The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-04 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN DRAINAGE.

Yesterday, in pursuance of an invitation issued by
the Metropolitan Board of Works (through Mr. H.
Bazalgette, their engineer) to the members of both
houses of Parliament, a large number of peers and
commons assembled in the tea-room at half-past
ten in the morning, the Board of Works being
anxious to give the members of each house of the
legislature an opportunity of viewing portions of
the main drainage works during their progress, " as
they are of an unprecedented character, and cannot
be viewed after completion." About 120 gentle-
men accepted the invitation, and among the list of
names we observed those of Lord Calthorpe,
Lord Fertescue, Lord Hamilton, Lord Overstone,
Lord Exmouth, Lord De Ros, Lord Belper,
Lord Delamere, Lord Robert Montagu, the Duke
of Devonshire, Earl of Caithness, Lord Rag-
lan, Lord Burghley, Lord John Manners, Lord
Gage, Lord Talbot de Malahide, Lord Powis, Lord
Proby, Lord Dartmouth, Lord Hotham, Lord
George Lennox, the Earl of Essex, Lord Orkney,
Lord Naas, Lord Longford, Lord Redesdale, Sir
Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., Sir William Fraser, Col.
Greville, Hon. Mr. Portman, Sir P Egerton, Colo-
nel Cartwright, Colonel Russell, Right Hon.
Mowbray, Hon. Mr. Tollemache, Hon. P. Bouve-
rie, Hon. Locke King, Sir M. Cholmondeley, Sir
Henry Bruce, the Hon. G. C. Bentinck, Hon. C;
Calthorpe, Colonel Sykes, M.P., Alderman Sidney,
Messrs. H, S. Adams, W. T. Mitford, T. Main-
waring, M. C. Onslow, H. W. Freeland, John
White, F. Doulton, W. Tite, Thos. Miller, &c.
At the hour named, the engineer of the Metro-
politan Board of Works, Mr. Bazalgette, proceeded
briefly to describe the character of the works. He
commenced by alluding to the former system of
carrying the sewage of houses into cesspools. Sub-
sequently sewers were built, which were partially
covered over, brick sewers of various sizes being
left open, and this proved to be a very defective
Isystem. In 1847, by an Act of Parliament passed
I upon the subject, all persons were required to de-
stray their cesspools, and to divert their sewage
1 I
,e
into the sewers. That Act had been in operation
since 184'7, and had been carried out most vigor-
ously. Eight Is thousande houses in one year had
their cesspool.ast
oyed ,and the sewage was turned
into the Thames.
This polluted the river, and in
dry seasons and
in hot weather it became very
offensive. The land adjoiniag
blevel of the Thames in many
places was, at a low level, as much as from four to
six
high water. Upon that
basements, and the
sewers were constructed below the basement and
-
land
houses u belowse s were the
ult viith
level the sewage entered the Thames at the '
of low
water. The sewers would only e dischsz-6the sewage
at low water, or under low water, and
the sewers
were tide-locked for 18 hours out of the 24, so
that the stagnant sewers being pent up the
sewage evolved the most noxious gases. The tide
in the river rising above them shut the flaps at their
months, and hence the sewage was pent up. An-
other objection to the then existing system of
drainage Was its being discharged only at low
water, and was thus diluted with the water, and
' was carried up the river instead of down the river
by the receding tide. New sewers could not be
constructed for want of deeper outfalls. Various
plans had been devised to remedy these evils, and a
b . main feature in the plan now being executed was

the interception and carrying off of the sewage from
the existing sewers, as much as possible on the prin.
ciple of gravitation. In the execution of such a plan
one great difficulty to be overcome was the varying
quantities of water to be carried off. The actual
sewage amounted to about 12 millions of cubit feet
per day of 24 hours ; but it varied in quantity, the
flow being the greatest at midday and the least at
midnight. The intercepting system on the north side
was divided into the north high-level sewer flowing
rapidly from Hampstead to Bow. The middle-level
sewer commenced at Kensal-green, and flowed
through Oxford-street and the City, and united with
the high-level at the penstock chamber at Bow.
From thence they proceeded to Abbey Mills, in the
Marshes, where they would be joined by the low-
level sewer. The low-lever sewer was intended
to pass as near as possible to the margin of the
river from Chelsea to Abbey Mills, where a pump-
ing lift of 37 feet would be constructed ; from hence
it was intended that the streams of the three sewers
should flow by gravitation at high water at Bark-
ing Creek. Here an underground reservoir would
be constructed 13 acres in extent, so that the sewage
might then be discharged into the Thames during
the two first hours of the ebb tide only. Thus the
sewage would be driven by 100 times the volume of
water with which it was now diluted, and would
be conveyed by the time of low water following to
the distance of 26 miles below London-bridge. The
south side was similar to the north, but the levels
being generally lower, more pumping was required.
The sewage from the high-level sewer would flow
by gravitation from Clapham and Norwood, under
Deptford Creek, to the outfall in Erith Marshes.
The low-level seNi age would pass from Putney,
Lambeth, and Bermondsey to Deptford Creek,
where it would be pumped at the higher level, and
the united streams would flow in one channel 10
feet 6 inches in diameter to Crossness Point in Erith
Marshes. There was a reservoir and pumping
station, the contract for which would be let to-day
(Friday) by the Board of Works. The high-level
sewer on the north side of the Thames was completed
already, and sewage from Hampstead through it
was discharged into the River Lea through the
" storm overflow." The middle-level sewer was
about half completed, and the northern outfall was
in the same state of forwardness. The low-level
sewer was not yet commenced. On the south side
the south outfall was completed. The south high-
level was drawing towards completion, and the south
low-level was not yet commenced. The Deptford
pumping-station was about three-fourths completed,
and the engines were being now fixed. The esti-
mated cost of these works was £3,000,000, and the
contracts let, or in hand, were about £2,000,000,
of which £1,500,000 were complete. In these
works they would consume 800,000 cubic yards of
concrete, 4,000,000 cubic yards of earthwork, and
300,000,000 of bricks.
The company proceeded from the House of Com-
mons by steamboat to Blackwell, where a special
train was in waiting to receive them, and they in-
spected the junction of the high and middle level
sewers at Bow, and inspected the various works
there and at Barking, where a very elegant luncheon
was provided at which some cumplimantary toasts
were given. After this the steamer conveyed the
company to Greenwich, who descended into the
south outfall sewer, about 20 feet below the surface;
and they walked through about a quarter of a mile
of the sewer, which was beautifully lighted up, and
an opportunity was afforded to every one to drink
champagne in a sewer, for the only time, in all
human probability, in their lives. The length of
the works is seven miles. The work is a marvellous
and astonishing one, and one which we are assured
will endure for ever. The contractors are : For the
north outfall sewer, Mr. Furness; for the south
outfall sewer, Mr. Webster ; for the middle level,
Messrs. Brassey ; for the pumping station Mr. Aird.
Messrs. Cooper, Grant, and Lovick respectively are
the assistant engineers for the north outfall, the
south outfall, and the middle-level north.
The rain did not cease for five minutes during the
day, but this misery was greatly compensated by
the princely hospitality which was shown to the
guests, and the good humour and bonhomrnie which
distinguished the company.