SYDENHAM SEWAGE SCHEME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5805, 24 February 1897, Page 2

SYDENHAM SEWAGE SCHEME.

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PROCEEDINGS AT THE MAGISTRATE'S COURT. At the Magistrate's Court yeste.xday, before Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., tho case to decifle as to whether a nuisance had been caused by the Sydenhani sewage scheme was called on. £>r E. Jennings said lie had examined the depot, and the ventilators and manholes of the sower in the vicinity. He decidedly thought that a miisauco was : created by tho concentration of night carts • and by the escape of foul gas from the ventilators. He decidedly agreed with what Dr King had said as to the effect of the introduction of fermented sewage into' the sowers. To Mv Stringer: Ho had been present on two occasions when operations were being carried on, and, apart from the theoretical objections, noticed on the first occasion a very foul smell from a ventilator. The' second occasion on which he had been there, had been the previous night, and he 1 had noticed no escape of gas from tho ventilator. Ho thought that that was because lie had not been thero at the time the wave passed. Dr Diamond said he agreed with what Dr King had said. He had been at the dep6t twice' when operations were being earned' on, and had noticed escapes of foul gas from tho sewer ventilator in the locality. To Mr Russell: There would only be danger of typhoid supposing that first the typoid germ escaped from its environments, and then escaped the germicide which was used at the depot. There would be more danger from tho carts themselves. Re-examined by Mr Fisher : There was'a practical danger, as well as a theoretical' danger. It was almost impossible to thoroughly disinfect the place and the cart and its contents. . . Dr Ovenden said he had been at tho ■ depot twice, and had seen carts discharging. Thero was a nauseous clinging smell noticeable, different from that of a city night-cart. Ho thought the introduction of this matter into the sewer would cause more sewer gas of a more noxious nature to bo given off. The previous night thero was no smell noticeable until the cart came in, but then . The witness was cross-examined by Mr Stringer. The Court then adjourned till 10.30 a,m. to-day. SECOND DAY. , The hearing of the informations, laid by F. T. Haskins and others, S. H. Saunders and others, and R. H. Turner and others, charging the Mayor, Councillors and inhabitants of the Borough of Sydenham and their clerk, Charlos Allison, with creating a nuisance on the South Town Belt by the establishment of the sewage depdt, and failing to abate it after notice had been given, was continued at the Magistrate's Court to-day, before Mr H. W. Bishop, Stipendiary Magistrate. Mr Fisher, with him Mr Bruges, ap peared for the informants, and Mr Stringer with him Mr Russell, for the defendants. Dr Mickle stated that ho was a member of the City Council, and on the Sanitary Committee of that body. On Jan. 29 he went to visit the depdt, and knocked up Mr Turner, who went with him. . Before the arrival of the first cart there was nothing objectionable, and some time after it had gone inside the building there was a very disagreeable, sickly, burning smell in the neighbourhood. He thought this came from the chimney. He was standing near the ventilator opposite the building, and Mr Turner partly raised the sack covering it, and immediately there arose an overpowering offensive smell. He walked along to Colombo Street anduoticed whiffs of a very offensive smell coming from the ventilator there. He visited the dep6t again, and the same conditions were noticeable. The establishment of this dep:»t in such a populous neighbourhood, was an outrage,, and must be a menace to health, and would also depreciate the value of property. The prohibition of the use of earth or ashes as deodorants would also affect tho question, because under the present conditions it was impossible to disinfect the whole of the contents of the cart. The f/ict that the excreta was in a fermenting condition when brought into tho sewers was a very grave objection j and the danger of escapo of sewer gas into houses fitted with" waterclosets would be increased. The district of Sydenham was hardly ever quite free from typhoid fever. To Mr Stringer : The carts themselves compare very favourably with the city, night-carts ; and, in fact, could scarcely be improved upon. The fire arrangements at the depot were not sufficient, and did not destroy the smell altogether. This, howover, could be obviated by increasing the furnace and carrying tho chimney higher. Ho should still object to the scheme, even if it were in a less populated district, unless the sewage could be sent down a drain not connected with tho general sewer Bystem. Ho had, before tho institution of this scheme, noticed escapes of bad gas from the sewer ventilators, but this would increase it. The more intelligent part of the community used earth as a deodorant, and he thought its use should bo insisted on with the pan system. Dr De Renzi stated that, on Jan. 2H, in company with Dr Townend, ho visited the depot. He did not notice anything on the Avay down, and went into the receiver, wheie the working was explained. On coming out there was a cart waiting; this went in and the doors were shut. The odour from the cart was rather strong, but he did not notice anything further. He visited the place again a few dnys ngo, and went down Durham Street.