The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 21, 1658.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS FOR
DRAINAGE OF LONDON.

Leasing
Compans.

Closing Prices
this day.

Business
this day.

SIR,—I observe in nearly all the letters published in
the Times, from numerous correspondents, on the
subject of hotelkeepers, that comparisons are invariably
made between the hotels in England and those on the
Continent.
" They manage these things better in France," says
Sterne, and Sterne is undoubtedly right. Our neigh-
bours do indeed manage these things far better than we
do in England. Permit me, Sir, to draw your attention
also to another subject, one which concerns not merely
the comfort of the passing stranger, who can pay, but
one which is of the highest importance to mankind in
general. The rich and the poor, the father and the
child, the husband and the wife, the brother and the
sister, all these are deeply interested in this one subject,
and which, as it at present exists, is England's greatest
curse. In a word, Sir, I allude to the law, as it now
stands, of imprisonment for debt. I have been led to
these reflections and induced to make these observations
from the comparisons which have been drawn between
our own country and France, and more especially owing
to certain circumstances which have passed under my
own personal observation within the last few days, and
which I never could have believed possible would be
sanctioned by the Legislature of any Christian country ;
but before I enter on this particular subject I wish to
draw your attention to the wisdom and humanity of the
laws of France as regards debtor and creditor. In
France, if a creditor is desirous of imprisoning his debtor,
he can do so ; but it must be at his own expense.
The law of France does not allow him to do it at the
public expense. The view wisely taken by the law as
regards debtor and creditor in the Code de Napoleon is,
that if a creditor allow a man to incur debt and chooses
to arrest him, he, the creditor, must bear all expenses of
the incarceration of his debtor. He is, moreover, com-
pelled to allow him, if in Paris, thirty francs per mensem,
if in the country twenty-five francs, and the money must
be deposited in advance quarterly, on the incarceration
of the prisoner, and always paid in advance, in default
of which the debtor is immediately liberated. How dif-
ferent is the law in England ! If a creditor throws his
unfortunate debtor into prison the burden of the ex-
pense falls upon the public. Will any one believe that
the expense of maintaining debtors and keeping up the
establishment of the Queen's Prison actually costs the
country 28,000/, per annum ? What an immense saving
would be effected to this country if some wise and pa-
triotic statesman were to bring in a bill to amend
the present law of imprisonment for debt, by adopting
the French law, and making the creditor support his
debtor, instead of allowing them to throw the burthen
on the public. Again, observe how merciful is the law
in France as regards aged prisoners. No sooner has
the prisoner completed his 69th year than the doors of
his prison are thrown open, and the aged prisoner is
free to go forth, and devote, if so inclined, the remainder
of his life to the service of his God, and to offer up his
daily prayer and thanksgiving to the Almighty that he
was born a Frenchman, for, had he been an English-
man, he might have languished in jail until he had
attained his 100th year.
Sir, I am well aware how valuable are the columns
of your paper, and how necessary it is to be brief ; but
a circumstance has lately occurred in this prison which
I consider it a duty to lay before the public, snore
especially as no notice has yet been taken of it by any
of the public journals.
On the 24th of the last month a lady, aged 76 years,
was brought to the Queen's Prison a prisoner, for what
is termed contempt of court. She was arrested in
Gloucestershire, and had never been 10 miles from her
native place. She was perfectly ignorant of the cause
of her arrest, and quite unable to afford any information
as to the questions put to her respecting the lease of a
cottage which some one laid claim to, and in which cot-
tage it appeared she had lived for the last 40 years. She
was arrested and brought here, and being in extreme bad
health, the fatigue made her worse, and in three weeks
she breathed her last. An inquest was held on her body,
and a verdict of death from English cholera recorded,
but no report of this circumstance has appeared in any
of the papers, although it was considered a very sus-
picious case, and occasioned much talk in the prison.
Another case occurred a short rims since of a person
dying in the prison, aged 91 years, under the most cruel
and distressing circumstances, and I am acquainted with
a gentleman who has for many years been incarcerated
in this prison who has stated to me that when his daugh-
ter was at the point of death she expressed an earnest
desire once more to see her father. Application was
made to the highest authorities in the law for permission
to allow this unfortunate man to go under the custody of
a keeper to see his child for the last time. Will it be
credited that, in a Christian country, this application was
barbarously refused ? Another case is that of a gentle-
man, confined many years, whose mind, unable to bear
up against so much complicated misery, went raving mad
a short time since, and was taken to Bedlam, where he
now remains.

