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notifications in the Poplar and Bromley parishes for the past nineteen
weeks, since the new sewer above mentioned has been in use. Prom
February 5th until May 13th the London County Council have been
cleansing the Isle of Dogs sewer, with its Limekiln Dock Branch
(running down North Street) and its High Street, Poplar, branch. At
various places openings have been made, nine in all. The cleansing
necessarily has gone on at night time, when the flow of sewage is at
its minimum, and then the pumps at the Isle of Dogs station,
Manchester Road, have been at work. Although due care was taken
the smell from the openings was bad. The County Council have
very wisely decided to cease cleansing this sewer during the hot
weather, so that emanations will not only cease from the shafts, but the
river will also not be polluted at Blackwall at a time of the year when
there is likely to be a scarcity of water in the stream to dilute the
sewage. The cleansing will re-commence in October."
No floodings of a serious nature were reported after the heavy
rains on 21st, 24th, and 28th July, and 3rd and 10th August, on
which days respectively 0.99, 0.44, 0.86, 0.33, and 0.34 inches of
rain fell.
No serious cases of flooding were reported after the extraordinary
downfall of rain on the morning of 7th September, when 0.75 inches
of rain fell in 32 minutes.
My opinion having been asked at the Board meeting held 3rd
September—there being a difference of opinion—respecting the size of
the new pipe sewer which was being laid down in Sussex Street to prevent
flooding of the houses, I supported the Surveyor in recommending
12 inch pipe. I communicated with the Astronomer Royal, who very
kindly afforded me a large number of statistics and observations made
at the Observatory as to rainfall. From the figures forwarded it will
be seen that the greatest floods happened after prolonged rainfalls
of some hours — no doubt from the ground having become
saturated.