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97
In the eighth monthly report, 1904, I informed the Council that the Main Drainage Committee
of the London County Council had reported that "a new storm water sewer ought to be
constructed from the Middle Level Sewer to the Counter's Creek Sewer," with the
object of "preventing the flooding of basements of houses at Notting Hill and between Holland
Park Avenue and Kensington Road." They pointed out that " there is now a storm overflow
between the Middle Level and Counter's Creek sewers; but the storm water, instead of being carried
by a special sewer, reaches Counter's Creek sewer by passing through a number of local sewers.
Floodings occur on each side of these local sewers, which become surcharged very quickly." In
the eleventh report I stated that the County Council had accepted a tender " for the construction of
a relief sewer from Cornwall Road, Notting Hill, to Upper Addison Gardens, at a total estimated
cost of £32,000." The construction of that sewer is now far advanced. The contract
time for the completion of the work is July next; but the chief engineer of the County Council
informed me some months since that, "judging from the rate of progress," he "hardly anticipated
that the work would be finished within that period." He was, however," urging upon the contractor
the necessity for completing it by the time the contract specifies." It is to be hoped that the
sewer will suffice for the intended purpose.
SEWER SMELLS.
Many complaints of offensive smells from sewer ventilators at road level, and untrapped
street gullies, were received. In several instances the complaints were consequent upon the occurrence
of outbreaks of infectious disease in the locality of the offensive openings. Acting on the
instructions of the Public Health Committee, I forwarded reports on this subject direct to the
Works Committee, who in numerous instances took measures for abating the nuisance by syphontrapping
of street-gullies, and by pipe (in substitution of road level) ventilation of sewers. Reference
may be made to one particular complaint, which led to the abolition of 38 brick pit gullies
in Edenham Street, Appleford Road, Bosworth Road, Golborne Gardens, and Adair Road; all in
North Kensington.
Renewed complaint was made by an inhabitant of Neville Terrace, South Kensington, of a
very offensive smell from a road level ventilator to the County Council's main line sewer.
In July, 1904, the Works Committee requested the County Council to substitute a lamp, or pipe shaft,
in place of the offending aperture. A few weeks later the County Council's chief engineer offered
to recommend the Main Drainage Committee to erect a ventilating column 42 feet high, and 12
inches in diameter, at the junction of Neville Terrace and Selwood place. The Works Committee,
having viewed the proposed site, expressed the opinion that the column, if erected, would "provoke
greater complaints than the existing surface grating," and the County Council's engineer was so
informed.
The subject of this nuisance generally was dealt with fully in the annual report for
1904 (pages 83-84). I can only repeat that it would be well to deal with it effectually (a) by ventilating
sewers, wherever practicable, by lofty iron colums, (b) by abolishing dead ends of sewers,
and establishing aerial connection between adjacent sewers; or, where this is not practicable, by
ventilating dead ends efficiently; and (c) by syphon-trapping street gullies, and wholly abolishing
existing brick-pit gullies, which exceed six thousand in number.
THE VENTILATION OF SEWERS.
Acting upon the recommendations of the Public Health Committee and the Works Committee,
the Council, in December, 1904, requested the County Council to convene a Conference of
the Borough Councils to "consider as to the best means of ventilating the sewers throughout the
whole Metropolis."*
This subject has engaged the attention of the Kensington Sanitary Authority, at sundry
times—for 35 years to my knowledge—having been brought to their attention by me in 1871, in consequence
of numerous complaints by inhabitants of offensive smells from sewer ventilating
gratings, at street level, and untrapped street gullies. A special committee, appointed to "consider
* The proposed conference was not held.