* He had visited a patient in Durham Street south, and thero noticed a smell which was different from that of an ordinary night-cart. Ho thought he would go to sco if it came from the depot, and noticed a very strong smell in bho vicinity. He had a patient, a young woman, in Hazeldean Road, and had noticed a change in her condition since the erection of tho dejwt. Sho was now troubled with attacks of vomiting, and tho windows of her room had to bo kept closed." Tho system was certainly not the best that could have been adopted. Ho had heard Dr Mickle's evidence, and agreed with that. The prohibition of the use of earth in tho pans increased the danger. Typhoid was now of frequent occurrence in Sydenham. Ho was not thinking of going to live in tho neighbourhood just now. To Mr Stringer : The odour that ho had noticed from tho depAfc was a peculiar burnt odour. He did not think many people now used earth in their pans. Sarah Dillon stated that she had resided in Hazeldean Road for about twelve years. She had a daughter who was dangerously ill. On Jan. 4, when operations were begun, she noticed a smell in the house. On tho morning of Feb. G, about four o'clock, not thinking of this depot, she opened the front door, and Avas nearly suffocated by the stench, and about six o'clock it was just as bad. During tho last four or five weeks her daughter had been troubled with attacks of vomiting, and complained of her room being filled with tho smell oven in the daytime. It was her opinion that her daughter was sinking fast. To Mr Russell: Sho had noticed the smell nearly every night, and kept her doors shut. The smoll came over in spite of the fact that the doctors said tho place was scrupulously clean. Sho lived near the railway line and tho Loan and Mercantile Company's store, but had not been, troubled with smells from there. Since tho opening of this depot her daughter's vomiting had been almost incessant. Thomas M. Fowko, a railway guard, residing on tho South Belt, nearly opposite the depot, stated that ho had resided in that locality for one year and eight months. Tho neighbourhood had previously been healthy and free from smells. On tho morning of Jan. 13 ho was lying in bod awake and heard ouo of the carts go past. His wife got up and opened tho front door, and immediately tho house was filled with an, abominable stench. He got up and wont across. He met Mr Allison there and asked the reason of that Btonch. Mr Allison,

denied that there was a smell. Witness asked him if he had a nose, and Mr Allison then said that they had had an accident with one of the carts inside and had foolishly opened the doors. Witness had been over there several times sinoe — on one occasiou when the City Inspectors were there. Tho first cart that came along that night witness believed had been " doctored." There was no smell at all or very little, but the next one there was no mistake about. Witness now had to keep the doors and windows of his house shut. There was no occasion for him to go over to the depot to get the smell ; if the night was still or the wind was. from the south-east he got it at home. To Mr Stringer : When he had this conversation with Mr Allison the latter 'was alone. He was sure that on several nights four night-carts had passed his place. Re-examined by Mr Bruges : "Witness had on several occasions noticed bad smells arising from the manholes in the sewers. Dr Thomas stated that he had visited the depot, and had come to the conclusion that v the locality was not a fit and proper place to establish such a depot. It would depreciate property and drive people away from there. • He agreed with Dr Mickle's evidence as to its effect upon the sewer system. He thought the Sydenham system was on its best, behaviour at the present time, and ' Was carried out as well as it could be, but there ;was a danger of relaxation of care in-'the'.fuitu'e. He had noticed effluvia arising from the ventilators. To Mr Russell:' His principal objection was not thai .the value of property would be lowered. A local epidemic of typhoid might be caused by the sewer gas. For instance, the illness of tho Prince of Wales had baen caused by sewer gas. There might be an element of danger about the. emptying of pans into the carts, but still in that case the gases were diluted with air. ■ J. H. Stringer, one of the city inspectors, stated that under instructions from the Council he visited the depot on Jan. 6 and 12. He went inside the building during the discharge of the first cart and then found that the smell from the excreta was buried by a powerful disinfectant, which had a very sickly smell. After the discharge of the first cart Inspector Massey went inside and witness went outside, and then noticed an overpowering smell which he thought came from the chimney. He went three or four chains both east and west along the bait to get away from it, but found it was all round. He heard afterwards that they had had an accident with the connection; While he was there a man came out and wetted a sack andcovered over the sewer ventilator. He had been there on other occasions, the last time on Feb. 5. The first cart that came along that night had a smell quite different from the ordinary night - cart. Inspector Massey went to follow the cart inside, but came "back and told witness that Mr Allison ■would not allow them inside. Witness thought that wa3 because an action had been brought. When the second cart was emptied that night the smell was something atrocious, and, in fact, though witness .walked along to windwardit was still hanging round. On one occasion they had held a match over a ventilator, andf ound that there was a sufficient updraught to extinguish it. Witness had had twelve years' experience as City Inspector, and did not consider this a proper place to establish such a depot. To Mr Russell : Witness at first thought the system itself was a good one, but in his report stated that the site was not suitable. Charles B, Massey, one of the City Inspectors, stated that, In company with. Mr Stringer, he went to the depot on Jan. 6, but work was not being carried on then. They next went on Jan. 