A special Court of Sewers was held yesterday at the
principal office, Greek-street, Soho-square, for the pur-
pose of receiving reports from Mr. Bazalgette, the en-
gineer to the commissioners, on the northern high level
intercepting sewer, and on the Surrey and Kent drain-
age ; also for the purpose of receiving the reports of the
consulting engineers, Sir W. Cubitt and Mr. Robert
Stephenson, M.P., relating to the same. Present—Mr.
R. Jebb (chairman), Col. Dawson, Mr. L. Redhead, and
Mr. G. S. Smith.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, stated
these very important reports upon works which were
greatly required had been attentively considered at two
previous committee meetings, and were now presented
for the approval of the court.

Mr. WOOLRYCH then read the following reports :
NORTH SIDE OF THE THAMES.
"HACKNEY BROOK" OR NORTHERN HIGH LEVEL INTER

CEPTING SEWER.

REPORT OF MR. BAZALLGETTE.

"The `Hackney Brook or northern high level intercept-
ing sewer' is one of those urgent works, for the immediate
execution of which you have recently applied to Parlia-
ment for powers to borrow money; nor can the importance
of this sewer, in considering the drainage of the metropo-
lis, be over-estimated. It will divert the whole of the
sewage and flood-waters of 14 square miles of the upper
districts from the low districts, and from the river Thames,
thereby reducing the sizes and cost of construction of the
sewers in the low districts, and preventing the destruction

of property by floods as at present.
" For instance the Fleet sewer is now overcharged by tho
amount of drainage falling into it ; it is uncovered for a
great part of its length, through a dense population ; and,
in other places, it has fallen in, and has been temporarily
repaired; but the commissioners have never been able to
apply an effectual remedy to it, on account of its present
defective route, and the enormous cost of rebuilding so large
a sewer in a more direct line through a crowded popula-
tion; and as it has always been intended ultimately to
divert its contents from the Thames, such a work could
only have been of a temporary character; whereas now,
by the diversion of the upland drainage, these difficulties
will all be removed, and it and many similar sewers reduced
to economical and permanent works.
" The amount of drainage received by this upper line
will govern the sizes of the lower lines of intercepting
sewers; and as Parliament has now sanctioned the con-
struction of a tunnel railway along the New-road, which
will intercept our present main lines of sewers, and neces-
sitate the immediate construction of an intercepting sewer
along its route, this upper line is rendered the more imme-
diately imperative.

