Autobiography of Sir John Rennie, F.R.S 55

Autobiography of Sir John Rennie, F.R.S 55

About twenty-eight miles from Odessa, at a place on the River Dneister,

is a kind of depôt for the vast quantities of corn brought down from the

interior. Immense heaps or hills of corn were lying there when I visited

it. In wet weather these cannot be removed, and I was informed that a

great deal was burnt or allowed to rot because it could not be taken

away, either on account of the badness of the roads or the dangerous

state of the bar at the entrance of the river.

 

The sewers were very simple. Gullies had been made along each side of

the streets, into which all the filth was thrown, so that in dry seasons

it accumulated there, creating the most offensive effluvia, and in wet

weather it would not run off, on account of the gullies being blocked

up with mud. It was impossible to find a city in a worse state, and it

was astonishing that such a great, wealthy, and luxurious city could

have so long existed in such a condition. As there was no stone in the

neighbourhood fit for paving the streets, granite or a similar hard stone

being the only kind fit for the purpose, the next question was where it

was to be found, how to get it, and the cost of doing so. Upon inquiry,

I heard that excellent granite might be obtained in any quantity from a

quarry situated on the river Bug, and on proceeding there I found that

very good stone might be got with great ease, and at a comparatively

trifling cost. Having made my report, I returned to England.

 

In 1862 I was appointed chairman of the Civil Engineering Department

of the International Exhibition, assisted by the Marquis of Salisbury,

M. Bommart, M. Koch, of Berlin; M. Lelere, Belgium; M. Loehr, Austria;

Cesare Valerio, Italy; the Baron Baude, M. Mille, Mr. C. Manby, Mr. Kelk,

and Mr. Page.

 

Our report, I believe, was entirely satisfactory.

 

After this I was asked to examine the water supply of Vienna, and

accordingly, having reached that city, I turned my attention to the

following objects:

 

First, to the mode there adopted for supplying the water; this I found to

be by means of steam pumping engines of inadequate power, which forced

the water through iron pipes to fountains in the different streets,

whence it was obtained and delivered into the houses by carts and

carriers. The supply was not enough for the wants of the town, neither

was the water sufficiently pure nor properly filtered. It contained a

good deal of vegetable matter at the best of times, as the water was

admitted through the porous soil adjoining the river into very small

reservoirs, and it had no time to deposit the alluvial matter with which

it was charged before it was delivered for use. Moreover, this method

of supplying the water by means of steam pumping engines was a constant

expense, and the more water that was required the greater would the

expense be. I found, also, that an English party had proposed to extend

and amplify the existing system, by erecting more powerful engines, and

by making receiving and filtering reservoirs upon a much larger scale

about three or four miles higher up the Danube, on the same side, where

the water was clearer and more free from the sewage of the city. Now,

when I considered that the population was even then between five and

six hundred thousand, and that it was daily increasing, this pumping

system appeared to me to be the worst plan possible to effect the desired

object, unless no other means could be found. I therefore determined

to explore the environs of the city, as I felt convinced, from the

geographical features of the neighbourhood, that there must be numerous

streams amply supplied with water, with their beds sufficiently elevated,

and with reservoir room to any extent, to afford, by gravitation, an

abundant supply of the best water to Vienna, not only for the present

number of inhabitants, but for three millions and upwards. In other

words, I proposed to conduct the water from some of these sources in a

covered aqueduct, simply by its own natural inclination, to a reservoir

situated above the tops of the loftiest houses, in the highest part

of the city; thus all pumping would be done away with, and a vast

yearly expenditure would be saved; the first cost of these works would

not exceed the first cost of the extended plan on the old system

above mentioned, as proposed to be made higher up the Danube. Further

investigation completely established the correctness of my opinion.

 

On my return I took the railway to Trieste, passing by Baden, Neustadt,

up the line or valley of the Leitha, as far as the base of the Sömmering

ridge. Here I first visited the Fischa Dagnitz river, one of the

tributaries of the Leitha; it is a splendid stream, about twenty feet

wide, three to four feet deep, the water as clear as crystal, and flowing

over a gravelly bottom. During the height of summer the temperature

seldom exceeds 40 degrees of Fahrenheit. It is impossible to imagine a

finer stream; it has been analyzed and highly approved by some of the

first chemists, who pronounce it to be exceedingly pure. This water could

be conveyed by gravitation through a covered conduit to the top of a hill

overlooking Vienna, and from thence it could be delivered to the highest

parts of the city in ample quantity, without pumping or filtration. The

water of the Danube, even after filtration, cannot be compared with it.

