Chapter 76 of 137 · 3977 words · ~20 min read

Part 76

-------+--------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+------+-------+ | | HOURS ENDING |Total |Average| | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ of 12| per | Date. | Situation. | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Hours| Hour. | | |A. M.|A. M.|A. M.| Noon|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.|P. M.| | | -------+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-------+ 1850. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | July 8 |Temple Bar Gate | 311| 526| 704| 757| 691| 664| 791| 737| 738| 671| 537| 614| 7741| 645 | „ 9 | Holborn-hill, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by St. And. Ch. | 327| 552| 670| 698| 623| 606| 535| 377| 915| 445| 841| 317| 6906| 575 | „ 10 |Ludgate-hill, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Pilgrim-st. | 361| 476| 728| 636| 789| 514| 628| 531| 619| 584| 543| 420| 6829| 569 | „ 11 |Newgate-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Old Bailey | 320| 528| 628| 509| 555| 537| 564| 738| 572| 563| 467| 394| 6375| 531 | „ 12 |Aldersgate-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Fann-st. | 168| 261| 208| 196| 214| 235| 194| 219| 235| 233| 229| 198| 2590| 215 | „ 13 |Cheapside, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Foster-lane | 473| 805| 1124| 1169| 1020| 1009| 1007| 1076| 1106| 964| 808| 492| 11053| 921 | „ 15 |Poultry, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Mansion House | 414| 762| 1071| 1080| 1043| 941| 875| 910| 956| 825| 802| 595| 10274| 856 | „ 16 |Finsbury-pave., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by South-pl | 262| 385| 475| 387| 364| 345| 293| 347| 483| 475| 400| 244| 4460| 371 | „ 17 |Cornhill, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Roy. Exchange | 161| 364| 479| 461| 487| 441| 493| 451| 468| 430| 354| 327| 4916| 409 | „ 18 |Threadneedle-street | 98| 145| 262| 214| 211| 154| 212| 195| 198| 205| 148| 108| 2150| 179 | „ 19 |Gracech-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by St. Pet.-alley | 258| 322| 439| 507| 392| 423| 464| 516| 461| 436| 338| 331| 4887| 407 | „ 20 |Lombard-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Birchin-la | 137| 117| 156| 188| 169| 232| 237| 304| 243| 209| 130| 106| 2228| 185 | „ 22 |Bishopsg.-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Gt St. Hel. | 259| 408| 500| 430| 396| 238| 439| 432| 541| 450| 404| 345| 4842| 403 | „ 23 |London Bridge | 680| 1128| 1332| 1124| 1094| 1048| 1101| 1180| 1344| 1308| 962| 798| 13099| 1091 | „ 24 |Bishp.-st. out, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Cy. Bound | 203| 329| 447| 286| 307| 342| 390| 335| 430| 439| 323| 279| 4110| 342 | „ 25 |Aldgate High-street,| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Cy. Bound | 425| 422| 417| 442| 445| 379| 389| 409| 405| 401| 331| 289| 4754| 396 | „ 26 |Leadenhall-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E. I. House | 251| 429| 595| 495| 594| 563| 525| 569| 466| 588| 437| 418| 5930| 494 | „ 27 |Eastcheap, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Philpot-lane | 335| 346| 398| 372| 378| 343| 368| 393| 398| 349| 294| 128| 4102| 341 | „ 29 |Tower-street, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Mark-lane | 169| 222| 262| 271| 292| 324| 290| 262| 282| 238| 164| 114| 2890| 240 | „ 30 |L. Thames-st, | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | by Botolph-la | 88| 130| 175| 105| 105| 108| 118| 147| 168| 121| 69| 46| 1380| 115 | „ 31 |Blackfriars Bridge | 327| 381| 518| 516| 465| 336| 385| 416| 570| 548| 463| 337| 5262| 438 | Aug. 1 |U. Thames-st., | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | rear of Qn.-st | 140| 227| 165| 223| 205| 160| 164| 213| 253| 312| 176| 93| 2331| 194 | „ 2 | Smithfield Bars | 203| 230| 202| 277| 276| 255| 334| 267| 328| 289| 288| 159| 3108| 259 | „ 3 | Fenchurch-street | 206| 262| 253| 343| 293| 269| 272| 327| 364| 259| 249| 545| 3642| 303 | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+-------+ | 6576| 9757|12208|11686|11408|10466|11068|11351|12543|11342| 9757| 7697|125859| 10488 |

TABLE SHOWING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EACH DESCRIPTION OF VEHICLE PASSING THROUGH CERTAIN STREETS WITHIN THE CITY OF LONDON, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 A.M. AND 8 P.M. (12 HOURS.)

