Читать книгу All about Battersea - Henry S. Simmonds - Страница 6

[1] The true derivation is supposed to be from Falk or Faulk de Brent, a famous Norman soldier of fortune to whom King John gave in marriage Margaret de Ripariis or Redvers. To the lady belonged that Manor of Lambeth to which the Mansion called Faulks Hall was annexed.—London, by Charles Knight, Vol. I., p. 403.

[2] Vauxhall Gardens were open from 1732 to 1840, they were re-opened in 1841 and finally closed in 1859, when the theatre, orchestra, firework gallery, fountains, statues, etc., were sold, with a few mechanical models, such as Sir Samuel Morland, Master of Mechanics to Charles II. had set up here nearly two centuries previously. The site was then cleared and a church, (St. Peter's) vaulted throughout, was built upon a portion of the grounds, besides a school of arts, etc.—John Timbs.

The London Gas-light Company was Incorporated in the year 1833.[1] The Works at Vauxhall were constructed from designs furnished by Mr. Hutchison, the Engineer. The first bed of retorts set on the Company's premises was heated by a man of the name of William Batt, June, 1834. The old man is still living, he is seventy-five years of age, and has been in the London Gas-light Company's service forty-three years. At that time the Company used a small gasometer erected in Vauxhall Gardens. It was with gas from this vessel that Mr. Green, the celebrated æronaut used to fill or inflate his great balloon. The first place lighted up with the Company's gas was Old Lambeth Market, the site now occupied by the Lambeth Baths. In December, 1858, the London Gas-light Company manufactured gas at their New Works, Nine Elms. The following month, January, 1859, an Act of Parliament came into operation to prevent gas companies from erecting other works for the manufacture of gas within ten miles of London; however, it was not until the year 1863 that the London Gas-light Company permanently removed from Vauxhall to Nine Elms.

[1] The London Gas-light Company Established, (Incorporated) 1833; first Works built in High Street, Vauxhall, the lease of which expired in 1865.

December 2, 1872, there was a great strike of the London Gas Stokers, 2,400 out. The inconvenience was met by great exertion, 2–6 Dec. Several were tried and imprisoned.

The London Gas Works are environed with a brick wall, varying in height from ten to twenty feet, bounded on the North by Nine Elms Lane; on the South by the South-Western Railway; on the East by Everett Street; and on the West by Moat Street and Haine Street. The works within this enclosure cover an area of seventeen acres, and at the field Prince of Wales Road, about three acres more. There are five gates to the Works, but the principal entrance is in Haward Street, by the porter's lodge. At the right-hand-corner is a spacious building, on the basement is the Engineer's office, the Light office, and Messenger's lobby, which has in it a small telegraphic apparatus for communicating intelligence between this and the Chief office. The Grand Entrance is from Nine Elms Lane, opened by two pairs of massive folding doors leading into the hall, facing which is a flight of stone steps with ornamental cast-iron balusters mounted by rails on either side of polished mahogany, communicating with a similar staircase right and left which conducts to the Board room and Draughtsmen's offices. The Board room is a beautiful and commodious apartment, 33 feet by 19. It has never yet been occupied by the Board of Directors, the Board preferring to transact their business at their Chief Office, 26, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C. Secretary, A. J. Dove, Esq.; Engineer, Robert Morton, Esq.; Manager, John Methven, Esq.; Outdoor Superintendent, T. D. Tully, Esq.; Cashier, W. G. Head, Esq., with a staff of Inspectors, Collectors, Clerks, &c.

On the 31st of October, 1865,[1] a terrible gas explosion took place, when ten men were killed and many others injured. At that time the houses in Haward Street being contiguous to the works, had the window frames shattered, and similar calamities occurred elsewhere. These houses were occupied by some of the Company's employés. Lately, partly on account of the recent tidal inundations, sixteen houses belonging to the Company have been pulled down and a wall built so as to keep out the flood, in the event of extraordinary high tides. The open space between the inner and outer gates is used, as well as other open spaces about the works, for heaping up the coke mountains high, which certain youngsters in the neighbourhood would only be too delighted to have the privilege of scrambling and of bearing some of the precious fuel home to their fireless grates. Alas! much of the distress prevalent in the district is caused through the drunkenness and improvident habits of parents.

