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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 13) |
| Author | Comment |
Dick
 Apr 25, 07 - 9:26 AM |
Sludge glorious Sludge
When we used to clamber around in the woods and quarries of the Conham area as kids, it was always a part of the routine to climb up to the area above the point just beyond the end of Butlers. We were then looking down into what is described on the 1917 OS as "Old Quarry" and there on the edge of this quarry was the terminal anchor point of a "Cable-Car", the suspension cable of which went across to the other side, round a large wheel and then down the slope, across the road and into Butlers. The large carrier was loaded with the by product of some process or other and then went slowly up the hill to a point halfway out across the chasm and then automatically inverted and dropped it's load of greyish sludge with a resounding SPLAT on the ever-increasing mound below. There was such a mass of this gunge that I doubt if it was ever removed and I see on Google Earth that the area is still not vegetated but seems to have a track zig-zagging across it. I wonder if anyone can remember this process and particularly what the product was which generated this gooey mess ! Looked like the sort of material that would never degrade so I would like to know what the present state of that site is. Since writing the above, Rob has told me that what seems to be the site I am talking about has been completed as flats but took a long time for site clearance. This probably means they bought the land cheaply but spent a bunch clearing it ! ! Dick Rgds. Dick Best |
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Ian
Apr 27th, 2007 - 12:31 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
I think you will find that this was the waste product of the refinement of coal tar. This material was once thought to be harmless and just dumped or used as infill. More ecently this stuff is considered to be Carcinogenic which is rather worrying if it was just dunped. Apparently the only way to treat this material is to take it away or cap it with concrete. This probably explains the lengths the developers went to when building the flats alongside the rive however it still smells of creosote and oily liquid can still be seen leeching out of the ground and into the river! |
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Dick
Apr 28th, 2007 - 8:21 AM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
They must have really had a job removing it as it was not only in the main heap below but also splattered up the walls of the old quarry ! ! Dick |
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Ian
Apr 28th, 2007 - 12:04 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Hi Dick - Yes when they started on the flats that are actually on the refinery site they removed several feet of soil then brought in hardcore that was crushed on site then the whole area was capped. The area you are concerned with is across the road I think this too has had some developmemnt but there was some infill first - you can still see areas of oil and staining in the area and as I said the river still gives off that distinctive aroma that was present when the factory was working so your guess is as good as mine as to the clean up! I think it only went as far as was deemed necessary - these things have a way of resurfacing so I'm glad I don't live on top of it. Just think if there was a flood similar to that in the early 60's! |
Roger
Apr 29th, 2007 - 1:16 AM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Must have been wonderful to watch. I presume that whoever devoloped the area did the bare minimum required by law to make the area 'clean' according to law at the time. I don't think that I would like to live down in 'Death Valley' as my neighbours call it :p |
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Rob
Apr 29th, 2007 - 2:11 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
I have a copy of part of a report from Liverpool Polytechnic dated 1989 which was produced for the developers who were then going to build on the land behind the Bull at that time. The area where the appartments now are, directly behind the pub was where Butlers had some storage tanks. It says that this area is 'marginally contaminated' with tars and also 'crystalline mercuric carbonate'. The area to the south - where Dick described the cable-car arrangement was a lime tip - hence the white colour. The report says this was constructed in the late 1940s and contained 10,000 to 12,000 cubic metres of waste lime. The pH of the tip 12 to 12.1 which is why nothing grew on it, but otherwise it was not harmful. The report says that the mercuric waste in the tank area was not soluble and therefore was only a hazard if it was moved due to the creation of dust. The recomended solution was that the lime tip should be regraded and the contaminated material from the tank area should be buried in the lime, since this would ensure that the heavy metals would not return to the surrounding environment. The tip could then be covered with other material so that vegetation could be re-established. Of course it was some ten years after this report was produced that the work was actually undertaken but this does seem to be what was done. Certainly a lot of material was moved out of the area where the appartments were built and buried further to the south. |
