The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-16 00:00:00

OBSTRUCTIONS ON THE RIVER
THAMES.
Yesterday the Lord Mayor held Courts, as Conservator of the
River of Thames and Waters of Nledway, in the Counties of
Surrey and Midellese., for the purpose of receiving reports from
Juries upon the state of the river. His Lordship was attended
by the Recorder ; the Town-clerk ; Mr. Firtla, the Principal
Clerk in the Town Clerk's office; the City. Solicitor; Sheriff
Rogers ; and the officers of the orporatio4,
The following is the substance of the P.epert of the Middlesex
Jury, ichich is considered as the moat important, and which
relates to topics of great interest along the banks of the river
in its most dangerous parts.
The Jury begged leave to report, that in the execution of
their duties, they presented. the bridges of Battersea and
Putney as nuisances and Aibstructons. They believed those
bridges to be dangerous
.impediments to the common passage,
inasmuch as the most skilful pilots were frequently of no avail
in their attempts to steer Clear of the piles which support these
miserable constructions/which caused the loss of boats, paddle-
boxes, and not unfresquently the loss of life. In soliciting
the attention of tile Chef Magistrate to those dangerous
nuisances 'they submit an opinion. They unanimously hold
that immediate, steps should be taken to uproot a porrian of the
piles, or r,upporters of the bridges, so as to throw
two openings into one, wherever that can be per-
formed with safety. They also report that, in con-
sequence of the constant and daily demand made for ex-
traordinary accommodation, arising from the annually.increased
number of steam-boats and passengers, steps should be taken,
by the Conservator of the River, fully to protect the public.
The river Thames was now the bearer of a floating popula-
tion, equal in amount of numbers to many principalities;
.and they required security against the avarice of persons,
who assume to themselves the right of protruding into
the bed of the river old and worn out craft, of
every form and size, to the detriment of the many
• hundreds who gain their livelihood as watermen. 'those poor
men can no longer take advantage of the eddy-tide. They
are forced to row against the strongest currents, in evidence of
which, it was only necessary to point to Hnngerford
stairs and the Adelphi• landing. The Jury disclaimed any
desire to destroy competition. They did not wish
to partitularise any wharf or landing-place, lest it
might give coutenance to the supposition that they
bad an object in upholding the monopoly of those parties
whose frontages have an advantage of a great depth of water.
The Jury were informed by the water bailiff that Blackfriars-
bridge was not in their jurisdiction, or they would have pointed
out the incongruity of permitting two or three arches of that
noble bridge to be closed against the public by a bridge of
.boats. They had not failed to observe that many of the land-
it were formed of old and worn-out vessels, witn decks having
holes, patches, and clints, rendering them highly dangerous
after sunset ; that many of them are beiges with sham
bows, and ill-constructed gangways on them ; others
again are so light and cranky as to present very
great hazard to nervous people. They considered Hungerford
landing as an example, where instead of having a pier of length
and statiility, there are two short vessels swinging and rolling
whenever a steamer strikes them ; and the access to these ves-
sels was at times dangerous arid difficult, it being accomplished
by narrow boards or planks, in the form of the letter Y. The
Jary could not imagine that such a state of things could much
longer exist. They submitted that the parties who benefited
by the tolls paid by the means of steamboats should be com-
pelled to excavate so much of the ground as would make a
deep Channel for themselves; and the Jury recommended
the appointment of an efficient person, independent of
the water bailiff, and upon whom the responsibility, as regarded
the 'security of human life, should rest. Such officer should
have the control over all erections; see and report upon the p.
depth of water ; and suggest such excavavations as might be
deemed necessary to prevent the extension into the bed of the
liver of permanent floating bridges. He should take cognizance
of all planks or beards used, and have them properly guarded
with hand-rails, and, in fact, should be the deputed servant of
the Lord Mayor and the Navigation Committee. After a few
observations on the subject of the new bridge at Hungerford,
the Report concludes.
The Report of theSarrey Jury briefly stated that the wreck
of a brig belonging to Mr. Sweeting, of ltotherhithe, caused
an obstruction and impeded the free navigation of the river ;
that some blocks of wood were improperly laid opposite the
wharf of the London and Westminster Steam Boat Company
at Lambeth, which were covered at high water, and thus ren-
dered dangerous ; that a nuisance was o-casioned .by the
chemical works of Mossrs. Hills and Messrs. Bushell, on the
banks near Battersea-fields, and that Battersea and Putney
Bridges ought ei'.'ner to be wholly removed or widened as to
sense of the ar..;ties.
The Recorder informed each jury that the City Solicitor
should r'.-ceive instructions to act as the various measures
seemed. to require, and the Court now adjourned for the space
cf twelve months.