1850.J 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



38? 



" Hence the course of the main sewer will bs across Greenwich marshes, along Wool- 

 wich Lower-road, Trafalgar-road, and Roan-slreet, to the Ravensbourno (where there is 

 proposed to be a lift not exceeding 25 feetj ; pusses under the River Ravensbuurne past the 

 torner of the Trinity Almshouses, crossing Union-street and Bridge-row or Collier- 

 street. 



"This lift and shaft I propose to place completely under cover, and to connect with 

 the chimney of the smoke-consuming ftirnnce of the engine all the paasagea from which 

 any gases could escape from the sewer, and I feel perfectly confident that with these pre- 

 ca:itions the possibility of any annoyance being caused to the neighbourhood may be 

 obviated. 



*' I mentioned above that It was not proposed that the engines should have to raise all 

 the storm waters or land floods ; these will be provided for in extraordinary cases by the 

 four existing outlets — vix., the Effra, the Karl, V<e Duffield, and St. John sewers, and by 

 means of reservoirs and a diversion of the upper port of the Kffra to keep the low.lyiog 

 and thickly-inhabited part of the district free from floods. 



"From Collier-street a line which may by called the ' southern main line' diverges : 

 the * northern main line' passing along the Lowtr l>eptford-rond to the crossing of the 

 Earl sewer, from which point it strikes into a north-westerly direction, and in a straight 

 line towards St. James's church, Bermondsey, thence along Prospect-place to Dockhead, 

 and thence to Gainsford-street and Tooley-street. where it unites with the great rft. 

 John's sewer, with which are connected the Battle-bridge and its various branches ; the 

 inclination of the new sewer for the whole distance being at an average rate of about 4J 

 feet per mile, somewhat less near the point of disfharge, somewhat more of course as 

 the volume of fluid diminishes at each successive r^imifiLation of the sewers. 



" Returning to the diverging point at Ueplfonl, the course of the * southern main line* 

 will be by Loving Edwards'-lane nearly in a straight line with Old Kent-road at Hatcham, 

 oiong the Old Kent. road to Surrey Cantit bridge. whJLh is at the point of divergence of 

 an intermediate main line to be afterwards described ; the southern main line will 

 proceed by Neat-street and Albany.road in a straik-ht Hue at ross to St, Mark's-road, 

 and by Camberwell New-road to St. Mark's Church, Kennington. Here it will pass 

 under the Effra sewer and by a connection therewith will receive its ordinary run of 

 drainage; the floods of the Effra bein^ provided for by a relief line about 1200 yards 

 long, passing along the Oval and Harleyford-street to Vauxhall- creek — th« present open 

 and most offensive portion of the Effra from Keuniugtou-road to Vauxhall being filled- 

 up and abolished. 



" The level of the southern main line at St Mark's Church would be abont I'O or 

 nearly 7 feet below the deepest sewer existing there at present, and will afford unexcep- 

 tionable drainage for Stockwell and Claphara, Balham-hill, and the whole district lying 

 between Brixton-road and Wandsworth-road. 



*' The course of the * intermediate line,' diverging at the Surrey Canal-bridge, proceeds 

 along the Old Kent-road to the Bricklayer's Arms, whei* it will divide: one arm passes 

 along the New Kent-road to the Elephant and Castle, where It will receive the drainage 

 of the Walworth and Kenniugton roads and a portion of London-road and St. George's- 

 road. 



" The other more northern arm of this Intermediate sewer proceeds from the Brick- 

 layers' Arms along part of the Dover- road and Trinity-street, crosses Blackmao-street, 

 continuing along Great Suffolk-street across Soulhwark-bridge-road, along Suffolk-street, 

 across the end of Gravel-lane, through Nelson-tquare, to Rowland Hill's chapel, at 

 which point its level will be 40. being about 1 ft. '2 in. below the Battle-bridge sewer. 

 This intermediate main hne will be 2i miles in length from the Surrey Canal bridge to 

 Rowland Hill's Chapel — one-half of it through streets at present without deep sewers, 

 and one-half along the line of an existing deep sewer, for which it will form a substi- 

 tute, and the mere southern arm passing up to and dividing at the Elephant and Castle, 

 about one mile in length, along the lines of existing sewers. The inclination of the 

 proposed new lines varying at the different parts of the sewer according to the branches 

 received on the principle above mentioned. 



