The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-02 00:00:00

" THE TRAPPING OF GULLIES AND VENTILATION OF

SEWERS.

" In reference to the recommendation of the adop-
tion of a more perfect system of trapping the street
gullies, we draw the attention of your honourable
court to the circumstance that there does not exist
within your jurisdiction a single gully which is un-
trapped, and also that the trapping of street gullies as
a system was first adopted by this commission about
seventeen years ago ; and although the example was
followed to some extent by the then existing Metro-
politan Commissioners of Sewers, yet we believe we
are correct in stating that the city still presents the
only metropolitan area throughout which the gullies are
uniformly trapped ; and that you have been fully
aware of the necessity of perfecting the system is
evinced by giving a fair trial to all such traps as have
been from time to time submitted to you, and have
appeared to possess sufficient merit to justify their
being put to a practical test.
" With regard to the present mode of ventilation
of sewers, we admit, as indeed it has always been ad-
mitted by your honourable court, that the system is
defective ; but we believe that it is, nevertheless, the
best which has been hitherto devised. The ventila-
tion of sewers is a subject of much difficulty, and,
perhaps, a perfect system may be only attainable at
a very large outlay, and a considerable future annual
charge ; but we have reason to think that the in
creased care and attention given of late years to the
cleanliness of the sewer/ has very much diminished
the escape of effluvium from the ventilating shafts.
This mode of ventilation was likewise first adopted
by your honourable court about fourteen years
ago, and it was rapidly followed through••
out the whole metropolis. It is still, we
believe, the only mode adopted for the ventilation of
sewers; and we fully concur in opinion that a more
perfect system of ventilation and trapping is highly
to be desired.

" WATER SUPPLY.

" In reference to the very important question of
water supply, which forms the subject of the second
section of Mr. Simon's report, we have been in com-
munication with the New River Company, who, as
you are aware, supply almost ell the city of London
with water, and also with the East London Company,
who supply a very small portion of the easternmost
part of the city. We have had a return made from
them, severa►ly, of the nature and extent of that sup-
ply. [Here follows an account of the quantity sup-
plied by each company, and the manner of supply.]
We also directed the surveyor and the medical officer
of health to report to us their opinion as to what
would be a sufficient supply of water to the houses
and premises within this city, and the best principle
upon which to effect such supply; and having atten-
tively considered the question, we agreed to the fol-
lowing resolutions, which we directed the clerk to
transmit to Mr. Nylne, the engineer of the New
River Company :
" That the quantity of water daily supplied to the
city being, upon an average, for ad purposes of con-
sumption, 25 gallons, and for domestic supply 21k
gallons, is sufficient per head per diem, with the pre-
sent usages of water if properly economised ; but the
water companies should be bound to supply 30 gal-
lons per head per diem, should the anticipated pro-
spective fair increase of consumption take place.
" That it is desirable that a supply, at a pressure
sufficient to deliver water at the tops of all the
houses, should be given uniformly throughout the
city of London.
" That application be made to the New River
Company for the trial of the system of constant sup-
ply, at high pressure, upon a particular district within
the City of' London, for a given period, in order to
determine accurately what are the effects of its intro-
duction as regards waste, and what benefits may
practically be derived from it, and that the details of its
execution should be carried out under the joint
superintenee of the surveyor and medical officer of
health.'