[1] On October 31, 1865, at the London Gas-light Company's Works, at Nine Elms, Battersea Park Road, a gas-holder exploded killing ten persons and injuring twenty-two. This was then one of the largest holders in London, its capacity being 1,039,000 cubic feet. It was 150 feet diameter, 60 feet high, with a tank depth of 30 feet, and at the instant of the explosion was nearly full, being about 50 feet to 55 feet high. The meter-house was blown to atoms, and the force of the explosion struck the side of the gas-holder, bulging it in, and at the same time driving out a portion of the top. Mr. Timbs, who records this disaster, (which happened when the late Mr. Watson was engineer) says, "As the side plates were eight to twelve gauge, the force must have been very great. With the bursting of the top there was an immediate rush of gas, which instantly caught fire, and shot up in a vast column of flame, discernible at a great distance. The concussion ripped open another gas-holder, the escaping gas caught fire, and meeting the flames from the first gas-holder, rolled away in one vast expanse of flame: an awful crash followed, and many of the neighbouring houses were shattered to pieces."—History of Wonderful Inventions, by John Timbs, p. 179.

Passing through the inner gate, over which is mounted the factory bell of 2 cwt.—its size and tone would not disgrace the belfry of many a church steeple—on the right is situated the timekeeper's office, the carbonizing foreman's lobby, the meter stores, and the stores. On the left-hand-side of the gate is the coke clerk's office, counting house, and a range of workshops, sheds, etc. for smiths, painters, fitters, and carpenters. Adjoining the coke office is the shop where all the Company's meters are tested before being sent out to the consumers. In different parts of the yard lines of iron rails are laid down, with turning tables to allow for shunting, communicating with the South-Western Railway, so as to admit trucks, which, when loaded with coke from the factory, are then conveyed to their destination. The retort houses are oblong buildings with gable wrought-iron roofs, are strongly built of brick, the walls being of immense thickness; this is necessary, not only on account of the great heat within, but on account of the large quantity of coals stowed away in the coal stores, the stock on hand being 15,000 tons.

There are seven retort houses, five of these occupy a central position in these works; they have been erected at different periods as the demand for the manufacture of gas increased. Of these retort houses No. 7 is the largest; it is 260 feet long by 80 feet wide (inside measurement), and it is 45 feet to crown of roof. Each retort house has independent shafts, but the tallest shaft faces the east end of retort house No. 2. It is a splendid piece of brick-work, the height of which is 135 feet. When the top stone was laid Mr. B. Gray, the builder, treated the men who were under him with a dinner. On this occasion sixteen persons sat on the summit and partook of this sumptuous repast. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are ground retort houses, the other four houses are stage retort houses. With respect to the interior of these retort houses, there is plenty of room in front of the retorts for a storage of coal and good space for drawing the retorts. On the whole there is good ventilation in the roofs for allowing the smoke, etc. to escape. The floor of the stage retort houses are paved with grooved cast-iron plates. In these retort houses an open space is allowed between the furnace and the flooring in order that the coke when raked out of the retorts might fall into the coke hole below. The benches of retorts are placed in the middle of the houses. The retorts are built in settings, they are cylindrical tubes made of Stourbridge clay open through and through with mouthpieces at both ends. At the front of each bed of retorts is a furnace for heating up the retorts with the residual coke after the coals have been carbonized. The flame and hot draft of the furnaces are made to circulate thoroughly throughout the setting, traversing as great a space as possible round, under and above the retorts before egress is allowed to the main flue communicating with the chimney. The retorts are charged every six hours. Formerly, for cooling the retort lids, a pulpy mass of lime and mud of the consistence of mortar was used under the cognomen of "blue billy." This has been superseded by Morton's Patent Air-tight Lid, and Holman's Patent Lever. The two mechanical contrivances combined for this purpose are most efficient, and when financially considered must be a great saving to the Company. In the new house there are seven retorts in a bed; these, when heated sufficiently, are simultaneously charged at each end with two scoopfuls of bituminous coal; the upper retorts, on account of their retaining more heat, are charged with three scoops—each scoop contains 1 cwt. 2 qrs. of coal As soon as the lids are closed with the patent lever and cross-bar the process of gas distillation commences. In house No. 7 there are 392 mouths—total number of mouths in all the retort houses 1,793. As clay retorts when heated at first have a tendency to crack, it is necessary that the process of heating should be slow, also to get them up to their proper heat a similar caution is requisite when cooling. Apart from the manufacture of gas, in order to attend to the furnaces with the view of keeping up the heat of retorts, a certain amount of Sunday labour is involved, but it is gratifying to state that at these works labour on the Lord's day is reduced to its lowest minimum. Among several annoyances in the manufacture of gas is the choking or stoppage of ascension pipes; the person whose employment it is to look after, and if possible prevent this, is called by his fellow-workmen "the pipe jumper." Pipes connected with the mouthpieces called the ascension pipes conduct the gas to the hydraulic main, this is a large pipe at the back of the ascension pipes partly filled with water, when the works are started into which the ends of the pipes from the retorts are made to dip, and by this means forms a seal by which the gas is prevented from finding its way back either by those retorts which the workmen may be re-charging or to other parts of the bench that for the time may be out of action. The hydraulic main and its supports are very strong in order to stand the alternate and unequal heating and cooling of the benches, and the enormous strain occasioned by the large extent of pipage. Wrought iron is used in preference to cast-iron because of its lightness, strength and elasticity.

