Report of the Highway and Sewerage Committee of the Local Board of Health.

  • Leicester (England). Local Board of Health. Sewerage and Highway Committee.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Highway and Sewerage Committee of the Local Board of Health. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    22/68
    remarks already made, as to the non-existence of the requisite data for determining the proper size of the sewer, are strictly applicable to this (and to all the main sewers); but supposing the size, form, gi-adient, and direction the best that could be adopted, three feet less in the depth, and a single ring of brick work for the upper half of the sewer, would effect a saving of not less than 4s. 6d. per yard,—equal to £54 upon only 240 yards in length of sewer. THE EASTERN MAIN SEWER. This sewer is described as extending from a point in the Ilumberstone- road (marked D) to the top of Watling-street (marked B), where it joins the west main sewer. The total length is 1,570 yards. Supposing such a sewer to be neccssaiw, I do not think the best course has been taken. If instead of going round by Brook-street, and Wood- boy-street, Avith a total length of 1,570 yards, it had been taken along Carlow-street, Milton-street, Narrow-lane, and Orchard-street, the total length would have been 1,270 yards. At only 15s. per yard, the saving of 300 yards would luwe been £225. The additional cutting in the higher gi-ound would have been nearly compensated by the fact, that, with the same gradient, the depth from the surface at the top of Watling-street (the ]ioint B), where it joins the west sewer, would have been eighteen feet three inches deep, instead of twenty feet eight inches. The Avhole length of the seAver might have been further raised nine inches with advantage, and the junction of the east andAvest scAvers Avould then have been seventeen feet eight inches beloAv the surface, instead of tAventy feet eight inches. If it should be said that this Avould at all interfere AAuth the branch seAvers to be hereafter foiined, the ansAver is, that this is one of the evils of Avorking out partial plans. Your honourable board have no other plans or information Avhatever before you on the subject, and can only deal AAuth the scheme for Avhich you are asked to sanction the mortgaging of the public rates to the extent of £30,000. This main seAver is also subject to an objection urged against the Avest seAver: its capacity is not graduated to its work. The diameter is tAA’enty-four inches fi'om end to end of the 1,570 yards, although at B (Watling-street) it has received the drainage of ap- parently one-fourih of the houses in the toAA'n, and at D (the Humber- stone-road) comparatively nothing. This small scAver is also proposed to be eonstnicted of tAVO four-and-a- half rings of bidck. I do not hesitate to say, that a single ring of radiating bricks is ample strength for a sewer of that size. I have constructed of four-and-a-half inches, many miles of gTeater diameter, that have been in use from ten to tAventy years; and in no instance has there been any failure. The difference in cost between single and double ring is at least 3s. 6d. per yard, and the saving in this item (taken only iqion the shorter route) Avould be £222 5s. The total saving upon the east main seAver, by shortening the distance and reducing the thickness of the brick Avork, Avould be £447 5s.
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