The Express.
London, England, 1849-10-23 00:00:00

THE SEWER ACCIDENT IN PIMLICO.

VERDICT OP Till 00ROPER'S IVRY.

This protracted inquiry, which wag resumed yes-
terday morning at the Clarendon Tavern, Kenilworth-street,
was repo! ed hilly in yesterday's Express up to the hoar at
which the jury adjourned for refreshment.
On the return of the jury the first witness examined was
Dr. Lyon l'layfair, who deposed as follows: I am chemist is
the department of Woods and Forests, and have a diploma
-se doctor of philosophy. At the request of the oommissionen
of sewers I have examined into the cause of the recent
sod-
dent, and I wish to state in commencing, that those of era
bare no idea as to the nature of the evidence I am about to
give. 1 have gone down into the trench for three somessive
days, and collected specimens personally, except the sewer-
water, for which I sent a man 30 feet into the sewer. I saw
collected bricks and mortar from the top of the sorer, and I
took great care that the specimens should not have been
meal apes by the atmosphere. I have also obtained a
berboatoll samion of the substances found in the trench.
(Ileetima predecal.) There are two layers of gas lime, and
lodge the lower is a layer of earth, or clay, containing iron,
the same intermixed with sand between the first and
second layer. In the upper layer of gee lime
gives, with water, a salines of a sulphuret,
and this solution may under certain conditions produce sul-
phuretted hydrogen, for example, by the application of car-
bonic acid sad gas water. The lower stratum of lime con-
tained nothing which would ergot* sulpharetted hydrogen.
It contained a mall quantity of cyanic, the substance that
produces prussic arid. I next sought for symptoms of porno-
lotion, and I found first, on mixing the earths with water,
that there was no soluble eulphuvet in the lower stratum, bat
I found evidence in it of • percolation downwards from the
upper layer. I observed that immediately under the upper
layer of gas lime, the clayey earth was exceedingly black,
growing lees black as it descended, and that this
blackness was owing to the promos of sulpboret
of iron, which the soluble sulphuret had ionaed by acting
oa the iron in the day. By digesting these blink portions
in as acid, Mandan.* of sulphurets of hydrogen were pro-
dead, much more hem the uppa porticos than beneath.
The acid used was saurian said. I then mandaed the
I clayey earth immediately on the top of the sewer. In some
places I found small quantities of the sulphuret; in others
nose at all. I then thought that the noxious properties of
the sklphuret had been destroyed by the iron in the clay ;
and accordingly I took some of the sewer water, and
filtered it through • portion of the upper bed of clay.
The reindt I obtained was this : It cutlass • large
of the sulphurs.l that took the same poetics and Mt
it through • portion of the lower bed of clay, and I hand
that it was wholly deprived of its sulphurst, the whole being
takes up ia the earth. I then pat some of the mortar with
which the bricks were joined over the sewer into sewage
water, and it became green. If, then, the sulphuret had
ease from the lime above it would have left a green, or,
perhaps, a bleak stain. I then carefully examined the
aortae to see if this green colour was produced there,
sad I did not find the slightest—tree of it. I put
it to this further test : If the cythogen composed
bad filtered through I should have found it in the
sanar. I examined portions of the sewage water,
neither could I And any traces of cyanogen. I had
thee evidence that there was percedatioa of sulphunit from
the sew layer of gas lime, and also that it was arrested b
the lees in the earth. Further, that it could not pass through
the lower layer of earth next the sewer, but was all taken
up. Again, that the motor of the sewer was not coloured,
sad that the compounds of eyeaogen could not be found in
the sewer. My conclusion from these premises le, that the
me lime bed nothing to do with the sulpinnet is the sewer.
To be elemieally comet, there was as WeMed hydra
gas is the sewer ; but then was hyohoas shwa orimink.
The &Owl idea that the gas lime had cared the
wee very feasible, but minute chemical evident, proves's:it
have been ill founded. If you will allow me I will state
what I onside/ to have been the cause of death.
That 'ewer, which was, in tad, no sewer, but ea
elongated Cesspool, took all the refuse night-soil
and effete matter of three bosses which is two
years would have discharged into the sewer 16,3
pounds of animal excrement. making • quantity quite suth-
meet, of hydro-sulphate of ammonia, to produce instant
death to any human being who should venture into the
sewer. My decided opinion is, that the gas-lime had ankles
whatever to do with the deaths of the men. There was
aufßedest canes La the sewer without the lime to destroy the
whole spiamiesion et sewers with all its officers. (Laughter.)
I also examined the places with • view of rentaiaing
if any hydrogen bad permeated upwards, so as to affect
the beelit of the district, and found no Ina. With
raped to future ventilation, I think that with some
expose the sewers of all large towns might be
ventilated. The slain of ventilation must be the carry.
ing of a stream of fresh air through the sewer. The
sewage vapour to be 1111110ii01111 011 mixing with the atmo-
sphere must have heated to a'
high temperature
which would destroy the ponce. Dr. layfar, in con-
duits, stated that he had received every amistaace from the
emantheion of sewers, and that his lamidgation was per-
=riZtTie Wormed professor wee highly compli-
ery en the clear and eatiehersey charade/ of
his miaow. He added that he would lot advise the me of
gm lime as a material for plods; ever sewers.
In answer to Mr. Hopwood,
There was iron in most slays. If the lime had penetrated
through the mortar it would have formed sulphate of cal-
aura, sad thence, oa dropping into the sewer, sulphate of
MENSAL
Jobs Ward was then celled, and proved the identity of
the plisse of lime and the sewage water used by Dr. Play-
fair is his experiments, and that which he (Ward) had taken
from the sewer.
Mr. Phillips, surveyor to the Court of Sewers, was recalled
sod maiden% M some length by Mt. Hopsood—The object
baths to obtain ea eillaissisa that the *ewer is Kenilworth-
street received ea man areastity of sewage in *eschew of
she =tare of the eimelredisa of in anion with the War-
wick-Meet rawer. The whams said it was possible. He
did not know. He was still donation that the gee lime had
mused the deaths.