"This tipper sower will be in itself a complete and per-
fect work, and independent of any other intercepting sewer;
it will afford an advantageous means of flushing and cleans-
ing the sewers in all the lower districts above which it
passes, and thus improve their drainage ; and it will re-
lieve the neighbourhoods of Stoke Newington, Kingsland,
Clapton, and Hackney, from the nuisance of an offensive
, open sewer known as the ' Hackney Brook,' and the latter
places from frequent inundations.
" The route of this work, which I have now to submit
for your consideration, commences with a sewer 4' 6" in
diameter, by a junction with the 4 feet circular sewer now
constructing by Messrs. Rigby as the outfall for the Hamp-
stead drainage, in the line of the open Fleet sewer ; its
inclination being lin 72. It passes along Gordon House-
lane, crosses the Highgate-road at an inclination of 1 in
134, and intercepts the second branch of the Fleet sewer,
being at this point 6 feet 9 inches in diameter. It then
passes across the fields into the Tufnel Park-road, turns
down the Holloway-road to its junction with the Tolling-
ton-road; at this point its size is increased to 16' 6" in
diameter, and it is laid at such a level as to enable it to
' receive a branch from the Edgware-road and Regent's-park,
diverting the waters of the upper portion of the Ranelagh
and Kings' Scholars' Pond sewers, and again intercepting,
the Fleet sewer at Kentish Town. From the Hollo-
way-road, it passes under the Great Northern Railway,
and New River cut, taking nearly the same direction as
the present open Hackney Brook sewer, for which it will
act as a substitute, and falling at an inclination of 1 in 476
to the High-street, Stoke Newington, where its size is
increased to 11' 6" in diameter. It then passes along the
Rectory and Amherst Roads to Church-street, Hackney;
and from this point it is increased to 12' 6" in diameter,
and its inclination is one in 1,320. Thence it crosses under
the East and West India Dock Railway, along Albion-
road, West-street, and through the Victoria Park, and
under Sir George Duckett's Canal, up to which point it is
kept to such a level that it may be carried over or under
the River Lea navigation ; or the sewage may be diverted
from the point at Sir George Duckett's Canal down below
the Lea navigation, at Four Mills, retaining the present as
a flood outlet ; or the point selected would afford an ad-
vantageous position for the erection of sewage manure
works. With all these alternatives held in view, it is
proposed for the present to terminate this work with two
parallel culverts, each 7 feet 6 inches in height by 8 feet
in width, discharging into the River Lea at the present
Hackney Brook outfall. This sewer is kept at such a level
(for the purpose of being carried over or under the River
Lea, and discharging at high water by gravitation) that a
portion of the drainage of the Hackney Marshes cannot be
turned into it ; this must either drain into the Lea, as pro-
posed by Mr. Forster, or eventually be carried into the
low level sewer, to be raised by pumping.
" It is further proposed to fix tide-gates at the mouth of
the present Hackney Marsh open sewer, to prevent the in-
gress of the tide, and by this means, and the diversion of
the upland sewage from it, to prevent the floods to which
the Hackney Marshes are now subjected.
"The estimated cost of the whole of this work, from
Kilburn and Hampstead to the River Lea, and a branch
to Four Mills, will bo about 271,2901., and the probable
cost of that part of it which it is now proposed to execute
will be about 181,2901.

I could recount many similar cases, but my pen re-
fuses to trace such scenes of misery. Humanity cries
aloud that deeds such as these should be put a stop to.
You, Sir, can do much towards it by exposure.l Let but
the law of France, as regards debtor and creditor, be-
come the law of England, and the result will be an im-
mense saving to the country, for few creditors will con-
sent to pay 3s. per day to support their debtor in prison.
The effect will be to restore to liberty thousands of un-
happy persons now in captivity ; and, lastly, it will in-
flict a great moral lesson upon all vindictive creditors,
by teaching them that in encouraging persons to run
into debt, they must bear in mind the fact, that although
they have the power to incarcerate their debtors, the ex-
pense of supporting them will fall upon their own shoul-
ders, and that the public will no longer be taxed for
that purpose.—l am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
ONE WHO HAS SEEN THESE THINGS.

" I submit herewith a section of the proposed sewer, a
map showing its direction by the red hue marked upon it,
and the branch from the Ranelagh sewer, and the alter-
native outlets proposed to be added to it hereafter, by
dotted lines ; the areas which would drain into this sewer
being coloured yellow upon the map, and amounting to
about 8,913 acres, or 14 square miles."

that fully ten times this amount will reqtured to put
the drainage of London into a proper condition.

