The Express.
London, England, 1862-07-04 00:00:00

THE METROPOLITAN MAIN DRAINAGE,

The tour of October the Bth, 1861, having beet
so successful, the board were encouraged to repeat
it, and therefore, yesterday, on the eve of a storm]
debate upon the Thames Embankment question,
they invited the members of both houses to kit
them in viewing portions of the main drainage
works. It is not for us to say that in this the board had
any other motive than what appeared on the face of
their circular letter, viz., a desire to show those
large and important works during their progress
which can hardly be viewed after completion.
About 160 members accepted this invitation, but,
in consequence of the bad weather, not more than a
hundred attended, and after a short prehminare
lecture by Mr. Bazalgette, the whole party startee
under a dripping awning on a toddened steam-boat
from Westminster to Blackwell, on their way u
Old Ford—the centre of the northern main drain-
age works.
The visit of what we may call the members of
the three houses—Lords, Commons, and the
united parishes—was attended by one Mighty
storm overflow from beginning to end. Our
legislators, however, when out for a short
holiday, are famous for enjoying themselves
like schoolboys, and though a few honourable mem-
bers declined to leave the steamboat at Blackwell,
and go on by railway to Old Ford, the majority went
boldly through the mud and rain, and were re-
warded for their trouble. The inspection of that
murky Niagara of sewage which now flows down
the northern high level sewer seemed to be not at
all offensive to those gentlemen who are accustomed
to legislate on the banks of our great river sewer
at Westminster in hot weather. The candles
which the honourable members carried on bits of
wood, and the men who stood with little
tin ovens full of lights at the sides of the
tunnels, gave th e journey the appearance of a
mining tuapection. The railway ride across the
marshes, in open trucks well tilled with straw,
along the side of the works, was novel and pleasant,
notwithstanding the heavy rain ; and the reunion
under a huge soddened refreshment tent, where
the land-water party met the river-water party,
was enlivened by a few short toasts. Mr. Tite, the
chairman of the day, in the unavoidable absence of
Mr. Thwaites, proposed the House of Lords and
the House of Commons, which was responded to by
Lord Redesdale and Bir Robert Peel. The Metropoli-
tan Board of Works and Mr. Bazalgette formed the
subjects of the other chief toasts, and then the party
took boat again for Greenwich. An inspection of
part of the southern outfall sewer and of the Dept-
fcirpumping station by some of the members
dosed a
very well-spent day, that ought to give
new life to useful parochial politica.
The whole of these vast drainage works—only half
seen by the visitors—are a credit to all concerned
in their construction. Mr. Bazalgette, the eogi•
neer-in-chief, and his able managing engineers, Mr.
Grant on the south side and Mr. Cooper and Mr.
Lovick on the north side, have done their work well;
and so have the contractors, Mr. Webster, Mr. Aird,
and Mr. Furness. Mr. Brassey, we have no doubt,
will execute his task—the northern middle level—
equally welL Difficulties before mentioned, and
the delay in beginning the Thames Embankment, ,
will prevent Mr. Bazalgette keeping his original
promise, and giving us the whole works complete
by 1863, but the next year will probably show us
the system ready fur action. It may be a bold and
wetly experiment—it may even fail to do all that
it promises to do in purifying the town portion of
the Thames—but every penny spent is sunk in a
good cause, and the strictest financial reformer will
hardly grumble at the outlay.