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112
to Sir Henry Roscoe's reports to the late Metropolitan Board
of Works on" The Deodorisation of Sewer Emanations.
And it was stated that that distinguished chemist's opinions on
the subject were "entirely in harmony with the views long
previously expressed by the officers of your Vestry, and
others, viz., that ' the free admission of air into the sewers is the
only efficacious means of preventing foul emanations; 1st, by
the oxidation of putrescent sewage, and 2nd, by the dilution
of any offensive gases evolved.'" Sir Henry Roscoe, in
his reference to this portion of the subject, stated that "the
policy of closing the air openings to the sewers, instead
of allowing as much fresh air to enter as is possible, is
based upon a wrong scientific principle, and that the only
feasible plan of rendering the sewers sweet is to carry out
thoroughly, and on a proper scale, the system of pipe ventilation
so strongly recommended in the excellent report of the
Board's Special Purposes and Sanitary Committee." My
report went on to state that Sir Henry Roscoe's assistant in
the investigations undertaken for the Board, had" spoken
favourably of a method of ventilating sewers recommended
by Mr. Parker, and in use for many years past, viz., by
carrying a shaft from the sewer to the side of the road, and
connecting to it a vertical pipe, to the head of which is fixed
a cowl." It was stated that "the flushing inspector of the
Metropolitan Board's sewers in the district (i.e., of the Poplar
Board of Works), spoke well in favour of the system"; and I
added that "upon hearing Mr. Parker describe his system
(in 1878), and looking at his drawings, the medical officer of
health for the district, moreover, testifying to the good
results obtained, I formed the opinion that the method was
likely to afford a solution to the difficulty—based, as it is,
upon the principle of flooding the sewers with fresh air so as
to oxidize and dilute the foul emanations from the sewage."