Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town of Newmarket / by Geo. T. Clark, Superintending Inspector.

  • George Thomas Clark
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the town of Newmarket / by Geo. T. Clark, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/18
    r} 10 Report to the General Board of Health, “ The whole of these drains discharge themselves into the watercourse at the centre of the town, the watercourse extends from thence in an uncovered stagnant state for 143 yards, through the main part of the town, and the soil and sewage remains therein until it is washed away by the surplus surface water from the neighbouring watercourses, which occurs about once in summer, and twice in winter. In warm dry weather, and almost at all limes, this stagnant ditch or watercourse, the receptacle of all the sewerage, is very noxious and unhealthy to the inhabitants living in the centre of the town, and the principal sewer from the Bull Inn to the centre of the High-street, being two-thirds full, has stopped up the private drains, so that it is impossible for them to get rid of their soil, &c. “ The remainder part of the town is entirely without sewerage, ex- cepting a few 9-inch and 12-inch barrel drains, constructed to carry away the surface water, and which are inefficient for purposes of soil sewerage in the densely populated parts through which most of them, run. About four-fifths of the town possess no drainage for soil and . refuse, and have no other receptacle for filth and excrement but poil- pits or cesspools, the public roadways, or footpaths (which are much. used), and the cesspools made to receive the surface water, all of which i cesspools are untrapped, and emit the stench from the choked-up sewer and stagnant watercourse.” I it ^ lA iP jflsoniep^f irisi 0) IS. One 42. In the absence of regular sewers, the practice of the town i is to throw all the house filth into the open gutters. T his may' be seen in High-street, below the Terrace, where the footway is> j raised, and the house-drains discharge through the wall. In i' Wellington-lane, Sun-lane, Albert-row, Oheveley-road, andlj the adjacent part of High-street, in the by-streets and courts,, these filthy gutters are everywhere to be seen. 43. The gutter grates form a general subject of complaint. They are large, open, untrapped ; the drains beneath are often. I of large diameter, and are very seldom washed out. In conse-- quence the stench rising from below is very offensive. When.] the wind blows from the N.E., these bad odours are blomi upq the town ditch, and render some of the houses along its course,. near High-street, almost uninhabitable. No system of drainage ;| can answer here unless a proper and artificial supply of water: be sent daily into the drains. 44. Water Supply.—The chalk yields a good supply of waterr at a depth of about 40 feet, and the town is on the whole fairly, provided with wells. But these are deep, and the labour oil getting up the water, though not very considerable, is quite enough to limit its use to ordinary domestic purposes. 45. There are several pumps in tlm town, the water of which is for the most part good and plentiful. At the railway station’ is a well 40 feet deep, terminating in an 18-inch bore of 470' feet. The water rises to within 35 feet of the surface, and is lifted by a 6-horse power steam-engine into a tank for the supply of the railway. It is stated that this tank contains 18,000 il 49. Ligh ffirate &ai 1 Maij's priskpaT uiDlains ll televjaga oO. Bibi, jjoniids; twi lyciapelii ■ieoDlybiiri Loc.ti . 52. There f'lucli i' iVaii ‘tare ■'*rc fan, '*fai