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 townships of New and Old Accrington, in the county of Lancaster / by Benjamin Herschel Babbage, Superintending Inspector.

  • Babbage, Benjamin Herschel.
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 townships of New and Old Accrington, in the county of Lancaster / by Benjamin Herschel Babbage, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    probable expense of laying down a complete system of sewerage upon the plan recommended in my report, including distributing pipes to beyond Church, with overflow pipes into the Hindburn Brook. It will be seen that the sum required for the general sewerage of the town is 6,116/. In order to pay off this sum at the end of 30 years it would require an average weekly payment of Id. for each house. Even this sum, small as it is, compared with the great comfort to be derived from the cleansing of the town, and the abolition of the stinking cesspools, will probably be very much reduced by the profits arising from the sale of the liquid manure. The expense of laying down service-pipes and house-drains, of putting up sinks in the kitchens, of converting the privies into water-closets, and of effecting the other house improvements which I have pointed out, would not exceed an average sum of 31 per house. A weekly payment of f <f. per house would suffice to pay the interest and liquidate the principal of this sum in the course of 20 years. Summary of Conclusions arrived at in the preceding Report. That the mortality of New Accrington is 22*1, and of Old Accrington, 22-7 in the thousand, and that this rate of mortality entails upon these townships very heavy pecu- niary burthens both public and private. That in New Accrington there are 575 open cesspits and refuse heaps, making a surface of upwards of one quarter of an acre, and in Old Accrington 103, making a surface of about one-twelfth of an acre of decomposing matter. That the ventilation of many of the sleeping-rooms ol the lower classes is very bad, and that they are overcrowded beyond what a due regard to health and decency would permit. That the state of the burial grounds, excepting the new one belonging to Christ Church, is not satisfactory, and lhat] at least two of them require to be immediately closed. That new houses are continually being built, and new streets laid out, without due regard to improved structural arrangements, and that a proper supervision is required to prevent the continuance of this state of things. That an efficient system of sewerage may be laid down at an expense of about 6.116Z., and that this would require the small average weekly payment of Id. per house. That the°cesspoois may be removed that a proper water sunulv witli a kitchen-sink and house-drain, may be brought into each house, and the privy be converted into a water- closet at an average cost per house ot 3Z. which would require a weekly payment of |d. continued for 20 years m order to pay off the principal and interest.