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11
Hereupon, Mr. Hodgkinson, not satisfied, made fresh
complaints respecting the small cesspool under the kitchen of
No. 13, which he averred not to be kept properly emptied by
pumping, as it ought to be, and from which he still believed
some leakage to arise.
To set this question at rest Dr. Druitt directed 2 ounces
of yellow prussiate of potass, dissolved in water, to be put
into one drain leading to this cesspool, and four days afterwards,
a similar quantity into another drain, which leads into
the cesspool and begins close to the wall of No. 161, Bond
Street. The cesspool was charged full of water, and the
heavy rains furthered this part of the experiment. Then the
water which oozed into the wine cellar was tested, from time
to time, with a solution of a salt of iron, which, if the water
contained any prussiate of potass, would have struck a deep
blue. But no blue was struck, and so there was evidence
that no water came through from drains or cesspool. So it
may be hoped this case is ended. It has been fairly worked
out at a great expenditure of trouble.
The writer desires never to miss an opportunity of saying,
that the land ought to be drained, and that the mere conveyance
of refuse water from houses is not enough. How, or by
whom, this is to be effected in general, is a question; but
there is no doubt that the owner of these cellars can drain
them into the King's Scholar's Pond sewer, if he choose to
incur the expense.
Maddox Street, No. 6. Former reports on the drainage
of Maddox Street, Hanover Street, and the intervening part
of Regent Street, will show the ancient state of neglect into
which the sewerage of the whole block of these important,
expensive, and most respectably tenanted houses, had fallen
(Reports No. vii, p. 10, No. v, p. 11). These are not houses
into which the Inspector can enter unbidden; but to which