The Water Committee.
In the 'seventies I joined the Water Committee, at a time when further supplies of water for Liverpool had become a pressing necessity. We had opened the Beloe "dry dock" at Rivington (so called because many people believed when this reservoir was being made it would never be filled), and it was felt that no further supply could be obtained from this source; nor could we rely upon any further local supply from the red sandstone, although Mr. Alderman Bennett made long speeches in his endeavour to prove that the supply from the red sandstone was far from being exhausted.
Laying the Foundation Stone, Vyrnwy Dam,
by the Earl of Powis, 1881.
When it was decided to seek for a new watershed our attention was first directed to the moors round about Bleasdale, some ten miles north of Preston, but the prospective supply was not sufficiently large. We then turned our attention to Hawes Water, in Cumberland, the property of Lord Lonsdale, and appointed a deputation to inspect this lake. We dined and stayed all night at Lowther Castle, and drove to the lake next morning. We came away much impressed with the quality of the water and the cleanness of the watershed, as there were no peat mosses or boggy lands to discolour the water.
Mr. Deacon, our young water engineer, had however a more ambitious scheme in view; he proposed to impound the head waters of the Severn in the valley of the Vyrnwy. The battle of the watersheds, Hawes Water versus the Vyrnwy, was waged furiously for several years. The committee made many visits to the Vyrnwy, taking up its abode at the Eynant Shooting Lodge, a very picturesque spot (now submerged) standing at the western end of the lake. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Anthony Bower, the chairman and deputy-chairman of the committee, were strongly in favour of the Vyrnwy scheme.
Alderman Bennett continued to be the persistent advocate of obtaining additional supplies from the wells, and his opposition to every other scheme was only set at rest by the Council authorising Mather and Platt to put a bore-hole down at Bootle at a point which he selected; with the result that no water was found. During all this period Mr. J. H. Wilson had a very arduous task, demanding great patience and endurance, and to him and to Mr. Deacon belong the credit of ultimately securing the adoption of the Vyrnwy scheme.
I led the section of the committee in favour of the Hawes Water scheme. There was no question as to the Vyrnwy yielding an abundant supply, but the opposition contended that it was brown peaty water, and would remain brownish after being treated by filtration, and the cost would greatly exceed that of Hawes Water. I spent days on the moors at Vyrnwy collecting samples of water. My samples were brown and bad; the samples collected by Mr. Deacon, on the contrary, were clear and translucent. The committee were divided as to the relative merits of the two schemes, and the Council were equally divided.
When the question came for the ultimate decision of the Council the debate lasted two days, and I spoke for one hour and a half. We thought the Hawes Water scheme was winning, when the Mayor, Mr. Thomas Royden, rose and spoke for half an hour all in favour of the Vyrnwy. His speech turned many waverers, and the Council voted in favour of the Vyrnwy by a small majority of three.
It was a great debate, perhaps the most important we have had in the Council, certainly in my time. Mr. Royden (now Sir Thomas Royden, Bart.) was an effective speaker, both in the Council and on the platform; his voice and his genial smile were a valuable asset of the Conservative party.
I was greatly assisted in drawing up a pamphlet in favour of Hawes Water, and in conducting the opposition, by the town clerk, Mr. Joseph Rayner. Mr. Rayner was an exceedingly able man, but unfortunately died comparatively young.
It fell to my lot, as Mayor in 1881, to take the Council to lay the foundation stone of the great Vyrnwy dam. It was on a very hot day in July; the stone was laid by the Earl of Powis, who made a very eloquent and poetical address, comparing the Vyrnwy with the fountain of Arethusa which would spring up and fructify the valley, and convey untold blessings to the great community in the far-off city of Liverpool.
The building of the dam, and the laying out of the banks of the lake, called for many charming visits to the Vyrnwy; and although I was not in favour of the adoption of this scheme I now believe on the whole the Council did the wisest thing, as there can be no question of the abundance of the supplies secured by the city.