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London Labour and the London Poor, volume 2

Mayhew, Henry

1851

Of the Cost of Constructing the Sewers and Drains of the Metropolis.

THE money actually expended in constructing the miles of sewers and miles of drains, even if we were only to date from , is not and never can be known. They have been built at intervals, as the metropolis, so to speak, They were built also in many sizes and forms, and at many variations of price, according to the depth from the surface, the good or bad management, or the greater or lesser extent of jobbery or "patronage" in the several independent commissions. Accounts were either not presented in "the good old times," or not preserved.

Had the miles of sewers to be constructed anew, they would be, according to the present prices paid by the Commissioners—not including digging or such extraneous labour, but the cost of the sewer only—as follows:—

	366 miles of sewers of the first class, or 1,932,480 feet, at 15s. per foot . . . . .		£ 1,449,360
	366 miles, or 1,932,480 feet of the second class, at 11s. per foot .		1,062,864
	Same length of third class, at 9s. per foot . . . .		869,616
			----------
	Total cost of the sewers of the metropolis . . . . .		£ 3,381,840

As this is a lower charge than was paid for the construction of more than -fourths of the sewers, we may fairly assume that their cost amounted to from millions and a half to millions of pounds sterling.

The majority of the house-drains running into the sewers are brick, and seldom less than inches square; sometimes, in the old brick drains, they are some inches larger, and in the very old drains, and in some years old, wooden planks were often used instead of a brick or stone construction, for the sake of reducing cost, and replaced when rotted. The wood, in many cases, soon decayed, and since no wooden sewers have been allowed to be formed, nor any old ones to be repaired with new wood; the work must be of stone or brick, if not pipeage. About -thirds

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of the drains running from the houses to the sewers are brick; the remaining tubular, or earthenware pipes. The cost, if now to be formed, would be somewhat as follows:—

	1893 1/3 miles of brick drains, 5s. per foot, as average of sizes . .		£ 2,499,200
	945 2/3 feet of tubular drains, average of sizes 2s. 6d. . . .		624,800
			--------
	Total cost of the house-drains of London . . . . .		£ 3,124,000

The cost of the street or gully drains have still to be estimated.

The present cost of the -inch gully-pipe drains is about a foot; of the -inch, Of the proportionate lengths of these classes of street-drains I have not been able to gain any account, for, I believe, it has never been ascertained in any way approaching to a total return. Taking miles, however, as quite within the full length of the gully-drains, and calculating at the low average of the foot for the whole, the total cost of the street-drains of the metropolis would be , or, I am assured, might say a million sterling, and this, even if all were done at the present low prices; the original cost would, of course, have been much greater.

Hence, according to the above calculations, we have the following

		£
1100	miles of main covered sewers	3,500,000
2840	miles of house-drains . .	3,000,000
1200	miles of gully or street drains	1,000,000
----		---------
5140	miles of sewers and drainage=	7,500,000

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Edwin C. Bolles papers

Temporal

1851

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http://hdl.handle.net/10427/14951

