The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-16 00:00:00

THE LATE LOW 07 TOUR LIVES I THE
FLEET SEWER.

Vs oerlay Mr. Serjeant Payne resumed and con-
cluded the lavedigatioe Jetts the cease of the death. of the
four onfortuaate tin.., John Daveney, Daniel Headway
Patrick Ryaa, and Alfred Mud, who were killed be the
Fleet-lane sewer on Friday week het, the Bch indent.
Henry Letheby. M.D., the imbed °Meer of health of the
City of Lapdog. was the net whom called. He mid—l
lOW three of the deceased less in the esul•bease of ft. -
tbelemsees Hospital as the allensooe el the day al the
eseidest. law the pest inerlessexamination of the Andy
of Patrick My... The Meet was tall of black blood on
the flight ado I la* se Amid from the appear-
ance id the body thst tbejeanie el death me sulphuredsd
Imbecilic heves tate were brought to me by Mr.
Moho std they Fronted the mem appearance as the ass,
mad I hams so dembl that they died from the same muse.
I she received has Mr. Hadip tone bottles of afr takes
hem the newer. Two of them contained aie tease haul the
Fled ewer et the outlet at Fleet-lane, aid the other two
air her the Fleatlane sewer at the pleat of the amadest
I have sinfully examined their castrate. They seetain
bat time trams of ammonia mad sulpha:rho] hydrogen.
One meileiseil lan this a quarter per cent it i-eri,,,eme acid,
mid the other half per coat. They cont.,' oat as seedy
pemible stone of o exyrn, the net Icing nitrogen.
are so the natal port on of air in the mote and it differs
but little from the usual proportion of the atmosphere. I
have examined the sewage is the Fleet and the Fleee.isae
sewers, sad I do ace led that they duffer from the venal
sewage of these localities. My easelesion le that the eft
Died from the effects of sulpherettorl hydrogen eediedy
loose a thu sewer. It could only IW* admen town
eine of throe causes :—I. The lettiaZ into the newel
of a large .pouitity d liquid 1.011 raise, commouly
sidled "Woo billy," shaded with sulphuretted hydro.
geo 2. The daturhaece of and highly charged with
sulphuretted hydrogen. 3. The action of aay acid
liquid andilealy let into the sewer, and the recently espmsd
mud. After hiving mole rend diligent inquries I de sot
thiak there is any evidm.s of the glow of mil pa refuge
).ito the sewer. 1 therefore dismiss that from toy mind.
Hawing examined the Fleet sewer repeatedly, and its tri-
butar:es. I do sot think the character of the sewage, or of
the sewer, is each as to permit the accumuletion of nalphs.
tutted hydrcipse is sufficient quantities to account fag the
mischief. Indeed the very wont sewers in the City Is set
contain more than 0.02 oil 0.2 per cent. of atipharetted
hydrogen. The chief eoestituent is marsh pis, which
I have fated Ilyils is the sewer often. lam therefore
drivels to the opiates that the source of the sulphunetted
hydrae.. was the action of an acid on. and was the effect of
ealpharet of iron contained Is, the mud or deposit of the
sewer. To aid OM in my opinion I have made inquiry at
the various manufactories along the line of the sewer
and it. tributories, to ascertain whether at the time
of the accident any acid liquor were iliseharged
into the .ewer. Only one case of this kind has
as.. to my knowledge. The Mears. Tyler. of Marwick.
lane, who use large quantities of ettlphuric sod nitric acid
in the clouting of their carting of brae and copper, do die-
chszirs the si:_ste acid into the sewer. One-tenth, oontain•
is about 100 gallons of the sport sulphuric liquor was
emptied about 10 day. ago, and it is their practice to let off
shout l a 90 gallons of acid liquor every mooning at
7 o'clock Mtn the sewer. I procured a portion of this
Lisa, mad I toned that it acted on the mud of the aseraw
and evolved sulphurous,' hydrae's, tied so doubt the
stmec liquor of the easing after the full day's work would
do this mom actively.
. verdict of " Accideatal Death" was returned, so evi•
deuce having been given, in the opinion of the jury, to
satisfy them of the cause of death of the unfortunate mss.
They, however, wished to add a hope that the Cesands.
stomas of haters would nuke huthee inquiries into the ua-
fortunate affair, and that they would take measures to pre-
vent the mummies of such as ostartaxese eadisat.

Among the patmengers who landeri at Southamp-
ton yorlorday trans AMMII6OII. per Tinlcour, va• Herr
&nom lie eelekelei Wm.