950
Opinion of
Mr. Monson on
intercepting Sewers.
Low level of
Mr. Cooper's intercepting
Sewers.
Combined System for Chinese
districts
utilizes
existing
Sewers.
Remarks of the Surveyor General on New Sewers constructed.
New Sewers
built by the
Government on Mr. Chadwick's Scheme.
Utilization of New Sewers.
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 27TH SEPTEMBER, 1890.
with the outfall pipes previously laid. The outfall pipes mentioned were taken to a lowest depth of 8 to 16 feet and discharged into the sea.
In the same discussion, Mr. MONSON made observations applying to large intercepting outfall sewers generally; he objected strongly to the large quantity of sewage gas that was being constantly driven off, and that the sewage was blocked in by the tide and consequently sludge was freely deposited, the ventilators that were put in could be of small area compared with the volume of sewage, and he believed, that the resident medical men considered the scheme the reverse of satisfactory,
The intercepting sewers, running along the Praya East and West, will have to cross at right angles all the numerous Praya outfalls, which are at various levels. The sewers cannot go over or through them, and going under will necessitate a considerable depth at the beginning. The only alternative is to resort to syphous, of which only two or three are proposed. With sewers at such flat gradients, on either side of the syphon, very consi- derable difficulty will be experienced from deposit.
In recommending the adoption of the Combined System for the purely Chinese part of the city, I am, besides following the recommendation of Mr. CHADWICK to use such of the sewers as are suitable for the conveyance of sewage, utilizing the large amount of new drains, constructed by the Government subsequent to the date of Mr. CHADWICK's report.
In a speech delivered by the Surveyor General at the Meeting of the Legislative Council held on the 5th November, 1886, the following words occur :—
66
66
66
With regard to the words that have fallen from the hon: member opposite with reference to Sanitary Works, the hon: member may be aware, or he may not be aware, that the Government of the Colony has "been for the last three and a half years assiduously engaged in reconstructing the main sewers of this town upon modern sanitary principles. From the returns which I hold in my hand I find that during the last three "and a half years in the Western District of Victoria 2,450 yards of main sewers have been constructed, in the Central District 1,900 yards, and in the Eastern District 3,100 yards, making in all 7,450 yards of new main scwers, or, roughly speaking, about four and a half miles. Besides this, many other works of improvement in "connection with main sewerage have also been carried out, and these improvements have been pushed forward "for the last three and a half years and are still being unremittingly pushed forward from day to day as part "and parcel of the comprehensive scheme for the main drainage of the city adopted four years ago. The main "drainage works of Victoria however, are something like Rome, they are not to be built in a day. At all “events, the statistics I have quoted to the Council will show that considerable progress has been made in the "main drainage works. Having said this much on the subject of the main drainage of the town, I come to the cognate subject of house drainage, and here I am able to agree with any hon: member at this table who may "lift his voice against the actual condition of things. House drains are to the main sewers what the veins are "to the arteries in a man's body. The Government have been engaged in restoring the arteries to proper working order, and it devolves upon the owners of house property to do the same for the veins, that is for "their house drains. These house drains built at the expense of private owners of property begin in private tenements and terminate in their junction with the main sewers in the street, and it therefore devolves upon "landlords to follow in our wake and imitate in respect of their private house drains the example set for the last "three and a half years by the Government in our reorganisation of the main sewers of the town."
(C
These remarks are very clear, and prove that the principal districts are provided with main sewers which ought to be suitable for the conveyance of sewage, for the "comprehensive scheme for the main drainage of the City adopted four years ago can only be the furtherance of Mr. CHADWICK's combined sewage scheme, and that, up to the date of Mr. PRICE's speech, no other system was contemplated.
"
I am, therefore, only proposing the utilization for the red district of the work of so many years, and advocating the continuation, for these districts, of the scheme just mentioned. In fact, the house drains of the numerous large blocks of Chinese houses, which my firm have constructed, have all been connected with these
main sewers.
Letter of Mr. Cooper intimating adoption of the separate System.
It was only on receipt of the following letters, that I became aware of an entire change in the scheme of
sewerage: -
GOVERNMENT OFFICE, HONGKONG, March 19th, 1888,
GENTLEMEN,
Re Drainage of Proposed Buildings on M.L. 102 and 103.
It being the intention of the Government to adopt the "Separate System" of drainage in this City, I ask you in reference to these proposed buildings to consider the following amendments to the drainage system as shown on your plans.