﻿Thomson. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Cleansing 
  of 
  Towns. 
  65 
  

  

  mound, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Thames, 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  are 
  also 
  

   erected 
  official 
  and 
  workmen's 
  houses, 
  with 
  a 
  school 
  for 
  the 
  children. 
  The 
  

   mound 
  is 
  actually 
  a 
  covered 
  tank 
  of 
  six 
  acres 
  in 
  extent, 
  but 
  being 
  covered 
  

   with 
  earth, 
  and 
  planted 
  with 
  grass, 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  detected 
  by 
  a 
  stranger. 
  

  

  The 
  engine-house 
  is 
  a 
  spacious 
  erection 
  of 
  the 
  Byzantine 
  style, 
  the 
  

   chimney-stalk 
  being 
  of 
  elegant 
  proportions. 
  The 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  engines 
  

   is 
  600-horse, 
  and 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  pumping 
  the 
  sewage 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  drain 
  

   into 
  the 
  tank, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  eight 
  plunge 
  pumps, 
  of 
  about 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

   The 
  main 
  drain 
  is 
  30 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  the 
  tank 
  rises 
  above 
  this, 
  

   having 
  a 
  depth, 
  when 
  full, 
  of 
  14 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  sewage 
  is 
  only 
  let 
  out 
  at 
  high-water, 
  on 
  its 
  turn 
  to 
  ebb, 
  and 
  it 
  con- 
  

   tinues 
  to 
  flow 
  till 
  nearly 
  low- 
  water. 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  outlets 
  for 
  the 
  sewage 
  

   from 
  the 
  tank 
  into 
  the 
  river, 
  constructed 
  of 
  solid 
  brick 
  and 
  cement, 
  leading 
  

   to 
  the 
  high- 
  water 
  mark, 
  then 
  by 
  open 
  timber 
  ducts 
  to 
  the 
  low-water 
  mark. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  near 
  low-water 
  mark 
  when 
  I 
  visited 
  the 
  place, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   markedly 
  detect 
  offensive 
  smell, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  

   turbid 
  and 
  discoloured. 
  

  

  I 
  also 
  examined 
  the 
  sewage 
  in 
  the 
  tank, 
  through 
  a 
  manhole, 
  and 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  that 
  but 
  slight 
  offensive 
  odours 
  escaped 
  by 
  this 
  aperture. 
  

  

  I 
  did 
  not 
  consider 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  works 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  river, 
  as 
  the 
  principle 
  is 
  merely 
  repeated, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  larger, 
  the 
  

   tank 
  there 
  being 
  equal 
  to 
  10 
  acres. 
  

  

  The 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  outfall 
  of 
  city 
  sewage 
  and 
  detritus 
  in 
  a 
  river, 
  then, 
  is 
  

   similar 
  to 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  studied 
  on 
  any 
  goldfield 
  where 
  hydraulic 
  works 
  

   in 
  simple 
  gold- 
  washings 
  are 
  in 
  force. 
  The 
  sludge 
  does 
  not 
  pen 
  up 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   of 
  magnitude, 
  but 
  it 
  merely 
  spreads 
  itself 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  

   outfalls, 
  and 
  what 
  it 
  occupies 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  bed, 
  the 
  stream 
  compensates 
  

   itself 
  by 
  scouring 
  out 
  a 
  deeper 
  channel 
  on 
  the 
  opposite, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  maintains 
  

   an 
  equal 
  volume. 
  Limiting 
  the 
  enquiry 
  to 
  navigation, 
  such, 
  in 
  our 
  view, 
  

   is 
  the 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  Thames 
  in 
  this 
  much-vexed 
  question. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  its 
  pollution, 
  that 
  is 
  another 
  question. 
  We 
  cannot 
  help 
  

   opining 
  that 
  Captain 
  Calver 
  is 
  more 
  eloquent 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  than 
  necessary. 
  

   That 
  fetid 
  matter 
  is 
  carried 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  nietroj^olita^i 
  area, 
  teeming 
  icith 
  2^opula- 
  

   tion, 
  contaminating 
  its 
  area, 
  is 
  surely 
  their 
  grievance, 
  not 
  his 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  long 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  contented 
  with 
  the 
  smells 
  in 
  their 
  precincts, 
  the 
  Thames 
  Con- 
  

   servancy 
  need 
  not 
  disturb 
  themselves, 
  but 
  if 
  they 
  can 
  show 
  that 
  ship 
  and 
  

   barge 
  crews 
  are 
  struck 
  with 
  gastric 
  fever, 
  or 
  otherwise 
  intolerably 
  discom- 
  

   posed 
  by 
  the 
  odours, 
  by 
  passing 
  the 
  outfalls, 
  this 
  comes 
  within 
  their 
  

   functions 
  to 
  remedy. 
  But 
  no 
  statistics 
  are 
  brought 
  forward 
  on 
  this 
  head, 
  

   nor 
  are 
  complaints 
  from 
  this 
  quarter 
  even 
  alluded 
  to, 
  

  

  Looking 
  at 
  the 
  question 
  with 
  a 
  bkd's-eye 
  view, 
  in 
  our 
  humble 
  opinioi^ 
  

  

  