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Dick
May 19th, 2007 - 11:05 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Hello Rob. I've just returned from a spell in Auckland and seen your message in which a report stated that the tip (with the cable car) was constructed in the late 1940's. Definitely not so as I recall seeing that cable car working in 1939 and still with a fair amount of gunge below thus pre-dating it to probably '37 or '38. As the cables and the container passed over the public road, I would imagine they had to have permission from the council to construct it so that might give a clue if they keep records that far back. Another thing I recall in that vicinity in 1939 just around the outbreak of WW2 was the construction of a wooden platform projecting out over the river. This was located about 20 feet beyond the end of Butler's property and a Coventry Climax engine/water pump was fitted on same. This was to provide unlimited water for fire-fighting in case Mr. A. Hitler dropped a bunch of incendiaries or whatever on the highly inflammable materials in Butler's yards. May even be some traces of the old bolts or such still visible Rgds. |
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Rob
May 20th, 2007 - 6:57 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Dick, A date of 1936 or thereabouts would make sense, this would be when Butlers lost the use of the land they were using as a tip at Conham which was compulsarily purchased for the new sewage works that we discussed earlier in another thread on this board. Your mention of the platform for a pump during the war is interesting, most of the river wall between Butlers and Conham has been rebuilt in concrete so there is unlikely to be any evidence left. According to the 1953 Butlers history the Crews Hole Works was lucky to avoid a direct hit during the bombing. There are some craters on the hill that we have assumed are bomb craters, but it would be interesting to hear from anyone who can confirm that. |
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Susan
May 20th, 2007 - 7:34 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
At Barton Hill History Group I met a gentleman who said that our picture of a bomb plot that showed hits in the Troopers Hill area was missing a few bombs. He said at least a couple went in the river and failed to explode. His dad was an air raid warden based in a concrete shelter built on the side of the Lamb Inn. He now lives in Bedminster and Rob and I hope to sort out a meeting with him to take a wander round Troopers Hill and see if he can still spot various landmarks that he was talking about. I think he could very well be good interview material for Kit and his camera. Maybe another few pieces can be slotted into the Troopers Hill history jigsaw. Cheers, Susan |
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Ian
May 21st, 2007 - 12:40 PM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Dick Do you remember the use of a tank enginge in Conham . I distinctly remember and others that I have spoken too that there was a small tank engine in Conham Vale near where the Rifle club is now and the picnic area. There must have been an industrial use for it but it was abandoned way before my time I would guess. I remeber it there in the 60's. |
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Dick
May 22nd, 2007 - 9:34 AM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Hello Ian ............ you have me intrigued re the Tank Engine. I assume you are referring to a Tank Engine being used off-rail to provide power for something or other, as the only definition of Tank Engine I can find (apart from a million to Thomas ........! ! ) is of a railway engine without a tender. The last time I wandered those parts was about 1950 so I am a bit out of date and there was nothing then in Conham Vale apart from a few houses/cottages. Sorry can't help. Cheers from Fiji. |
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Ian
May 23rd, 2007 - 11:12 AM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Hi Dick It is as you say railway engine without a tender. It was left abandoned at the bottom of Conham Vale opposite the quarry (in which now stands quite a large house)just infront of the white sludge. It may well have been used to power something rather than used as a railway engine. Thanks for taking the time to think about and research it - I should have been more specific. Regards Ian |
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Dick
May 26th, 2007 - 9:14 AM |
Re: Sludge glorious Sludge
Drifting from the subject Ian but I wonder if your Packet Engine came from Peckett & Sons. They had a factory in the hinterland between Fishponds/Whitehall/ Speedwell and you might identify your locomotive if you Google their name ............ there is a bunch of information there and many photographs of wonderful old engines. Considering the weight of those things, it would be interesting to know how they got it to Conham. You didn't mention if it is still there or when it disappeared ! ! ! There is a map there on how to get to their works and it also shows the old Fishponds to Clifton railway line. That line still ran when I was a schoolboy and it was said that the driver sometimes got out to pick mushrooms ! ! ! Regards Dick |
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