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the state of the sewer, they run no risk ?—They would run no risk, because they could find out whether there was any foul gas in the sewer before they came to it.—But are such men as these capable of applying tests, and knowing what they are about in detecting the existence of foul gases ?—I should say so. These men had been for a long time at such work—for four or five years.—But how are they to ascertain when they aresafe?—We find inpracciee that they can always ascertain whether it is safe or not to enter into the sewers,— What, labourers?—Yes the men we send into the sewers.— I should have thought, in such matters as these, where poison is known to exist, these are not the sort of men to try an experiment, at the risk of their own lives ?—There were no experiments to be tried in this case. Whether there were gases in the sewer or not ?—No, sir; the examination was ^ascertain the depth0 the deposit,prior to the flushing men going in.—Then whafc has unhappily occurred now, may happen every day. Men may go down in the sewers and lose their lives again from the existence of feul gas ?—I do not apprehend they would.—Why should not such an event happen to-morrow as well as to-day if men ge down in this way ?—Why, if we apprehended there was any foul ga3, we should not let them go down.—But how would you leave that to be ascertained ? To the men?—We should, 1 apprehend, leave it totheinspector.—JolinHcnry Battersbury, of Maldon-road, Haverstock-hill, said: I am inspector of flushing to the Metropolitan Commis-sioners of Sewers. I made an inspection of the sewer in Warwick-street on Monday, before the accident, with Gee and Peart. We went through the whole line to its termination at Kenilworth-street. I went about ten or twelve feet into that sewer, but Gee went rather further. When he was in the sewer he said he thought he could see a curicms light: I could not see it, but I felt the sewer very close, and I called him back. He returned into Warwick-street sewer, {and we proceeded into King’s Scholar’s Pond sewer, in Tachbrook-s tree t.—The Coroner :T)id you then form any opinion that there was danger in the sewer ? —When Gee got out, he said to me “ What a curious smell there was in that sewer; it was for all the world like rotten cheese.” I told him I knew what it was; but he said he did not know. I then told him it was gas, and Peart said it was like what he had experienced once when a sewer ignited at Paddington.—Gf what sewer were you then speaking ?— Of tho sewer in Kenilworth-street.—Then you were informed, or it was suggested to you, that there was gas in the sewer ? Yes; and I told Gee then not to go into that sewer, and he replied, “ Yery welL” I told him if it was necessary to go into it, as there was no aperture, we should have to fireak it open.—Bid Peart hear that ?—Yes.—Did you understand, when the sewer was open upon the Thursday and Friday, they ought not to have gone into it. Had they received further orders to go?—I saw them upon the Tuesday after I reported to Mr. Xovick that it was necessary to examine the collateral sewers.—You said that you told Gee not to go there. Had he any further directions after that ?—No, he had not. Ho had instructions to go into the collateral sewers, but not to go into this particular sewer.—How was it he got there ?—fie had been measuring the whole of the sewer3 in the neighbourhood.—What directions did you give upon the Thursday ?—I told them not to go into any sewer where they felt it close; and to have man-holes opened where they required them.—Then, from what you perceived, you had no doubt of the existence of gas in the sewer and you have none now ?—I had no doubt of the ex • istence of gas, and the sewer was very full, for it hissed and bubbled 5 and I did not proceed further on that account.— Were you aware that the sewer was blocked up at one end? —I was not. I never felt any oppression in the sewers before. They are all very good sewers, recently constructed upon the best principle.—The inquiry was then adjourned.The Adjourned Inquest.The adjourned inquisition, was resumed on Thursday afternoon, before Mr. Bedford, the Coroner for Westminster, at the Clarendon Tavern Pimlico. Mr. J. Phillips, of No, 9, Priory-road, Wandsworth-road, and chief surveyor to the Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers, was the first witness called to-day. He stated that the sewer was built )y Mr. Thomas Cubitt in January, 1848. Directions had ?een previously given by the Commissioners as to the msde n which it should be built, but he did not see it at the ime. There were printed regulations supplied to Mr. Cubitt as to the form and size of the sewers always required » be built by the Commissioners, These printed regula-ions, together with the petition of Mr. Thomas Cubitt for eave to build the sewer, were read by Mr. Phillips. The ewer was built under the inspection of the officer in charge •f the district, and so for as the works had gone, the printed egulations had been complied with; but as yet the sewer vas incomplete as it was originally designed or intended, le had, within the last few days inspected the sewer in rhich this calamity took place* It was a brick sewer, 418 set in length, nine inches thick, four feet hi-'h, and 2 feetend and then filled a bottle with the fluid, which, with the refuse he had previously taken out of the trench; he carried to Dr. Ure, and requested him to analyse it Dr. Fre has done so, and we beg to append his report upon the Eabject The ground around the sewer is, in our opinion, still charged with deadly gas, which, if allowed to remain, will continue to find its way into the sewer, as well as into the adjacent vaults and houses, and the sewer will be unsafe to enter. We would, therefore, beg to suggest that the ground down to the level of the sewer be at once removed, deodorised, and buried under inspection in some unobjectionable place.i: Johtt Phillips, Chief Surveyor.