The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-13 00:00:00

THE PIKE WATER.

TO THE EDITOR Or THE ITORTIIIIRN TIMES.
Sir,—l have been preveateu earlier noticing a
portion of one of your leaders on the water ques-
tion, last Friday, in which you. comment on some
remarks of mine in the Council on the previous
Wednesday, in contradiction of the assertions of
" Your Reporter," on the state of the Rivington
water at the reservoirs. I notice, also, that your
columns contain what professes to be a reply from
"Your Reporter." Permit me now a word or two
by way of rejoinder, first quoting the portion of
" Your Reporter's" letter to which I referred., He
says i--" Almost for the entire distance from the
Black Boy to Horwich Bank, the surface of the
reservoir is covered with a black scum, similar in
every resp, ct to what may be seen. occasionally at
George's Dock Basin. This may be lifted in
masses, its smell is most offensive, and the appear-
aiiec of the water underneath it is such that no
Christian would really Ow it to his pigs. Mark me,
sir, this is no exaggeration. This unctuous coating
of concentrated putrescent matter covers the
reservoir many yards in width, and through its
entire length. I cannot-fully describe it; it must
be seen to be appreciated in all its abomination."
WhAter the terms in which I denounced this
representation were too strong or strong enough,
I tc.n quite willing to leave to the judgment of
those who have, like myself, been at the trouble
and expense to make themselves acquainted with
the facts, from careful and impartial personal
observation, and then compare the two. Who
your reporter is I do not know, but this I do linow
and repeat, that the portion of his letter under
review, and much more of it, is a "gross misrepre
sentation," eminently calculated, if not intended,
seriously to mislead the public.
Corroborated as my statement was by the inde-
pendent testimony of Mr. Graves, and as it could
be by that of others., I'dO not stay to defend
my veracity against- that of your anonymous,
uncorroborated, and, I doubt not, well-paid
reporter.

With your recommendation that, " when mem-
bers of the Council go to visit the Pike, they should
yo at their own expenee, and not for a pleasant out
and.a good dinner at the Black Boy, raid for by
the 6rporation," I quite Concur; and it may relieve
your jealous anxiety for the proper administration
of the corporate funds to know that my visit did
not entail upon them the expence of a farthing.
I canwit remember, however, that when those
who talxe your side of this question detailed in
Cour.cil the result of their visit, you displayed a
si fr.filar anxiety as to who paid for it then. Per
baps you can inform me On this point..
In the Reportet's second letter, ho makes the
undernoted statement relative to the Anglezark
Reservoir, and what credit is to be attached to
information from that source, I leave your readers
to judge, after perusing the annexed copy of a
note I received, in reply to my enquiry, from the
Water Engineer.

One word more; you designate me as a
‘` Pik-ist." Why? I had nothing to do with the
schema from first to last, and all I urge for now
is, that having gost us some £BOO,OOO to bring the
water here, it shiiuld have FAIR PLAY, and A FAIR
TRIAL before it is contemptuously cast aside, and
Very large additional expense entailed upon the
inhabitants.—Your obedient Servant,
Elm House, May 11th, 1857.

JOHN J. STITT.

EXTRACT FROM YOUR REPORTER'S SECOND LETTER.
4- Leaving the Rivington, I proceed to the Angle-
z ark Reservoir. If the condition of the water in
the Rivington Lodge is bad, this is considerably
worse, being nearer the principal part of the im-
purity. The main sewer, or goit, which receives
all the sewage water from the village*, and public
works on the southern side for a distance of
nearly five miles, empties itself into this reservoir
at P., point near the Heapy Works, These works
are numerous, consisting.of dye and bleach works,
chemical works, print works, weaving and spin-
ning mills, all of whom have gas works attached.
The population of the village is large and rapidly
114gmentin,g, and when it is borne in mind that the
whole of the refuse water from the various works
together with the sewage water from the towns
flows into this goit, and is carried direct to the
reservoirs, it need excite no surprise that the water
should present the appearance I have desevibed.
We were told some time ago that there was to be a
sewer constructed so as to receive ail these foul
abominations, and carry them clear off the works
of the• Corporation. There does not appear to be
any indications of such a work having been even
begun, and the stuff which I have just been
describing is permitted to flow into, and mix with,
the water consumed by the inhabitants of Liver-
pool, without any apparent effort being made to
prevent it. Of course much of this stuff must be
held in solution by the water ; much will be
deposited in the bottom of the reservoirs ; and
much of the oily and volatile portion floats, as I
have airealY described, on the surface.