The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-18 00:00:00

river has occasionally been intolerable. In 1857
great quantities of lime and chloride of lime were
put in daily ; in 1858 the same expedient to be
resorted to again ; and in 1859 the doses ad to be
increased to 110 tons of lime and 12 tons f chloride
of lime, costing some £1,500 per w . Even in
a pecuniary point of view, however, lis was not
the only evil of the system, The Thames in this
hot weather runs short of water, and when there
is no rain the collections of refuse in the sewers
have to be flushed into the river by arti-
ficial means. This flushing alone during
summer costs £20,000 a year to get the
poison into the Thames, where £20,000 more is
generally required to keep it from breeding a
plague. The tide in summer carries off little or
nothing. A marked object was set afloat in the
river and watched, with a view of ascertaining this
fact, and for three weeks it went backwards and for-
wards between Vauxhall and London bridges, with-
out going much further either way. During the
same period of course, the sewage of the Thames,
increaserr, by its daily contribution, goes backwards
and forwards likewise under the summer sun, and
yet people professa,he magnitude and
anwdhyit
.tbominably. importancesmells Soot
rh ot v
hased ,
tz
hheis
cehv
ii
fhaevne long
ginee
rb eoef n t
he known,Boaradnd of Mr.
Works, B az if!
fought
thet,
long and assiduously to have
and, strongly aided by public p ,
othieni
opnlanhisimfigp
beer successful. His main drainage scheme is
nearly completed. In less than two years more
it wilt be entirely completed, the Thames purified,
and London effectually drained.
As may be easily imagined, it is impossible in
an article like the present to give more than an
outline of this great plan, which may best be
briefly described as consisting of three gigantic
main tunnels or sewers on each side of the river.
These completely divide underground London,
from west to east, and cutting all existing sewers at
right angles intercept their flow to the Thames, and
carry every gallon of London sewage under certain
conditions into the river on the north side below
Barking, and on the south to near Erith. These
main drains ere called the High, Middle, and Low
Level sewers, according to the height of the localities
which each respectively drains. The High Level on
the north side is about eight miles in length, and
runs from Hampstead to Bow, being at its rise only
4ft. 6in. in diameter, and thence increasing in cir-
cumference, as the waters of the sewers it inter-
cepts require a wider course, to sft., Oft., 7ft,, 10ft.
6in., lift. Gin., and at its termination, near Lea
river, to 131 t. 6in. in diameter. The drain is en-
tirely finished, and in full work. Its minimum fall
is 2ft. in the mile; its maximum at the beginning
nearly 50ft. a mile. It is laid at a depth of from 20
to 26 feet below the ground, and drains an area of
14 square miles. The Middle Level, as being lower
in the valley on the slope of which London is built,
is laid at a greater depth, varying from 30 to 36
feet, and even more below the surface. This is
nearly complete, and extends from Kensal-green to
Bow. The Low Level will extend from Cremorne
to Abbey Mills, on the marshes near Stratford, but
as the city portion of this will pass through the
Thames Embankment we shall have occasion to
refer to it hereafter. At Bow the Low Level waters
will be raised by powerful engines at a pumping
station to the junction of the High and Middle
Level ducts, thence descending by their own gra-
vity through three tunnels to the main reservoir and
final ontfall below Barking. These three tunnels
are each Oft. 6in. in diameter and nearly four miles
long. Great engineering difficulties existed in the
construction of these main arteries, as, from the
height at which they all meet, it was necessary to
take them above the level of the marshes reading to
Barking. For a mile and a half the embankment
which encloses the three tunnels is carried on brick
arches, the piers going 18ft. below the surface, and
being based on solid concrete. In the marshes at
Barking the reservoir for the reception of the
sewage of the north side is formed. This reservoir
is a mile and a half long by 100 ft. wide and
21ft. deep. It is made of this great length
in proportion to width to allow of its being roofed
with brick arches, which are again covered with
earth, to a considerable thickness, so that not the
slightest smell or escape of miasma can take place.
This is capable of containing more than three times
the amount of sewage which can enter it while the
pipes are shut, and thus, when all is complete, the
works will not only be large enough to take off all
London's sewage now, but its sewage when London
is double its present size.