In &sewer to the brew of the jury, Yr. Phillips stated
that the whole of the Mahaj it the Weald had Nam en-
trusted to Yr. Lovlek.

"Livie—k-r;Ceils7l by the broom if the jary, sad ma
saiwed—l lam lad the whole if the leskiag operatic= of
Leaden wader my metre& Mem her Oleo year. I did
est lower, whim eatertai din, that them were mews of
Itaehlog the diemia fa the Onemace Camel. Then an
mimed %shift the MINIM We hive tried the melte/Mai
Swain pia I Shish it impeedllie to flesh enter without
_set

Ths dinner, in commenting to sum up the addaxes,
Seek meads§ to semplimana the jury on the exemplary
times end iskilisense thertakad exhidted through that
meet panful prehowled airy. Connolly es no nos-
demo withia the whole mope lue professional experisase,
bad hr ieolliss leen man severely tried than they had
bola he lidding the maul with which their t lamed-
=illiwwe seameelsd. The all recollect
pmfulal vide OM the how jar Wells, a aestivate&
who wily lost his life fa ads sera to save Ws fallow-
orealenres. • They then reemassi to the how ia which
were dlllKiat. mid menial, a more awful eight he
wen
wham* Orlin Mem bodies of form MU in
she pose dm*, all of wham bad been prematurely cor-
ilasebg tie sense unhappy catastrophe. Three of those
kiln errs laboaren, and the fourth a noble young man, a
polimmas, who badly rushed into the very Jaws of death in
the 1111ffiel of humanity. It had come recently to lie
(the ooreases) knowledge that the Lie of that untortaame
yonag my bad been se nomplery as hie am*
was sable, end that he had been fa het the soh
sapped of an seed seethes. Them maid sot be a better
0710 Cr 04100 Asa the pelmet for setting those facts before
the public. The wrong than remosied to rocapinslan the
facts of the awe, which have already been fully given ia
the evidence. In commenting on the evidence of Mr.
Phillips, be observed that it appeared that the Mien in
question had been built strictly in accordance with the