There are four lobbies for the accommodation of the stokers and seats at either end of the retort houses. The men in the carbonizing department are supplied with lockers in which to keep their provisions and clothes. Each man has a half-pint of the best Scotch oatmeal per diem allowed him to make "skilly" with. A quantity of oatmeal is put into a bucket, water is poured on and then stirred, after the meal has "settled" they dip it out with a mug to drink as often as they feel themselves thirsty. The engineer has no objection to the men having lemonade, etc., but all intoxicating drinks on the works are strictly prohibited. On Sundays, between 9 and 10 a.m., a religious service is conducted in the lobby at No. 6 retort house by the Missionary.

Scene in a retort house on week-day.—The stokers, after having been at work in the retort houses for half an hour, are "off" for nearly an hour, during which they employ their time in various ways; some play at cards, some at draughts, some at dominoes, others read the newspapers—eight men in a group will club together and subscribe a penny each, this enables them to purchase six dailies and two weeklies, thus a group is furnished with newspaper intelligence for a week. Others of the stokers will seek to bring grist to their mill by employing the time they are off to their own pecuniary advantage either in mending their own boots and shoes or the boots and shoes of their fellow-workmen. At times some of the men may be seen mending their clothes, or washing a pair of trowsers in a bucket of water and using the wooden handle of a shovel as a substitute for a "dolly." Now and then a man will lie on his back at full length on a heap of coals, locked in the arms of Morpheus, presently he awakes out of his dreams, rubs his eyes astonished at what has transpired during the past hour. The foreman's whistle, similar to that used by a railway guard when a train is ready to start, is the signal for the men to resume their work, and to their credit be it said, they go at it manly and rush to their shovels and scoops like British sailors fly to their guns when commanded to salute a Prince or fire at an enemy! A stranger for the first time is startled when the lids or "lips" as they are called are removed from the mouths of the retorts by the bomb! bombing! a kind of percussion or shock occasioned by the gaseous vapours confined in the retorts being liberated by coming into direct contact with the atmosphere, then commences the belching forth of flame, the issuing of smoke, the raking out of carbonized coal blazing with tar in order to clear the retorts which are again quickly charged with that peculiar fossil of vegetable origin found among the carboniferous strata of the earth. It is interesting to mark the agility with which the stokers perform their duty. Five men constitute a gang—there are three men to a scoop. Scoops are made of iron. A scoop is 10 feet long, 7½ inches wide, and 5½ inches deep with a T piece for a handle. It is placed on the ground, filled as soon as possible, then raised by two men who put underneath it a wrought iron bar called a "horse" so bent or curved in the middle on which to rest the scoop. These two men, with the aid of the man who holds the T piece, thrust the coals into the retorts as quickly as artillerymen ram cannon, and so work at each bed of retorts stripped to the waist, while the perspiration is oozing from the pores of their skin like melted tallow! Now and again a hissing noise with steam accompanied with clouds of vapour caused by buckets of water thrown on the carbonized coal taken from the retorts. No sooner is the coke thus cooled than it is (in keeping with all the movements preceding) wheeled in iron barrows to a place in the yard, where pyramidically it is piled stage upon stage until purchased by the coal contractor and coke merchants who require it for their customers. Respecting the employés at these important works—beneath the rough exterior of their sooty skin, incidental to their occupation, these sons of toil who forsooth earn their livelihood by the sweat of their brow in common with their brother man, have hearts akin to the finest specimens of humanity, and stand related to our Father in heaven, for we are all His offspring, brothers for whom the Saviour died. Whatever a man's status in social life, whatever part he may take, however humble in the divisions of industrial, honest labour, these men know that as Robert Burns says; "A man's a man for a' that."

