The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-04 00:00:00

The Metropolitan Board of Works.

The weekly meeting of this board was held yesterday in
the offices in Spring-gardens, the chairman, Mr J. Thwaites
presiding.

The CHAIRMAN informed the board that the committee
of the House of Commons had struck out of the Subways
Bill the clause giving the board the compulsory power it
had sought over the gas companies, and he wished to know
whether er not the bill should now be proceeded with. He
said the committee had agreed to give the board power
over the water and telegraph companies, but, as the gas
cotupanies obstructed the streets more than the others, the
great purpose of the bill would be lost, and it would be
better, in his opinion, to withdraw the measure and wait
for public opinion to ripen upon the subject than to proceed
further this session.

Mr TITE, M.P., regretted that the committee of the House
of Commons had struck the gas companies out of the bill,
and said that he was sure it would be in every way advert.
their pipes in the subways,
dexthpeenpsiepeosf wouldtaking not be so liable to breakage in
aldnd relaying the thorough-
fares,be charged would be less
et as gtehoeu s
rentto thethe companieseempaniee to
wulopau
and the
acnoisets ofh at the subwaysespent
in
owasp .
eel:mit:at the companies would
than thell
have been required to pay would have been £4 per cent. on
ethheeustubz
posing this bill would have paid their coats in the subways
for ten years to come.
The SOLICITOR then read the bill as alt
BO
Oa as in
mile, itlhee,
altered, and asked
that outlay. The money
for instructions.
Mr. MILLER, M.P., moved that the bill should be pro-
ceeded with, and said he should advise the board to ask
for compulsory powers with regard to water and telegraph
companies, and permissive powers so far as concerned gas
companies. The subject, he contended, was an experi-
mental one, and if the board could show at some future
time that the experiment had succeeded it would be entitled
to ask Parliament to give it compulsory Powers over those
companies that would not adopt the plan.
Mr. HEALEY seconded the motion.
Mr. DOULTON, M.P., moved as an amendment that the
bill should not be proceeded with, and remarked
that the
decision of the committee had been arrived at on hearing
scientific evidence, which the board would have rebutted
had it been aware of the very strong opposition the bill was
to meet.
Mr. SAVAGE seconded this amendment, which, on the
suggestion of Mr. LOWMAN TAYLOR, was altered to read
as follows :—" That, as the committee of the House of
Commons have resolved that so much of the Subways Bill
as relates to gas companies shall be struck out, the bill shall
be withdrawn."
Mr. Saunders, Mr. Freeman, Mr. Carpmael, Mr. Samuda,
and Mr. Roche further addressed the board on the subject.
In the course of the discussion it was stated that the
companies did not so much object to putting their pipes in
the subways as they did to paying for the accommodation,
and it was urged that if the board now withdrew the bill
public attention would be awakened on the subject, and
Parliament on some future occasion would be more dis-
posed to fall in with the views of the board.
The amendment (that the bill be withdrawn) was car-
ried, there being—for, 24; against, 5.
A deputation from the volunteer fire brigades of the me-
tropolis waited upon the board and presented a memorial
urging that the board should propose clauses to be inserted in
the proposed Fire Brigade Bill recognising the disinterested
services of the volunteer brigades as auxiliary brigades to
the one about to be constituted.
Mr R. TAYLOR and Mr MILLER, M,p., supported the
memorial, which was referred to committee,
A deputation from the inhabitants of Commercial-road
east waited upon the Board with a memorial calling atten-
tion to the entrance to the Commercial-road. This road,
the memorialists stated, was one of the finest in London,
and leads to a thickly-populated district, and a district
causing much traffic, and yet the entrance to the thorough-
fare was only from 15 to 22 feet wide. The estimated ex-
pense of making an improvement here was £122,000, and
the chairman remarked that he should like to know where
the money was to come from.
This memorial was also referred to mramittee.

