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of street refuges, by large and lofty iron shafts, and that the Council would be prepared to
consider suggestions as to the erection of such ventilating shafts at places within the borough.
Certain localities were indicated by the Surveyor, approved by the Vestry, and communicated
to the engineer. Consequent on the Council's communications, the Public Health Committee
of the County Council recommended, and on the 19th November the Council ordered the erection
in suitable positions of 14 ventilating lamp columns of an approved pattern where some of the
existing lamp-posts stand, and this work has been commenced. These columns, it is understood,
are not to supersede, but will be additional to the "large and lofty iron ventilating shafts" above
referred to.
Flooding of Basements.—Numerous complaints were received by the Council of the
flooding of basements of houses during a heavy storm on Sunday, June 30th. The complaints
came from Cornwall-road, Edinburgh-road, St. Mark's-road, and Silchester-roa'd in North Kensington,
and from Holland-road, Elsham-road, and Warwick-road in South Kensington. Houses
were known to have been inundated in other parts of the borough, in regard to which no written
complaint was received; notably St. George's-road and Talbot-grove, North Kensington. It
was but a repetition of an old grievance, due to the insufficiency of the Counter's-creek sewer
to carry off a heavy downpour of rain with requisite rapidity. It has been suggested that the
"throttling" of the sewer under the District Railway, above referred to, may contribute to the
occurrence of the floodings, a point on which I am not competent to speak with authority. The
County Council are erecting at Lot's-road Chelsea, a pumping station designed to prevent a
recurrence of the trouble; but, so far as I can ascertain, it would appear improbable that the
work can be completed until 1903. The pumps will be operated by gas engines aggregating
1,040 horse power, and the pumps will be capable of lifting 12,000 cubic feet of water per minute,
the calculated maximum discharge at the outlet of the sewer being 11,000 cubic feet. During
heavy rainfall the pumped liquid will be discharged into the river. In ordinary circumstances
the sewage is conveyed from the Counter's-creek sewer into the low level sewer.
UNTRAPPED STREET GULLIES.
The Sanitary Committee of the late Yestry gave attention to this subject in connection
with a recommendation, in my twelfth report for 1899 (December 7th, page 126), that, "as soon
as practicable, the brick flap-trapped street gullies should be replaced by pan syphon-trapped
gullies." The Committee in a report, dated February 14th, 1900, recommended, and it was subsequently
resolved, "that the Vestry do adhere to the course hitherto adopted of dealing with each
complaint of smells from gullies on its merits." In the report referred to, I had suggested that,
at the earliest practicable date, all brick, flap-trapped gullies, should be abolished in favour of
pan syphon-trapped gullies. The Surveyor reported that there were about 5,000 brick flaptrapped
gullies in the parish, and that the cost of fixing syphon-trapped pan gullies in lieu thereof
would be about £3 per gully—say, £15,000 in all; a large sum, doubtless, but still less than has
been expended recently on wood-paving in a single street, Cromwell-road. The Committee stated
that under orders of the Yestry, all brick gullies proved to be offensive, are replaced with the newer
pattern of gully; that any new gullies constructed are of this type, and that pan gullies are also
fixed in roads converted from macadam to asphalte, or wood paved. They further observed that
with the question of syphon-trapping street gullies, is closely involved the question of sewer
ventilation, and that until some solution has been found of the difficulties encountered in dealing
with this latter question, they could not see their way to advise the adoption of the scheme
indicated in my report. For what it is worth, it may be mentioned that in some towns the gullies
are trapped although the sewers are not ventilated. Bristol is a notable instance, and that city is
by no means an unhealthy one. Means of ventilation, in any case, could surely be devised, and I
feel it my duty again to urge that brick flap-trapped gullies should be displaced generally, by
syphon-trapped gullies. The so-called "flap-trap" is not a trap at all in the sanitary sense of
an apparatus for preventing the escape of sewer gas.
COMBINED DRAINAGE.
Several of the metropolitan sanitary authorities made representations to the County Council,
in 1894, on the need of legislation, "with a view to an alteration in the definition of the word
drain and the word sewer," in the Metropolis Management Act, 1855 (sec. 250); and ultimately a
deputation representing the vestries and district boards waited upon the main drainage committee
with reference to the subject. This committee reported (July 7th, 1894), that " a grievance exists,
and that a heavy responsibility is thrown upon the local authorities to repair combined drains
which were laid down for the benefit of the owners of houses, and with the intention that the
owners should be held responsible for their maintenance." The committee further came to the
conclusion that "the Council, as the central authority, should promote legislation in accordance
with the views of the local authorities," and upon their recommendation it was resolved:—
"That the Council do apply to Parliament for an amendment of the definition of the word sewer
and drain in the Metropolis Local Management Act in the way desired by the local
authorities, and that it be referred to the Parliamentary Committee to prepare a Public
Bill and take such other steps as may be necessary for that purpose."