Sootfall of London.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 20, 15 May 1912, Page 57

Sootfall of London.

The results of the investigation which has been made by the “Lancet” as to the amount, qualjty, and effects of the. soot falling in London, have been published, and from these it is calculated that the deposit falling annually upon the Administrative County of London, in eluding the City, amounts, on the basis supplied by the soot gauge at the City station, to the enormous quantity of <75,050 tons. The investigations were made at four stations; two wore situated in the S.W. district, near Westminister, one in the City area, andon? at Sutton, Surrey. The collections were made each month through the year June-May, 1910-1911, and a soot gauge was installed at each station, which caught both soot and rain. Taking the <’ity station as the basis of calculation as to the amount of soot falling annually upon the Adminstrative County of London, including the City, the deposit amounted to 75,0,50 tons. In this deposit there were present over 6,000 toivs of ammonia, about 8,000 tons of sulphates, 3.000 tons of chlorine in chlorides. Taking the S. W. metropolitan station as a basis, the total deposit per year over the same area would average 53,820 tons, in which were present 4,000 tons of ammonia, about. 5,000 tons of and 4,000 tons of chlorine in chlorides. As pointed out by our contemporary, the soot -gauge discloses in a striking manner the defects of the coal fire, but, having regard to the large deposit registered at the City station, it is reasonable to assume that the factory chimneys contribute more freely to the impurities of the atmosphere, and especially to the acids pr 5sent, than is generally supposed to be the case.