Dr. R.J. Reece's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances and administration of the urban district of Aldershot, with special reference to the prevalence of fatal diphtheria therein.

  • Reece, Richard J.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. R.J. Reece's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary circumstances and administration of the urban district of Aldershot, with special reference to the prevalence of fatal diphtheria therein. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    7. Artificial division into “ Town ” and “ Camp.”—It will be convenient to consider the district for purposes of this report in its two great divisions : “the Town,” occupied by the civil population, and “ the Camp,” which is the property of the War Department. The inhabited part of the North Camp is in the Registration Sub-District of Farnborough. The following population is recorded at the census periods for the North Camp :— 1861. 1871. 1881. 1891. Population in North Camp ... Males ... Females .. 4,671 4,150 521 4,260 3,517 743 3,538 3,060 478 3,979 3,401 578 B.—“ The Town ” and its General Sanitary Circumstances. 8. The Water Supply for the Urban District is in the hands of a private Company, “ The Aldershot Gas and Water Company.” I am indebted to Mr. A. J. Wilson, the Chairman of the Company, with which he has been closely connected for some 25 years, for much of the following information. At one time, some 30 years ago, the Company procured their supply of water from the gravel strata at the southern part of the district, but owing to the increase of the Town, and, to a certain extent, the difficulty of ensuring the gathering ground from pollution, borings have been sunk through the London Clay to the Chalk, and I am informed that no water is now distributed by the Company to the public which is not derived from the Chalk : the water from the Bagshot Sand being only used for condensing or cooling purposes in connexion with the engines. The borings are sunk at the extreme southern boundary of the Aldershot Urban District, and there are nine boreholes carried through the clay to a depth of 220 to 300 feet from the surface, eight of which are connected together to facilitate pumping. The pumps are placed 38 feet below the surface of the ground, and the water rises to within 22 feet of the surface. It is said that even after heavy pumping the water has never been known to sink below 38 feet from the surface. There are three sets of gas engines, each having a treble set of pumps, and each set of pumps is of 25 horse power nominal, and four sets of steam engines of a total 42 -horse power nominal, contained in two separate buildings. The pumps in each building are capable of throwing 50,000 gallons per hour. The gas engine plant is almost entirely used under ordinary circum¬ stances, and one pump is always kept going night and day, two or three additional pumps being brought into use during the daytime as required. The Company also supply water to the military camp as required, and on 16th February last 455,000 gallons were pumped to the camp, and 386,000 gallons to the town, making a total of 841,000 gallons supplied in 24 hours. This amount by no means represents the maximum output of the Company, as their books show that over 1,000,000 gallons were supplied one day last summer. There is ample margin of pumping power : provided such an amount of water could be obtained, it is possible that the engines could raise twice as much water as has yet been required in any 24 hours. It is estimated that an average quantity of 25 gallons per head is consumed m the town of Aldershot. The Company have 2,705 houses on their books, and thus there must be some 148 houses where the water supply is derived from wells or surface springs, or which have no water supply. The water is pumped from the wells direct to two service reservoirs at “ Reservoir Hill,” formerly called “ Anger Copse.” This is the highest point in the town, and the water is delivered thence by gravitation. The