Sydenham drainage, &c. Reports and estimates, / by Messrs Donaldson and Gotto, Assistant Surveyors. 2nd June, 1849.

  • London (England). Metropolitan Commission of Sewers.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sydenham drainage, &c. Reports and estimates, / by Messrs Donaldson and Gotto, Assistant Surveyors. 2nd June, 1849. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/20 (page 4)
    4 3rd. A provision for a self-acting and constant supply of pure water under such a pressure as would carry it to the upper floors of the houses, and in such abundance as would ensure the constant cleansing of the whole of the house and main drains. 4th. An arrangement for the disposal of the house sewage. SURFACE DRAINAGE. As the character of the place is not sufficiently urban to require paved streets and covered conduits for the free passage of rain and storm water, it does not appear expedient to lay out large sums of money to abolish the open streams, which should rather be allowed to flow through the village perfectly clear and pure, the house drainage with which they are at present polluted being carefully diverted from them. We would suffer nothing but land and surface drainage to pass into them; for this purpose they were originally intended, and by this their natural use they would become ornaments to the place, instead of nuisances justly complained of at present. These remarks refer to the main watercourses of this area. The roadside drains, which are at present used as open sewers containing rather than conveying away the foulest house drainage, should be so constructed as to form so many main drains for land drainage, and finally outfalls into the main open watercourses ; so arranging the road channels as on extraordinary storms to convey the water as far as possible before it falls into the road drains, which otherwise must be of much larger size and greater length than is necessary for ordinary purposes. The rapid fall of the roads would render it necessary that precautions should be taken for preventing the storm waters from carrying sand, gravel, &c. into the road drains. With a view to this, we recommend the use of gullies with sand traps, admitting of the sand collected therein being readily removed. A drawing of a grate and sand trap proposed by Mr Donaldson is appended, which appears to be adapted to this purpose ; from its simplicity of construction it is not likely to get out of order ; the cost would be about 17. 5s. each. In Wells road, Forest-hill road, Kirkdale, Dartmouth road, and other roads and streets formed or in progress of formation, tubular road drains are required for the land and road drainage and storm water, and all these might discharge into the open brook, which should be cleared out and straightened, and should have a brick invert constructed in the open parts. The probable cost of this work, with the road drainage and gullies, would be about 1,6297. SUBSOIL DRAINAGE. The question of subsoil drainage of land for the foundations of houses has not hitherto received the practical attention due to so important a matter. With soils of a retentive nature serious inconvenience and much damage are occasioned by this inattention. Damp walls and basements are among the evil results, and are fre¬ quently the cause of much sickness among that large portion of the community, domestic