Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman].

  • Copeman, S. Monckton (Sydney Monckton), 1862-
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    cliffs which commence at Kirkley. This, the new town, is almost entirely a residential quarter, being made up in large part of boarding and other lodging houses with a certain proportion of hotels and shops. The majority of the houses here have been erected within quite recent years, and for the most part therefore the general sanitary arrangements are of a more satisfactory character than is found to be the case in many parts of the old town. Water Supply. Lowestoft is supplied with water in part from the mains of the Lowestoft Gas and Water Company, and to a less extent from surface wells, these latter being most numerous in the older portions of the town. The Water Company obtain their supply from the “Mill-water/’ an extension of a lake known as Fritton Broad, situate in the parish of Lound, and about seven miles distant from Lowestoft. The Company’s Act empowers them to take water also from Fritton Broad itself, should the present source of supply become inadequate. The works of the Water Company are situate on the extreme south-west corner of the Mill-water,” and at a considerable elevation above it. The orifice of the pipe connected with the pumping engines is at a point opposite the works, and close to the water’s edge on that side. Prom the lake, water is pumped up to the filter beds, six in number, of which four measure 70 feet by 40 feet, while two larger ones, which have been constructed quite recently, measure 120 feet by 80 feet. The filtering material in each case is said to consist of a layer of sand 3 feet in depth, below which are shallower layers of shingle and stones, the size of which increases in each laver from above downwards. Prom the filter beds, any one of which can be thrown out of action at will, the water passes into a single catchment chamber, 12 feet in depth, from which in turn it is pumped to covered reservoirs at Lowestoft. Prom these it is distributed by mains to various parts of the town. The elevation of the reservoirs is such that it is possible to supply water to every house in the town by gravitation, although in the case of a few dwellings at its northern extremity the upper floors cannot be reached. In all, the Company’s water is supplied to 4,755 houses out of a total number of 6,000 in the Borough, of which no less than 2,343 are unprovided with water-closets. As to the quality of the water supplied by the Company, there seems to have been, in the past, considerable difference of opinion. The most recent chemical analysis which I have been able to obtain is one dated February 17th, 1896, by Mr. Francis Sutton, the Public Analyst for the county of Norfolk, and who also acts for the Water Company. Concerning the results of this analysis, Mr. Sutton says : “ The water is in excellent “ condition, and suitable in every respect for a public supply. No better “ water, in my opinion, could be desired.” He adds that the sample examined was “clear, bright, and well filtered.” In November of last year, a number of samples of water were taken by the Medical Officer of Health, by direction of the Town Council, and submitted to Dr. Thomas Stevenson, of Guy’s Hospital. Of these samples, five were taken on November 14th, 1895, from hydrants, after previous thorough flushing These specimens were all turbid and unsightly in appearance, and this condition Dr. Stevenson declared to be due to inefficient filtration. The water was found to be free from sewage or other organic pollution. Three additional samples were sent on November 18th, 1895, taken respectively, as I was informed, from (1) the fountains of the filter beds (2) the catchment chamber, and (3) a house-tap in the London Road. Con¬ cerning these, Dr. Stevenson remarks that “the unfiltered water is satisfactory “ as regards organic purity ... but the filtered waters do not show “ the marked purification one would expect from efficient filtration, and “ I am led to the conclusion that the filter beds are inefficient, and do not “ effectually free the water from organic contamination.” Jn September 1895 an order was made on an owner of cottage property at Kirkley to close a well. This the owner objected to do on the stren-th of an analysis of the Company’s water supplied to his own house whichhe 22502708371