---------+----------------------+--------------------+------+------------------+------- | | Total Number | | | | | of Vehicles | | Average Number | | | drawn by | | per Hour. | | +-----+-----+--------+ Total+------------------+ Date. | Situation. |1 Horse and | of |1 Horse and |Average | | Equestrians. | the | Equestrians. |of the | | |2 Horses. |whole.| |2 Horses. |whole. | | | |3 Horses| | | |3 Horses| | | | |or more.| | | |or more.| ---------+----------------------------+-----+--------+------+----+----+--------+------- 8th July,| | | | | | | | | 1850. |Temple Bar Gate | 5035| 2498| 208 | 7741| 419| 206| 17 | 645 9th „ |Holborn Hill, | | | | | | | | | by St. Andrew’s | | | | | | | | | Church | 4974| 1797| 135 | 6906| 414| 149| 11 | 575 10th „ |Ludgate Hill, | | | | | | | | | by Pilgrim-street | 4259| 2483| 87 | 6829| 354| 207| 7 | 569 11th „ |Newgate-street, | | | | | | | | | by Old Bailey | 4484| 1795| 96 | 6375| 373| 149| 8 | 531 12th „ |Aldersgate-street, | | | | | | | | | by Fann-street | 1990| 479| 121 | 2590| 165| 40| 10 | 215 13th „ |Cheapside, | | | | | | | | | by Foster-lane | 7107| 3794| 152 | 11053| 592| 316| 12 | 921 15th „ |Poultry, | | | | | | | | | by Mansion House | 6283| 3869| 122 | 10274| 523| 332| 10 | 856 16th „ |Finsbury Pavement, | | | | | | | | | by South-place | 2904| 1458| 98 | 4460| 242| 121| 8 | 371 17th „ |Cornhill, | | | | | | | | | by Royal Exchange | 2761| 2074| 81 | 4916| 230| 172| 7 | 409 18th „ |Threadneedle-street | 1536| 587| 27 | 2150| 128| 49| 2 | 179 19th „ |Gracechurch-st., | | | | | | | | | by St. Peter’s-alley| 3505| 1223| 159 | 4887| 292| 102| 13 | 407 20th „ |Lombard-street, | | | | | | | | | by Birchin-lane | 2019| 195| 14 | 2228| 168| 16| 1 | 185 22nd „ |Bishopsgate-st., | | | | | | | | | by Great St. Helen’s| 3270| 1477| 95 | 4842| 272| 123| 8 | 403 23rd „ |London Bridge | 9351| 3389| 359 | 13099| 779| 282| 30 | 1091 24th „ |Bishopsgate-st., out, | | | | | | | | | by City Boundy | 2769| 1273| 68 | 4110| 30| 106| 5 | 342 25th „ |Aldgate High-street, | | | | | | | | | by City Boundy | 3222| 1378| 154 | 4754| 268| 114| 12 | 396 26th „ |Leadenhall-street, | | | | | | | | | East India House | 3970| 1841| 119 | 5930| 330| 153| 10 | 494 27th „ |Eastcheap, | | | | | | | | | by Philpot-lane | 3481| 464| 157 | 4102| 290| 38| 13 | 341 29th „ |Tower-street, | | | | | | | | | by Mark-lane | 2416| 369| 105 | 2890| 201| 30| 8 | 240 30th „ |Lower Thames-st., | | | | | | | | | by Botolph-lane | 1187| 152| 41 | 1380| 98| 12| 3 | 115 31st „ |Blackfriars Bridge | 4132| 935| 195 | 5262| 344| 78| 16 | 438 1st Aug.|Upper Thames-st., | | | | | | | | | rear of Queen-st. | 1756| 428| 147 | 2331| 146| 35| 12 | 194 2nd „ |Smithfield Bars | 2843| 193| 72 | 3108| 237| 16| 6 | 259 3rd „ |Fenchurch-street | 3050| 518| 74 | 3642| 254| 43| 6 | 303 | +-----------+--------+------+----+-------------+------- | |88304|34669| 2886 |125859|7358|2889| 240 |10488