From the hydraulic main the gas passes on to a set of condensers or coolers at the south side of the works, through which it is made to circulate until it is reduced to a temperature bearing some approximation to the surrounding atmosphere, also to separate condensable vapours before allowing the gas to pass to the purifiers. The tar well or tank is a receptacle for the overflow of the hydraulic, etc. A branch pipe from the main is inserted and sealed in a stationary lute at the bottom. The tar thus deposited as well as the ammoniacal liquor is valuable. There are five scrubbers, the tops of which are reached by flights of wooden steps with hand-rails and a stage or gallery above communicating from one scrubber to another. Each scrubber is a cylinder 19 feet in diameter and 70 feet high, they are made of cast-iron plates and contain a series of iron trays or gratings on which are spread layers of coke, furze, etc. Water is injected from the top by means of a revolving apparatus connected with vertical and horizontal shafting and driven by a small engine below, thereby keeping up a constant humid spray, the object being to separate the ammonia and acids from the gas.

In front of houses Nos. 4 and 5 (which by the way are the oldest retort houses inside these works) is situated the boiler and engine house. There are three boilers 28 feet by 6 in diameter. In the engine house four of Beal's exhausters occupy prominent positions, they are used to exhaust or suck the gas from the retorts and afterwards force it through the vessels for purification; two of these driven by engines of 20 horse power work 150,000 cubic feet per hour each. Two driven by engines of 12 horse power work 100,000 per hour each. Attached to the inlet of each exhauster is one of Wright's exhauster governors, it is made on the principle of pressure or suction elevating or depressing a light cylinder working in a water-lute of sufficient depth. When an exhaust is maintained on the water gauge, counter balance weights equal to the exhaust on the area of the cylinder are applied, and the oscillations, as the suction increases or diminishes, regulate to a nicety the exhaust. The whole of the machinery in this department is in excellent order and will bear the minutest inspection. Over the engine house, which is reached outside by a corkscrew or spiral iron staircase, is a workshop fitted up with machinery; it contains a horizontal engine of eight horse power, which drives two lathes, one bolt screwing machine, two drilling machines, and a saw bench. Against the wall of the engine house is one of Tangye's Special Pumps for raising water from the dock to supply the whole of the works with water for cooling purposes. Outside the engine house an apparatus called a jet exhauster has recently been erected composed of a series of vertical iron tubes, a steam boiler, a generator, and jet. A vacuum is created by a blast of steam, thereby compelling the gas to rapidly leave the retorts and at the same time the ammonia is supposed to be entirely removed by means of water which percolates through shavings with which the tubes or pipes are filled.

On the south side of the works, in addition to the coolers, there are thirteen purifiers and fifteen plots or courts including the foreman's lobby. Each purifier is of cast-iron, it is oblong in form, the cover is wrought iron riveted together in sheets, and the seal is made by means of a water-lute round the edge of the purifier. The purifying material, which is sometimes lime but principally oxide of iron, is carefully spread out on trays and these are disposed in tiers or sets in such a manner as to leave a clear open space between each succeeding layer to allow the gas to diffuse itself thoroughly throughout the mass. Lime when once fouled cannot profitably be renewed for gas purifying purposes, but the oxide of iron can be further utilized by spreading out the oxide in an open court when the oxygen of the atmosphere precipitates the sulphur and the oxide is again fit for use.

The gas passes from the purifiers to the station meter house fronting the stores on the north side of the yard, where the quantity of gas made is registered; adjoining which is Mr. Methven's the Sub-Manager's office, and a test room or laboratory where various experiments connected with the manufacture of gas are conducted. Against the north boundary is a small gas house with gas-holder, etc., all complete, occasionally used for experimenting purposes. From the station meters the gas passes to the gas-holders; each of these enormous circular vessels possesses great storage capacity. It is made on the principle that the circle of all geometrical figures is the one that a fixed circumference or outline is capable of enclosing the greatest amount of space. A gas-holder is made by riveting together light wrought iron sheets upon an angle framing and in shape resembles an inverted cup, the crown being either flat or the segment of a large sphere. It works in a circular water-tank, round which columns are erected that sustain guides at proper intervals by which the gasholder when working is supported, etc. Erected in different parts of the works, including those (two) in the field Prince of Wales' Road, are five immense gasholders with double lifts capable of holding in all 7,000,000 cubic feet of gas. The most imposing view of the Works is from the gate near the entrance of the Creek at Mill-Pond Bridge; in the creek there are sometimes as many as forty barges. On entering at this gate the eye is attracted by two ponderous lifts, which, by an arrangement of rope bands attached to shafting with revolving iron drums and pulleys supported by columns and girders and driven by two horizontal engines of twelve horse-power, are capable of lifting 500 tons of coals every twelve hours. The coals are raised from the barges in iron waggons which hold 1 ton 15 cwt. each, there are two waggons to each lift so that while one waggon is being filled the other on the stage above is being conveyed on iron rails to whatever part of the retort house the coals may be required. Each engine has a powerful brake and is worked with two levers. On the west side of the creek is the manager's residence, and an enormous gasholder with capacity to hold 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas; further on is a hand crane. In front of No. 7 retort house is one of Winshurst and Hollick's engine cranes, which is capable of lifting 200 tons of coals in ten hours by means of a chain and bucket lifted up to the hopper, a distance of nearly sixty feet, and emptied. The bucket holds 15 cwt. of coal. That portion of the Company's premises known as Mill-Pond Yard is used for the storage of pipes, bricks, fire-clay, etc. Here is the carcass of the Old Tidal Mill with lock gates; here too is the Workman's Institute and Band room. Mothers' Meetings are held at the Institute on Wednesdays at 3 p.m., on Sunday afternoons at 3 o'clock for Bible readings by a Missionary in the district.[1]