While the sewage is in the reservoir we have
spoken of, it will be completely deodorised by an
admixture of lime. When the tide is at its height
the sluices which pass from the bottom of the reser-
voir far out into the bed of the river will be opened,
and the whole allowed to flow away. It takes two
hours thus to empty the reservoir, by which time
the tide will be flowing down strongly, and will
carry its very last gallon a distance of 13 miles below
Barking, which, being itself 13 miles below Lon-
don, will place the contents of the sewers, every 12
hours, 26 or more miles distant from the metropolis.
Thus, instead of letting loose the rankest of this
great city's abominations in the very midst of Lon-
don, and leaving it to stagnate, or, still worse, to be
agitated backwards and forwards in a small body of
water, it will all be carried away a distance of 13
miles, then (Mod( rised, then suffered to escape into
a body of water more than a hundred times greater
than that into which it now cl awls, and thus disin-
fected and diluted, so as to be without either taste
or smell, swept still further down the stream, till
every trace of it is lost.
On the south side the three great sewer arteries
are constructed on similar plans—the High Level
from Dulwich to Deptford ; the Middle from Clap-
ham to Deptford ; and the Low Tavel from Putney
to 1),- ptford. At this point is a pumping station,
whicli raises the water from the low to the high
level, whence it flows away through a 10ft. tunnel
to Crossness Point. One part of this tunnel, pass-
ing under Woolwich, is a mile and a half in length,
without a single break, and driven at a depth of 80
feet from the surface. At the outfall will be another
pumping station, to lift the water to the reservoir.
The southern reservoir is only five acres in extent
that on the north is, 14. In the reservoir it will be'
deodorised and discharged in a similar way to that
we have already described.
last-named works, amid an ap-
It was over these
parently inextricable labyrinth of culverts, arcades,
chambers, and columns, that the visitors were con-
ducted yesterday. first inspecting the channel for the
overflow of storm water, next the two culverts, as
large almost as railway tunnels, which carry the
Sewage to the east and west pumping stations. Be-
fore the entrance to th© pumps are massive iron
strainers, which keep out all the coarse refuse
brought down the sewer, and which afterwards
dredged up by the filth hoist into the filth chamber,
The
r
which is flushed into the river at low at
pumping-house is nearly finished and the iron work
of the engines begun. The
pumping stations will
each consist of an engine-house, containing 10
boilers calculated to work up to 500 horse power
nominal. This power working through eight pumps
of 7 feet diameter and 4 feet stroke will daily raise
'9,000,000 cubic feet of sewage from 19 feet below
tow water to the level of the outfall; but, in case of
necessity, the pumps can raise 25,000,000 cubic feet
per day. The reservoir into which it will all flow
is not yet finished, but when roofed in with brick
will hold 20,000,000 gallons of sewage. After in-
specting these works on Saturday the visitors were
taken across the river to the Barking outfall, where
the works are larger, simpler, and much more ad-
vanced, for on the north sewage is brought at such
a level as to discharge into the reservoir by its own
gravitation. The reservoir here is far advanced,
a great deal of it being roofed in, so that all
will be completed in a few months more. Close
to this the contents of the High Level sewer
were turned on into the river direct, and not as
they will in future flow, through the reservoir.
The inspection of this murky Niagara of sewage
as it came tumbling down seemed to be not
at all unpleasant to members who are accus-
tomed to legislate in hot wea;he on the banks of the
largest sewer in the world—the Thames. After
gazing on this unsavoury volume of dirt for some
time, by way of an appetizer, the whole party re-
turned to the great reservoir to lunch. At this re-
past various :ova! err conarafulatory toasts were

The witness was then shown another signature, and aft er
looking at it for some time he said he thought the " o" and
"p" were Mr. Richard Roupell's, and he afterwards said
he thought the whole was a genuine signature. The "r"
was not like his usual signature, but still he thought it was
his handwriting. Another signature was then rhown to
the witness, and ho said this was very different, and he
" found fault" with the "o" and the " p," and the
flourish was not a bit like Mr. Richard Roupell's.. "Upon
the whole, he said he should express an opinion that the
signature was not a genuine signature of Mr. Richard
Roupell. He was aware that these signatures were photo-
graphs.

Sergeant Shee contended that Mr. Bovill had no right to
use photographed signatures.

Baron Channell said it was a new point, but he did not
think photographs could be used in the way proposed by
Mr. Bovill.

Mr. Bovill said if his lordship had any doubt he should
not press the matter further.

