The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-02 00:00:00

Metropolitan Board of Works.

The report of the Finance Committee was brought
up and laid before the board. It recommended that
the:Governor of the Bank of England be requested
to advance to the board £lOO,OOO for the purposes
of the main drainage.
Mr. Deputy HAnmsoN asked how their account
stood with the Bank of England. There were
many rumours afloat regarding the state of their
borrowing powers, and it was desirable the public
shculd know their actual position.
The CHAIR3IAN said they had borrowing powers
for £3,000,000, and had had of that amount
£2,200,000, 50 that they had a margin of £BOO,OOO.
He had given directions to have certain information
prepared, and he hoped in a few days to be able to
lay it before the committee, what was in their
hands, stating the work to be done and its probable
cost.

Mr. DOULTON M.P., said he had seen a news-
paper paragraph, stating that their borrowings:were
in excess of their powers one million and a quar-
ter. He did not know where the gentleman got his
information from, but it was necessary the public
should be made acquainted with the facts of the case.
The CHAIRMAN said it had been stated in the
corporation of London, and before a committee of
the House of Commons, but it was not true. There
were certain sewers to be covered in at a cost of
£500,000, and it was thought desirable to include
that in their application to Parliament. That might
have led to the mistake.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON said he had heard the
statement made, but he had requested those who
spoke on the subject to suspend their judgment until
the committee sent in their report. He hoped that
no time would be lost by the committee in laying
their report before the board.
The CIIAIRMAN said no time would be lost, He
was surprised to hear certain persons who predicted
that their works would cost £6,000,000 ❑ow expres-
sing astonishment at their exceeding the estimate
(with all the extra work executed) by so much as a

The report was adopted unanimously.
TIIE ACCIDENT AT DEPTFORD.

The CHAIRMAN announced that a very serious
accident had occurred at their works at Doptford,
by which three poor men lest their lives and three
others were injured. Two of the latter had re-
turned to work, and the third was expected to do so
soon. The board had been very fortunate, indeed,
considering the great depth they were obliged
to carry their sewers that so few accidents bad
occurred. The jury returned a verdict of accidental
death, as there was no blame to be attached to any
one.

Mr. BAZALGETTE, the engineer, described the soil
upon which the works were proceeding, and attri-
buted the accident to shifting sands.
PROGRESS OF THE MAIN DRAINAGE WORKS.
Mr. BAZALGETTE then brought up his monthly
report of the progress of the main drainage works.
It stated—
" Satisfactory progress continues to be made in
the execution of the several sections of the main
drainage works.
" In connexion with the middle level line, Messrs.
Brassey and Co. have now completed nearly 81
miles of sewers, of sizes varying from 4ft Gin by 3ft
to 12ft by 9ft Gin, at a probable cost of about
£239,000, or £13,000 more than reported last
month.

About 4,540 foot of sewers for drainage of the
western district have been constructed by Messrs.
Moxon and Co , at an estimated cost of £14,000,
£5,000 being the value of the work done in the
past month.
" The most important part of the work remaining
to be completed under Mr. Furness's contract for
the northern outfall sewer is the construction of the
outlet adjoining, and in the bed of the river Thames,
near Barking Creek. This work is of a heavy cha-
racter, and the nature of the ground being exceed-
ingly treacheror.s, great care and caution in its
execution are being exek-cised, The total cost of the
works done under this contract is now about
£560,000, being £13,000 in excess of my last
monthly report,
" The excavations for the Northern Outfall Reser-
voir are rapidly progressing, about 30,000 cabeyards
of earth having been removed during the month,.
and about 20,000 yards of concrete
the pits and trenches for the formation Dfp piers
son of
walls intended to carry the arching. deposited
and
A and portion
the brick work has also been got
up to the level requisite to receive thnient'paving
c 4) fe the
bottom of the reservoir.
000 is due to the
at £20,000, of which
tmon'th.
cuted by Mr, Furness under Tile arh3iosucontract is esti-
matedpreg,ress made within the pa.s
Pumping Station and R eser.
yards of excavation, and
York stone
v 0
i"r A
aboutt th n Crossness
113,0000 yardscb
cube
feet
dete have been exe-
cuted,
re-
upwards of 40,0
and about 5,40
aiadndforltBh,oooeongfeiente Super of
other works connected"
ofd
which, up
shave
ob
iybr se, he in ra
ne
to the
is estimated at £92,000 £l6 000 f
With the
southern outfall, the total cost
en tin g the amount of work, done' by Mot%
which
ini tretpimrees
Webster under this contract in the last month. The
engines and pumps are being proceeded with by
ham. Messrs. Watt and Co,, at their works at Birnaing.

"The fixing and fitting of the engines and ma-
chinery at the Deptford pumping station are pro-
gressing under Messrs. Slaughter and Co.'s contract.
" Rather more than one mile of the Bermondsey
Branch of the southern low level sewer is now
completed by Messrs. Aird and Son, at a cost of
about £33,000, or £7,500 more than at the date of
my last report.

" Mr. Pearson has completed his contract for the
extension line of the southern high-level sewer
through Dulwich and Norwood. Its length is a
little over three miles, and its cost is about
£lBO,OOO, being £1,500 in excess of last month.
"A total length of about 6,300 feet of sewers for
the diversion of the Effra at Brixton has been con-

The ordinary weekly meeting of the Metropolitan
Board of Works was held yesterday at their offices,
Spring-gardens,—Mr. John Thwaites in the chair.
The cash statement showed the balances in the
hands of the treasurer were—On current accounts,
£42,700 7s. Gd. ; on deposit accounts, £49,970 ; and
on Government securities, £70,732 132.
FINANCE.