View report page

42
top water-line is 158 ft. above ordnance datum. The water is
used for the supply of Deptford and Greenwich. There is an
electrical apparatus here connected with an index at the Deptford
station which shows the height of the water in the reservoir, which
it is necessary for the Company to know, because under the terms
of their agreement with the Government Department a sufficient
amount of water has to be constantly kept here, so that it may be
available at all times in case of fire. The electrical apparatus was
put up and is kept in working order by the Post Office authorities
at the expense of the Company.
Chislehurst.— This station is situated at the upper part of
Bickley Park, near Chislehurst Common. There is a reservoir,
built of brick, covered with arches and turfed over. It has a
capacity of 450,000 gallons, and the top water line is 315 ft.
above ordnance datum. The water is supplied from Shortlands,
and is distributed to the Bromley district.
Shortlands.— The station at Shortlands is situated 130 ft.
above ordnance datum. There are here two deep wells sunk into
the chalk. The wells are about 80 ft. in depth and lined with
iron cylinders. From the bottom of the wells bore-holes pass
to a depth of 200 ft. The natural water level is about 10 ft.
below the surface of the ground. After pumping the level has
sunk to a level of 34 ft. 6 in. below the surface. The amount of
water pumped averages 2,250,000 gallons daily. It is raised from
the well to the ground level by two lift-pumps and forced into the
mains by two piston and plunger pumps, worked by two inverted
Cornish engines, for which the steam is generated by four
Cornish boilers. These wells supply Chislehurst reservoir,
Deptford, and Lewisham.
Crayford.—This station is situated 30 ft. above ordnance
datum. There are three wells here. The one first made is 28 ft.
in depth, the second 34 ft., and the third 48 ft. The wells are
lined with iron cylinders. Each well has a bore-hole about 200 ft.
in depth. Wells No. 2 and 3 are generally used. The water has
been as low as 28 ft. below the surface in No. 2 and as low as
35 ft. below the surface in No. 3. At this station pumping is
continuous, and the amount of water obtained averages 3,500,000