“ E. Gotto, Assistant Surveyor.”“Kepobt by AifDBEW IJbe, M.D., F.R.S., Professor ofChemistry, of the analysis of a watery green fetid liquor,taken from the bottom of a sewer in Kenilworth-street,Pimlico, and of a greenish earthy matter, taken from theground dvnr the sewer.“ I find that the earthy matter is the refuse lime of gas works, impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, certain prussic acid compounds, and a little ammonia as hydrosul-phuret. These three eubstances are all exceedingly noxious to life in their separate state, and they are liable to be liberated by the action of the earbonic acid of the atmosphere, to be washed out by the rains, and to percolate down through the crevices and joints of the arched roof of the sewer. That this is the case is demonstrated by the analysis of the water in the sewer, which has exactly the green colour imparted to pure water by the calcareous compound, possesses the very peculiar fetid smell of sulphuretted hydrogen, and affords to ehemical re agents the characters of this gas, as also of prussic acid and ammonia. Certain, animal exudia may also be readily detected in the said water, as urine, c.; the whole forming a mixture remarkably deleterious, and emitting most offensive and oppressive exhalations, so that paper dipped in a solution of silver or lead, and held over a vessel containing some of that green liquor, becomes immediately of that glistening black colour, corresponding somewhat to the hue imparted to the skin and blood of persons killed by breathing an air impregnated by such matters. The presence of the prussic acid, or sulphocyarygea poisons, inthesa effluvia, is a striking peculiarity, proceeding, no doubt, from the layer of gas lime imprudently shot as a filling-up rubbish over the sewers. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that a very few inhalations of the atmosphere in the said sewrr should have caused asphyxia and death in Mr. Weils and tho men who accompanied him. I may observe that sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid gas, both present in that sewer, being in mixture with prussic vapour, form an air heavier than that of the atmosphere, and thereby would be found to prevail chiefly near the bottom of the sewer, so that Mr. Wells and his companion, on stooping down to search fer the dead bodies of the workmen lying there, wonld come to' inhale the concentrated gaseous poison, and drop in-sfcantly down on their faces, in which position their own bodies were observed to lie.(Signed) t: As deew TJbb.”Health of London During the Past Week.In the week ending last Saturday, the total number of deaths registered was 1,075; the weekly average derived from deaths in the autumnal quarter (which commences with the present month; of five previous years, is 1,162; the weekly return, therefore, now exhibits a decrease on the average, after a period of more than three months, during which it has shown a considerable, and in eleven consecutive weeks, an enormous excess above the usual rate ef mortality. The decrease is observed in the west, north, and central divisions; the mortality in the east and south, where the deaths from cholera are still the most numerous, is about the average. The deaths from cholera in the last week were 112; in five previous weeks they were 2,026 (the highest number which, exclusive of diarrhoea, the epidemic attained) 1682, 839, 434,288. In last week the deaths from diarrhsea and dysentery (the mortality of which is more steadily main-tamed) were 105, almost as numerous as deaths from cholera, and considerably more than usual at this advanced season of the year. The aggregate deaths from these three kindred diseases were, therefore, 215; whilst the weekly average is only 35. During last week the daily number of deaths from cholera averaged 16 ; on Wednesday they were only 11. In the districts of St. Jame3 (Westminster), Islington, St. Giles, Holborn, Camberwell, and Botherhifche, no deaths frem cholera were registered during the week. In Kensington there were 6; in Hackney, 5; in Bethnal-green, 7; in Shoreditch, 12; in Poplar, 5; m St. Saviour, 6; in Bermondsey, 6; in St. George (Southwark), Lambeth, Wandsworth, 7 each; and in Greenwich 8. In all other districts the mortality from the epidemic did not range higher than 4 deaths. All other epidemics are at present under the average; smali-pex and measles remarkably low; but scarlatina bcccmes
Newspaper Details
London Magnet
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Oct 22, 1849
Page 3
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USA 16 Aug 2023
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