SOUTH SIDE OF THE THAMES.
SURREY AND KENT DRAINAGE.
REPORT OF MR. BAZALGETTE.
" Pursuant to your instructions of the 20th ult., I have,
in consultation with Sir William Cubitt, prepard a de-
sign for a high level or catchwater sower ; which, in con-
junction with the low level sewer (the plans for which have
already been laid before you), will complete the main fea-
tures of a design for the effectual drainage of the metropo-
litan districts on the south side of the Thames, and the di-
version of the sewage to a lower point in that river ; whence
it will admit of still further removal from the metropolis,
as soon as the commissioners shall be enabled to carry out
the necessary works.
" In preparing this design, it has been sought, as far as
practicable, to comply with the resolutions of the commis-
sioners in 1850, communicated to their engineer, the late
Mr. Forster, on the subject of the main drainage; and in
describing the proposed scheme, it will be necessary, first,
to call your attention to the natural features of the district
to be drained, which is represented by the portions re-
spectively coloured green, pink, and blue upon the accom-
panying map, and which covers an area of about 24 square
miles.
" The urban districts and more closely populated suburbs
are bounded on the north by the river Thames, on the east
by the river Ravensbourne, and on the west by the river
Wandle; the southern boundary being a summit, or water-
shed level, about Mitcham, Streatham, Norwood, and
Sydenham. The river Thames now receives the drainage
of this district from the Heathwall, the Effra, the Battle-
bridge, the Great St. John's, the Duffield, the Earl, and
several minor sewers, along its course, for a length of 11
miles, between the outlets of the rivers Wandle and Ra-
vensbourne. It is 'not proposed to intercept the rainfall
upon the lands adjoining these two last-mentined rivers;
they will continue to receive it as heretofore. But it is
proposed to divert from those lands, as far as practicable,
the drainage of such roads and buildings as may be built
upon them.
" The northern half of the entire area, comprising the
istricts coloured pink and blue upon the map, is mostly ur-
ban, and its general surface varies from the level of Trinity
high-water to 6 feet below it. This tract has, doubtless, at
one period, been a marsh covered by the waters of the
Thames, although many of the houses upon it have now
basements and cellars below the ground.
" The southern half, coloured green upon the map, is
suburban, and its surface falls rapidly towards its northern
or lower margin, from an elevation of 350 feet higher ; so
that, during heavy rains, the floods from the whole of the
upper district descend with great rapidity into the sewers
of the two lower districts ; and the mouths of those sewers
being closed by the waters in the Thames for about eight
hours each tide, the sewers themselves moreover being in-
sufficient to store the storm waters, the result is, that
during that period the lower districts are flooded.
"It will be evident that it is impossible to maintain a
continual and unintermitting flow in the sewers of the two
lower districts, or to drain the cellars and subsoil, and
make them dry and healthy, without the aid of pumping.
" The first object, therefore, has been, so to intercept
the waters from the suburban, or high district, as to carry
off the largest possible amount by gravitation ; and having
thus relieved the low districts from periodical inundations
whereby their size is reduced to a manageable limit, to
deal with them as hereinafter described.
" The high level intercepting sewer commences at the
north-west corner of Clapham commoa, being of the ordi-
