The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-08 00:00:00

THE SUBWAYS IN THE METROPOLIS.

Mr CARPMAEL brought this subject under the conside-
ration of the Board, and entered into a history of the efforts
the Board had made since its formation to carry out the
construction of subways in the metropolis. When they first
came into existence they called in a multitude of scientific
men, and among them a number of gas engineers, and they
all came to the conclusion that the Board ought to take the
earliest steps to provide for subways in the streets. The
Board came to the same conclusion, and the public jour-
nals supported the proposition. In King-street, Covent-
garden, and Southwark-street the subways had been
authorised by Act of Parliament. The great water and gas
companies had had the earliest notice of what the Board in-
tended to do. They had had the Parliamentary notices,
and yet never gave the slightest indication of their intention
not to use the subways after they were constructed. At pre-
sent there was nothing to prevent the companies from
breaking up the stree s that the Board had made, and the
question now was whether the Board should have compul-
sory powers to compel the companies to use the ti ub way s•
He urged the Board to continue the construction of sub-
ways, and leave it to time and public opinion to force the
gas and water companies to use them. He concluded by
moving that the Board do proceed with the construction of
the subway in the Thames Embankment, and with the sub-
way in the new street to the Mansion-house.

Mr LE BRETON seconded the motion.
Mr D'IFFANGER supported the motion, and in going so
said that as streets were formed they were broken up in
laying down gas, water, and other pipes. lie would instance
Oxfoi d-street. It had cost £24,530 to pave, and in the course
of three years the returns showed how many times the car-
riage way had been opened. In 1861 279 times, in 1862 261
times, in 1864 297 times. The whole of this would be ob-
viated by their using the subways.
Mr MILLER, M.P., supported the motion.
A loug conversation ensued, in which every speaker sup-
ported the resolution, which was ultimately carded unani.
mously.
THE PROGRESS OF THE MAIN DRAINAGE AND THAMES

EMBANKMENT 'WORKS.
Mr BAZALGETTE read his monthly report, which was as
follows :—" About 12 miles of the middle level sewer on
the north side of the river have been executed, and Messrs
Brassey and C ).'s contract for the line is now, with the
exception of the aqueduct over the Metropolitan Railway,
and one or two connexions, complete. The total cost of the
works, as far as can be at present ascertained, is about
£316,000, being £l,OOO in excess of my last report. Upwards
of four miles of the western sewers had been completed by
Messrs Moxon and Co., at a probable cost of £59,000. Mr
Webster commenced his contract for the low level sewer on
Aug. 5, and had now seven shafts sunk each to a depth of
451 t ; the brickwork is also being got in, and a length of
about 350 ft of 10ft barrel sewer is completed. The total
cost of all these 'works, and others in connection therewith,
amounts to £7,500. The Thames Embankment (No. 1
contract) between Westminster and Waterloo bridges—
approximate value of the work done and of the materials
and plant upon the ground is about £54,000 or £15,000 in
excess of my last report. The contract (between Waterloo•
bridge and the Temple-gardens) is going on favourably. A
length of about 120 ft of the dam is completed and made
watertight, and concrete is being tipped into it up to the level
of the underside of the brickwork of the river wall. The
estimated value of the works, &o , is about £35,000. The
material used in filling in along the foreshore is now entirely
confined to that supplied by the Thames Conservators. Oa
the south side of the river the low level sewer Mr Webster
has completed about six miles of sewer at a cost of £167,000.
Messrs. Dethwick have executed works, about £3,200 in
value, of the Greenwich and Deptford sewers. The outfall
works at Crossness are going on favourably. For the last
three weeks the outlets of the Duffield, Great St. John, and
Battle-bridge main sewers have been closed, and thus the
drainage of the whole of the south side of the rivet from
Nine-elms downwards, with the exception of some very
small local outlets, is intercepted from the Thames and con-

veyed down to Crossness, a distance of about 14 miles below
London-bridge."
The report was approved,
THE LATE EXPLOSION AT =TH.

Mr J. W. BAZALGETTE reported as follows upon the late
explosion of a powder magazine at Eriii :—" The powder
magazine of Messrs. Hall, which was destroyed on Satur-
day last by an explosion of the gunpowder contained
therein, is situate on the banks of the Thames in the Erith
Marshes, about one mile below the Pumping Station. The
explosion occurred about 20 minutes before 7 o'clock, bu t
no injury has been done to the drainage works beyond the
fracture of some panes of glass,in the building. There are
two smaller powder magaines situate between that which
has been destroyed and the pumping etation, and one of
these, which belongs to Messrs. Hall, is just outside the
fence surrounding the pumping station. Thew is at the pre-
sent, I am informed, no powder in this store, but it is cer-
tainly much too near to the furnaces connected with the
pumping station ever to be a safe receptacle for gunpowder.
order to prevent the possibility of its being used for
this purpose I recommend that Mr Buckland be in-
atm/led to negotiate with Messrs, Hall for the purchase
by the Board of theso promises, and report to the Board
thereon. The most formidable danger arising from the ex-
plosion was occasioned by the bursting of about 100 ft. of the
river bank, which, but for the prompt action of one of the
officers of this Board (Mr Houghton), must have resulted in
the destruction-of a large amount of property, and probably
of life. The explosion took place about one hour before the
time of low water, and the bank was blown away to near the
level of low water, it being then spring tides. It was seen
that not a moment was to be lost, and the military authori-
ties and others were communicated with. About 450 work-
men, with barrows, planks, and tools, were collected,and by
9 o'clock were zealously striving to accomplish a task which
seemed impossible, and which the rising tide every moment
threatened to defeat. At 11 o'clock the military arrived,
and it was only by their united and most strenuous efforts
that they successfully contended inch by inch with the
rising tide, and thus saved a more widespread and fearful
catastrophe than the explosion itself. I recommend the
praiseworthy conduct of Mr Houghton to the favourable
consideration of the board. I may mention that the main-
tenance and repair of the river bank rests with the Erith
Marsh Commissioners, and the officers of the Metropolitan
Board acted only as volunteers in this emergency; but the
board will no doubt approve their having, under the cir-
cumstances, so promptly undertaken the responsibility.
The embankment having been raised in such haste is still of
insufficient strength to be left, although the tides are daily
becoming weaker, and Mr I,Vebster'e men are still, at the
request of the Erith Marsh Commissioners, continuing to
complete the bank. It was quite marvellous the manner
in which the embankment was restored in so short a time
to withstand the action of a high spring tide,"
On the motion of an hon. member, the report was ap-
proved, and ordered to be printed and circulated among the
members.