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probably, ere long, some other method of ventilating the sewers will
be discovered than that of letting out noxious gases wholesale into
every thoroughfare, thereby infecting the atmosphere of the whole
of London with the very vapours which the Metropolitan Board
themselves admit to be the most subtle and dangerous to health o???
all poisons.
I believe that the closing of the air-shaft above-named, and th???
previous diminution of the size of the air-gratings in Paradise-row
are mainly attributable to the reiterated and energetic protests mad???
to the Central Board by this Vestry.
Notices have been served in the other cases of imperfect drainag???
mentioned in the Agenda Paper.
Forty-three deaths were registered in Rotherhithe during
November, nine of which were caused by scarlatina, which was, and
is, still prevalent.
There have been, also, a few cases of mild smallpox; but no death
has taken place from that malady.
Yours respectfully,
December, 1859. W. MURDOCH.
FORTY-EIGHTH REPORT.
Gentlemen,
During the spring and early part of the summer of last year
numerous complaints were made of the stenches arising from ???
premises of Messrs. Miller and Johnson, patent manure makers,—
premises situated on the north side of Rotherhithe-street, near th
Noah's Ark. Some expense had been incurred, and precautions h???
been taken, to prevent a nuisance, by causing the vapours generate
in the mixing apparatus to pass through a coke fire previously t???
their arrival into the shaft; but the vapours proved to be incombus???
tible, and, instead of the fire decomposing them, they put out th???
fire, and, escaping from the shaft, and cooling in the open atmo???
phere, fell often in large quantities in the immediate neighbourhood
of the factory, and were carried by the wind to some distance, t???
the great annoyance of the inmates of the surrounding houses, an
of the passengers along Rotherhithe-street. I suggested to th
manufacturers to change altogether their modus operandi, and t???
make the tube from the mixer plunge into a tank of water, and, i???
the water did not effectually absorb the gases, to add sulphate ???
iron to the liquid. They entered at once into my views, and during
the last three weeks have made experiments on the plan recommend