" We were subsequently attended by Mr. Mylne,
who expressed his opinion that the New River Com-
pany cannot at the present time afford the quantity
off watt r necessary to make an experiment of the con-
stant supply at high pressure to such a district of the
city as we proposed, as he anticipates the waste
would be so great that with the dry season approach-
ing the company would not be able to give the neces-
sary supply to other districts. But he stated that in
the month of November next there would be no dif-
ficulty in rendering the necessary supply for such ex-
periment. Mr. Mylne informed us that the New
River Company had last year tried this experiment
in a district north of the Regent's Canal, consisting
of three thousand houses, and had found such result
to fullow. Mr. Mylne suggested, by way of meeting
the difficulties at present experienced in affording the
needful supply of pure water to the houses of the
poor situate in tbe courts and alleys where a com-
mon cock is now only fixed, that capacious iron tanks
should be erected in the open court, at a height of
about ten feet from the ground, and covered to avoid
pollution of the contents, so as to be accessible only
to the officers of :the company. He proposed that
pipes should then be carried through the houses on
the ground floor, so that all might have access to a
supply thus to be drawn off by spring taps within
their houses, and he engaged that, if erected, the
tanks should be kept constantly filled. Mr. Mylne
expressed to us an opinion that the company might be
induced to erect such tanks at their own cost, when
required, if your Court would use its power to compel
the owners of the property to pay for the supply of
water; and, to obviate the objection of the water
being thereby polluted, it should be a part of this
system that no pipes should be allowed to take water
from these tanks for the flushing of privies, but for
that purpose water should be laid on from another
source. Mr. Mylne further intimated to us
that if the three days a week high supply
at present given to the city be deemed insuf-
ficient, a further high service might be afforded du-
ring three nights in the week, or alternate nights,
in accomplishing which no alteration of the time of
supply during the day would be made, nor would it
require any additional machinery or pipes ; and he
also stated that if
the New River Company succeed
in passing their Bill now in Parliament, they will be
enabled to supply to the city of London and their
other districts one-fourth more water than at pre-
sent, which will exceed the quantity recommended in
the before-mentioned resolution as proper to be sup-
plied to the inhabitants of this city.
" We having heard Mr. Mylne to this effect, he in-
timated his desire to report to the directors of the
New River Company the result of our conference,
and signified that they would no doubt communicate
in writing their reply to our resolutions, and we
therefore adjourned the consideration of the mat-
ter. It our next meeting we received the following
letter :

" New River Office, March 14, 1850.
" Sir,—l am instructed by the directors of the
New River Company to state that, in compliance
with the request of the Committee of Health of the
Commissioners of Sewers of the city of London, as
expressed in their letter and resolutions of the Ist
instant, addressed to Mr. Mylne, the company's engi-
neer, they instructed Mr. Mylne to attend the meeting
of the committee on Monday last, and they hoped
that the information which he has given in reference
to those resolutions, and the additional inquiries then
made, had been satisfactory.
" If, however, the Committee of Health are de-
sirous of any further information on any points, and
would transmit their wishes in writing to this com
pony, the directors will give them their earliest con-
sideration.

" The directors regret that their engineer, being
engaged with one of the engineers of the Metropo-
litan Sanitary Commission, appointed by the Go-
vernment, in the inspection of the works of the New
River Company (which will occupy the whole day),
will be unable to attend the meeting of the Commis-
sioners of Health to-morrow.

" FREDERICK STAPLES, Clerk.

" Joseph Daw, Esq.'
" We very much regret this unsatisfactory issue of
our inquiries with the New River Company, so dif-
ferent from that which our interviews with Mr.
Mylne had led us to hope ; but as Mr. Mylne dis-
tinctly informed us they cannot for some months
make the experiment we have desired, and as the
New River Company had also before stated their in-
ability to render a high-service supply to the city of
London generally, we think it most expedient to ter-
minate our proceedings therein, and no longer delay
our report. We therefore recommend to your
Honourable Court to adopt as a principle for water
supply to the city of London our two first resolu-
tions already recited.

" OFFENSIVE TRADES.

" In reference to the 3:1 section of the report, which
treats of offensive and injurious trades, we beg to re-
mind your Honourable Court that upon your attempt-
ing to put in force the powers of your Act of Parlia-
ment in reference thereto, it was found that consider-
able difficulties were opposed to your efforts. Suffi-
cient powers are not given by the City of London
Sewers Act to meet some of the cases we allude to,
while other legal and technical objections presented
themselves to the enforcement of the powers in ques-
tion. In reference to slaughter-houses, and snore
particularly to under-ground slaughtering, the
proceedings which the Court have taken to obtain the
opinions of high legal authority on your power to
suppress the sane', in connexion with your other pro-
ceedings to which we have alluded, are evidence of
the desire felt by the Commissioners of Sewers of the
city of London to carry out these provisions. And
we beg to report that, after considering all these va-
rious points, we think it very desirable that means
should be ta\ten to remove the sanitary evils which
belong to intramural slaughtering and other offensive
trades, and to pint out to you the necessity, when
the question of renewing your Act shali come into
consaicration, of acquring additional oiwer:,
may enable you effectually to remedy those evils.

1' INTRAMURAL INTERMENTS.

"In taking lip the matters referred to in the 4th