Metropolitan sewers. Principal Office, 1 Greek Street, Soho Square, July 2nd, 1849. To the Works Committee.

  • Gotto, Edward.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Metropolitan sewers. Principal Office, 1 Greek Street, Soho Square, July 2nd, 1849. To the Works Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    No. 47.] jHetrcrpolttan ^eVuers- Principal Office, 1 Greek Street, Soho Square, July 2nd, 184-9. To the Works Committee. In reference to the complaints (Book 3, Fol. 113: and Book 2, Vol. 2, Fol. 3, No. 1714) of the Speaker to the House of Commons, respecting very offensive smells in the neighbourhood of Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church, I have to report-that having made a careful examination of the Public Sewers in the neighbourhood, I do not find their condition such as to lead me to suppose that the nuisance complained of arises from their foulness. On passing through the New Sewers under the Westminster Palace I found them perfectly clean, so as on walking through them scarcely to soil the boots, and producing no offensive smell worth mentioning. The Gullies to the Sewer in Margaret Street and Abingdon Street emitted very offensive effluvia, which I am of opinion proceeds from St Margaret’s Grave¬ yard, being completely filled up with bodies in a state of decomposition, and having saturated the soil with gasses penetrating into the Sewers. From inquiries I have made it appears that particular Gullies are offensive at one time and not at another, which may be accounted for by the wind passing down one grating and forcing the gasses up others. I beg to recommend that the whole of these Gullies be reconstructed with stoneware pipes, having water-traps at the surface and flaps at the sewer; in wet weather the rain would keep the upper traps perfect, and in dry weather the water- carts would effect the same end. Although this work would remedy a very great evil, yet it by no means reaches the extent of the causes of the complaints. The inconvenience spoken of is only occasionally experienced, and depends upon certain conditions of the atmosphere, which favour the production of emana¬ tions from the whole area of St Margaret’s Grave-yard, and the numerous Factories, Bone-yards, and Dust-heaps which line the opposite bank of the River. I am given to understand that there are so many as 100 nuisances of this kind, which at times affect the whole district, and that the most offensive parts of the manufactures are carried on during the night. It is stated that on Friday week (and I believe on that night) the Members of the Houses of Parliament particularly complained of the smell as scarcely endurable. With these complicated causes of offence and sanitary danger it is obvious the Metropolitan Sewers Act confers no competent powers on the Commissioners to (45)