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a capacity of 46,000,000 of gallons, and 10¾ acres of
filters, composed of Harwich sand, 3 ft.; Hoggin, 1 ft.;
fine gravel, 9 in.; and coarse gravel, 9 in.; altogether a
thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. of medium. The filters were
undergoing modification by being subdivided into smaller
beds to admit of more frequent cleansing without any
interruption to the supply.
The works at Hampton were then inspected. There
is here storage of 5½ acres, having a capacity of
20,000,000 gallons, and 3½ acres of filters, the filtering
medium being arranged as at Battersea. It was very
evident that the storage capacity should be much
increased, so that it would become unnecessary to take
in water from the river Thames, the source of supply,
during floods; when the water contains an unusual
amount of organic matter.
On a subsequent day the offices of the Water Company
at Sumner Street, Southwark Bridge Road, were
visited, when the plans of the mains were inspected;
and Mr. Bumble, the Engineer of the Company, very
courteously caused to be drawn for the information of
Committee and its Officers, several of the stump ends of
the mains in some of the courts in the neighbourhood,
when they were found to contain water of an offensive
and filthy character, which would be a source of danger
to those deriving a contiguous supply; and in consequence
of the strong opinions manifested on the subject by those
present, a promise was made that they should be periodically
cleansed.
The result of these investigations led to the conclusion
that some mode of supplying a large portion of
the Parish of Battersea with unfiltered water existed,
which fully accounted for the numerous complaints of fish,
both alive and in various stages of decomposition, having
been found in their cisterns by various inhabitants.
Bearing these facts in mind, we felt it our duty to
insist that some communication between the mains containing
filtered and unfiltered svater must exist other than