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35
There are 758 cisterns in use in these houses ; 338 of these
cisterns are placed on water closets, 142 are situated under bedroom
floors, and 11 are over dust bins.
The water in these cisterns is liable to be polluted by sewage
gases ascending from the closet pans ; in 350 of these cisterns the
supply pipe (to wash down the closet-pan) leading from the
cistern to the closet pan is untrapped there is merely an ordinary
"spindle valve,") and, therefore, fœcal and sewage gases are
very liable to come in contact with the water.
This is not the only source of danger. These 350 cisterns
have their waste pipes (over-flow pipes from cisterns) also untrapped
leading directly into the closet pan. There is, therefore,
a free communication between the fœcal gases and the water.
The water stored in the cisterns under bed-room floors
obviously may any day be polluted, for many of the cisterns are
not even covered by a lid. There is nothing over the water but
the loose floor boards (left loose that the cisterns may be cleaned).
In many of the cisterns the water is polluted by dust, from dust
bins and other sources. Very few of the cisterns are properly
covered.
In 10 cisterns there is a waste pipe leading direct into the
drains, and the danger from such communication is obvious.
In many houses the cisterns are too small, for instance the
houses of Ashford Street are supplied by 18 cisterns, which hold
not more than 30 gallons each. These are eight-roomed houses,
and having two or three families.
In the month of January, 1874, the Medical Officer applied
to the Engineer of the New River Company requesting to be informed
whether the Company had made arrangements for the
purpose of giving a constant supply, and in reply to such communication
he received a letter dated January 27th (copy given
on page 9 of Appendix I.), stating that the Company had made
such arrangements but preferred that the Local Authority rather
than the Company should take the initiative in the matter.
That after other communications with the Company ending
in no satisfactory result, the Vestry, in the month of October, 1875,
addressed a letter to the Metropolitan Board as the Metropolitan