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The new sludge vessel, the s.s. John Perring, was launched at the yard of W.
Beardmore and Company, Ltd., at Dalmuir, near Glasgow, on 26th February, 1926,
and was commissioned on 26th April, 1926. The cost of the vessel was £51,630 17s.
The fleet of sludge vessels now consists of the Bazalgette, commissioned in 1887 and
reconditioned in 1921, of 1,000 tons capacity, the Henry Ward (commissioned in
1923), the J. 11. Hunter (commissioned in 1924), the G. W. Humphreys (commissioned
in 1925), and the John Perring, each of 1,500 tons capacity, giving a total carrying
capacity of 7,000 tons, as compared with 6,000 tons of the six old vessels. Two of
the older sludge vessels, the s.s. Barrow and the s.s. Belvedere, were disposed of during
the year to Messrs. G. B. Pas and Zonen, of Bolnes, Rotterdam, for £1,750 each.
The annual overhaul of the s.s. Henry Ward, the s.s. G. W. Humphreys and the
s.s. J. II. Hunter was undertaken at a total cost of £2,111 19s. 7d.
Sludge
vessels.
Four new pumping engines and two surface condensing sets are being installed
at the Northern outfall, at a cost of about £7,000. The construction of the foundations
for the new machinery is being undertaken by direct employment of labour, at an
estimated cost of £300.
No proper messroom accommodation has hitherto been available for the workmen
employed at the outfall, and a disused sluice house is being adapted for the purpose
at an estimated cost of £550, to include lavatory accommodation and a locker-room.
The repair of the pier at the outfall, which was seriously damaged by the s.s.
Surrey, was carried out at a cost of £9,691 2s. 9d., the cost being recoverable under
insurance policies. The general work of repairing the pier, which has extended over
many years, was continued during the year at a cost of approximately £1,500.
The screening of the sludge produces a large amount of solid matter, and a
contract was entered into for the removal of the refuse, the estimated cost being
£1,500.
A footpath ran from Gal lions Station, North Woolwich, through the property
of the Port of London Authority and the Gas Light and Coke Company to the Northern
outfall. Underneath the pathway the rising sewer main from North Woolwich
pumping station to the outfall had been constructed. The pathway is of considerable
use to the Council, being the direct means of access to the outfall from North Woolwich
and Gallions Station. The Gas Light and Coke Company obtained powers in the
Company's Act of 1925 to close the path on the Company's property, and the Council
secured the insertion in the Act of a provision preserving rights of passage to and from
the outfall for all authorised persons and of reasonable access to the rising main.
The Port of London Authority was desirous of closing the portion of
the path running through its land, and assent was given, subject to the Authority
entering into an agreement embodying terms to safeguard the Council's interests
on lines similar to the protection afforded by the Gas Light and Coke Company's Act,
1925.
Northern
outfall.
lne overhaul ot the main beam engines and pumps at the southern outtall has
been proceeding continuously since 1915, when completion of the engines and pumps '
in the new engine house offered an opportunity for stopping the old machines in
rotation. Up to date, the work has cost approximately £10,650.
The roof of the main engine house, which was constructed in 1864, required
to be renewed. The roof has a span of about 45 ft. 7 in., and it was decided that
the new roof should be carried out in reinforced concrete. The cost of the work will
be over £4,000.
Baths have been installed in the staff quarters, at a cost of about £850. Repairs
to the pier have cost £450, to the wharf wall £105, and to the bunkers of the main
engine house, £250.
Southern
Dutfall.
Apart from the work in connection with the enlargement of Abbey Mills pumping
station which is referred to under the heading of " Flood relief works," the works
undertaken at the station during the year included the overhaul, at an estimated
. Abbey Mills
pumping
1 station.