The chief engineer (Mr Bazalgette) presented his monthly
report of the progress of the main drainage and northern
Thames embankment works up to the present time, of which

the following is a summary :—Twelve miles of connecting
sewers had been constructed on the middle level sewer con-
tract at the estimated cost of £309,000. Nearly four nailed
of the sewers intended for the interception of the western
district drainage had been completed at a cost of about
£53,000. Three out of four of the compartments of the
northern outfall reservoir were now completed, and con••
scantly received the sewage brought down from the high
and middle level sewers, and discharged such sewage into
the Thames at Barking at the ebb tide only. The fourth
compartment, the embankment over the whole reservoir,
and the sluice-house would shortly be completed. The value
of the work here executed amounted to about £164,500.
About four miles of the southern low sewer had been com-
pleted Et the estimated cost of £121,000, and under the
contract for the works at Crossness work to the amount of
£225,000 had, been executed. On the first contract for the
Thames Embankment (between Westminster and Waterloo
bridges) work to the amount of £33,000 had been executed ;
but on the second contract (from Waterloo-bridge to the
eastern end of Temple-gardens) the work had not been
altogether of so satisfactory a nature, and it would be neces-
sary in some respects to adopt a new system in carrying out
the work.

The report was ordered to be entered on the minutes, and
after various other matters had been disposed of the board
adjourned.

Royal Humane Society.

Yesterday evening the 90th anniversary festival of this
society, one of the oldest as it certainly is one of the most
valuable of all our London charities, was held at the Free-
masons' Tavern. The company was not numerous, owing
perhaps to the fact that for the last two or three years the
festivals of this society have been in abeyance, but what
they wanted in numbers was amply made up in zeal and
earnestness, ea the liberal donations at the olose of the
evening clearly showed.

The chair was taken by Viscount Dufferin, who was
supported by Sir Breok Brydges, M.P., Sir Wm. Fraser,
Mr. Sheridan, M.P., Mr. Thomas Page, C.E., Mr. Donald
Nichol!, and ether friends of the society. The dinner
was of a most excellent kind, and, what is more rare at
these public entertainments, was admirably served.
The report of the society which, at the conclusion of
the repast, was distributed about the room, spoke most
cheeringly as regards the usefulness of the society. Dur-
ing the past year 208 cases of rescuing or attempted
rescue from drowning were brought under their notice,
comprising 262 persons ; of these 246 were successfully
treated, but 16 were, unfortunately, beyond recovery when
taken out of the water-16 of the number were cases of
attempted suicide. The society had also in the same period
conferred and distributed to those who were instrumental
in saving life frem drowning the following rewards:—
namely, 4 silver medals, 73 bronze medals, 9 thanks of the
society on vellum, 73 thanks on parchment, and 69 pecu-
niary rewards of various amounts. In the past summer
no less than 255,142 persons were estimated to have bathed
in the Serpentine River during the hours appointed for
morning and evening bathing. It was not surprising
that 36 casualties should have occurred out of so large a
number of bathers ; but it was satisfactory to state that,
owing to the attention of the society's men, not one had
proved fatal.
After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts had been given
and received in the usual cordial manner, the noble chair-
man gave the toast of the evening. He said that nearly a
century had elapsed since they first entered into their con-
flict with the powers of the grave, and dared to dispute with
the Angel of Death the spoils he had already counted as
his own. Each successive year had enabled them to inscribe
fresh victories on their rolls, though others had been un-
doubtedly engaged in analogous efforts. The advance of
science, the spread of civilisation, had done much to pre-
serve the world from the inroads of disease. The citadel of
human life was better guarded now than formerly; but the
utmost that either science or civilisation dare to pretend to
was a defensive attitude. To them alone had it been given
to carry the war into the enemy's country, and annex a pro-
vince of his empire, to penetrate beyond the mysterious
frontier which separated them from eternity, and restore
to the kindly light of day and the pleasant love of friends
those who had already tasted of the bitterness of death,
whose eyes had passed into the dim borderland beyond the
grave, whose feet had wended one stage on that journey
not to be retravelled by mortal man. He called upon them
therefore in all earnestness to drink success to the Royal
Humane Society, than which he did not believe there was a
more valuable association existing.
The toast was drunk kith all the honours, and at the
close of the evening the secretary announced a list of dona-
tions amounting to £3OO.
Alter this toast was drunk the Chairman had the pleasure
of presenting to Mr Donald Nicoll the medal of the society
for his gallant and most desperate effort last February to
save the lives of three persons who had broken through the
ice on the lake at Hampstead, and who were fast drowning
till he came to their assistance. At the most eminent peril
of his own life Mr Nicoll succeeded in saving two, but the
third person. a lad, sank under the ice before he could reach
him. The award of this medal to Mr Nicoll was greeted
with immense applause.