I8A0.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



101 



mittee,' four members belonping' to which were members of the 

 present court. During; this time the Ordnance Survey Committee 

 had been engaged in that part of the metropolis, and were con- 

 structing the network of levels. It was thought to be extremely 

 desirable that three or more points of the river should be con- 

 nected with such levels, to ascertain the height of the tide. The 

 result has been the production of a very valuable collection of 

 facts and documents, from which it would appear that they should 

 even think of constructing the lines and shortening the distance 

 between Battersea and Deptford. The minimum difference in the 

 tide between these places was 9i feet. It was obvious that by 

 shortening the distance they would accomplish a better fall, if that 

 were needed." Sir Henry might well have saved himself the 

 trouble of going into these details, since from his own statement, 

 fully given, a fall of any kind into the Thames cannot only not be 

 needed, but is of necessity to be avoided. But let us continue. 

 Sir Henry "thought be might mention what was, no douht, known 

 to the Commissioners, that a valuable body of information was 

 collected by Mr. Page, for the Metropolitan Improvement Com- 

 mission, and which was printed in their reports. Part of it was 

 original, and part contained in other documents, &c.; but he 

 (Sir Henry) referred to it as embodying a mass of valuable matter." 

 No doubt about it. "The attention of Captain Vetch had been 

 especially directed to the formation of a scheme for the drainage 

 of the Southwark side of the river Tliames. He wished it to be 

 particularly noted, that all this occurred previous to the former 

 Commission requesting plans to be sent in for the drainage of the 

 metropolis. With respect to the scheme for taking the shorter 

 line on the north and south side of the river, and so partially 

 reversing the drainage, in this there was no great novelty. So far 

 as ten or eleven years ago, he believed that Mr. Thomas Cubitt had 

 proposed a scheme of that kind, which was quoted by Mr. Walker, 

 in his evidence in 18 tO, on the state of the Thames. This was not 

 the fii-gt scheme which included the stopping of the drainage by 

 the river, because Mr. John Martin had previously completed the 

 scheme for drainage on both sides of the Thames. Willi regard 

 to the south side, their object had been to obtain a fall by shorten- 

 ing the distance, and the opportunity of flushing the main channel 

 and any branch channel, without, as now, discharging all the 

 sewage into the Thames; and afterwards affording the oppoi'tunity 

 of distributing the sewage manure by various lines of railway, as 

 the wants of the public should demand, supposing the drainage 

 should cut the lines of railway." 



What are we to understand from all this? Sir Henry, in one 

 part of his speech, most emphatically expresses his opinion as to 

 the necessity of no longer polluting the bed of the river with the 

 filthy discharge of any portion of the sewage of the metropolis; 

 and in the next, advocates an outfall into the said river, because 

 an "advantageous" additional fall of 25 feet can be obtained by 

 taking a shorter course. As to Sir Henry's statements respecting 

 the evils attending the use of the Thames as an outfall for the 

 sewage of London there can be but one opinion. The writer of a 

 leading article in the Tinifs of the 2Sth January last, observes, 

 "In the first and foremost place, it [the resolution passed at the 

 meeting | contains the deliberate acknowledgment of the Com- 

 missioners, that the river Thames should no longer be retained as 

 the main sewer of the metropolis, but should be drained and 

 cleansed like any other infected locality." And in order to effect 

 this draining and cleansing of the bed of the river, it is now pro- 

 posed to pour into its stream at Deptford, or may be Woolwich, at 

 low water, all the refuse of the densely-populated district lying 

 between Battersea and Deptford, that will not have been carried 

 away by rail for agricultural purposes, "supposing the drainage 

 should cut the lines of railway.' - 



Even admitting the extension of a conduit from Deptford to 

 Woolwich, — and Sir Henry does not even allude to the subject in 

 his speech, — and thereby the removal of the Southwark sewage 

 beyond the boundary that divides Surrey from Kent, we need 

 hardly add that the reasons for discontinuing the pollution of the 

 Surrey and Middlesex banks of the river must surely apply equally 

 powerfully to the Kent bank, bordering so densely populated a dis- 

 trict as that lying between Deptford and Woolwich ; particularly 

 when we take into consideration that a discharge of sewage, 

 wherever made on the south side of the river, has to meet with the 

 influence of an up-tide, consequent on such discharge taking place 

 inevitably, on account of the lowness of the district, at low water. 

 Sir Henry, who had occasion some years ago, he tells us, to con- 

 sider the distribution of sewage into estuaries, and who agrees with 

 Sir John Burgoyne, "th at the Thames being an estuary, all the 



2 Purely condilional on accidental ctrcmnstances. 



effects that take place in an estuary must occur in it also," will o 

 course understand most readily the results which we are likely to 

 anticipate from a removal of the refuse of Southwark into the bed 

 of the Thames, whether at Deptford or Woolwich, at low water ;■' 

 and from the action of an up-tide, immediately after its discharge. 

