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"for drinking. The remainder were supplied by pumps attached to???
"each house. Many of the shallow well waters of the District???
"have submitted to further investigation, and find them abounding???
"with impurities."
In the autumn of 1857 a serious outbreak of fever occured at Starch
Green, attributable to the exhalations from large collections of ashes
and domestic refuse brought into the adjoining brickfields, and the
poisonous vapours from the kilns.
The unsanitary and wretched condition of the footpaths of both
parishes engaged the early attention of your Board, and during this year
(1857) nearly 5 miles of paving works had been provided for and
carried out. In 1858, the first grand step was taken by your Board to
effect the more perfect Sanitary condition of your District by instructing
your Surveyor to prepare a report on the more important Sewer requirements
therein, and in the latter part of the year 1859, Mr. Bean
presented his admirable scheme for our Local Drainage, accompanied
with elaborate plans and sections, involving works estimated to cost
£39,401 15s. 0d. In your third Report, you wisely expressed "your
firm belief that a systematic plan of Sewerage is absolutely required,
and that the District will not rise in importance as compared with
others in the Metropolitan area, unless such plan be carried out, have
therefore referred the Surveyor's Report and plans to the Chief
Engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works, to ascertain if such a
mode of drainage can be adopted in connection with the great Metropolitan
Main Drainage and Intercepting Scheme, with a view to the
further consideration of the matter so soon as Mr. Bazalgette's opinion
shall have been obtained."
In estimating the difficulty of the task imposed upon your Surveyor, it
must be remembered that not only had Mr. Bean to provide for the then
present requirements of the District, but to anticipate the probable rapid
developement of building operations then looming in the distance, nay,
more, he had the delicate problem to solve how to dovetail, almost as
joiners work, his own scheme with that of the Metropolitan Board of
Works as proposed by Mr. Bazalgette.
How far success attended his efforts ia evidenced by the fact that
with a few minor alterations, his plan was highly approved, both by the
Metropolitan and your own Board, and has long since been completed.
During the year 1858, the country and the Metropolis was visited
with an epidemic of Diptheria, the mortality from which was very
great. Fortunately the Fulham District escaped its ravages, and in my
third Annual Report I was enabled to write: "An Epidemic, named
Diptheria, has cut off large numbers of the people in London and various
other parts of the kingdom during the last few months, but it will be
satisfactory to you to know that whilst Paddington, Kensington,
Belgravia, and other richer parishes have suffered, we have enjoyed
comparative immunity from its attacks. Very few cases have been
brought under my notice and only three deaths have actually occurred