The commodities whose residuum goes to swell the annual supply of _rubbish_, are generally of an earthy nature. Such commodities as are made of _fibrous_ or _textile_ materials, go, when “used up,” chiefly to form manure if of an animal nature, and to be converted into paper if of a vegetable origin. The refuse materials of our woollen clothes, our old coats and trousers, are either torn to pieces and re-manufactured into shoddy, or become the invigorators of our hop and other plants; whereas those of our linen or cotton garments, our old shirts and petticoats, form the materials of our books and letters; while our old ropes, &c., are converted into either brown paper or oakum. Those commodities, on the other hand, which are made of _leathern_ materials, become, when worn out, the ingredients of the prussiate of potash and other nitrogenised products manufactured by our chemists. Our old _wooden_ commodities, again, are used principally to kindle our fires; while the refuse of our fires themselves, whether the soot which is deposited in the chimney above, or the ashes which fall below, are employed mainly to increase the fertility of our land. Our worn-out _metal_ commodities, on the other hand, are newly melted, and go to form fresh commodities when the metals are of the scarcer kind, as gold, silver, copper, brass, lead, and even iron; and when of the more common kind, as is the case with old tin, and occasionally iron vessels, they either become the ingredients in some of our chemical manufactures, or else when formed of tin are cut up into smaller and inferior commodities. Even the detritus of our _streets_ is used as the soil of our market gardens. All this we have already seen, and we have now to deal more particularly with the refuse of the sole remaining materials, viz., those of an _earthy_ kind, and out of which are made our bricks, our earthenware and porcelain, as well as our glass, plaster, and stone commodities. What becomes of all these materials when the articles made of them are no longer fit for use? The old glass is, like the old metal, re-melted and made into new commodities; some broken bottles are used for the tops of walls as a protection against trespassers; and the old bricks, when sound, are employed again for inferior brick-work; but what becomes of the rest of the earthen materials--the unsound bricks or “bats,” the old plaster and mortar, the refuse slates and tiles and chimney-pots, the broken pans, and dishes, and other crocks--in a word, the potsherds and pansherds[34], as the rubbish-carters call them--what is done with these?

But rubbish, as we have seen, consists not only of refuse earthen commodities, but of refuse earth itself: such as the soil removed during excavations for the foundations of houses, for the cuttings of railways, the levelling of roads, the formation of parks, the laying down of pipes or drains, and the sinking of wells. For each and all of these operations there is necessarily a certain quantity of soil removed, and the question that naturally occurs to the mind is, what is done with it?

There is, moreover, a third kind of rubbish, which, though having an animal origin, consists chiefly of earthy matter, and that is the shells of oysters, and other shell-fish. Whence go they, since these shells are of a comparatively indestructible nature, and thousands of such fish are consumed annually in the metropolis? What, the inquirer asks, becomes of the refuse bony coverings of such fish?

Let us first, however, endeavour to estimate what quantity of each of these three kinds of rubbish is annually produced in London, beginning with the refuse earthen commodities.

