The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-11 00:00:00

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

Yesterday the City Commissioners of Sewers held
their weekly meeting at Guildhall. Mr. Deputy
Christie, the Chairman of the Commission, pre-
siding.

Dr-. LETIIEBY, the medical officer, reported on
the state of 186 houses that had been inspected
during the week, and he submitted a list of 51
places for sanatory improvement. The following
are extracts from his report :—With the setting in
of the warm weather there are the usual complaints
of annoyance caused by putrid exhalations from the
manufactories of raw animal substances, as fat-
melters, tripe-dressers, gutscrapers, bone-dealers
blood-preparers, and such other trades as are de-
pendent on the large slaughter-houses of the City.
All these operations require the utmost care to pre-
vent them from becoming serious nuisances, by
loading the air with effluvia of decomposing animal
matter. The chief points to be attended to are, the
storing of the material for as short a time as pos-
sible ; and while operating on them the adoption of
such contrivances as will prevent the escape of
offensive vapours into the atmosphere. In the case
of fat-melting and tripe-dressing, the raw substances
should not be kept in store, but used directly they
are brought to the factory, and the coppers for boil-
ing them should be constructed so as to convey the
evolved vapours into the furnace fire, At the marine-
store shops where fat and bones are collected, the
fat should be kept in casks with tight fitting covers,
and the bones in well tarred bass. The stock
should not be kept beyond a couple of days,
and it should be removed in the packages in
which it has been stored. There are no difficul-
ties whatever in executing these arrangements, for
they do not interfere with trade operations, and yet
they are sufficient to reduce the annoyances com-
plained of to the smallest possible compass. A some-
what new process of preparing blood for manufac-
turing purposes has lately been practised in the
neighbourhood of the large slaughter-houses, and in
one case it has been a subject of complaint. The
blood while warm is put into tin vessels and allowed
to set. It is then carried to the factory and cut up
into small pieces. These are placed in tin cullenders,
where they drain for 24 hours, and at the end of
that time the solid portions are carried away for the
manufacture of manure, and the liquid part or
serum is put into casks and removed from the pre-
mises. All the operations are conducted in about 24
hours, and therefore are not likely to be a source of
annoyance from putrefactive decomposition. But
the processes are unsightly, and there is a large
quantity of material operated on. These are the
chief causes of complaint. At the works of Mr.
Pelham, in Little Somerset-street, they use the
blood of from 300 to 400 bullocks in a week, and as
the factory is open to view from an adjoining work-
shop it is offensive. The remedy is, however, very
simple, viz., greater seclusion. It is also necessary
that cleanliness should be observed in every stage
of the process, and that the pavement of the factory
should be impervious. It should also have a proper
slope for flushing and draining. Another subject
for frequent complaint is the escape of the fumes of
burning sulphur during the bleaching of nuts, spice,
horse hair, &c. At 13, Pudding-lane, there is a
warehouse occupied by Mrs. Bayliss, in which al-
monds and other small nuts are bleached in the way
described, and the operation is performed in such a
manner as to allow tie vapours from the burning
sulphur to pass into the neighbouring houses. This
is a cause of great annoyance, and therefore I have
recommended that the process be conducted in a
close chamber, with a ventilating shaft to the top
of the building. 56 births have been registered
during the week, and only 29 deaths. With
one exception, this is the smallest weekly return
of deaths that has been made in the course
of the last fivo years. The average for the
season is 52. About one-third of the number oc-
curred among children of less than five years of
age, and six among old persons. The chief causes
of death were diseases of a chronic character ; in
fact there is a remarkable absence of diseases of an
acute and zymotic character ; 5 deaths only have
been due to these causes, namely, 3 from fever, and
2 from whooping cough ; and of the pulmonary class
of affections there were but 9 returns,yiz. :-5 from
consumption, 3 from bronchitis, and 1 from pneu-
monia. At the conclusion of the report aconversa-
tion, begun by Dr. Abraham, and in which Depu-
ties Lott, Pewtress, and Barnard, Mr. Ross, and
the Chairman took part, arose on that part of it re-
lating to trading operations of an offensive charac-
ter, injurious to the public health, and in the course
of which the duty devolving ou that Court, of pro-
tecting the public interest, was unanimously recog-
nised. A resolution was eventually passed, refer-
ring that part of the report to the General Purposes
Committee, and directing notices to be served upon
the parties offending, in cases of emergency.
The Court then adjourned.

The Mysterious Power of the Magnet is'most beautifully
developed by Mr. F. M. HERRING, of 32, Basing-hall-street,
in his patent Magnetic Brushes and Combs, which are the
remedy for grey hair, weak or falling hair, neuralgia, nervous
headache, rheumatism, stiff joints, &c. liis Teazle Brushes
for cloth, velvet, &c., are admirable; they not only cleanse
but preserve the fabric in a remarkable manner. The public
Arc cautioned nainat matcrleits.---VIDu.I