View report page

47
more pressing work in hand. The Act of 1871 provides power to
compel the companies to give a constant supply as and when the
" public authority" may see fit to move. The authority (Metropolitan
Board of Works) has not seen fit to move in respect of the companies
supplying this parish, nor is it probable that any steps will
be taken until the stringency of the water regulations, to which I
have already referred, has been modified.
The number of miles of streets in the Metropolis which contain
mains constantly charged, and upon which hydrants could at once
be fixed, is 666—including 67 in the West Middlesex, 41½ in the
Grand Junction, and 50 in the Chelsea Company's district. The
companies are prepared to affix hydrants thereon when required by
the authorities; but, in fact—although hydrants might be used
for street watering—of 2,531 hydrants already erected, 1,996 are
for private purposes, and only 535 for public purposes, including
267 for street watering, in the entire Metropolis.
The companies supplying this parish obtain water exclusively
from the Thames, viz., the West Middlesex and Grand Junction
Companies at Hampton, and the Chelsea Company at Ditton. The
bad state of the water supplied by the last-named company in
December appears to have been caused by the intake being " below
the filthy outflow of the rivers Mole and Rye." The total volume
which may be supplied daily by each company is 20,000,000 gallons.
The average daily supply during the month of December
was—West Middlesex, 8,600,000; Grand Junction, 10,200,000;
and Chelsea, 7,200,000 gallons—eleven to fourteen per cent. of
the water (exclusive of waste, an enormous but unknown quantity !)
being delivered for other than domestic purposes. The number of
houses supplied in the several districts is—West Middlesex,
46,404; Grand Junction, 35,144; and Chelsea, 28,395. Only 401
houses in the West Middlesex district have a constant supply. The
estimated population supplied is—West Middlesex, 348,000;
Grand Junction, 316,000; Chelsea, 210,000. The West Middlesex
Company possess eleven engines of 1,341 horse power; the
Grand Junction, eleven of 1,820 horse power; and Chelsea, eight
of 1,025 horse power. The number of miles of mains possessed
by these companies in the Metropolis is—West Middlesex, 248;
Grand Junction, 200; Chelsea, 170. The West Middlesex Company
have three subsiding and storage reservoirs for unfiltered
water—area, 20½ acres; available capacity, 57,000,000 gallons :
and three covered reservoirs for storing filtered water, of an aggregate
capacity of 10,922,000 gallons. This company, by means of
its large reservoir capacity, avoids taking in water durmg floods.
The Grand Junction Company have four subsiding and storage reservoirs
for unfiltered water—area, 7 acres; available capacity,
19,500,000 gallons : the number of covered reservoirs for filtered
water being three, their capacity 18,000,000 gallons. This company
requires additional impounding and subsiding reservoirs. The
Chelsea Company have no reservoirs for unfiltered water, and only
two (capacity, 11,000,000 gallons) for storing filtered water. The