The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-18 00:00:00

Metropolitan Board of Works.

The usual weekly meeting of the Metropolitan
Board of Works was held yesterday at the offices in
Spring-gardens. Sir J. Thwaites presided.

The cash statement of the Finance Committee
showed a total balance in the hands of the treasurer
amounting to £270,510 3s. 3d.

THE UTILISATION OF THE SEWAGE ON THE SOUTH

SIDE OF THE RIVER THAMES.

A report was brought up from the Main Drainage
Committee on the different tenders sent in for taking
and utilising the sewage on the south side of the
Thames. 'The tenders sent in were five in number,
from Mr. Rigby Wason, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Kirk-
land, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Ellis. It stated that
none of the parties had strictly complied with the
terms of the advertisement issued by the board.
Mr. RIGBY WATSON proposed to draw off the
sewage from the main sewer, at various points along
the line, by means of syphons, and he estimated the
cost of the works at £163,000, and proposed to raise
a capital of £500,000.
Mr. G. SHEPHERD proposed to pump the sewage
to various elevations ; the highest, being about four
hundred feet, was to irrigate the high lands, and he
also proposed a system of district reservoirs, about
twenty in number, into which the sewage, after
being pumped, would flow by gravitation through
pipes laid along the public roads. He further pro-
posed to collect on the road the sewage of every
town near London, and to make it available for
irrigating 45,000 to 50,000 acres of land.
Mr. KIRKLAND proposed to adopt the solid or
dry system, and to take the sewage from the
southern outfall at Crossness, to deodorise it, and
separate the solid from the liquid, discharging the
latter in an inoffensive form into the river.

Mr. R. SMITH proposed to force the sewage by
steam power, to have pumping stations at Deptford
and Erith, whence to force the sewage through

)ipes to reservoirs, situated respectively at West

wood, Hayes-common, Bagshot-heath, and Leather-
head-common, and the cost of this scheme Mr.
Smith estimated at £400,000.

Mr. ELLIS proposed to conduct, the sewage by a
brick culvert., 11 feet 6 inches in diameter from the
Crossness reservoir to an outlet into the river at
Higham-creek, about two miles below Gravesend,
and about thirty miles below London-bridge. This
culvert is to have a discharge into the river at the
outfall at low water by gravitation, and is to take
the drainage from Erith, Dartford, and Gravesend
on its way. Near the proposed outfall a pumping
station is to be erected, and the sewage forced
through a culVert two miles in length to an eleva-
tion of about 280 feet, whence it is to flow by gra-
vitation through pipes to the area proposed to be
irrigated, which is stated to comprise about 196,000
acres. At convenient points along the line of pipes
the sewage is to be distributed by hose and jet, or
by open channels. Mr. Ellis also proposed that
they should take on lease about 4,000 acres of land
for the purpose of cultivation, and on which to use
any excess of the sewage. The quantity of se vage
was assumed to be about 91 million cubic feet per
diem, equal to about 98 million tons per annum,
which would give 500 tons per acre in the area
over which it was proposed to utilise it. Mr. Ellis
estimated the cost of this scheme at about
£1,600,000, and the working expenses at £115,442.
The committe requested the several parties to
atten .1 before them in order that they might give
such further information and explanation of their
views as might assist them in determining which of
the schemes would in their opinion offer the greatest
chance of success, and provide for a useful and
profitable application of the sewage ; and after
mature deliberation they arrived at the conclusion
the plan of Mr. Ellis, imperfect as it was, contained
the most favourable features, and was most capable
of being so improved and developed as to meet the
ends in view. The most important modification
required was in the particulars of the outfall at
Mg-ham-creek. Mr. Ellis proposed to construct a
culvert 14 miles long, with a fall of one foot per
mile from the Crossness reservoir to Higham, to dis-
charge into the river there on low water by gravi-
tation. The engineer, however, was of opinion
that the discharge of such an immense volume of
sewage at low water would seriously pollute the
river, and at a point only two miles below Graves-
end, would affect that town. It would, therefore,
be necessary, in the event of a concession being
granted to Mr. Ellis, that he should construct a
reservoir at Iligham with pumping power, so that
the discharge might take place as at Crossness, soon
after high water. The committee thought Mr. Ellis's
scheme the best as regarded the general scheme,
and recommend the matter be referred back to the
committee to negotiate the precise terms upon which
obveedgrathnatetd;he recommendation
a concession esFsßiEoEnusAhNoulind
of the committee be adopted, and said it
was quite
time they ought to grapple with this questiOn.
Mr. ROCHE seconded the motion.

Mr. NEWTON moved as an amendment, " That
none of the plans and tenders for the utilisation of
the sewage of the south side of the Thames conform
with terms of the advertisement, or are sufficiently
explanatory or practicable to justify adoption."
Mr. CARP3IAEL seconded the amendment.
Mr. POULTON, M.P., was in favour of the original
motion.

Mr. lIEALEY said that after the committee had
gone into the merits of Mr. Ellis's plan, they had
decided in its favour by a majority of more than