The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-14 00:00:00

STATE OF THE THAMES.

The following report has just been presented to
the Metropolitan Board of Works :

"To THE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE
METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.
"King's College, London, June 9.
" Gentlemen,—The progressive rise of tempera-
ture, both in the atmosphere and in the river
during the past week, accompanied by a diminished
fall of rain, has been attended by a marked change
for the worse in the state of the Thames, which is
rendered particularly evident at the upflow of the
tide, when the mud, in which decomposition has
been promoted by exposure for some hours to the
sun's rays, is stirred up by the advancing water,
and the imprisoned gases are set free.
"Putrefaction is always more•easily prevented
than checked after it has commenced. It is, there-
fore, desirable that immediate measures should be
taken to prevent, as far as possible, the addition
to the river of any matters from the sewers in an
active state of putrescence.
" With a view to this object, I have, during the
past week, been in almost daily communication
with the chairman of the board, who informs me
that arrangements are complete for enabling the
deodorising agents to be mixed with the contents
of the sewers near their outfall.
"For the present, the most advisable course to
be adopted appears to he to add lime in regulated
quantities to the sewerage products before allowing
them to become mixed with the water of the river.
Some difference of opinion exists as to the effici-
ency of this mode of procedure. There is, however,
no doubt thitt when lime is added to recent excre-
mentitious matters it combines with some of their
constituents which are most prone to decomposition,
and forms with them a flocculent chemical com-
pound, or pretipitate, which is less liable to putre-
faction than the original material. If this preci-
pitate could be separated, and the liquid portion
only be run off, as is practised at Leicester, the
subsequent offensive decomposition of the liquid
sewerage products Would be effectually obviated,
as experience has fully proved. But even where
it is not practicable to effect this separation, the
use of lime at the present temperature will exert
an important influence in retarding the process of
putrefaction.
" If the liming be found as summer advances and
the temperature continues to rise to be inadequate
to check the putrefaction, other more powerful but
much more expensive deodorizing compounds to be
employed, either as adjuncts or substitutes.
" I am .at present engaged in trials upon the
best means of applying those at the mouth of one
of the large sewers, and I hope to be able in a short
time to report to you the results of the trials.
" The following table will show the advance of
temperature in the river during the week that has
elapsed since June 2, the date of my last report. I
have found the temperature of the river to be 1.5
deg. to 2 deg. higher at low than at high water,
obviously because the volume of water is smallest
at "low water, as it washes over the heated mud.
banks. There has been much thunder but little
rain during the week, the total fall amounting to
0.18 inch.
TABLE OF TEMPERATURE OF THE RIVER.