This article originally appeared in the Citizen on March 21, 1876.
Yesterday afternoon…members of the Board of Works, several members of the Press and three or four other gentlemen assembled at the office of the City Engineer, to make the …trip through the main sewer. The party was composed as follows: Aldermen Heney, Rocque, DeGuise, Rowe, Birkett and Chabot, Dr. Lynn, Health Officer; H. Lapierre, City Solicitor; representatives of the three city papers, the contractors, Messrs. Booth and Murphy; the City Engineer, Mr. Surtees; the Sewer Inspector, Mr. Birkett; Mr. James White, Mr. John Grant and Mr. Weldon, guide.
On arriving at the Engineer’s Office, the party was informed by the City Engineer that they were about to undertake a perilous and dangerous task…the trip might involve loss of life…As the party moved away, a crowd of curious spectators gave them a parting cheer, which had the tendency to raise the spirits depressed by the remarks of the City Engineer.
Mosgrove Street was reached…the party…descended the sewer by manhole…the odor arising from the sewer had a very depressing effect on their spirits. Here the medical advisor, who had taken the precaution to bring along medicine (a bottle of V.O. brandy,) suggested the propriety of “liquoring up”…antidote…to …obnoxious air…The suggestion was acted upon, Ald. Heney alone dissenting. To meet his case the doctor had very thoughtfully brought along a bottle of disinfectant and gave “Honest John” a dose sufficient enough to make him proof against all the foul atmosphere in the United Kingdom.
After walking about three minutes, the Rideau Street connection was reached. Here a great volume of water fell into the sewer and made a noise like a miniature cataract. The party was slightly scared…but Ald. Rocque who led the party cried in a stentorian voice “On pilgrims on!”… The sewer at this point was of a horseshoe shape, the arch…of brick, the sides of cut stone…the pavement brick. Dr. Lynn…remarked that a pipe would not be out of place. All hands accordingly filled the pipe of peace and puffed away with a vengeance.
Next manhole…on George Street. Here Mr. John Hill and a host of citizens smiled down from above, and treated the boys below to a snowball or two to cool their heated brows. In endeavouring to dodge a snowball Ald. Rowe stepped on Ald. DeGuise’s pet corn, and that gentleman immediately squealed and sat down in about a foot of water, to the extreme delight of the spectators above.
The Dalhousie Street trap was next reached…At this manhole the welcome face of Ald. McDougal was exposed, surrounded by a score of school boys…the crowd moved on…Ald. Rocque…wandered out of the narrow channel and fell over a boulder on the side of the sewer. Unfortunately at this point there happened to be about a foot and a half of water…for a moment there was the prospect of a new election in Ottawa ward…But…was rescued by the courage of Ald. Birkett. After…taking a little brandy (ordered by the doctor).
Ald. Rocque took the lead again…to the gas house connection. Here, a halt was made…bottom of the sewer coated in a sticky substance and once the feet got into it, there was considerable trouble extricating them…After coal tar and gas-houses had been sufficiently condemned the march continued to the strains of “Annie Laurie”, very touchingly sung by Dr. Lynn.
At York Street…a number of school children were crowded around the manhole, and threw armfuls of snow down. They enjoyed the sport immensely, but the party cannot say as much for those who had the snow dropped down their backs. At the King Street manhole, a basket of Moselle was lowered, and the party refreshed themselves…At St. Andrew Street…Ald. Chabot sang “Youp, youp sur la rivière,’’…lost one of his boots in the tar.
Before coming to Cathcart Street it was noticed that the arch of the sewer …had flattened out considerably…instead of being egg-shaped…was circular…the City Engineer deems it advisable that it should be taken up and re-built for fear of accident…The party, after inspecting the fall of water into the Ottawa River, climbed up the manhole, covered with tar. Here refreshments were supplied, after which a start was made for home.
Elizabeth Krug contributed this 1876 news story adapted from Michael Newton, Lower Town Ottawa, Volume 2, 1854-1900.