer has, under the present system, been made. 



There is also, from the nature of the boundaries, some difficulty in 

 securing the proper cleansing of the sewers by flushing; for the West- 

 niinsier and the City of London divisions of sewers have not within their 

 districts access to a sufficient supply and head of wa'er. Under a com- 

 bined system, reservoirs of water would be formed at Hampstead, High- 

 gate, Horusey, and on the northern range of hills, and would be applied 

 to properly flushing and cleansing out the sewers and drains in the lower 

 divisions of the City, Hulboru, Westminster, and the Tower Hamlets. In 

 the Holborn and Finsbury division, the flushing plan is well carried out ; 

 but there is no reason why, by proper arrangements, the same facilities 

 should not be generally and economically applied. 



It is also very well known, that until a very late period, from want of a 

 proper control on the part of the public, and from want of exertion on the 

 part of the functionaries, the greater part of the sewers in the metro- 

 polis were constructed on improper principles, and in a wasteful and 

 insuflicient manner. This was particularly the case in the Westminster 

 Commission of Sewers, and we believe we may claim some part of the 

 merit — as having been to a considerable extent etiVcted by our exertions — 

 that the new sewers are being carried out in a manner, much more econo- 

 raical, much more efficient, and much more satisfactory. The present 

 surveyor has done a great deal to lessen the expense by laying down oval 

 sewers, and by giving sewers of a small size to courts and allt-ys he has 

 extended the accommodation without increasing the outlay. Indeed, 

 almost as much has been done as perhaps can be done, by the formation 

 of small oval drains and the introduction of pipes, to make the construc- 

 tion of sewers as cheap as it can be, — so that our objections are not made 

 on that ground. I^ is with regard to the proper direction of the sewers, 

 and their proper application, that the greatest deficiencies are felt ; and 

 these are so serious, and have lasted so long, that we can place no con- 

 fidence in the present system for their efficient and final remedy. 



We have already said so much on these points (particularly in our 

 Journal for 1S43, vol. VI., p. 43), that we are almost disincliued to say 

 any more, — except that being obliged to go over the same matter four 

 years afterwards, and to contend with the same opponents, we cannot 

 escape the repetition. Those who will refer to Vol. VI., p. 43, will find 

 that we have goue as minutely into the subject as we can, and particularly 



in reference to Mr. Donaldson's defence of the Westminster Commission 

 of Sewers; vvliich, however, furnished us with ample evidence as to the 

 defects of the present system, or rather want of system, and the necessity 

 for its entire reform. 



We cannot recapitulate all that we then said, but we may usefully 

 avail ourselves of some of the evidence which we then adduced. We 

 showed, on the authority of Mr. Donaldson, that in consequence of the 

 want of unity of action, very large sums had been expended in rebuilding 

 the main sewers and deepening the outlets. Thus, the Essex-sireet sewer, 

 between 1810 and LS3G. was lowered throughout a length of 5SO0 feet, or 

 upwards of a mile. The eastern branch of the Hartshorn-lane sewer, 

 likewise in the Westminster Comniission, between 1831 and lS3t) was 

 lowered throughout a length of 4200 feet ; and another branch of the same 

 sewer, between lb20 and 1S37, throughout a length of 3400 feel. The 

 whole of the King-street sewer was, before 1832, lowered on a Ien"th of 

 1200 feet, and the Wood-street sewer, the College-street sewer, and the 

 Horseferry-road sewer, were also lowered. Thus, in one division — the 

 Westminster division — the great extent of 21,450 feet (or 4 miles) of new 

 main sewer has been constructed. Of this we should not of itself com- 

 plain, if the whole system were not faulty, and if, instead of merely rec- 

 tifying old errors, the uew works did not, as we have already shown, 

 involve further errors. 



The works on King's Scholars' Pond Sewer are so heavy and so extra- 

 ordinary, that Mr. Donaldson and others look upon them with a great 

 degree of pride, as involving the application of much skill and ingenuity 

 to overcome the difficulties with v^hich the surveyors had to contend. 

 Thus, the driving of the new sewer, for 5o0 feet in length, and at a con- 

 siderable depth, was carried on from vvithinside the sewer, and an inverted 

 arch was constructed, and the old obstructions removed ; the works being 

 carried on under buildings, and having been considered impracticable by 

 John Rennie, Jessop, Chapman, and others. In some parts of i^s course, 

 this sewer was driven under courts narrower than itself, and frequently 

 below the foundations of contiguous buildings, without inflicting injury 

 upon them. 



It is scarcely credible, that works so expensive and so difficult should 

 have been undertaken without any adequate necessity ; and yet such is 

 the fact, for, as we have already shown, tlie Regent-street sewer is amply 

 sufiicient for the drainage of the district ; and, by the use of it, the en- 

 largement, or rather reconstruction, of the King's Scholars' Pond Sewer 

 might have been avoided, and the drainage carried to a shorter and more 

 etfective outfall. 



The works in the City of London Commission have been, to a great 

 extent, of the same character as in the Westminster Commission, having 

 been directed to the formation of new outfalls, not for their own drainage, 

 but for that of the upland districts. Under a proper system, the expense 

 of the outfalls would fall on the whole district, and the outfalls would be 

 properly adapted to the extent of duty which they have to perform. 



The AV'eslminster Commission, among others, long persisted in the use 

 of flat sides to their sewers, though frequent failures occurred in their 

 application, and they were expensive and cumbrous in construction, while 

 there was adequate experience that the oval form of sewer adopted in the 

 Regent-street and Holborn divisions was of greater solidity, was less ex- 

 pensive, and better calculated to secure a quiik drainage. Naturally, the 

 great object in sewage is to get rid of noxious waters as quick as possible ; 

 not to keep them petiiied up, festering among the dwellings of the people, 

 but to discharge them with the utmost speed. This, the Westminster form 

 of sewer was not calculated to effect ; while the oval form was perfectly 

 competent, as the investigations in our Journal, and the subsequent adop- 

 tion of our views, have fully proved. 



A comparison of two classes of sewers, in the Westminster and Holborn 

 divisions of sewers, under the old plan, will show how wasteful was the 

 expenditure under the former system. 



In these calculations, the cost of materials and labour being taken as 

 the same in each case, at Is. per foot reduced, or £13 12s. per rod of 

 brickwork, and Is. per cubic yard for digging, strutting, and filling-in or 

 removing the surplus ground ; the top of the sewer being taken as six feet 

 belo»v the surface of the ground. 



Westminster first class sewer ; 17 feet brickwork, 17s. ; 



3-^ yards digging, 3s. 4d.;— total .... 20s. 4d. 

 Holborn and Finsbury first-class sewer : 12 feet brick- 

 work, 12s. ; 3 yards digging, 3s. ; — total . . . los. Od. 

 This shows a difference of 5s. 4d., or more than 30 per cent. 



19 



