The Press.
London, England, 1858-07-17 00:00:00

THE PRESS, JULY 17, 1858.

twenty-four hours, the sewage could only get half-a-
mile from London. The sewage left on the banks in
winter would not be offensive, except it was subjected
to the sun's rays, and then there is a steam arising
from it. Ido not think iron tunnels would answer
unless they were of great strength. The bottom of
an iron tunnel would not be affected either by the
action of the sewage or hard substances which might
get into it materially. If the detritus of streets were
brought down into the iron tunnel by means of storm
water, its action might slightly brighten the inside
of the pipe, but there would be no chemical action
upon it. In the case of the application of the sewage
manure at Rugby it had the effect of fertilizing the
land, but it was in the case of Rugby an exceptional
case, as the substratum was very open, and soaked
into the apertures, but, applied to ordinary land, it
would have no such effects. Sewage is applied to
the purpses of irrigation in the neighbourhood of
Edinburgh, and with success. Land there will let
for 30/, per acre, but it should be remarked that a
Scotch acre is larger than an English one. in other
places the sewage manure was not worth carrying to
a distance, but the deodorization of sewage would
greatly improve the river.
By Mr. ROBERT STEPHENSON : I know of DO other
means of improving the river but by a system of in-
terception. if the sewage was conveyed to Barking-
creek it would be there rendered innoxious by being
mixed with five or six times the quantity of water as
it is now mixed with in London. Besides, the offen-
sive odour of passing through London would
altogether be avoided. More than fif teen or sixteen
square miles on the south side of the Thames are
now not drained more than eight hours a day. I
propose three intercepting sewers on the north side,
and I do not think that if two of them were made
now that it would restore the Thames to what it was
100 years ago in consequence of the alteration which
has taken place in compelling persons to connect
their waterclosets with the sewers. My plan for a
Thames embankment is not necessarily connected
with a system of intercepting sewers. If the inter-
cepting sewers were made to Barking on one side of
the river and Crossness ou the other, they could at
any time be made available if it should be desired to
extend these sewers to the Nore. Id 3 not agree
with the proposition for deodorizing the sewage as a
permanent or efficient means of getting rid of it, and
I believe it can only be
-effectually dealt with by a
system of interception.
By Lord JOHN MANNERS : If the sewage was dis.
charged below Woolwich at high water it would
never return to Woolwich as sewage. I have arrived
at that conclusion from personal observation and also
from experiments with the float, and it leads to the
conclusion that the sewage will never rise higher than
the point from which it is discharged, besides being
subject to the action of the fresh water from the
upland districts. If the sewage is discharged at
high water it will not come so high up the next tide,
the next otter not so high RS that, and so it will be
brought backwards and forwards, until at last it gets
into the sea. Taking Woolwich as the starting point,
I am sure that the sewage will not come back to it in
an offensive state. Having mixed with the sea water
it will come back in a perfectly deodorized state. Off
Greenwich the offensive state of the liver is at its
maximum. Myself, in conjunction with Mr. Bidder
and Mr. Bazalgette, have agreed to a plan in which
we propose to aischarge the contents of a number of
sewers, the mouths of them being in very deep water,
and that there shall not be less than twenty feet of
river water above them. As a large portion of the
sewage will he discharged from points higher than
Woolwich, the sewers will discharge a much larger
quantity in a shorter time than they do at present.
I have made a calculation as to the sewage that will
flow into the river when a change is made. The total
amount will be the same, but it will flow into the
river in a shorter period of time. lam of opinion
that if our plan of interception of the sewers is
adopted, some plan of deodorization should be com-
bined with it, to be used at certain periods of the
year. It will not cost the same, whether the opera-
tion of deodorization is continued for six months or
twelve, as we should have to make reservoirs to con-
tain the sewage during certain periods of the tide,
and no outlay would be required beyond that for the
erection of a steam-engine and other apparatus for
the purposes of deodorization. The saving would be
the wages of the persons employed and the carting
or sending the sewage away. On the whole, lam
not in favour of deodorization except in particular
cases. I consider it would take seven years to carry
out a complete plan of intercepting drainage, but
great relief could he afforded to those on both the
north and south sides of the river in twelve, or at any
rate in eighteen, months from the present time. I
would recommend the deodorization of the sewers by
lime in hot weather. I would anticipate an event of
this kind, rather than wait until it has occured. I
would begin the use of lime in May, and I would
continue it until October. I would pour milk of
lime into the sewers about 400 yards from the outlet,
and would keep it constantly mixed with the sewage.

