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understand they are both liable to heading back from the
outfall when the latter is charged by storm-water, which not
infrequently happens. About a year ago, when the stoppage
of a drain in Barth Road was being enquired into, I found that
the branch of the Glenside Road Sewer, which runs from Barth
Road down Mabyn Road was silted up with about 4 inches of
deposit. I have also found 2 inches of deposit in the sewer at
the upper end of Reidhaven Road. There would thus appear
to be insufficient fall in these sewers.
Further, the drains leading into these sewers appear to
have been, in many cases, very badly made, with the result
that they frequently become stopped.
A drain may become stopped from a number of causes, but
perhaps the following is the most usual course of events:—
'The drain has been improperly made, and has, in its course,
either a too sharp bend, or a rectangular junction, or a projection;
some solid material accumulates at the defective
spot; if the joints were good, this would soon be cleared again
by the accumulation of water above; but the joints being bad,
will stand no pressure of water, which escapes into the
surrounding soil, until the drain becomes silted up for yards.'
Since the beginning of 1895, there have been 21 complaints of
choked and defective drains and bad smells from drain or
sewer in the Reidhaven Road district.
Besides these, a large number of defective drains have
been found when inspecting houses after infectious disease, or
house-to-house.
Altogether, between June 1st, 1895, and Sept. 30th, 1896,
there have been 86 instances of choked w.c.'s and choked
and defective drains. There have also been found 249