Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances and adminsitration of the Ely Rural District.

  • Copeman, S. Monckton (Sydney Arthur Monckton), 1862-
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances and adminsitration of the Ely Rural District. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    /£f / 25 ft in depth, from which it is pumped to an iron tank, of 320,000 gallons capacity, situated on an elevation, adjoining the workhouse at Ely, from which the water is distributed by gravitation. The hamlet of Stuntney, however, as well as a number of houses in Ely, is supplied directly from the 44 rising main.” There is no ^filtration of the water. The supply is constant, and there are no cisterns in houses, other than the flushing-cisterns in connection with water- closets. The supply is abundant and of good quality, and does not appear to be liable to contamination in any way, the water-works being situated at a distance of quite a quarter of a mile from any collection of houses. The water supply of the hamlet of Prickwillow with about 60 houses, is obtained from the river Lark, which, some twenty miles above receives the sewage of Bury St. Edmunds; while that of Queen Adelaide, with about 20 houses, is obtained from the river Ouse, at a point two miles below the sewage outfall of Ely. In both cases the river water is passed through filters composed of a cubic yard of a mixture of sand and polarite, into a brick chamber placed alongside the filter-bed. From this chamber it is pumped for use. Excrement disposal—Sewerage and Drainage.—In the City of Ely itself, the water-carriage system of excrement disposal is universal, all houses having water-closets provided with separate flushing cisterns. In most instances the closets, which are of the long or short 44 hopper ” type, are situated outside the houses in yards or gardens. The soil-pipes are unventilated, except in the case of indoor closets in some of the better-class houses. In the outlying hamlets however privy-middens are almost invariably installed, the scavenging of which is carried out or arranged for by the occupiers. The sewerage system of Ely, which was laid down in 1855, consists of two sections, the high-level and low-level mains respectively. The high-level sewer, which is constructed of 10-inch pipes, receives the greater part of the sewerage of the city, and is joined by a number of branch sewers in different parts of its course. These branch sewers have for the most part a diameter of six inches. The high-level sewer has a sufficient fall, but its course is circuitous, while its capacity is unduly small for present-day requirements, the manholes along its course usually containing pent-up sewage. There is no special provision for flushing or ventilating either the high or low-level sewers. The latter has a very slight fall, and in the area served by this sewer flooding of cellars and basements of houses is especially apt to occur after heavy rain. There is a storm-outlet, direct to the river, at Annesdale, which is opened when the low-level sewer is flooded. In former years this was frequently necessary owing to the silted-up condition of the sewers, but I am informed by the inspector of nuisances that the condition of affairs has been much improved since the sewer was cleaned out and partially relaid during the years 1904-1906. The whole sewerage system, in the first instance, was badly planned and imperfectly constructed, while for the most part its