There are other materials for deodorization, but
are more expensive than lime. I am aware of
expense of the lime which i 3 at present used in
sewers ; it is about 15')1. per diem. I would con'
that process for four months in the year at the 1
I know of no other mode that is less expensi

better. Mr. Wickstecd had used lime successfui
the deodorization of the sewage of Leicester. TI

is a great deal of offensive matter from manufactories
in that town. . _

—By Sir J. SHELLEY: I would begin the drainage
with the high level sewer first on the north side. The
Hackney district, which now drains into the Hackney_
brook sewer, is in a most deplorable state, and that
would be relieved by the construction of a high level
sewer.
By the CHAIRMAN : There is a perfect concurrence
on the part of the n.ost eminent engineers of the
present day as to the propriety of the plan now pro.
posed.
At ten minutes past four o'clock the committee
adjourned.
This committee met again on Thursday, Mr. N.
Kendall in the chair. _

Mr. BAZALGETTE, engineer to the Metropolitan
Board of Works, was recalled and examined by the
chairman. He said :—I have made experiments
since I was last here in the burning of gases. 1
made arrangements after I left the committee on thu
former day for examining Mr. Gurney's plan. On
Saturday we examined the sewers, having previously
cut off all communication with Mr. Gurney's furnace,
and in many of the sewers we found a downward
current towards Buckingham Palace, instead of
towards the furnace. Sometime afterwards we con.
nected the sewer with the furnace, and without the
use of the steam, yet we found a current of 411 feet
per minute, which was afterwards increased to 462
feet per minute. We then examined the sewer, and
then found that there was a flap in the sewer, cutting
off the communication of one part of the sewer to
the other, so that it was impossible the air could be
drawn into the ventilators near Buckingham Palace.
As soon as the flap was raised, the accumulated gases
caused an explosion in the clock tower. The
chimney is very defective, and its communication
with the sewers very circuitous. If 1,800 miles of
sewers were to be ventilated, it would require eight
chaldrons of coke per day ; but this large quantity
might be attributed to causes connected with the
experiments. Making allowance for that, I have put
down the coke consumed per day at four chaldrons,
and for the 1,500 miles of sewers I calculated that it
would require 237 furnaces. The cost for coke for each
would be 8071. per annum, and, taking the estimate
of four chaldrons of coke for each, would cost 201,837/.
per annum for coke alone. Each of the furnaces
would cost 20,00(11. to build. I have made no estimate
of what the total scheme would cost, the outlay for
coke appearing to me to be so enormous. I do not
think it possible to carry out the scheme with any
satisfactory result.
By Mr. AKROYD : I am the engineer for carrying
out a plan of interception by the Board of Works.
I estimated the cost of an intercepting sewer to take
the sewage to Barking•creek at 2,400,0001. The
interest on that outlay would be 80,000/., exclusive of
40,0001. for deodorization purposes.
Mr. GOLDSWORTHY GURNEY was recalled, and said
that the experiments had been carried on under
most unfavourable circumstances, nor had they had
a fair trial. The whole sewage of the metropolis
would only give off 500,000 cubic feat of gas per day.
Three towers like the clock tower would burn the
gases from all the sewers in the metropolis.
By 111 r. TITE I cons►der the experiments of Mr.
Bazalgette were unfairly conducted, and he seemed
to be in the interest of other parties.
Sir B. HALL : As the lion. member has come to
a conclusion, I must say I have come to tho very
opposite one. Having given every attention to your
explanations, I have come to the conclusion that
your experiments have been wholly unsatisfactory.
Therefore I ask you, do you wish any further evidence
as to testing the experiments?

Mr. WICKSTEED, examined by the CHAIRMAN: I
have given a good deal of attention to the subject of
deodorization of sewage at Leicester. It was the
general sewage of the town. I established the works
at Leicester, under the Corporation of Leicester, and
constructed the sewers at such an inclination as to
leave no deposit in the sewers. These sewers were
connected with the works, into which the sewage was
pumped up by steam-engines into a reservoir. In
its passage to the reservoir, a stream of lin.e•water
was pumped into it, and this caused a precipitation
of the organic matter, and destroyed the smell.
(The witness then, at some length, proceeded to
explain the process of converting the sewage into
manure, which was quite of a technical nature.) I
believe the principle of deodorization could be suc-
cessfully applied to the sewage of the metropolis, by
works established in the outskirts of London. (This
witness, following the example of several others,
spoke in so low a tone as to be almost inaudible to
all more than about three feet from the shorthand