[1] Since the above description was written in 1877 very extensive alterations have been made in these works. The Company have completed a large purifying house at the south side of the Creek, and have had constructed on the site of the Old Institute a dock for the purpose of admitting steam colliers of 1000 tons burden; and have erected a coal tramway from the same into the Works, crossing Nine Elms Lane with an iron bridge 22 feet from the roadway, which has been widened at least 20 feet. Moreover the carcass of the Old Flour Water-Mill has been pulled down the only vestiges remaining are the lock gates. Opposite Mr. Methven's residence a new institute and stables have been built. In the Works the old offices, workshops, stores, meter-house, and test rooms have been demolished, the high shaft pulled down and the jet exhauster removed. A new meter-house has been erected opposite the engine house and there has also been added new machinery. The Creek has been narrowed and the portion of ground recovered has considerably increased the size of the coke yard. A parapet has been built on both sides of the Creek to prevent the water from overflowing in the event of extraordinary high tides. Also a new stage retort house is being erected parallel with retort house No. 6. (Messrs. Kirk and Randall, Contractors). In addition, three blocks of new buildings have been erected on the west side of the road within the principal gate, is B (1) containing coke office, cashier's office and strong room; timekeeper's office, weigh office, coke foreman's office, superintendent's office and test room. On the east side of the road is B (2) containing gate-keeper's lobby and stores. At the south-east corner of the Works is B (3) consisting of workshops, lobby, etc. The whole of the three blocks were completed in about four months. (B. E. Nightingale, Builder and Contractor). The factory bell has been mounted against one of the columns belonging to the gasholder near the timekeeper's office, and a gasholder of colossal dimensions is being erected in the Company's field, Prince of Wales Road. The alterations, improvements, etc., at these Works within the last ten years have involved an outlay of about £200,000. Yard Foreman, Mr. A. Wilson; Carbonizing Foremen, Messrs. H. Walker, M. Walker, R. Johnston, W. Taylor, T. Reynolds, G. Feeney; Purifying Foremen, Messrs. D. Brown and H. Aylett; Foreman of Enginemen, Mr. G. Wilson; Coke Foremen, Messrs. G. Smith and C. Meredith; Coal Gang Foreman, Mr. W. Clowes; Timekeeper, Mr. R. Whitmore. Mr. R. Harvey was foreman over the men in the carbonizing department and had been upwards of forty years in the Company's employment, in consideration of his valuable services the Company have granted him, as they have also several other of their old and faithful servants, an annuity.

Upon the mains at their exit from the works valves are placed, each valve having a revolving pressure indicator attached, the paper of which is graduated into inches, and tenths, and marked with spaces corresponding to the twenty-four hours of the day. In the meter-house self-regulating governors are used for this purpose. From the gasholders the gas is driven through cast-iron mains or pipes, and from them by wrought iron service pipes to the lamps and burners which help to illuminate our Metropolis. The Company's mains extend about 170 miles, and at any point they supply gas with the same abundance and precision as at Nine Elms. At one time, the Works of the London Gas-Light Company at Vauxhall were considered the most powerful and complete in the world, and even now, in this age of rivalry and sharp competition, under the judicious management of their Board of Directors and their skilled Engineer, Robert Morton, Esq., the London Gas-Light Company maintain an honourable position among other gas-light companies, and are worthy the name they bear. The number of men employed at these works in the Winter season is about 500. There is a Sick Provident Club belonging to the works.[1]

[1] All workmen employed by the London Gas-light Company (unless hired on other terms) are engaged on weekly hirings, and are required to give, and entitled to receive, a week's notice before leaving or being discharged from the Company's service, except in case of misconduct, for which a workman will be discharged without notice.

By order of the Board,

A.J. Dove, Sec.

13th March, 1876.