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	Title Page
	INTRODUCTION
	Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Articles Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Articles Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Metal Articles Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Metal Trays, &c. Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Linen, &c. Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Curtains Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Carpeting, Flannels, Stocking-Legs, &c., &c. Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Bed-Ticking, Sacking, Fringe, &c. Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Glass and Crockery Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Miscellaneous Articles Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Musical Instruments Of the Music 'Duffers' Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Weapons Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Curiosities Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Telescopes and Pocket Glasses Of the Street-Sellers of Other Miscellaneous Second-Hand Articles Of Second-Hand Store Shops Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Apparel Of the Old Clothes Exchange Of the Wholesale Business at the Old Clothes Exchange Of the Uses of Second-Hand Garments Of the Street-Sellers of Petticoat and Rosemary-Lanes Rosemary-Lane Of the Street-Sellers of Men's Second-Hand Clothes Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Boots and Shoes Of the Street-Sellers of Old Hats Of the Street-Sellers of Women's Second-Hand Apparel Of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Furs Of the Second-Hand Sellers of Smithfield- Market
	Of the Street-Sellers of Live Animals Of the Street-Sellers of Live Animals Of the Former Street-Sellers, 'Finders,' Stealers, and Restorers of Dogs Of a Dog-'Finder' -- A 'Lurker's' Career Of the Present Street-Sellers of Dogs. Of the Street-Sellers of Sporting Dogs Of the Street-Sellers of Live Birds Of the Bird-Catchers Who are Street- Sellers Of the Crippled Street Bird-Seller Of the Tricks of the Bird-Duffers Of the Street-Sellers of Foreign Birds Of the Street-Sellers of Birds'--Nests Of the Street-Sellers of Squirrels Of the Street-Sellers of Leverets, Wild Rabbits, Etc. Of the Street-Sellers of Gold and Silver Fish Of the Street-Sellers of Tortoises Of the Street-Sellers of Snails, Frogs, Worms, Snakes, Hedgehogs, Etc.
	Of the Street-Sellers of Mineral Productions and Natural Curiosities Of the Street-Sellers of Mineral Productions, &c. Of the Street-Sellers of Coals Of the Street-Sellers of Coke Of the Street-Sellers of Tan-Turf Of the Street-Sellers of Salt Of the Street-Sellers of Sand Of the Street-Sellers of Shells Of the River Beer-Sellers, or Purl-Men Of the Numbers, Capital, and income of the Street- Sellers of Second-Hand Articles, Live Animals, Mineral Producions, Etc. Income, or 'Takinags' of the Street-Sellers of Second-Hand Articles
	Of the Street-Buyers Of the Street-Buyers Of the Street-Buyers of Rags, Broken Metal, Bottles, Glass, and Bones Of the 'Rag-and-Bottle,' and the 'Marine-Store' Shops Of the Buyers of Kitchen-Stuff, Grease, and Dripping Of the Street-Buyers of Hare and Rabbit Skins Of the Street-Buyers of Waste (Paper) Of the Street-Buyers of Umbrellas and Parasols
	Of the Street-Jews Of the Street-Jews Of the Trades and Localities of the Street-Jews Of the Jew Old-Clothes Men Of a Jew Street-Seller Of the Jew-Boy Street-Sellers Of the Pursuits, Dwellings, Traffic, Etc., of the Jew-Boy Street-Sellers Of the Street Jewesses and Street Jew-Girls Of the Synagogues and the Religion of the Street and Other Jews Of the Politics, Literature, and Amusements of the Jews Of the Charities, Schools, and Education of the Jews Of the Funeral Ceremonies, Fasts, and Customs of the Jews Of the Jew Street-Sellers of Accordions, and of their Street Musical Pursuits Of the Street-Buyers of Hogs'--Wash Of the Street-Buyers of Tea-Leaves
	Of the Street-Finders or Collectors Of the Street-Finders or Collectors Bone-Grubbers and Rag-Gatherers Of the 'Pure'-Finders Of the Cigar-End Finders Of the Old Wood Gatherers Of the Dredgers, or River Finders Of the Sewer-Hunters Of the Mud-Larks Of the London Dustmen, Nightmen, Sweeps, and Scavengers Of the Dustmen of London Of the London Sewerage and Scavengery
	Of the Streets of London Of the Streets of London Of the Traffic of London Of the Dust and Dirt of the Streets of London Of the Street-Dust of London, and the Loss and injury Occasioned by it Of the Horse-Dung of the Streets of London Of Street 'Mac' and Other Mud Of the Mud of the Streets Of the Surface-Water of the Streets of London Of the Master Scavengers in Former Times Of the Several Modes and Characteristics of Street-Cleansing Of the Contractors For Scavengery Cleansing Of the Contractors' (or Employers') Premises, &c. Of the Working Scavengers Under the Contractors Of the 'Casual Hands' Among the Scavagers Of the Influence of Free Trade on the Earnings of the Scavagers Of the Worse Paid Scavagers, or Those Working For Scurf Employers Of the Street-Sweeping Machine, and the Street-Sweepers Employed With it Of the Cleansing of the Streets by Pauper Labour Of the Street-Orderlies Street Orderlies -- City Surveyor's Report Of the 'Jet and Hose' System of Scavaging Of the Cost and Traffic of the Streets of London Of the Rubbish Carters Of Casual Labour in General, and That of the Rubbish-Carters in Particular Of the Casual Labourers among the Rubbish-Carters The Effects of Casual Labour in General Of the Scurf Trade Among the Rubbish- Carters
	Of the London Chimney-Sweepers Of the London Chimney-Sweepers Of the Sweepers of Old, and the Climbing Boys Of the Chimney-Sweepers of the Present Day Of the General Characteristics of the Working Chimney-Sweepers Sweeping of the Chimneys of Steam-Vessels Of the 'Ramoneur' Company Of the Brisk and Slack Seasons, and the Casual Trade among the Chimney- Sweepers Of the 'Leeks' Among the Chimney-Sweepers Of the Inferior Chimney-Sweepers -- the 'Knullers' and 'Queriers' Of the Fires of London Of the Sewermen and Nightmen of London Of the Wet House-Refuse of London Of the Means of Removing the Wet House-Refuse Of the Quantity of Metropolitan Sewage Of Ancient Sewers Of the Kinds and Characteristics of Sewers Of the Subterranean Character of the Sewers Of the House-Drainage of the Metropolis as Connected With the Sewers Of the London Street-Drains Of the Length of the London Sewers and Drains Of the Cost of Constructing the Sewers and Drains of the Metropolis Of the Uses of Sewers as a Means of Subsoil Drainage Of the City Sewerage Of the Outlets, Ramifications, Etc., of the Sewers Of the Qualities, Etc., of the Sewage Of the New Plan of Sewerage Of the Management of the Sewers and the Late Commissions Of the Powers and Authority of the Present Commissions of Sewers Of the Sewers Rate Of the Cleansing of the Sewers -- Ventilation Of 'Flushing' and 'Plonging,' and Other Modes of Washing the Sewers Of the Working Flushermen Of the Rats in the Sewers Of the Cesspoolage and Nightmen of the Metropolis Of the Cesspool System of London Of the Cesspool and Sewer System of Paris Of the Emptying of the London Cesspools by Pump and Hose Statement of a Cesspool-Sewerman Of the Present Disposal of the Night-Soil Of the Working Nightmen and the Mode of Work
	Crossing-Sweepers Crossing-Sweepers Of the Adult Crossing-Sweepers Juvenile Crossing-Sweepers