The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-01-07 00:00:00

DOROHESTIR TOWN COUNCIL

A meeting of the Council was-held on Minday,
under the presidency of John Galpin. Esq.; Mayor.
There were also present: Councillore Devenesh,
Hodges, Lock, Mason, Bishop, Froud, and
Stanton.
The first business of the Council was to reed*e
the report of the General Purposes Committee, as to
the appointment of an inspector of weights and
measures for the borough.—The report set forth that
the committee had fully considered the subject, and
that they recommended the Council to take the ad-
justment of the weights and measures in the borough
in their own hands, and to appoint Mr. Jewett, the
town surveyor, the inspector of weights and mea-
sures, at a salary of £lO per SIGURD, and that the
fees obtained for the adjustrneut and stamping of
such weights and measure, be carried to the
borough fund.—Mr. Maws proposed, and Mr.
FROUD seconded the adoption of the report.—Mr.
HODGES said he was very sorry that be was unable
to be present at the last meeting of the General
Purposes Committee. Had he been there be cer-
tainly should have expressed his opinion in the shape
of a doubt, considering the important duties at pre-
sent devolving upon the Surveyor, whether it would !
be desirable to put these additional duties upon bins. !
Mr. Jowett had not only very important duties that I
occupied a vast deal of his time, which* he did dis-
charge in a very praiseworthy manner, and with very
general satisfaction. In referring to the burdensome
duties of the system of drainage, the management of
the waterworks, the repairs of the roads and pave-
menta, he could testify himself as to the nature of his
dudes and the attention demanded of him for the
proper execution of them. He would not by any
means oppose anything that would improve Mr.
Jowett's situation, and make it better in a financial
point of view, but if the duties of inspection of
weights and measures were to be efficiently carried
out, it must take up some considerable portion of his
time in the course of a year. He did not think it
his duty, seeing he was not present at the meeting,
to move an amendment to the report, but he could
not allow the appointment to be made without
giving his opinion that the appointment would en-
croach greatly on his time requisite for carrying
out the very important riutiee already on
his hands.—Mr. BISHOP said that the subject was
duly considered in all its bearings by the Committee
before they arrived at their 'decision, and it was
considered by them that the duties of inspector
would not interfere with the deities he had now to
discharge.—Mr. Howes asked if the Surveyor had
been consulted upon the matter I—The SURVEYOR
said that he had been, and that he considered he
would be able to perform the required duties.—
The report was then received and adopted, and a
resolution was passed to the effect that the borough
weights and measures should he sent to the Court of
Exchequer for repair and adjustment.—An applica-
tion was read from the late Mr. Edward Ingram to
seal a license to enable him to assign premises held by
him under the Council to Mr. Jacob Short°. The
application was granted.—The seal of the Council
was affixed to the contract of Mr. Edward Gould for
repairing and painting the town lamps for the term
of three years from the Ist January instant.
LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTAL—n. CLERK read
the report of the last meeting, and the Mayoa
stated that in accordance with &roes:station passed on
that occasion, he and the other members of the
committee appointed for the purpose, waited upon
Mr. Bonen for the purpose of arranging with that
gentleman as to the damages sustained by him in
consequenee of the overflow of water upon his
premises. They went carefully into the matter,
! and the result was, they recommended that be
! should be paid the sum of twelve guineas for the
damage he had sustained. It appeared that Mr.
&Alen had sustained very considerable damage,
more than perhaps most of them had been led to
expect, and there was very little doubt, from the
alterations carried out by the town surveyor. He
might say the committee were unanimously agreed
upon the subject, and after conversing with Mr.
Bollen some time, they prevailed upon him to
accept the terms they proposed.
IN ',DUNCES. —The Impactor reported several
nuisances that had been before reported, but no
remedy hail been applied for the removal of the evil.
Among others were the keeping of pigs by Mr.
Yearsley, in Wollaston Terrace, Bell-street. The
choking of a drain and overflow of sewage at a
house eccnpied by Francis Ford, in High West-
street. Fever had been very bad in the house.
Also,other premises of a like natu re.—.T- he M YOE con-
sidered that it was quite time now that the system
of drainage and water works had been carried oat,
for the Board to take souse decisive step in the
matter of nuisances, and this sentiment met with
the general concurrence of the Beard. The result
was that instructions were given to the clerk accord-
ingly.
SURVEYOR'S REPORT.—The SURVEYOR reported
as follows :—" I am sorry to have to report that an
accident happened to the pumping machine on Friday
morning last The crank upon which the three
pump rods work broke in the middle. We have
had it so repaired that we can work two of the pumps,
in order to keep up the supply of water till another
can be made and fixed. The order has been given
for a new one, and no time will be lost in getting it
made and put into its place. There are now 105.000
gallons of water in the reservoir more than there
was when the accident happened. I have also to
report that Edward Gould has, in accordance with
his contract, put the whole of the public lamps in
good repair. I would call the attention of the Board
to the road under the Great Westero Railway bridge
leading to the Union. In wet weather it. is almost
impassable for foot passengers, there being no foot.
path.
I would recommend that one be marle,extend-
mg twenty yards from each end of the bridge, three
feet wide, covered with fine gravel, and with a 3-in.
curb. This would cost about £5. The Surveyor of
the Weymouth road has complained about the water
from the South-west Walk flowing upon and wash-
ing up the surface of the road near the Junction
Hotel. To prevent this I would recommend that two
gratings be laid down at the end of the walk, and
connected with the sewer in the road, to intercept
the water, and prevent its injuring the road. This
will cost about 30e. I would also call the attention
of the Board. to the state of the footpath from the
bridge near the White Hart to the bottom
of Glyde-path bill. it ii dangerous in
some places. (Signed) J. JowErr."— The
Karoo said he went up to look at the pump,
on the Surveyor acquanting him of the accident,
and it certainly occurred to him, that no time should
be lost in getting the accident repaired. He treated
the Board would not consider that he had exceeded
his duty as Mayor, in directing. that such necesenry
work shauld be dpne at once, as he knew the Board
would itself order to be done.—Several members
expressed their• gratitude to the Mayor for his
promptitada in the matter. The other works
noticed in the Surveyor's report were
' ordered to be done. On a complaint being made by
Mr. STANTON of the dangerous state of some foot
pavements in Fordington, it was resolved that the
committee should at Once go with Mr. Stanton and
inspect the same, in order that the necessary works
might be carried out withoutdelay.
VENTILATING SRALIFTS.—The CLERK read the fol-
lowiug letter addressed to the Board by Mr. Pastors,
, surgeon

