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5
tion, and continued to the passing of the Beckenham Sewerage Act
during the year now under revision.
The examination of the Penge and Bell Green Sewer,
consequent on the contention between this Board and the
Bromley Guardians during the passage of the Bill through the
two Houses of Parliament, revealed such serious faultiness in the
construction of the.Sewer as to render it desirable to call in the
assistance of an independent Engineer, and Mr. Alfred Williams
was accordingly appointed to carry out the necessary work of
its reconstruction.
It was found necessary io lower the invert of the sewer for a
very considerable length, of which a large portion was wholly reconstructed,
a work occupying several weeks.
During the whole of this time-the sewage of Penge was diverted
from the sewer, and when ft is borne in mind that Penge
contains about 2,250 inhabited houses, the difficulty of the operation,
without incurring serious consequences, will at once be
realised. The work naturally created considerable alarm in
the minds of many inhabitants, and the attention of the
Local Government Board, the Metropolitan Board of Works, the
Thames Conservancy, and (of local authorities) the Guardians of
the Lewisham Union being called to the matter, this Board, in
order to satisfy them and the public generally, requested Dr.
Stephenson, Lecturer on Chemistry at Guy's Hospital, to examine
into and report upon the process of disinfection which was being
adopted under the superintendence of the Board's Medical Officer;
Dr. Stephenson reported that the same was being effected in the
best manner practicable, and without danger to the public, and,
notwithstanding great complaint, it was ultimately allowed on all
hands that the work, both of reconstruction and disinfection was
being carried out in the most efficient manner, and it was in
fact accomplished with little or no evil result whatever.
The cost, however, was a serious item, amounting in the
whole to £2,120 11s. 7d., and thus swallowed up all, and
more than all, the money received from the Bromley Guardians,
under the Beckenham Sewerage Act.
The terms upon which the Beckenham Sewerage Area was to
be admitted to participate in the Metropolitan Sewerage System
having been settled by the Act, the Bromley Guardians and this
Board have cordially co-operated in giving full effect to its
provisions.