The metropolitan water supply / by W. Scott Tebb.

  • Tebb, William Scott, -1917.
Date:
[1905]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The metropolitan water supply / by W. Scott Tebb. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    32/46 (page 30)
    Since 1892, the date of these investigations, the Thames Conservancy has increased its Staff, and it appears from an examination of their reports that certain improvements have been made, but from an incident which came to light in 1897, it is evident that much still remains to be done. The matter to which I wish to refer is the carrying up and down the river of the refuse of London in leaky barges. The Thames Conservancy informed the London County Council that on the portion of the river above Teddington, during the year 1897, there had been “ one case only (a quite recent one) where it was reported that refuse of a foul character was being carried,” and further that the refuse in question was “ only ashes.”* It was subsequently shown that the barge named the “ Lothair,” was filled with Lambeth Vestry refuse, that she passed through Teddington Lock on September 6th, and was en- tered as containing rubbish, it afterwards appeared that she was so leaky that she had to be run ashore. Dr. Knox, in an official report dated October 6th, to the Molesey District Council, stated with reference to this barge, “ I found a most abominable nuisance existing in the shape of all sorts of refuse, and in addition, there was in her hold over 24 inches of the foulest fluid I ever smelt . . . (the removal), was actually performed by the Thames Conservancy, who had been informed of the fact by your officials.” Mr. Kemp, Surveyor to the Hampton District Council, in his report dated October 12th, said, “ the contents at the top appeared to be house refuse, while there were blood and rags at the bottom, and some liquid that looked like blood from a slaughter house.” In his evidence, given before the Kingston County Bench, Dr. Knox stated that the smell was very offensive, and that there was 24 inches of “ absolute cesspool water,” not house refuse in the hold. This “ absolute cesspool water,” the Thames Conservancy des- cribes as “only ashes,” and hence it is difiicult to ascertain from their reports the actual condition of the Thames, so far as the fouling of the river and its tributaries is concerned, but even allowing for a certain amount of improvement, if we have regard to the increase of population, to the augmentation of pollution from sewage works, and to the increas- ing number of persons using the river as a pleasure resort, the total result especially in times of flood, is probably not very different from what it was in 1892, and this conclusion is borne out by the analyses of drinking water made during the present year. In this Eeport on the Metropolitan Water Supply, I claim to have shown— * Proceedings of the London County Council, 1897, p. 1330.