Report of a committee on a plan for cleansing the drains of Black Town.

Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of a committee on a plan for cleansing the drains of Black Town. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    39/105 page 31
    Otf THE EEBTJILDIKO OF THE NOItTIIEIlX TUN1TEE. of tliis by going to the spot. There cannot I conceive he a question, hut that this trilling work should he done immediately. The fluid raised hy the Engine would he drawn and discharged through pipes, so that there would he no com- munication whatever between the sewerage and the open air. With respect to the open ditch as I have said ahove, the principal part of what has been charged to it belongs to the cistern. I think it will be sufficient to raise the end near the cistern with earth and slope it off towards the Cooum, leaving however still a hollow, so that in the heavy falls of rain a portion of the water may flow off that way as at present, if the Tunnel should be insuffi- cient to carry it off. I think this will be found almost if not quite to remove the evil. I would not if possible spend any large sum of money now, and I feel confident that the entire filling up of the ditch is unnecessary. What I would therefore propose should be done at present is— 1st.—The covering of the cistern, which will certainly remove an intoler- able r.uisance at a trifling cost, about 100 Rupees. 2d.—Raising the floor of the inner end of the Tunnel about 1 foot 4- in- ches, and sloping it to the present level of the mouth, about 1,500 Rupees. 3d.—Filling up partially the end of the open ditch next the Tunnel, about 1,000 Rupees. 4th.—Putting up a small Engine to raise the sewerage into the Tunnel and prevent its stagnating in the main sewer, about 2,000 Rupees. These things seem to me simple and obvious, and they will cost little— about 5,000 Rupees. And for the proper investigation of the various matters now under consi- deration and enumerated above, I would beg most strongly to recommend, that as recommended by the Committee, an Officer of talent and experience should be appointed to take a view of the whole matter at once, and digest a plan by which the various objects may be attained, being convinced that it is impossi- ble to settle one of these points effectually and economically without consider- ing the others. The trifling works above proposed cannot of course in the least tend to render the extensive works the less necessary. I conclude with two observations— 1st.—As it is necessary that this paper should be short, I do not attempt to answer the various difficulties that may of course appear in this case, especi- ally to non-professional readers; but I feel confident, that there are none that cannot be easily met, and I shall bo ready to answer any question that it may seem necessary to put.
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