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133
gullies only. Diphtheria occurred in three adjoining houses,
the occurrence being naturally attributed by the inhabitants to
the smells which were most pronounced at the gulley at the
highest part of the sewer, which is of great size (5ft. 10in. by,
2ft. 6in.), but receives the drainage of 22 houses only. With
the object of reducing the pressure of sewer gas, shutters were
fixed at the outlets of the sewers, east and west; but complaints
were still made. Ultimately it was decided to syphon-trap the
street gullies, and ventilate the dead end of the western sewer,
by carrying a pipe up the wall of the house at the south-west
corner of Darnley-road. Few complaints, by comparison, were
received with respect to the sewer in the eastern section of the
crescent, which is connected to the Counter's-creek sewer, thus
allowing of circulation of air. An application was made to
the County Council for permission to establish a connection
between the highest end of the sewer in the western section
with the Counter's-creek sewer, but it was not granted.
Towards the end of 1898, the sanitary committee, in connection
with their inquiry into the causation of offensive smells
in streets, resolved" to collect such information as might be
available as to the systems adopted in provincial towns for
the ventilation of sewers, and the prevention of nuisance from
sewer gas." The information furnished by the sanitary
authorities of 30 towns,* comprising a population of more than
*The towns in alphabetical order, and the population of each, were:—
Birkenhead (population 113,492); Birmingham (515,000); Blackburn (133,000);
Bolton (157,315); Bradford (240,000); Brighton (121,000); Bristol (320,911);
Burnley (100,000); Cardiff (177,000); Derby (106,000); Edinburgh (296,000);
Gateshead (103,000); Glasgow (731,635); Huddersfield (104.000); Hull
(200,041); Leeds (418,000); Liverpool (670,000); Manchester (536,000); Middlesborough
(95,000); Newcastle-upon-Tyne (228,000); Norwich (112,000);
Plymouth (100,000); Portsmouth (182,000); Preston (117,622); Rochdale
(75,000); Salford (215,000); Southampton (100,000); South Shields (100,000);
Sunderland (143,000); and York (75,500). The information with respect to
Bristol and Edinburgh was not given in the Summary (issued February, 1899),
but separately at a later date.