" To THE 1)ORRIIEFI;RI, BOARD OF =1;111.
" GETURIRK24,.--1. big te draw your tion to a
nuisanee connected with the drainage of the town,
aituated about At yards from my house, namely, the
flushing shaft, which, about a fortnight since, was eon-
verted ,into a 'ventilating' shaft, • portion of the wall
having been removed. This aperture WAN closed with •
wire bom, ailed with charcoal • outside tins is • small
walled chaniber, and above dna (on • level with the
ground) an open grating, allowing all the; gases to
escape, having find passed through the charcoal, whieh,
I presume, is supposed to 'deodorise' the gases • but
the fact is otherwise, for since the alteration I have
suffered great annoyance from the most vile mulls, esp.-
Melly in close and heavy weather. This has been noticed
also by others. On Friday Mat • person accustomed to
sewerage operations aaid lie smelt a stink when near
Miss Folliott'a house, and remarked to • man with him
that there was 'something wrong somewhere,' and NI lie
got nearer the shalt the more offensive the smell beamos,,
and he recognised it as identical with the suit orf
sewer, and at once disoovered its source. If Wm ohm;
(*al does 'deodorize,' I behave it does not alliegr
'destroy' the 'poisonous' eharcater of the gesso, sled if
this be the use then deodorization becomes * positive
evil, as we can no longer be 'warned' of the peseense
of poison by our sense of smell. That the shaft In its
present state evolves pestilential air I cannot doubt, as
several members of my own family have suffered from
it. The symptoms have been great enervation with
nausea, and loss of appetite. We cannot open our
front windows as the smell is occasionally very offensive.
Several times on openiug my front door I have recoiled
from the smell with disgust. I have no doubt it is
necessary to ventilate the sewer, but I think this might
be easily done, by connecting a pipe at • high level
with the sewer, and carrying it some distance from the
town (say three or font humlred yards up the Bridport-
road), where it might be carried into • chimney, or
tube, twenty or thirty feet high, where the noxious
peek mixing with atmospheric air at this elevation,
would humus so diluted as to be perhaps insocuous.
If the shaft remains as it now is, I believe it will
be the source of extensive disease, whieh will show
itself in the form of typhoid fever.
"I would remark that charcoal is simply as absorbent,
capable of absorbing about My-five times its volume
of sulphnretted hydrogen, and more or less of other
gases; but as the gases in sewers are of a mixed ohs,
radar, with • large proportion of ammoniacal gas, I
think we may take the mean power of charcoal lab.
sorption at about 70 or .80 times the volume of the
charcoal, which when thus saturated cannot absorb
more, aad the gases must • then pus through it un-
changed, and in their original impurity.
, "I have the honour to be. Gentlemen,
" Your obedient Servant,
" GEORG& FANTON, 1111t.C.S.L.
"Dorchester, January 6, 1862."
The Maros mid that having had his attention
called to the subject he went to the spot on Satur-
day night, and he found the stench go intolerable,
and calculated to he so prejudicial to health thathe felt
it his duty to at once to have the place coveted over
till some decision was arrived at. —The CLRRIC said
he hoped they would come to a decision soon, as his
house was at ths end of the drain, and it would 14
very awkward for him if the air shafts were ell

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