In further cross-examination the witness said he had a
lease of some of the property which had been granted him
by William Roupell. Witness had himself expended
£50,000. upon the Roupell-park estate. Ho got the money
on mortgage from different parties, but all these proceedings
took place in connection with Mr. Richard Roupell. Wm.
Roupell was a little boy at this time. He received a profit
rent from the leases granted him by 'William Roupell of
about £250 a year.
Re-examined—He was well aware that his interest would
be destroyed if the plaintiff succeeded in this action.
Mr. W. C. Longman deposed that he was a collector, and
that in the year .1856 proposals were made to him for a loan
upon the security of the property of Mr. Richard Palmer
Roupell. The proposals were made by Mr. Whitaker, and
in the course of the year witness advanced £6,000, and
entertained a proposition to advance more, but after con-
sulting with counsel he made a requirement that Richard
Palmer Roupell should join in the security, but could not
obtain his concurrence, and be declined to advance any
more. He was repaid the £6,000 he had already advanced
in the course of the same year.
Mr. N. Springham, the tenant of one of the farms now
in dispute, proved that he took a lease of the farm from old
Mr. Roupell in November, 1842, for twenty-one years from
Michaelmas, 1842, at the yearly rent of £BO. Old Mr.
Roupell used to come down and visit the farm once or twice
a year, but witness generally used to go up to Cross-street
to pay him his rent. The last time he paid him was in
July, 1856. There was some back rent due at this time.
He produced the receipt, and said he saw the deceased sign
his name to it, and he had seen him write on several other
occasions. After the death of old Mr. Roupell he paid the
rent to Mr. Muggeridge. He added that old Mr. Roupell
never upon any occasion said anything to him about having
given the estate to hie son William Roupell.
Cross-examined—Old Mr. Roupell did at one time say
that he had a dispute with the lord of the manor about the
property, and that his son William was to be their land-
lord. He believed this was some considerable time before
July, 1856—it might be a year perhaps. He had no par-
ticular reason for recollecting the exact time. He gave Mr.
Linklater, the solicitor to the plaintiff, all the receipts that
he could find—he should think about nine or ten, and all
the ethers were destroyed or lost. (Mr. Lush produced the
receipts referred to, and they were identified by the witness).
In 1862 he received a letter offering him the farm at £lOO a
year from the solicitors to the mortgagees, and he accepted
the proposal, and he said that he was aware at this time
that Wm. Roupell had absconded, and that there was an
allegation that the deeds were forged. He was subsequently
sued by the mortgagees for two quarters' rent, as he bad
declined to pay because he did not know who was the party
really entitled to the rent. He went to Mr. Linklater be-
cause he knew he was the solicitor to the Roupell family,
and he guaranteed him against costs, and defended the ac-
tion, and witness did not trouble himself any more about
the matter. Soon afterwards, however, he was told that he
must pay the rent to the mortgagees (the present defend-
ants). Witness knew nothing about the costs, and he had
never been asked for them. He gave the money for his rent
to Mr. Linklater, andardhse
sseurpypeodsehdimhewpiathidathneotoietheeorf party.
Mr. Linklater aftehrwim
that he would not take any notice
cot-f
genoaftuthr:
ment, but he told d
he heard al ra du
laugh.)
h nothing
The m more
handwriting, and ho knew nothing about the existence of
eijt2ecatnmdehnot, adniddndoidt noot I
sanntdto.e
to the fraudulent lease
proceedings.oflBs6 was not at all like witness's
such a lease until these
vifdarmmacothoafta was
similarthe
subject
tHoofwtsh,
only a very short time
character, and he also proved t
et hper
el as
ennd
tl o rade
toi
of
ht e
ghaaol!
eh e
evidence
b
were entirely
loewfoarnecoe
sl df.Nolr rr. Rateosuapnedll
odtid
heer, he
expreeneseeisv,etalhtdheorrednetr,
emade
to be cut, and acted as though the propertyn
dundereath,
ishiirs.lcvonnit.rßo 10.
_
him some rent that was due, but he refused to receive it
Immediatelyupell called
on hima ft earn odl d ilh
eoiffr.eredto
Roupell'say
him-
self, and said an agent would apply for it. Mr. Wm.
eßou-
pell after this gave him receipts as executor to his deceased
father. This witness then went on to state that no such per-
son as Josh. Goddard, whose name appeared to the fraudulent
lease of his farm as the attesting witness, lived at Great I
Warley, and he had never heard of such a person.
In cross-examination he said he remembered old Mr.
i Roupell coming to see him on one occasion, when he told

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