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48
the destructor. They then attended at the office of the
Commissioners of Sewers at the Guildhall. At first, the Assistant
Clerk, then in charge (owing to the absence of Mr. Blake, the
Clerk), objected to give any undertaking, but on the Clerk to the
Vestry threatening that if no undertaking was given he would
that day apply to the Chancery Division of the High Court lor
an Injunction, the Assistant Clerk, after communicating with
Dr. Saunders, the Medical Officer of the City, gave an undertaking
that no rags should be opened and burnt at the wharf without
24 hours' notice in writing to the Vestry.
The Sanitary Committee fully endorsed the action of the Vestry
Officers, and the following is a copy of the correspondence whit h
ensued on the subject.
Vestry Hall, Kennington Green.
1 st August, 1884.
Sir,
I am directed by the Sanitary Committee of this Vestry
to call your attention to the recent attempt of the authorities of
the Port of London to send for destruction at your wharf in
Lambeth, rags, which, having come from Marseilles were considered
so dangerous as to be stopped by the Medical Officer of
the Port. Before these rags could have been destroyed at your
wharf, it would have been necessary for the bales to have been
opened by your men, as the bales are in themselves too large to
be put through the holes leading to the machine for destruction.
In opening out the bales and separating the rags, I need hardly
say how great the danger would have been to the workmen, and
as at the present time it is quite common for whole pieces of
paper, unburnt, to be blown out of the chimney and fall in the
surrounding neighbourhood, pieces of infected rags might in
the same way have been blown out in a similar manner, to the
possible danger of the inhabitants around.
I am directed by the Sanitary Committee to enter their protest
against any attempt of your Commissioners to allow the wharf to