 We cannot do better than borrow Sir Henry's own words. " The 

 sewers discharged their contents into the Thames at low water; 

 at that time the water being stagnant, the sewage was discliarged 

 into the river according to its velocity, but on the first motion of 

 the water, it (the sewage) had a tendency to go along both sides of 

 the river, and two masses of filth were thus trailed along the banks. 

 This was composed of matter in chy mical solution, and mechanical 

 suspension. Now these two masses passed along both shores and 

 went as far as the tide would carry them."' Tliis is precisely what 

 takes place ; and in the case before us proposed by Sir Henry, the 

 sewage of a large and populous district will be discharged into the 

 Thames at Deptford, at low water, according to its velocity : the 

 water in the river at the time being stagnant. On the first motion 

 of the water, it (the sewage) will have a tendency to go along both 

 sides of the river, and two masses of filth will thus be trailed along 

 both banks. This will be composed of matter in chymical solution, 

 and mechanical suspension. And these two masses will pass along 

 both shores and will go as far up the river as the tide will carry 

 them — and we may add, taking the more populated and important 

 part of the metropolis on their way. 



In addition to this, we find that the Thames is not only to be 

 polluled with the discliarge of tlie Southwark sewage, hut that at a 

 meeting of the Commissioners on Friday, the 8th inst., a sewer 

 through a considerable portion of ^V'estminster, discharging itself 

 into tlie Thames, was determined upon, on the recommendation of 

 Mr. Frank Forster, and is about to be carried into effect."' So 

 much for the statements of Sir Henry De la Beche, as to the 

 general wish of the Commissioners not to pollute the Thames with 

 sewage matter. The writer in tlie Times, already quoted, hoped 

 for better things when he wrote : — " Our very words are now almost 

 snatched from our mouths by these eager converts. ' There is no 

 reason,' says the Chairman, ' why artificial means sliould be 

 adopted to add to the noxious qualities of the river mud.' None 

 in the world, certainly. — ' It gets moistened with the sewage 

 matter, aiul that adds to the disagreeableness of the filth.' Not a 

 doubt about it. — ' Looking on shore, too, this deposit is sure to be 

 discovered in situations most inconvenient to the inhabitants.' Of 

 course it is. As the American engineer said, ' It sefms to take a 

 pleasur' in gettin' there.' — All these are axioms, if of a somewhat 

 elementary, yet of a most unquestionable character, and we are 

 only too glad to see them at length formally recorded." Yes 

 " recorded" — and that is all. 



" But," it might be argued, " it is not the intention of Captain 

 Vetch and the Commissioners to make use of the proposed outfall 

 exclusively for the purpose of a means of discharge into the 

 Thames : they hope the demand for liquid manure will be such as 

 to prevent almost entirely the pollution of the river." If so, we 

 can see no necessity for the expense of a main sewer from Batter- 

 sea to Deptford, with a continuation to ^\'oolMich — no small 

 amount of work to execute. For the purpose of transport into the 

 country, mechanical means of some kind must be employed for 

 raising the diluted refuse from the low levels at which it will be 

 confined, whether the principal outfall be at Deptford, Woolwich, 

 or elsewhere ; and surely there can be no kind of a]iology for 

 wasting the public money in constructing expensive works, from 

 which no advantage can possibly result, that could not be obtained 

 for a far less sum, without such a main sewer. If the Thames is 

 really to be rejected as an outfall, an artificial outfall becomes 



3 And if we talie into consideration tlie depth of some of the basement stories in some 

 of the lowest parts of the district, in connection with the ([uestion o( sufficient fall for 

 branch drains, we think Mr. Forster will not find low water mark at I>eptford much too 

 low for the invert of his sewer. 



4 " Nothing could be more beautifully expressive than this description. To be sure it 

 was somewhat superfluous, and resembles a little th.it technical certilicate of Death's 

 doings which the medical ivitne'solfers to a coroner's jury ; — Deceased having been found 

 hanging, it is proved that the articulation of the cervix with the occiput has been dis- 

 ordered, and that great extravasation is discoverable in the brain, — lacts, noubtless of 

 great Importance, tiiut not adding much to the convictions of those who h;id cut the poor 

 wretch down, stone dead. We citizens can see but too plainly how the sewage hue;3 our 

 banks, and are perlectly willing to believe that the result is in accordance with the eternal 

 laws of au estuary. All we ask is a verdict in our favour." — " Times, " of Monday, 

 January 28th. 



5 Let the rate-payers look to the new Westminstar sewer. It cannot be an inexpen- 

 sive work, and it is sure to be either a superfluous or an inconvenient one. We admit 

 that such accommodation cannot be delayed until tlie present problem is solved ; but all 

 this expenditure for provisional convenience will become little more than a dead loss uhen 

 the entire system of sewerage is remodelled. It is clear enough that we cannot cleanse 

 the Thames in a day, but it is surely time to cease paying our thousands of pounds in 

 order to vitiate it more thoroughly." — Conclusion of a leading article iu the '■ Times, " of 

 Saturday, February 16tb, 



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