The Fischa Dagnitz turned a number of mills in its course, and this

was the only objection to taking the water. But this was a loss that

could easily be compensated for by making reservoirs, to be supplied

by the surplus waters of this and other streams. The Fischa Dagnitz,

therefore, appeared to me to be decidedly the best source for supplying

Vienna with pure water, for any reasonable number of inhabitants. I next

examined the Leitha above the Dagnitz, and here I found that there was

a superabundant supply, although the water was by no means so good as

that of the Dagnitz. I examined several other tributaries to the Leitha,

passing over an extensive mass of _débris_, called the Steinfeld, where I

found that by damming some large reservoirs could be made, from which an

ample supply could be obtained of the same quality as that of the Leitha,

although by no means so good as that of the Fischa Dagnitz. It was quite

clear, therefore, that plenty of water could be obtained for Vienna now

and for all future time from this quarter. But not wishing to overlook

any source from whence a supply of water could be procured, I took the

railway from Vienna to St. Polten, a town on the road to Linz.

 

Here I found a very fine and copious stream, though when I examined it,

it was nearly in its lowest state. The ground between it and Vienna was

very high, so that to a certain extent pumping must have been resorted

to, if this source of supply was adopted. Another objection was the

much greater distance as compared with the streams up the valley of the

Leitha. I felt therefore satisfied that it would not do, and that the

question lay between the Fischa Dagnitz and the tributaries of the Leitha

on the Steinfeld above mentioned. All these observations I embodied

in a report to the municipality of Vienna, and recommended the Fischa

Dagnitz; for although there might be a few feet less fall, still, taking

into account the far greater purity of the water, it was the best. The

municipality received my report, and returned me their thanks for it. At

all events, I had decided the question against taking the water from the

Danube.

 

Having made these investigations and sent in my report upon them, it

now remained for the municipality to decide. They said they would take

time to consider, and accordingly appointed some of the most able and

scientific officers of their own body, as well as those attached to the

Government, to investigate the subject further. After above two years’

examination these persons made their report, recommending that the

principle of gravitation as proposed by me should be adopted, and that

the supply should be taken from the tributaries of the Leitha in the

Steinfeld: this was in fact adopting my plan, although I preferred the

Fischa Dagnitz as the source of supply, as none could or did dispute the

superior quality of its water to all others.

 

The municipality have been deliberating ever since on the best plan of

carrying this great work into effect, whether by a private company, or

whether they shall execute the works by contract and supply the water at

their own cost. This question, as far as I know, has not been settled,

although it has been now nearly six years in agitation; meanwhile the

city suffers materially from the want of a good supply of pure wholesome

water.

 

In the spring of 1861 a Mr. Parkenscholz, and M. José de Conté, a member

of one of the wealthiest and most respectable families of St. Michael’s,

the principal island of the Azores, called and informed me that the

Portuguese Government had decided to make a harbour at Ponta Delgada,

the chief town of St. Michael’s, the cost of which was estimated at the

sum of 134,000_l._ I replied that I should be willing to undertake the

superintendence and construction of this harbour, provided that I was not

compelled to serve them beyond the term of four years, and that I was

not to be responsible either for the plan or for the amount estimated to

complete it. To these terms the Portuguese Government consented, and I

started for the Azores in September, 1861.

 

We reached Ponta Delgada on the 20th September, and were very much

delighted with our first view of it. The town rose rapidly from the sea,

and presented a most interesting appearance. The spires of numerous

churches, starting up from the level of the surrounding houses, pierced

the blue sky, while here and there were gardens filled with the gayest

of flowers, and groves of orange, lemon, and olive trees, the whole

embosomed in a picturesque bay, backed by evergreen conical hills,

reminding one a good deal of Naples.

 

On landing I was received with great ceremony, and was waited on by

the Junta at my hotel. The next day I attended a meeting of the Junta

at the Governor’s house, when we discussed all the various preliminary

operations that were necessary preparatory to commencing the harbour.

 

It appeared desirable that the first stone should be laid before I left

the island, and preparations were ordered to be made accordingly. I

gave Mr. Plews full instructions as to what was necessary for this, and

having two days to spare I determined to accompany my friend, Mr. Thomas

Ivens, on an excursion to Furness, a celebrated watering-place, situated

near the eastern end of the island, about 27 miles distant. We started

on a couple of good donkeys, with another carrying some provisions, and

proceeded along the south shore over a very fair carriage road, for

about five miles, through some neat villages embowered in orange and

lemon orchards, passing also by comfortable villas and country houses,

and then struck in a north-easterly direction across the island over an

undulating well-cultivated country, chiefly growing Indian corn and other

cereals and green crops. When we reached the summit of this part of the

island we got a good view of the mountains to the eastward and of the

sea on the north and south sides. We halted for about an hour, and then

proceeded to a large town situated on the northern shore, surrounded by

rich gardens and fields, having every appearance of prosperity. From

thence we proceeded along the north shore over some very steep hills and

cliffs overlooking the sea, the road still good, until we got to a little

roadside inn about dark. There was, however, light enough from the stars

to find our way, so off we set again, and going over a very wild hilly