The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-07-21
A Walk in the London Sewers.

A Walk In the London Sewers.
Most of the prevailing impressions as
to the London sewers have no f0unda-
ton in fact as, for instance. that thieves
are in them, that they are swarming
with rats, and that they are frequented
by aged mudlarks who scratch among
the filth in search of spoil. The idea
that they are exceedingly unpleasant
places to explore is snore natural, but
is commonly exaggerated. There are
some scores of back streets In London
which are much more trying to the
nostrils than a main sewer. As one OF
my companions said: They get good
deal more of it up above than we do
down here" an opinion in which one is
inclined to concur. The filth which
must necessarily make its way into the
sewers has been in some degree chastised
into cleanliness before it reaches the
main lines, and the discomfort of an ex-
| ploration is caused by water and by the
c,oseness of the atmosphere rather
than by any disagreeable effiuvia. The
Kings Scholars Pond sewer follows the
line of a natural depression from be-
yond the Swiss Cottage to PimlicO. The
water is drawn off in the manner al
ready described at point near the juno
ton of Oxford street and Davies street.
Thence for some distance the pavement
of the sewer is almost dry. Every few
yards of our progress, however, dis
| closed to US some new inlet. Some
of these were mere earthenware pipes,
with stench-trap affixed. Others
were square brick "gullies," generally
in a bad state of repair. These are
all private property. The more inn
portant connections, which are under
the control of the Board of Works, are
solidly built, and are in shape like
huge egg standing on the thin end.
Here and there glimpses may be OBJ
tanned of old and disused sewers, as I'M
derneath Davies street, where long
low tunnel brings us into space al
most as large as a village church, and
with a roof SO constructed as to suggest
the comparison.
A large sewer is very gloomy and
mysterious. 1t has most resemblance
to the tunnel of a canal. As we walked
along the water gathered about our
feet. 1t seemed to enter in insignifi-
cantly small quantities. bucketful
now and then running down a drain
pipe, continuous trickle here and
there from one of the street connec-
tions-yet after about mile or so we
were walking in water up to our knees.
Then once more we heard the sound of
rushing and tumbling, this time in
front of US; and by and by were able
to pass over weir on to dry ground.
Our course lay under Berkeley News.
down Charges street, and across Picca-
dilly. Our companions above ground
had saluted us at every entrance as we
passed, and on reaching Piccadily we
determined to have a breath of fresh
air. We emerged in the Green Park.
1t had been raining, and the strong
sunlight was sparkling on dripping
leaves and moistened grass. Around
us flock of sheep was feeding, and
for moment it seemed as if we were
miles away from town. To enjoy a
London park thoroughly nothing is
necessary but to come upon it suddenly
from a sewer. 1t was poor exchange
for the sheep, when we had once more
descended, to encounter the first rat
We saw, perhaps, dozen more during
the remainder of our journey. Of the
many varieties enumerated by Mr..
Browning, only one seems to frequent
the sewers. Sewer rats are gray; and
it is popularity of theirs that, though
they do not like to be driven into the
water, they can swim admirably. 1t is
also worth noting that they have mas
tered the secret of a stench-trap, and
can get into the drains with ease.
In "the good old times" sewers used
to be cunningly introduced under the
flooring of our houses instead of being
carried along the front. A few years
ago the Kings Scholars Pond route
would have taken us under Buckingham
Palace. Now, however, it makes a bold
curve, sweeps round in front, and passes
under the gardens. 1t gets broader and
higher from this point, and there are
more frequent glimpses of the upper
world. Through small square gratings
the sunshine penetrates, making tall
obelisks of light, which. inverting them
selves, are dimly repeated in the black
waters. Archbishop Manning lives
there" said one of my companions,
pointing to a square yard of stone
work that was visible through one of
these CRATES. We fixed our locality in
this wav as we went along. Such
casual glimpses of the world above
served to relieve a journey which,
much to the wonder of the passers-by.
was again broken in Victoria Street.
From thence we had what the chief of
my guides described as a "stiff bit. -
The water was broad and deep, and
there was heavy. clinging sediment at
the bottom. Besides we had to pass
underneath great brewery, where all
the drains vomited steam. The effect
was much the same as if we had been in
Turkish bath, and matters were scarce
ly improved when the close and heavily
laden air warned us that we were APP
preaching the gasworks at Pimlico.
Here, after wading through the deepest
piece of water that we had yet encoun-
tered, we came upon the last of the
openings through which the sewer
empties itself into the lower levels.
Thenceforward, instead of having the
earth above us, we had merely q wooden
roofing, and after passing through what
seemed like the hull Of great ship,
and was exactly similar in form, we
came upon the double fioOd-gates which