12, and found Mr Allison and several of the councillors there. The people in the house next door would notice the smell of the carts going past. On this particular occasion, while the cart was being discharged, witness stood near the chimney, but did not notice any smell. However, on walking some little distance away he detected the fumes, which •were very strong. On going back he found that the ventilator was covered with a wet sack, and then held a maich, but that night there appeared to le very little draught either up or down. When the second cart came along, witness followed it inside. An accident happened to that cart, as the excreta, instead of going in to the tank, was washed out on to the floor of the building. ■ Naturally the atmosphere got very thick. On Feb. she went down again,' but Mr Allison would not allow him to go inside the building that night. They noticed a very strong smell coming up from the ventilator. The first time witness was down there he noticed that the doors were not air-tight. He would not live m that neighbourhood if he had a house rent free. To Mr Stringer :' In their report they stated that the scheme was a good one, but that was conditionally on its being carried out without creating a nuisance. W. H. Rowse stated that he had been in charge of the sewage farm for about fourteen years. About Jan. 5 his son complained that the sewage had a stronger smell than usual, and that he was . unable to go on with his work. Witness had to do the work himself. He himself vomited, and was then able to go on with his work. He did not know at that time that the Sydenham dep6t had been connected. To Mr Stringer : Witness had been going on with the work as usual lately, but that was because he had got used to the smell, which was as strong as ever. Leonard Rowse stated that he hael been at work on the sewage farm for six or seven years, and about Jan. 5 or 6 was made ill by the sewage, which was then stronger than he had ever noticed it. He was made ill by it, but was now able to. stand it. To Mr Russell : Witness had not noticed an interval of a week or so in which the sewage went back to its usual state. He did not know that the connection had been cut off 'for a week. J. A. Billcliff, engineer at the Drainage Board's pumping station, stated that since Sydenham had been connected with the sewer the sewage had been stronger, and there was a greater accumulation of debris than before. Previously they had had to clean out the tanks once a week, but now they had to do it three times a week. Before the connection the debris consisted merely of rags, bottles, &c, but now they found rhubarb leaves, dock leaves, rabbitskins, chickens, ducks' heads, &c. To Mr Stringer : He did not know how many houses were connected with the sewer. Even if there had been a large increase in the number of connections, he would not expect to find such large obstructions in the sewers, because they would have to pass through the pans in the houses. George Phipps Williams, member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, stated that lie wa3 employed for four years on the main drainage of London. He had visited the Sydenham sewage dep6t on Jan. 19, in company with Drs Symes and Nedwill, and Mr Cuthberr. He thought the scheme was an ingenious and daring attempt to combine the dry and wet renfoval systems. If the water-system could be inaugurated, it would be a good thing, but this system combined the worst features of both the dry and wet systems. This scheme appeared to have been entered into without any scientific calculations. A disadvantage was'the fact that the use of dry earth and* ashes as deodorants had to be prohibited. Failing the use of the closed-pan system, the use of dry earth should be made compulsory. He had heard Dr Truby King's evidence, and agreed that this system was a bad one, The efficiency of the general sewer system wasjmost decidedly affected by the introduction of fermenting sewage into the sewers, and he agreed with Dr. King's conclusions When at the dep6t he heard Mr Allison say that there was no smell arising from the carts when in the chamber, but he noticed an offensive smell. After the carl had been emptied, the men used Jeyes's powder on the walls of the chamber and or the outside of the cart, so that there was then a combination o£ tie sznel of the excreta and of a strong disinfectant? He saw a second loac emptied, but ho noticed that aftei the cart had been washed out it smell

as badly as before. The carts were made cJ wood, and were evidently saturated. Nc wood should be used about the carts at all They should be entirely of iron. Tlk depot, even supt>osicg the system was f good one,' should .be in an isolated posi tion. He would not live in that neigh' bourhood. To Mr Stringer : Even supposing th( closed pan system were used in combina tion with this system, the question of th< disinfectants to be used would have to bt considered. On the night he was thew he did not notice any smell from the ventilator, but sometimes these ventilators worked with an up-draught and sometimes with a down-draught. The time that the sewage from the depot would take to read: the outfall would certainly be longer thai for ordinary sewage, because the flushinp power at night was less than by day. H« thought it would take twenty-four hours Had he been given permission he woult have made it a condition that the pans shoulc be emptied every day, or that some suitable deodorant should be agreed upon whici would not choke the sewers, or precipitate the sewage. The carts were not more offensive than- the ordinary night-carts The night-carts met with in the city oi Christchurch were a disgrace to civilisation. Re-examined by Mr Fisher : Some chemical deodorants would destroy the plani life at the sewage farm, but others wonlc not. [Left sitting.]