The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-04 00:00:00

PLAN FOR SUPPLYING WATER.

Mr. Ashlin, treasurer to the Highway Board and secretary
to the Watch Committee, develops, in the following letter, a
plan for supplying the town with water, which could be ap-
plied to a variety of useful and important purposes. The
plan will, no doubt, receive the consideration of the proper
authorities.

Liverpool, September 26, 1842.

Dear Sir,—As you have long taken a very great interest in
the important subject of providing a better supply of water,
to be used for the purpose of watering the streets, and the
suppression of fires in this town, perhaps you will permit me
to avail myself of the opportunity, now that the public mind
seems at length properly aroused to the subject, to recall to
your recollection, that I stated to you, as Chairman of the
" Water Committee," some months since that I had formed
a plan, which I fully believed would, if carried into effect, be
the means of remedying the admitted defect i❑ both these
departments. _ _ _

At present the water available for watering the streets and
extinguishing fires is derived from the inadequate mains of
the Water Companies or from the docks. The latter is
available only to a very limited extent, and the former is
neither prompt nor sufficient in cases of emergency.
The overflow of water from the Canal has frequently been
brought under the consideration of the authorities of the
town, and has been regarded by some as all that is required
for purposes of this sort; but even this is only available to a
limited extent, and that not constantly.
At the upper parts of Liverpool there are high grounds,
from which, however, a sufficient supply of water cannot be
derived without a most alarming outlay ; and it appears to
me, therefore, that if Liveipool is to have an abundant sup-
ply for the purpose named, it must be taken from the docks
or river. The means for effecting this are practicable, and
might be obtained at a comparatively trifling expense. I
therefore respectfully suggest that the trust, of which you
have been a very active member for a number of years,
should, in conjunction with the Fire-police Committee of
the Council, erect a steam-engine, say of 50 horse power, at
the Waterloo Dock basin, to force water from the river, into
pipes of nine inch diameter, along Waterloo-road, Bath-
street, Chapel-street, Covent-garden, Fenivick-street, Lord-
street, Church-street, Ranelagh-street, Mount Pleasant, and
Oxford-street to Crown-street, there to flow into a reservoir,
capable of containing from 15,000 to 20,000 tuns ; from this
main should branch others, of equal capacity, into Robert-
street North, Queen-street, Lancelot's-hey, Oldhall-street,
Water-street, Paradise-street, and Mersey-street, thus co-
vering all the streets where warehouses containing the great-
est amount of property, and most exposed to extensive loss,
are situated ; and on the sufficiency of such mains I have
consulted the Head constable, who has been kind enough to
point out to me the locality where they are most wanted.
.For the purpose of watering the streets, the principal mains
should be crossed by smaller ones at two intervals ; the first
at the bottom of Lord-street, extending in the northerly di-
rection to the top of Scotland-road, and terminating at the
end of Burlington-street ; and the other at Mount Pleasant,
at the corner of Clarence-street, extending northwards to St.
Ann's Church, and southward to Parliament-street, and from
thence descending to the corner of St. James's-road, down
Parliament-street, St. James's-street, and Park-lane, to the
Custom-house, sending out a lateral branch from Great
George-plaae, along Great George-street, Berry-street, and
Bold-street. I also propose another branch along Tithebarn-
street and Vauxhall-road.
The streets through which the mains would pass could be
watered by merely opening a fire-plug, properly constructed ;
and the adjoining streets by carts filled at different convenient
points by similar means, and without the labour of pumping.
The superiority of salt water for watering streets is well
known, and admitted by all who have paid the slightest at-
tention to the subject. The Reservoir, above Crown-street,
would always enable the carts to be filled, and the streets to
be watered, whether the engine might be at work or not.
For the same reason, water would always be available at
fires • and when the steam engine was at work, the use of
the fire engines would be frequently superseded, as, in the
vicinity of the steam engine, the water would be projected
with a power beyond the capacity of any fire engine worked
by hand labour.
I will not trouble one so conversant with the subject as
yourself with more minute details, but proceed to show that
what I have stated can be accomplished, and at a compara-
tively trifling outlay, considering the great ,eekirity it would
afford for the protection of property and the comfort of the
inhabitants.
Ths following is a summary of the first cost, and in the
estimate I take it for granted that the land occupied for the
construction of the reservoir would be leased, and not
purchased ; but, in the event of not being able to procure
land in the situation alluded to, I would respectfully point
out the land in Arrad-street, opposite the Alms-house, al-
ready belonging to the town, and used as a manure and stone
deptit, as an eligible site ; it contains an area of 4,000 super-
ficial yards, and might be found sufficient for the purpose,
the difference between the level of Arrad-street and Crown-
street being only 4 feet.
COST OF PIPES. AND THE EXPENSE OF LAYING DOWN.
Yards. £ s. d.
4017 at ICs. 3213 12 0

Dock to Crown-street ....
Pipes of 9 in chntr. from Waterloo
„ 9 ditto Paradise-street
to Mersey-street
„ 9 ditto collateral bran-
ches in Robert-street North,
Lancelot's-hey, Water-st.,
and Oldhall-street 430 at 16s. 344 0 0
„ 4 ditto Mile-end to
Lord-street .... 1750 at 6s. 525 0 0
If 4 dittoSt.Ann's church
to Parliament-street
„ 4 ditto St. James'-road
to Custom-house..
„ 4 ditto St. James's-
place to bottom of Bold-st 1406 at 6s.
„ 4 ditto Tithebarn-st
and Vauxhall-road

557 at 16s. 445 12 0

2400 at 6s.

720 0 0

420 0 0

421 16 0

1396 at 6s.