Haverhill Waterworks

in Haverhill, Suffolk

1897 'The new water works just opened at Haverhill, Suffolk, are of interest in that the system of pneumatic pumping, invented some years back by Mr. James Atkinson, has been adopted for lifting the water to the reservoirs. In this system the power is supplied by a gas engine which drives an air compressor, the discharge from which is led alternately on to two closed vessels. During the time that the air is being forced into one chamber the other is being filled with water, which is in turn forced out by changing over the flow of the compressed air. This change from one chamber to the other is made automatically. The capacity of the plant put down is 18,000 gallons per hour from the well into the settling tanks, and another 10,000 gallons per hour from the latter into the high-service reservoir. The machinery was constructed by Messrs. Crossley Brothers, of Manchester, whilst the civil engineering portion of the scheme is due to Mr. John Kemp, A.M.I.C.E., now surveyor to Hampton.. Was this James Atkinson of Crossley Brothers?

1908 'Ever since the establishment of the Haverhill Waterworks regrets have been freely expressed that the expense to the ratepayers should be so great and so continuous. An encouraging note, however, has been struck in the annual report issued by the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. W. Armistead), who, in dealing with the question of Typhoid Fever, says :—"It is interesting to note in the above table how the number of cases of Typhoid Fever has decreased year by year since 1897 when the public Waterworks were first started. During the ten years 1888 - 1897 when the town was supplied with water from polluted shallow wells 234 cases of Typhoid Fever occurred, of which 18 were fatal, and in addition to these 63 cases, one fatal, of Continued Fever occurred; whereas during the last ten years (1898-1907) when the town was being supplied more and more each year from the Waterworks the number of cases of Typhoid Fever decreased to only 19, of which only three were fatal, and not a single case of Continued Fever was notified.” In the table referred to it is shown that there were 16 cases notified in 1897, nine in 1898, four in 1899, and after that the highest in any year was two—in 1902. In 1903, 1905, and 1907 no notifications were received. There have been four deaths recorded from this disease during the last ten years, two occurring in 1899, and one each in 1897 and 1898. If, as the report leads one to assume, the inhabitants of the town are to be rendered less liable to the contraction of Typhoid Fever in consequence of the establishment of the Waterworks, then there can be no hesitation in saying that the majority of the expenditure which Las bad to be borne, by the ratepayers for the up-keep of such a valuable undertaking has been justified. The public health stands before all things, and if in the preservation of that, money has to be spent, none should cavil because their financial burdens have been slightly increased.
It may be interesting to recall that the initial outlay in carrying out the scheme for the Waterworks was over £10,000. The plans were prepared by Mr. John Kemp, A M.I.C.E., formerly Surveyor of the town, and provision was made for a covered reservoir with a capacity of 150,000 gallons, two settling tanks leach of a capacity of 100,000 gallons, an engine-house, a commodious cottage, and four miles of mains, the works being situated in Camps Road, one of the highest points in the town. The well bad a depth in brick of 103 feet, with a bore of 150 feet, making a total of 253 feet. It was 7 feet 6 inches in diameter, and the bore 8 inches. The work was carried out under the superintendence of the Surveyor, Mr. Thos, Cockrill, A.M.I.C.E. Special interest attached to the pumping machinery, inasmuch as it embraced the first installation in the world of a system of pumping invented by Mr. Jas. Atkinson. Of recent years, however, the Council were not quite satisfied with the machinery which was employed, and between two and three years ago a fresh set was installed, with the result that considerable saving is now being effected in the working. At the installation ceremony in connection with the establishment of the Waterworks, Ald. W. B. Gurteen, in a prophetic speech, said he thought they should find that the works had been carried out none too soon, and that they would find that eventually they would be no burden upon the rates. ....'

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