There is no published account of the quantity of _crockeryware_ annually manufactured in this country. Mr. McCulloch tells us, “It is estimated, that the _value_ of the various sorts of earthenware produced at the potteries may amount to about 1,700,000_l._ or 1,800,000_l._ a year; and that the earthenware produced at Worcester, Derby, and other parts of the country, may amount to about 850,000_l._ or more, making the whole value of the manufacture 2,550,000_l._ or 2,650,000_l._ a year.” What proportion of this quantity may fall to the share of the metropolis, and what proportion of the whole may be annually destroyed, I know of no means of judging. We must therefore go some other way to work in order to arrive at the required information. Now, it has been before shown, that the quantity of “dust,” or dry refuse from houses, annually collected, amounts to 900,000 tons or chaldrons yearly; and I find, on inquiry at the principal “yards,” that the average quantity of Potsherds and broken crockery is at the rate of about half a bushel to every load of dust, or say 1 per cent. out of the entire quantity collected. At other yards, I find the proportion of sherds to be about the same, so that we may fairly assume that the gross quantity of broken earthenware produced in London is in round numbers 9000 loads or tons per annum. The sherds run about 250 pieces to the bushel, and assuming every five of such pieces to be the remains of an entire article, there would be in each bushel the fragments of fifty earthenware vessels; and thus the total quantity of crockeryware destroyed yearly in the metropolis will amount to 18,000,000 vessels.

As to the quantity of _refuse bricks_, the number annually produced, which is between 1,500,000,000 and 2,000,000,000, will give us no knowledge of the quantity yearly converted into rubbish. In order to arrive at this, we must ascertain the number of houses pulled down in the course of the twelvemonth; and I find, by the Returns of the Registrar-General, that the buildings removed between 1841 and 1851 have been as follows:--

DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HOUSES THROUGHOUT LONDON BETWEEN 1841 AND 1851.

----------------------------+-----------+--------- | Total | Annual |Decrease in| Average | 10 Years. |Decrease. ----------------------------+-----------+--------- St. Martin’s | 116 | 11·6 St. James’s, Westminster | 130 | 13·0 St. Giles’s | 181 | 18·1 Strand | 389 | 38·9 Holborn | 86 | 8·6 East London | 11 | 1·1 West London | 265 | 26·5 London, City of | 592 | 59·2 Whitechapel | 2 | ·2 St. Saviour’s, Southwark | 46 | 4·6 St. Olave’s | 158 | 15·8 ----------------------------+-----------+--------- Total | 1976 | 197·6 ----------------------------+-----------+---------

Thus, then, we perceive that there have been, upon an average, very nearly 200 houses annually pulled down in London within the last ten years, and I find, on inquiry among those who are likely to be the best-informed on such matters, that each house so pulled down will yield from 40 to 50 loads of rubbish; so that, altogether, the quantity of refuse bricks, slates, tiles, chimney-pots, &c., annually produced in London must be no less than 8000 loads.

But the above estimate refers only to those houses which have been pulled down and never rebuilt; so that, in order to arrive at the gross quantity of this kind of rubbish yearly produced in the metropolis, we must add to the preceding amount the quantity accruing from such houses as are pulled down and built up again, or newly fronted and repaired, which are by far the greater number. These, I find, may be estimated at between 5 and 10 per cent. of the gross number of houses in the metropolis. In some quarters (the older parts of London, for instance,) the proportion is much higher, while in the suburbs, or newer districts, it is scarcely half per cent. Each of the houses so new-fronted or repaired may be said to yield, on an average, 10 loads of rubbish, and, at this rate, the yearly quantity of refuse bricks, mortar, &c., proceeding from such a source, will be 150,000 loads per annum; so that the total amount of rubbish produced in London by the demolition and reparation of houses would appear to be about 160,000 loads yearly.

The quantity of refuse _oyster shells_ may easily be found by the number of oysters annually sold in Billingsgate-market. These, from the returns which I obtained from the market salesmen, and printed at p. 63 of the first volume of this work, appear to be, in round numbers, 500,000,000; and, calculating that one-third of this quantity is sent into the country, the total number of shells remaining in the metropolis may be estimated at about 650,000,000. Reckoning, then, that 500 shells go to the bushel (the actual number was found experimentally to be between 525 and 550), and consequently that 20,000 are contained in every load, we may conclude that the gross quantity of refuse oyster shells annually produced in London average somewhere about 30,000 loads. That this is an approximation to the true quantity there can be little doubt, for, on inquiry at one of the largest dust-yards, I was informed by the hill-man that the quantity of oyster-shells collected with the refuse dust from houses in the vicinity of Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and other localities at the east-end of the metropolis, averages 6 bushels to the load of dust; about the west-end, however, half a bushel or a bushel to each load is the average ratio; while from the City there is none, the house “dust” there being free from oyster-shells. In taking one district, however, with another, I am assured that the average may be safely computed at 2 bushels of oyster-shells to every 3 loads of dust; hence, as the gross amount of house-dust is equal to 900,000 tons or loads per annum, the quantity of refuse oyster-shells collected yearly by the dustmen may be taken at 15,000 loads. But, besides these, there is the quantity got rid of by the costermongers, which seldom or never appear in the dust-bins. The costers sell about 124,000,000 oysters per annum, and thus the extra quantity of shells resulting from these means would be about 12,400 loads; so that the gross quantity of refuse oyster-shells actually produced in London may be said to average between 25,000 and 30,000 loads per annum.