" Consequent upon this intermediate main line being carried into the middle of the 

 populous districts will be an alteration of the levels of above six miles of existing sewers 

 in the following streets — viz., New Cut, Cornwall-road, Waterloo-road, Borough-road, 

 Newington-causeway, Westroinster-bridge road, Lambeth-road, Westminster-road, parts 

 of London-road, and St. George's-road. This will involve in addition much alteration in 

 secondary drains and in house drainage ; and I cannot quit this part of the subject with- 

 out again suggesting to the commissioners the expedient-y of watching and testing the 

 working of the present main drains as soon as the main sewers are sufficiently completed 

 to do so, before they proceed to the extensive alterations in the existing sewers which the 

 contemplated interfereece with them will involve. 



" I beg now to lay before you my estimate of the cost of draining the district according 

 to the system above described ; but before doing this I would observe that in drawing up 

 this report and these estimates, I have thought it desirable to put down the outside 

 amount of lift, of depth of drains, &c., in order that if there be^any error it may be on 

 the right side. In this estimate I hare neither included compensation for passing 

 through or under private property, which, however, from the lines adopted in accordance 

 with the principle you laid down, will be comparatively trifling, nor the cost of the de- 

 tailed drainage, to estimate which will be a work of much time and lengthened inquiry. 

 In any case this will involve a considerable outlay, but as it is dependent on the settle- 

 ment and partial completion of the main drainagu. It would have been premature to go 

 into it here ; neither have I taken into account the cost of extending the system of drain- 

 age into the suburban districts— a provision which it becomes daily more imperative to 

 make. 



Satimiites of cost of system above dt'Ajri^ed. 



Miles. Fur. Cost. 



Main trunk drain from outlet in Greenwich 



marshes to the left at the Ravensbourne 3 .. ^25,887 



Heservoirs and outlet- pipes .. .. 20,280 



Pumping engines and apparatus.. .. 27,400 



From the left at the Ravensbourne toapoint 

 near St. James's church, Bermondsey, north 

 mainUoe .. .. .. .. 3 5 46,930 



Extension of north main Ifne from St. 



James's church to the Great St. John Sewer 6 8,000 



South Main Line from Collier-street, Dept- 



tord, to St. Mark's church, Kenningtoa 4 OJ 49.600 



Flood line of Effra .. .. ..0 5* 7,200 



Intermediate main line from Surrey-canal 

 bridge, with northern arm to Rowland 



Hill's chapel .. ., ,. ..2 2 12,000 



Southern arm along New Kent-road .. 1 5,000 



Alteration of existing sewers to connect 



with the intermediate main line, &c. .. 6 32.000 



Effra flood line diversion by Peckham .. 7,000 



ly 



^241,297 

 ' FaANK F0B3TEB. 



"1, Gr€€k-str€€t, Soho, l«t August, 1S50. 



"To the Hod. Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers. 



Mr. Stephfnsox, at the conclusion of reading the report and in moving 

 its adoption by the Court said — ** I think it desirable to explain to the Court a 

 few of the principles which actuated Mr. Forster in devising the plans which 

 are now upon the table, and the reasons which guided him in laying them 



down. Before commencing the consideration of these general principles, 

 however, allow me to say, in reply to some complaints which have been 

 made out of doors respecting the great delay which has taken place in pro- 

 posing any general plan for the drainage of London, that the public must 

 bear in mind that the commission has not been more than 10 months in 

 existence, and that some of its members came into it quite fresh — unac- 

 quainted with a great number of the localiiits of London, and absolutely 

 unacquainted with the complicated system of sewage existing, to the extent 

 of nearly 600 miles. In addition to this, the underground surveys were in 

 a very incomplete state, and no one could venture to say wiiat general plan 

 ought to be pursued at that time, as it was dangerous to commence with 

 any one locality, for fear of interfering with the ultimate chance of success, 

 London, however, divides itself naturally into two districts — north and 

 south, and after the commission had examined generally the condition of 

 these two districts, they found th;it Bermondsey, Latnbeth, and Southwark 

 were infinitely worse than the north side; to that portion, therefore, they 

 have directed their attention, ahnnst without cessation, during the last few 

 months. I am glad to see these pi ins upon the table of the Court, having 

 in view the establishment of a complete and perfect system of drainage for 

 this district, which extends over nine square miles, three of which are from 

 6 to 7 feet below high-water mark. The whole ei?ht or nine square miles vary 

 from 2 to 6 feet under high-water mark. It will be apparent that to devise 

 a system of drainage for this locality is a work of no inconsiderable difficulty. 

