The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-27 00:00:00

ME7ROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

The usual meeting of the Board of Works was held yes-
terday ; Mr. T. TIIPTAITES in the chair.

THE EMBANK)ONT OF THE THAMES.

A report was brought up from the Main Drainage Com-
mittee, stating that, the board havl.ng on the Bth of August
referred to them the report of the royltl commission on an
embankment for the south side of the river, they had con-
sidered the same and drawn up their report, and they sug-
gested that a special day should be set apart by the board to
consider it.

The motion was put and agreed to.
The chief engineer presented the following report on the
scheme of the Thames embankment referred to in the act of
last session, between Westminster and Blackfriars-bridges :
" The Thames Embankment Act and the plans referred
to therein define in general terms the main features of the
work entrusted to this board for execution. But it remains
for this board to determine with what materials the em-
bankment should be constructed, what should be the depth
of its foundations, and its solidity, and strength ; also what
should be the general appearance or design, whether it
should be constructed with or without a cofferdam, and the
modes of forming the low level sewer, with its branch con-
nection and all other matters of detail. The act provides
that the powers of the Board for the compulsory purchase of
property shall not be exercised after the expiration of five
years from the passing of the act; but it does not limit
the period for the execution of the work. Having referred
to the limits of deviation, the report went on to say that
the face of the embankment is to commence at the
northern abutment of Westminster-bridge in a line with
the existing embankment in front of the Houses of Parlia-
ment, and it will extend in a slightly curved line to the
northern brick pier of Hungerford-bridge. At Richmond-
terrace it will be 220 feet in front of the present high
water line, at Scotland-yard 400 feet, and at Hungerford-
bridge 300 ft. From Hungerford-bridge it will continue to
the first pier of Waterloo-bridge, and opposite Buckingham-
street it will extend 450 ft. into the river, opposite Salisbury-
street 300 ft., and opposite Somerset-house 130 ft The solid
embankment is to terminate on the eastern side of Temple-
gardens, where it will extend 200 ft. into the river. A road-
way 100 ft. wide is to be formed upon that portion of the em-
bankment nearest the river. From the junction of this road-
way
with Westminster-bridge it will fall, at an inclination
of 1 in 80 to the level of the embankment, which is to be
4ft. above Trinity high-water mark. The roadway will
pass under Hungerford and Waterloo bridges ; and at
the east end of Temple-gardens it will be reduced to 70
feet in width, and be carried upon columns rising at an in-
clination of 1 in 60 to the level of Chatham-place, Black-
friars-bridge. The river Thames at London-bridge has a
clear waterway of about 700 feet. At Southwark-bridge
the waterway is about 700 feet. It then rapidly ex-
pands in width, and will, when the embankment is
formed, be 900 feet wide above Blackfriars -bridge,
and 1,020 feet at Hungerford-bridge. . . . The ap-
proaches or connecting roads between the embankment
roadway and the existing streets are to be formed in the
following manner :—A roadway not less than 40 feet in
width, and with an inclination of not less than 1 in 30, is to
be carried in the form of a crescent to the foot of Arundel,
Norfolk, and Surrey streets in the Strand. A new
street is to be formed from Wellington-street, opposite
Somerset-house, falling at an inclination of 1 in 40 under
Hungerford-bridge, near to Northumberland-wharf, and
connected with Whitehall-place by a prolongation thereof.
A street connecting Whitehall, opposite the Horse Guards,
with the embankment roadway is to be formed through
Whitehall .yard and Whitehall-stairs, nearly on a level.
The approaches to the embankment roadway will require
your careful consideration, inasmuch as the usefulness of
that roadway will depend mainly on the facilities which
are provided for connecting it with the existing lines of
thoroughfare. The streets, which run at right angles from
the Strand down to the embankment, Norfolk-street ex-
cepted, are so narrow and steep as to be very incon-
venient as public thoroughfares. A convenient communi-
cation between Charing- cross and the roadway on the em-
bankment should farm a prominent feature in the design,
and would probably tend to relieve the Strand and Fleet-
street more than any other, but provision has not been
made for such a line of communication. The most direct
and most convenient route that could be suggested would
unquestionably be in a direct line through the gardens '
close to the back of Northumberland House ; but if that
should be regarded as too bold and costly an approach, I
submit that a very advantageous one may be obtained by
purchasing the block of houses between Northumberland
and Craven-street, and passing in a curved line from the
east corner of Northumberland House, between Northum-
berland and Craven-streets, on to the embankment road-
way. This route from Charing -cross to the east would be
400 feet nearer than by Whitehall-place, and 100 feet nearer
than along the Strand and down Norfolk-street, and its
inclination would not be less than 1 in 56, which is much
better than could be obtained by the other routes. It
would also most effectually relieve the present thorough-
fares where they are the most crowded. I submit also, that
the high level roadway, instead of starting from opposite
Somerset-house, in the narrow part of Wellington-street,
should begin in the Strand, at its junction with Welling-
ton-street, and may be otherwise advantageously modified, as
shown upon plans which have been prepared for the
consideration of the board. Having referred to the powers
of the conservators of the Thames, the report thus con-
cludes :—The borings along the embankment are now nearly
completed, and the result up to the present time indi-
cates that it will be necessary to carry the foundations of
the embankment down to the blue clay, which will be
about 25 feet below the present bed of the river. This will,
I believe, be found to be most economically effected by sink-
ing iron caissons filled with concrete for the foundations, and
by raising upon them from below the level of low-water mark
a
a solid granite-faced embankment, without the aido
cofferdam. The low level sower will be constructed behind,
and under the protection of the embankment
will greatly facilitate the formation of thesewwoarlkl.sd.wiviTdhede
embankment may probably be advantageously'ts which have
into two contracts, but the numerous
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mature designs and prepare the co nhtroatevtesvefor,r
beth eaterxreiecduteionnt
of the wcrk. These works cannot,
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before
preliminaryr e receive
until possession has been obtained of the property and in-
terests along the foreshore of the river whichEnwontcaniilel.esbLeransnds-
terfered with ; and I recommend that arrangements be forth-
with made to promote this object, and that the proper offi-
cerspush forward thasis nreecceeisyseadrilyantdedoiorudesrepdarttoofbethtae
taken
be instructed to prepare,, j.Nv.anßizsAeLTETtThEe,
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consideration on a future day.

The following is the engineer's report on the southern
embankment :
Oentleznen)-4 beg to report that„ the Thames NM'