The record-union., 1894-05-22
TIE SEWERAGE OF LONDON CITY.
An Interesting Review of the History
Thereof.
How Bad Sanitary Conditions Were
Finally Overcome by skilltul and
Intelligent Engineering.
written for the REcoRD-UNIoN.l

Written for the REcoRD-UNIoN.l
In 1888 the sanitary condition Of many
towns in England was frightful. Death
ravaged and disease perpetually prevailed
among crowded populations. The atten-
ton OF the Poor Law Commissioners was
directed to the subject, and mass of in
formation was collected and placed in
the hands of their Secretary, Edwin
Chadwick, for digestion. The result was
the report on the Health Of Towns of
1872" In the next volume, which con-
tains the report of the Metropolitan Sani-
tary Commission, we find the Secretary.
Mr.. Chad wick, had become Comnis-
sioner, and his associates were Lord
Robert Grosvenor, DIR. Southwood Smith,
Professor Owen and Richard l.. Jones.
The apprehended visitation of cholera
was the foundation of this commission OF
inquiry. a mass of argument was brought
together TO prove that a considerable
amount of disease was preventible by
proper sanitary precautions. Inc report
concluded by recommending that 1.-The
several commissions IN the metropolis
should be recalled and the law OF sewers
committed TO limited number OF Com
lnissioners, competent through their
known attention 10 sanitary improve
lnent, to select and sustain the labors of
paid officers in the attainment OF WORKS
OF this their proper object"
The theory of this recommendation
was not unreasonable, but the Commis-
sioners went further, and on the text OF
absurdities and neglect in construction
ana management of sewers shown in GER
lnln
outlines OF a small-pipe drainage system
on the evidence of certain obscure ana
docile witnesses who, curiously enough.
all obtained appointments under the re-
formed commission OF sewers.
The report OF the Metropolitan Sanitary
Commission led to the Capitalization or
the various commissions of sewers IN one
Metropolitan Commission in 1917 and to
the establishing OF the Board of Health
in 1915. The commission OF 1877 was
composed Of twenty-five persons. law
yers, physician, members OF Parliament
and men of science, and the following
gentlemen composed the Board of Health:
The Earl of SALISBURY, Edwin Chad
wick, John Bullar Qawyer) and South-
wood Smith (physician). The commits
sion issued January, lS49, included the
same men as that OF 1911, with the addi-
tion OF eighteen persons, royal engineers,
the astronomer royal, two reverend
mathematicians anu others, but not one
civil engineer or architect. In these two
commissions Edwin Chadwick, who had
called them into existence, was ali-pow-
erful.
The commission of 1917 began by di-
viding itself into committees OF inquiry,
as. for instance, into the construction OF
sewers, the value OF sewage water,
strength OF pipes. etc., and Edwin Chad
wick being also member OF the Board OF
Health by degrees became Il member OF
every important committee. Amongst
those committees first in importance was
the Trial Works Committee, by which
evidence TO be used in after years WAS
manufactured. 1t was one OF TINS gentle
mans assumptions that civil engineers
knew nothing about hydraulics or the
laws that govern lluidS. The result OF
the ex perience of eminent engineers and
mathematicianS was unsatisfactory to
Mr. Chadwick. Accordingly the Trial
Works Committee gave orders lor set
of experiments. 70 perform these eX-
periments were selected not men o. Sci
ence or experience, but j. MedwOrth
brickiayers' foreman, afterward retired
TO keep a saloon; j. l.. Hale, clerk OF
works. J. Lovick, clerk OF works. No
doubt all three were honest, well mean
ing men.
The clerks Of works beat the philoso-
pliers by long chalk. They found
amongst other things that six-inch pipe
laid perfectly straight and level would
discharge IS cubic ieet Gn one minute, j
suppose; time not stated; with d fall OF
l in 500 the discharge in the same period
was 46 40 cubic 1eet, with fall OF l in 40
the discharge was 30 cubic feet; with l IL
10 the discharge WAS 80 cubic feet.
Memorandulns: / find by rough calcuia-
tion that there will be no discharge III
-,-1-
Il cubic feet in one minute; l in 24O gives
nearly 70 cubic feet, and l in l20 gives 81
cubic feet IN one minute. The Trials
Works Committee spent SIS, 900 on these
hydraulic experiments. and then pro-
ceeded TO denounce the systems of hy-
dranlic engineers as ''baneiul, costly and
noxious errors.n These experiments
were ordered to be reduced 10 Il tabular
form so as TO afford useful Information
as 10 what quantities of water would flow
through pipes. They are recorded in
the most confused manner; they are con-
Trajectory; they are unintelllglble for any
practical purpose. There is nothing IN
this vast mass Of experiments from
which q single safe conclusion can be
drawn.
The second commission, concluding
that what had cost so much money must
he of some value. ordered the papers re-
cording the experiments to he collected,
arranged and printed; but the book was
ordered to be suppressed for the reasons
above given. y copy saved from the fire
was produced at a hydraulic discussion OF
the Institute OF Civil Engineers, London,
Goth February, 1888.
The commission of 1919 towards the
close of its career discovered the absurd
ity of the hydraulic experiments as above
described, and put an end to the Trial
Works Committee experiments, on the
ground OF great cost and no useful result.
The attention OF the public having been
called TO the condition OF the Thames,
which increasing Of population and tie
modern system Of water-closets opening
into sewers instead Of dry cesspools. had