The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-28 00:00:00

THE SERPENTINE.

On Tuesday last a deputation waited upon the
Right Hon. H. Fitzroy, at the office of Works,
Whitehall, on the subject of the continued unwhole-
some and dangerous condition of the Serpentine in
Hyde-park. The deputation consisted of Mr. James
Heywood (late M.P. for- North Lancashire), Dr.
James Copland, Dr. Spurgin, Dr. Tilt, Dr. Petti-
grew, and Mr. John Lilwall (hon. sec. to the com-
mittee promoting the proposed improvements,
Mr. HEYWOOD introduced the deputation, and
called on Mr. Lilwall to explain its objects.
The HON. SECRETARY said the committee repre-
sented by the gentlemen present was appointed at
a large public meeting of householders and others,
held so far back as June, 1848, presided over by
Lord Harrowby, and which had been called in con-
quence of the filthy and dangerous state of the Ser-
pentine. Resolutions were passed on that occasion
authorising the committee to adopt such measures
from time to time as were calculated to secure the
carrying out of the necessary improvements. Two
other public meetings had also been held on the
subject. A very numerous and respectably signed
petition of the inhabitants of Knightsbridge,
Brompton, Sloane-street, Kensington, B.:c. had been
presented to the House of Commons in favour of the
measure, and the committee had, moreover, from
time to time within the last 11 years, sent six de-
putations up to the Office of Works upon the sub-
ject, and, inasmuch as the several chief commis-
sioners had one and all admitted the existence of
the evils complained'of, the committee had good rea-
son to believe that but for the constant change of
Governments which had taken place the necessary
improvements would have been effected some years
since. One thing to be done was to shut out the filth
that occasionally flowed into the lake from Bays-
water sewer, the deep holes required to be filled up,
and the bed of the river to be reduced to a graduated
depth of from two, to at the utmost six feet; and
lastly, it was necessary that there should be a suffi-
ciently increased supply of water to bring the cascade
at the eastern end into constant play. He suggested
that the plan which had been adopted for improving
the lake in St. James's-park was of a most simple
kind, and as it had answered its purposes so admirably-
he thought the same method might be adopted forput-
ting the Serpentine into order. Moreover, an abun-
dant supply of water could be pumped up to the
Serpentine from St. James's-park by forming more
adits to bring water to the present shaft there.
Mr. FITZROY believed that was an error.
Mr. LILWALL -wished to be considered as making'
the statement with great deference, blithe spoke on
the authority of a man eminent in his profession as
an engineer, and who had given considerable Eaten-
! tion to the subject. it was well known that the
source of the supply was the Thames, and as the
water had to filter through some half-mile of sand it
was found to be in an excellent state when pumped
up
D.
r. COPLAND observed that, in a medical point of
view, the water was not only unfit for the purposes
of bathing, but was also detrimental to those who
frequented the shores of the lake.
Dr. PETTIGREW thought that something ought
to be done, if only for the sake of the many thou-
sands of the poor who flocked to the Serpentine for
the purposes of bathing. It was really the only na-
tional bath to which there was access free of charge.
He believed the number of suicides in the Serpen-
tine wculd be decreased were the depth of the water
reduced.
1 Dr. TILT remarked upon the impurities of the
' lake, when Mr. Fitzroy produced a bottle contain-
ing a sample of the water taken from the Serpen-
tine that looked tolerably clear.
Mr. LILWALL said that nothing could be more
delusive than the appearance of the Serpentine
water. One day it looked sufficiently clear, and the
next it would become discoloured and offensive,
But even though it always appeared clear to the eye,
it must be obvious that a sheet of water that was
stagnant, in which persons suffering from loathsome
diseases and running sores often bathed, was quite
unfit for persons of cleanly habits to bathe in. But
further than this, the sacrifice of life occasioned by
the deep holes and large deposits of slimy mud was
in itself a serious evil, and it should be borne in
mind that the actual deaths which occur on the spot
form but a small proportion of the number of per-
sons whose constitutions get injured by being so
long under water, and who never thoroughly recover
from the shock which their system thus sustains.
Mr. FITZROY—I am afraid. I cannot promise you
the levelling of the bottom, or go further than to say
that something shall be done to purify the water.
2.1 r. HEYWOOD—Something should be done to
prevent the drainage from Kensal-green Cemetery
from flowing into it.
Mr. FITZROY—My original idea was to carry out
the plan mentioned by gr. Lilwall, but I fear it is
too great an undertaking. In two or three years
the Metropolitan Board of Works will meet one of
the evils through their main drainage system.
Mr. LILWALL hoped that as both sides of the
House of Commons were in a measure committed to
the proposed improvements, the Chief Commissioner
would find less difficulty than he anticipated in ob-
taining the necessary grant, more especially as so
many thousands of persons of all classes, from the
poorest to the highest, were directly interested in
the question, and especially as large sums of public
money were often expended upon other matters of
comparatively small importance.
Dr. TILT referred to a tabular statement, showing
the large sacrifice of life that had occurred in this
water within the last 10 years. He thought it
highly important that the holes, now in some parts
(reckoning mud and water) as much as 24 feet deep,
ought to be filled up.
Mr. FITZROY—There would be great difficulty in
doing that, unless the water were drained off.
Dr. PETTIGREW, as a medical man, gave it as his
belief that the noxious vapours which are occasion-
ally thrown off from this water tend to produce dis-
ease. He had been told that one of the medical
officers of the Life Guards was in a position to fur-
nish very strong evidence of the evils arising from
the use of Serpentine water at the barracks.
Mr. HEYWOOD said the son of a gentleman of his
acquaintance, who was in the habit of walking by
w
the Serpentine, fell ill, which the doctor said was
caused by the malaria arising from its waters, and,
on his being sent into the country, he rapidly re-
covered.
Mr. LILWALL, referring to the same point, stated
that the family of the intelligent superintendent of
the Royal Humane Society had suffered greatly
from ill health, which was believed to be caused by
the noxious smells connected with the Serpentine.
Dr. COPLAND stated that the offensive and un-
wholesome exhalations of the Serpentine arose
partly from the water and partly from the decom-
position of animal matter in the mud.
After some farther conversation,
The Right Hon. Gentleman repeated that,agrce-
- lag with a great deal that had been said, lie could
l not promise to carry out all the suggestions which
he
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The deputation then th
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, withdrew.

„
THE MURDER AND SUICIDE IN ST LUKE'S.—An
inquest was held yesterday by 1:1Tr. Humphries
for East Middlesex, on the bodies of the unfortunate the coroner
per-
sons and the result was a verdict that ” Sarah Ship COM-
"mitte'd self-destruction while in a state of tempo in-
sanity, and murdered her child while in that state.' ,