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Complaint has occasionally been made by consumers of the white
deposit of the salts contained in the water, which sometimes occurs.
These salts, which form the "solid residue," are found to consist of
sodium chloride, 33.7 per cent.; sodium sulphate, 35 per cent.; sodium
carbonate, 23'3 per cent.; calcium carbonate, 5 per cent.; and magnesium
carbonate, 3 per cent. In the water supplied by the Water Board the
total hardness varies from 22 to 26, of which from 6 to 9 parts are
permanent.
The great increase of these deep wells in recent years must have a
marked effect upon the underground water in the chalk under London,
and as the level sinks such wells will have to be sunk deeper.
The rate at which the level is falling has been estimated at from
2 to 3 feet a year, and eventually it may not pay to sink wells to the
depth necessary to obtain a supply, possibly, moreover, the quantity of
water in this underground reservoir is not inexhaustible.
The excavations in connection with the new St. Anne's Parish Hall,
in Dean Street, led to the discovery under the pavement of a well
73 feet deep containing 57 feet of water. This was the source of
supply of the old Parish Pump, which stood in front of the Vestry Hall.
Its use was discontinued in 1866 at the time of the cholera visitation,
as it was found that many of these shallow wells were contaminated by
soakage from cesspools, and thus became a means of spreading the
disease.
Common Lodging.houses.
The use of the premises 6, 6a, 6b, and 6c, Great Smith Street, and
the Salvation Army Shelter at 23 and 25, Millbank Street, as common
lodging.houses, was given up during the year, and a new Salvation
Army Shelter has been opened in Great Peter Street.