nary form (3' 9" x 2' 6"), and falling at the rate of 1 in
341 to its junction with its northern branch, at the point
marked B on the accompanying map ; its route to this
point being through Clapham Park-road, Acre-lane, and
Cold Harbour-lane, where it intercepts the Effra Sewer
near the Brixton-road, its size increasing in proportion to
the amount of drainage to be received by it, up to 9 feet
6 inches in diameter at the point B, where it receives the
drainage from 2,200 acres. From this point the main line
falls as the rate of 1 in 1,760, or 3 feet per mile, to its out-
let. And from the junction with the northern branch
to the junction with the southern branch, viz.,—
between B and D, it is twelve feet in diameter, and
drains 3,500 acres, its direction being through Cold
Harbour-lane, Love-walk, and fields to the point D,
in the Lyndhurst-road, where it receives the southern
branch. From this point to the outlet, it is increased
to two parallel culverts, each 11 feet in diameter,
passing mainly through fields and garden ground, and under
the Brighton and North Kent Railways, near New-cross
stations, to the mouth of the Ravensbourne, at Deptford-
creek, into which it will discharge the drainage from 7,850
acres by gravitation, at high water of the highest tides.
" The northern branch commences with a sewer 4 feet in
diameter, by a junction with an existing sewer in Rectory-
grove, Clapham ; and it falls at an inclination of 1 in 175,
1 through Larkhall-lane to Union-road. Here it increases to
6 feet in diameter, and falls to its junction with the main
line at the point B, in Cold Harbour-lane, at the rate of 1
in 1,472, again intercepting the Effra sewer at a lower
point in the Brixton-road, and draining 650 acres through
a seven feet sewer.
" The southern branch, or Effra diversion, commences
by a junction with the Effra sewer at Croxted-lane, near
Dulwich. It falls, at an inclination of from Ito 273 to 1
in 100, in a direct line, to its junction with the main sewer
at the po int D, in the Lyndhurst-road ; being 9 feet in
diameter, and receiving the drainage from 3,100 acres.
" These branches are important parts of the high level
sewer, and without them it will not answer. In particular
the southern branch will save the covering of an equal
length (about 2 miles) of the present open Effra sewer, the
waters of which, instead of descending by a circuitous
route, and with a flat gradient, into the lower districts,
will be diverted at a high level to a point nearer the out-
fall ; and thus the size and cost of the upper portion of the
main line will be reduced to one-half of what would other-
wise be required, whilst a deep outfall for a new district
now subjected to floods, namely, Dulwich, will be pro-
vided.
" Taking the more comprehensive view of the drainage of
the whole area, it is proposed to extend and slightlyalter the
design for the low level sewer laid before the committee, on
the 20th ult., so as to include the drainage of Battersea and
Battersea-fields. The present scheme commences with a
circular sewer, 5 feet in diameter, at the level of the bed of
the Falcon-brook, Battersea. It passes along Battersea-
road, under the South-Western Railway, along Priory-
road, Lansdowne-road, and the Clapham-road, to St.
Mark's Church, Kennington-common ; up to which point
its inclination will be one in 1,760, or three feet per mile,
and its size will then have been increased to 8 feet in dia-
meter. From this point it proceeds in the direction of
Mr. Forstei's line, by the side of the Surrey Canal to Old
Kent-road, at an inclination of 1 in 2,212, or 2 feet 6 in.
ler mile br. -1 this 9 feet in diamete-