 The locality may be said to be drained only for four hours out of the 12, 

 and during those four hours only very imperfectly. The sewers now empty 

 themselves into the Tliames at various levels, and when the tide rises above 

 the orifices of those sewers, of course the whole drainage of the district is 

 stopped until the tide recedes again; thus the whole system of sewers in 

 that locality may be said to be but an articulation of cesspools. The com- 

 mission commenced the consideration of this subject with a sincere desire 

 to accomplish the drainage by natural means, if possible ; but it soon became 

 apparent that these sewers, which were subjected for eight hours out of the 

 twelve to a state of stagnation, acquired a settlement of solid matter which 

 required even a more extensive system of flushing than that which we now 

 possess. It has been proved by the last few years that even flushing, under 

 8uch circumstances, is not efficient, and the tendencies in these sewers to 

 form a concrete of hard substances is such as to render any current of water, 

 however rapid and constant, quite ineffectual. Under these circumstances it 

 became apparent that the commission must resort to artificial meang of 

 drainage, and pumping by steam appeared to he the most economical and 

 the most efficient plan. Mr. Forster therefore proposed the establishment of 

 a steam-engine at the Ravensbourne to lift the whole of the sewage of the 

 district to a height of 20 feel, and by that means a current would be estab- 

 lished so as to maintain throughout the whole day, without cessation, a con- 

 stant flow, and the solid matter which now forms the subject of complaint 

 would be carried oif. Tlie expense of pumping may at first appear to be 

 very great. 1 thought so myself at the commencement ; but when it was 

 reported to me by the officers of the commission, that the cost of flushing 

 and the cost of removing this solid matter now concreted at the bottom of 

 the lewers would be very great, and that the cost of pumping-up the whole 

 of the sewage matter would cost less money, I thought that the system of 

 pumping, as applied to the south side of the Thames, appeared to be entirely 

 without objection. I will not now go into the details of the works, as Mr. 

 Forster has already explained them; and I shall move that Mr. Forster's 

 report be adopted, and that the works therein recommended be carried out 

 forhwith." 



Sir John Burgoy.ne said : After the clear and full statement made by 

 Mr. Stephenson, it is not necessary for me to go into any of the matters or 

 details connected with this report, as it would only lead to confusion. It is, 

 however, satisfactory to know that, after the consideration given to these 

 general principles laid down in Mr. Forster's report, the commissioners are 

 unanimous in adopting them ; and that, with regard to details, there is no 

 difference of opinion amongst us. I think that no dissatisfaction can be 

 expressed by the public at the system which we propose to adopt ; and I am 

 glad to have an opportunity of expressing my own full concurrence in the 

 report which has just been read. 



The Chairman: The Court has at last succeeded in coming to a satisfac- 

 tory solution of this very difficult question, and I was never more rejoiced 

 than I am now to find that we have substantially brought it to a conclusion. 

 I must remind the Court, however, of clause 17 in our act, which provides 

 that no law shall be considered formally enacted by any court unless notice 

 is given of it previously. 1 think, therefore, that we had better consider 

 this day's proceedings merely as the required notice, and formally adopt this 

 report at a future special court. 



This was agreed to without remark, 



Mr. Hawes said: In reference to the prompt execution of these works, 

 ^e are now in treaty with several persons for the loan of sufficient money to 

 carry them out. We shall require about 250,000/., to be repaid in 30 years 

 by 30 instalments, principal and interest. The expense so divided will 

 amount to about 2d. in the pound. 



Mr. Hawes, in answer to a question whether it was compulsory upon 

 landlords to drain into these sewers when they were formed, said, the Act 

 compelled every house within 100 feet of a sewer, to drain into it; and care 

 would be taken to have a sewer within 100 feet of every house. 



38* 