There still remains the quantity of _refuse earth_ to be calculated; this may be estimated as follows:--

1. _Foundations of Houses._--Each house that is built requires the ground to be excavated from two to three yards deep, the average area of each being about nine yards square. This gives between 160 and 200 cubic yards of earth removed from the foundation of each house. A cubic yard of earth is a load, so that there are between 160 and 200 loads of earth displaced in the building of every new house.

The following statement shows--

THE NUMBER OF HOUSES BUILT THROUGHOUT LONDON BETWEEN 1841 AND 1851.

Hence, estimating the number of new houses built yearly in the metropolis at 4500, the total quantity of earth removed for the foundations of the buildings throughout London would be 800,000 loads per annum.

2. _The Cuttings of Railways._--The railways formed within the area of the metropolis during the last ten years have been--the Great Northern; the Camden Town, and Bow; the West India Docks and Bow; and the North Kent Lines. The extension of the Southampton Railway from Vauxhall to Waterloo-bridge, as well as the Richmond Line, has also been formed within the same period, but for these no cuttings have been made.

The Railway Cuttings made within the area of the Metropolis Proper during the last ten years have been to the following extent:--

------------------------+--------+-----------------+--------+--------- | Length |Width of Cutting.| Depth |Quantity RAILWAYS. | of +---------+-------+ of |of earth |Cutting.| At | At |Cutting.|Removed. | | top. | bottom.| | ------------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------- | Miles. | Yards. | Yards. | Yards. | Loads. Great Northern | 1-1/2 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 290,400 Camden Town and Bow | 1-1/2 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 290,400 West India Docks and Bow| 2 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 528,000 North Kent | 2 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 528,000 ------------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+---------

Hence, the gross quantity of earth removed from railway cuttings within the last ten years has been 1,636,800 loads, or say, in round numbers, 160,000 loads per annum.

3. _The Cutting of Roads and Streets._--According to a Return presented to Parliament, there were 200 miles of new streets formed within the metropolitan police district between the years 1839-49; but in the formation of these no earth has been taken away; on the contrary a considerable quantity has been required for their construction. In the case of the lowering of Holborn-hill, that which was removed from the top was used to fill up the hollow.

4. _The Formation of Parks._--The only park that has been constructed during the last ten years in the metropolis is Victoria Park, at the east end of the town; but I am informed that, in the course of the works there, no earth was carted away, the soil which was removed from one part being used for the levelling of another.

5. _Pipe and Sewer Works._--The earth displaced in the course of these operations is usually put back into the ground whence it was taken, excepting in the formation of some new sewer, and then a certain proportion has to be carted away. Upon inquiry among those who are likely to be best informed, I am assured that 1000 loads may be taken as the quantity carted away in the course of the last year.

6. _Well-sinking._--In this there has been but little done. Those who are best informed assure me that within the last ten years no such works of any magnitude have been executed.

The account as to the quantity of rubbish removed in London, then, stands thus:--

Loads _Refuse Earthen Materials._ per Annum. Potsherds and Pansherds 9,000 Old bricks, tiles, slates, mortar, &c. 160,000 Oyster-shells 25,000

_Refuse Earth._ Foundations of houses 800,000 Railway cuttings 160,000 Pipe and sewer laying 1,000 --------- 1,155,000