p , eeing a, 1-13 poin i.eet in diameter.
then proceeds along the Old Kent-road, in Cold Blow.
' lane, where it leaves Mr. Forster's line ; taking a direct
course across the fields and market gardens, under the
Brighton and North Kent-railways, along New Douglas-
street, and Griffin-street, to High-street, Deptford ; its in-
clination for this length being 2 feet per mile, or 1 in
2,640 ; and its size 13 feet in diameter. 'Up to this point
it receives the drainage from 4,450 acres, coloured pink
upon the map. At High-street, Deptford, its size is in-
creased to 12 feet in diameter, being intended, eventually,
to receive here an important branch sewer from the lower
Deptford-road, which will divert from the Thames the
drainage of about 3,300 acres, coloured blue upon the map.
The main lino then passes between the Gas and Vitriol
Works, near the Greenwich Railway, and under Deptford
Creek to a vacant piece of ground, well adapted for a
pumping-station, or for sewage manure works, or for con-
tinning the line at some future time further eastward.
" The lift from the bottom of the sewer to Trinity high-
water mark, would here be 30 feet; and from 1,500 to
2,000 horse-power would have to be provided at the pump-
ping station.
" The lengths of the proposed sewers would be as fol-
low :—High Level Sewer, main line, 6 miles 2 furlongs;
north branch, 2 miles ; south branch, 2 miles 1 furlong ;
total, 10 miles 3 furlongs. Low Level, main line, 7 miles
4 furlongs ; north branch, 2 miles 3 furlongs; total, 9 miles
7 furlongs. Grand total, 20 miles 2 furlongs.
" The sections of these sewers are of a favourable cha-
racter : their inverts generally average from 20 to 30 feet
below the surface; and a very small portion of the work
will have to be tunelled.
" Careful attention has been paid to the character of
the surface under which the sewers are to be constructed ;
private property and houses have been avoided as much as
possible ; but, owing to the streets being irregularly laid
out, it has not been practicable to effect this altogether,
and in such cases the comparative value of the property
has been duly considered.
" It will be observed that, to save the permanent cost of
pumping, the gradients of the low level sewer have been re-
duced ; but the increase in the size of a sewer compensates
for a loss of fall • and the sewers will still maintain,
through their whole length, a velocity
of
from 13 to 2 miles per hour, with the
ordinary varying flow of
sewage, and during rains that velocity will be increased
In this sewer there will be a constant current a
suffi-
cient of
body of water, so that the average velocity will be to keep it clear from ordinary deposit , but there
will also be a good opportunity of flushing it, together
with the other sewers in this district, from the catchwater
sewer and the Thames at high water.
" The minimum velocity of current in the high level
sewer will be about 23 miles per hour; whilst at the upper
end it will be considerably more.
" The sizes of the sewers now proposed are larger than
any heretofore recommended to the commissioners ; and I
would here beg leave to refer to that part of the report of
Mr. Haywood and myself, on the Great London Drainage
Scheme, contained in page 23, wherein we argue—
" ' That the drainage of those portions of the metropolis
at present requiring a deeper outfall, must not be made
dependent upon any scheme of interception, unless such
scheme is adequate to carry off the rainfall as well as the
sewage from them. It, therefore, follows, that whatever
scheme of interception is eventually adopted, if it be short
of such capacity, the sewerage and drainage of the metro:
polis must be perfected and completed independently of it.
" If this reasoning be sound, it is manifestly moreovor7
eco-
nomical to construct ono work which will answero .up,l..
purpose, than to complicate it by the execution_
.f.dmaiy
cate sewers, in order to gain the same object which
that
be obtained by one; an it remains only
,to
n s
these sewers are sufficient to carry off the ratfa.llhavrs well
,
O
as the sewage, from tho districts for which they will be
the outfall.
amounting to 30
"An average vof an annual ra-n
fiow of sewage, would
inches, added to the maximum dailyiaiite po
.un the upper dis-
give only 3,000 cubic feet per
trict, and 4,000 cubic feet uponralnghoeunitOiVier
todistorincet,ewrhtiwlset
extraordinary thunderstorms, a
inches in an hour, are recorded; these, however, generally
occur during the hot seasons, when the ground absorbs and
the air evaporates a large portion of the rain. Such storms
covering but a small district nt "
are generally partial'
of ong duration,upon
the
dsios
ttrhi
catt
(t.theetNlveht-oracloeobe
time, and are never f
the waters that fallenhaveeafter the storm has abated ; and a
the outfall sower until
small portion only of the sewer being pre-occupied at the
olinfe for
ri
commencement of the storm, the remaining
severe ordeal tonaivny apndol uniform
g
some time stores the flood waters.
A b
rain of long duration is probably the most
which sewers are subjected, when the ground and the air
having become charged to their full extent, absorption and
evaporation abstract
lse
but little from the sewers, and the
a
feeder sewers having become charged, would be deli-
vering to their full extent.
" The largest quantity of rain which fell in London in ono
day during the wet season
of 18.;2 measured 13 inches, but
storms amounting to
inches in a day, although of rare
occurrence, have been recorded ; and these would deliver
into the high level sewer 15,000 cubic feet per minute, wiiilst
it is capable of discharging upwards of 46,000. The low
level sewer will discharge 21,400 cubic feet per minute, and
it is here proposed
that the existing main sewers in the low
districts should Storms. _act as reservoirs during such extraordinary
From their construction and the remarkable flat-
ness of their level, they are peculiarly adapted to this ob-
ject ; and it is estimated that, on these occasions, they
would store the surplus floods without the rising of the lat-
ter to an inconvenient height, aad would again deliver their
contents into the Thames at low water, or into the inter-
cepting sewer as it became free to receive them. Thus the