2, but they
vare of the
,sed in the
d continue
the least.
:pensive or
fessfully in
3r. T hero
lufactories
3 drainage
I side. The
► Hackney_
e, and that
high level
mcurrence
ers of the
a now pro.
committee
ay, Mr. N.
etropolitan
ned by the
sperimants
f gases. 1
ttee on thu
plan. On
previously
y's furnace,
downward
instead of
rds we con-
w►thout the
of 411 feet
ased to 462
sewer, and
ver, cutting
he sewer to
fir could be
am Palace.
dated gases
3wer. The
munication
)0 miles of
;quire eight
.ge quantity
w►th the
, I have put
chaldrolia,
aced that it
oke for each
he estimate
Ist 201,637/.
he 1 urnaces
no estimate
outlay for
I do not
►e with any
'or carrying
of Works.
wer to take
)00f. The
exclusive of

writer, and he appeared almost to be under the im-
pression that be was making some confidential com-
munication to the committee, rather than giving
evidence upon a public inquiry.)
By Mr. ROUPELL : In 1854 I made a calculation
for the disposal of the.sewage of the metropolis ; and,
calculating upon a population of 3,000,000, I think
it would require four stations. By deodorization I
consider that 1,0:24 tons of solid sewage manure per
diem could be obtained, which would include the
lime used for precipitation. I consider that the
proper way to get rid of the sewage of the metropolis
would be by deodorizing it in the metropolis itself.
By Mr. Tat: : If deodorizing works were estab-
lished in one of the large sewers—take the Fleet
sewer for instance—l think it would be more expen-
sive than if the deposit was removed to works pre-
pared for the purpose of deodorization.
By Sir B. HALL: The estimates I have given the
committee as to the first cost of the works and the
maintenance of them is irrespective of the value of
tte soul matter.
By Lord PALMERSTON : About 400 tons of deposit
would be produced from the use of a ton of lime. I
sold the solid manure to the farmers at 2/. a ton.
The river at Leicester is restored to its original
purity, and fish are now to be found in it close to our
works.
Mr. Coox, a sewage manufacturer, having given
similar evidence, tie committee adjourned.

jortign Corrtsponbentt.

PARIS, Thursday.
Mon painful is the sensation that has been caused
here by thlY 'deplorable news of the massacre of
Christians at Jeddah and the rising of the Turks
against the Christians in Candia. Of the latter
event we shall not have details for some days ; of
the former accounts have this morning reached us.
From these accounts it appears that the whole popu-
lation of Jeddah suddenly rose against the Chris-
tians, murdering them and pillaging their houses.
The English Consul, Mr. Page, was the first viotim,
and his body was cut to pieces anct cast to the dogs.
The French Vice-Consul and his wife were also mur-
dered. In one house twelve Europeans were slaugh-
tered, and three of them were brothers, of the name
of Save. One letter says the total number of the slain
was twenty-three, another forty-five. The popula-
tion had long entertained bitter animosity against
the Christians, but what served as the pretext for
the outbreak was that the English Consul had made
a Greek ship under English protection haul down
the Ottoman flag and hoist the English, a thing
which he did at the request of one of the owners of
the vessel. But it is not tbia massacre in itself,
atrocious us it is, which has affected our political
circles so much as the political consequences which
may ensue from it. Taken in conjunction with what
has occurred in Candia and other Turkish provinces,
and with the passions which are known to be fer-
menting amongst the Turks and the Christians in
all parts of the empire, it is considered a proof
that the Turkish empire is on the brink of some
tremendous convulsion which will shake it to pieces.
And what will occur then ? The most sagacious
statesmen here avow that they are utterly unable to
foresee.
The official Moniteur on Saturday confirmed
lafficially the important news of the Queen of Eng-
land having consented to visit Cherbourg, which I
sent you two days before. It is the 4th of August
that the Queen is to be there, and her Majesty is to
be accompanied by the Prince Consort. The pro-
gramme of the visit has not yet been made public ;
and it is at present doubtful whether the Queen will
actually land at Cherbourg, or whether her Majesty's
interview with the Emperor and Empress will take
place on board ship in the roadstead. As the Em-
peror, in addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
who will attend him ex-officio, is to be accompanied by
Admiral Hamelin, Minister of Marine, and Marshal
Vaillant, Minister of War, it is believed that the
Queen will be attended not oniy by Lord Malmes-
bury, but by two other of the meat important
members of the Cabinet—probably Lord Derby and
Mr. Disraeli. The visit, it is understood, will not in any
case last more than a day, though the Emperor and
Empress will stop at Cherbourg considerably longer.
Not a little inconvenience has been caused to the
officials hi bas by the Queen having fixed the 4th for her
arrival ; all the preparations had been made for the
7th or Bth, the day originally appointed by the
Emperor, and they are so vast that it is not easy to
get them done by the 4th.
The language of the Times on the visit has created
both disgust and anger here, not only in official
circles, but amongst the public. Nothing, it is
thought, can possibly be in worse taste, or grosser
or more malignant, than to spurn with contumely