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14
The Canal Basin.
On the 29th of November I had an interview
with the Chairman and Secretary of the Grand
Junction Canal Company on the subject of the
Canal Basin and the various nuisances connected
with it, particularly the contamination of the water
arising from the falling of various substances
between the barges and the wharf in the process
of loading. I specially called the attention of
these gentlemen to the fact that in consequence of
the carelessness of the labourers employed on the
manure wharves in the occupation of the Company,
a large quantity of manure daily and hourly finds
its way into the basin, and is drifted during the
prevalence of westerly winds, to the east end.
There it becomes gradually soaked with water and
sinks to the bottom so as to form a putrescible
deposit. When the basin was emptied on the 6th
of July last, a deposit consisting entirely of driftings
from the manure wharves was found to extend for a
distance of about 20 yards from the east end, and
varying in thickness from a foot to 16 inches. In
this way although the evil is committed throughout
the year, its consequences only become appreciable
when called into existence by the heats of summer.
My interview also related to the inefficiency of the
weir at the east end of the basin, which was