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The Committee thus appointed, inspected the premises, in company with
Mr. Wilson, the Surveyor to the said Premises, and they also made inquiry in the
neighbourhood respecting the alleged nuisance. The result of the inspection and
inquiry by the Committee was a report to the Board, in which it was stated that the
complaints respecting the nuisance were well founded. Mr. Wilson informed the
Committee that Sir Anthony Rothschild was enlarging the premises, and when the
works were completed, there would be no further cause of complaint. The means,
however, that were proposed to be adopted to abate the nuisance were not pointed out
to the Committee. In my opinion, unless a proper apparatus is provided to collect and
condense the vapours in that department, where the boiling sulphuric acid is drawn
off into open troughs, the mere enlargement of the premises will be of little or no avail
in abating the nuisance. The mode in which the business is conducted permits large
volumes of sulphuric acid vapour to escape into the neighbourhood, both from the skylights
and from the high chimney-shaft. Such a contamination of the atmosphere is, in my
opinion, highly injurious to the health of all persons who live within the influence of
the irritating vapours which escape from these premises.
Proceedings against Mr. Quaintrall, who carries on the business of a Bone-Boiler
and Bone-Crusher in Buck's-row, have again been taken, in order to compel the abatement
of the nuisance, caused by the prolonged retention of bones on his premises.
After the hearing of the case, the Magistrates made an order upon Mr. Quaintrall to
remove, within fourteen days, all the bones which were then on his premises; and the
Magistrate further ordered, that after the expiration of the fourteen days, the said
premises were not to be used for storing or keeping bones thereon for a longer
period, at any one time, than the period of seven days.
These premises are now regularly visited by the Inspector every Monday morning
the day fixed by Mr. Quaintrall for the removal of all the bones), in order to ascertain
that there are no bones thereon, and that the order of the Magistrate is strictly
attended to.
The bone-house, when visited by the Inspector, although it was empty, was in a
most offensive condition, and an order was consequently served upon Mr. Quaintrall
to thoroughly lime-wash this building. If this bone-house be kept clean, and the bones
regularly removed once a week, the neighbourhood will, most probably, be relieved from
this disgusting and health-destroying nuisance.
The entire Eastern District of the Metropolis having recently suffered most severely
from the effects of Cholera—a disease which finds its greatest number of victims living
in those places where the laws of health are disregarded, it is to be hoped that the
Local Boards will thoroughly carry out all the sanitary provisions contained in the
several Acts of Parliament relating to the public health, and if the existing laws are
not sufficient for the purpose of protecting the public health, they will seek for
additional powers during the present session of Parliament.
The Act which specially calls for amendment, is the Building Act, for upon the
healthy lodgment of the people the success of sanitary measures mainly depends. In
any new Building Act, it should be enacted :
1st—That no house in any new street in London should be occupied as a dwellinghouse
until a sewer had been constructed along the street, and a communication made
from the house to the sewer.