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102
"Drains outside 30, Uxbridge-street (a milk shop): stench is too dreadful, and doing
a lot of harm to business."
"Horrible state of the drains at the sink-hole opposite South Kensington Station on
the cab rank."
"Stinking open grating opposite 349, Portobello-road."
"A very offensive smell from sewer ventilator nearly opposite 80, Holland-road."
"Offensive smells from gully at rear of 83, Emperor's-gate, in McLeod's-mews."
"Offensive untrapped street gully opposite 38, Edwardes-square."
"Offensive untrapped street gully opposite 39, Queen's-road, Norland; the smell is so
dreadful that we cannot sit in any room in the front of the house."
"Very bad smells arising from drain and grating in front of 68, High-street, Notting-
"Filthy stench from gully in front of the house, 14, Convent-gardens"
"Smell from sewer gully opposite Kensington-court, facing Mr. Evans's (butcher's) shop.
"Offensive smell from sewer vent and gullies in Adam and Eve-mews."
"The smell up Elgin-crescent and Colville-terrace is vile."
Complaints were also received with regard to the sewers in Philbeach Gardens, where there
are 22 untrapped (brick pit) gullies, six surface sewer ventilators,* and one 6 in. by 4 in. shaft
ventilator. The nuisance is generally great in this thoroughfare, the sewer discharging, at each
horn of the crescent, into the County Council's main line (Counter's-creek) sewer—a sewer which
has often formed the subject of complaint Serious complaints were again made with respect to the
large circular ventilator immediately north of the railway bridge, in Warwick-road, at the cab
stand nearly opposite the entrance to the Earl's Court Exhibition; and also with regard to a
similar opening at the west end of Pembridge-square, on the County Council's main line ("Middle
Level") sewer, and they were temporarily closed.
The "Relief" Sewer.—But the most serious complaints came from residents in Clarendonroad
and Cornwall-road, the nuisance having begun to manifest itself within a day or two after
what is described as the "Relief" sewer came into operation. In the seventh report mention had
been made of† a letter received from the Chief Engineer of the County Council, dated July 9th,
in which it was stated that the said sewer, designed for the prevention of flooding of basements
of houses in many streets, would be completed in about a fortnight—as it was. But no sooner had
it been brought into operation, than complaints of smells began to come in. Two may be cited—
"Drains outside 120, Clarendon-road (Cornwall-road corner) are very offensive, and at
times the odour is unbearable."
"Continuous, offensive and unhealthy smells arise from ventilation holes of new sewer
laid through Clarendon-road and Cornwall-road."
The latter quotation is from a complaint to the Council signed by many ratepayers.
The sewer referred to commences from the Middle Level Sewer at the junction of Basingroad
with Cornwall-road, running thence along Cornwall-road, Clarendon-road and Holland Park
Avenue to Upper Addison Gardens, where it discharges into the Counter's-creek sewer. It is
circular in shape, 5 feet in diameter, and in its course, of about 2,238 yards, is ventilated by 17
circular gratings, 24 inches in diameter. Complaints of the bad smells were received from
dents in the vicinity of several of these openings, especially in Clarendon-road and Cornwall-road.
Complaints in regard to the Council's own sewers were reported to the Works Committee, and
the Public Health Committee, before the vacation; and during the vacation, to the Borough Engineer,
with a view to compliance with a Standing Order which reads as follows—
"Gullies: Offensive street gullies to be efficiently trapped
"Sewer Ventilators: In cases where complaints are made of nuisance, or annoyance is
caused by offensive smells from sewer ventilators, efforts are to be made to obtain consent
for the fixing of shafts up adjacent houses, and where such consent is obtained, the objectionable
ventilators are to be abolished."
* The gullies have now been syphon trapped and the surface ventilators closed (March, 1907).
†it may be mentioned that nuisance from flooding of basements of houses occurred in a very acute form on the occasion
of a great storm—two inches of rain having fallen in a few hours on the 27th June—and this led to the correspondence between
the County Council's Chief Engineer and myself referred to in the text of the report. It remains to hope that the "relief" sewer
will fulfil its purposes; but with such a deluge as June 27th, probably no practicable system of sewerage could cope, so as to
entirely prevent recurrence of the nuisance.