Long Hot Summers
From Prospect Magazine, July 20, 2017 :
From Samuel Pepys to Denis Howell, extracts from memoirs
From Samuel Pepys to Denis Howell, extracts from memoirs
On 27th June 1858, Jane Welsh Carlyle writes to Mary Russell:
“It is thence long since I wrote, in addition to I hit got been thence bothered in addition to bewildered inwards the interval, that I can’t recollect if it is your plow or my ain to write… I tin give notice solely say I hit got had enough of excuse for all my sins of omission of slow weeks. First, my dear, the rut has actually been nearer killing me than the cold. London heat! Nobody knows what that is till having tried it; thence breathless, in addition to sickening, in addition to oppressive, every bit no other rut I hit got e'er experienced is!”
The continuing rut had a disastrous outcome on the River Thames, in addition to thence the solely outlet for all of the capital’s untreated sewage. What became known every bit “The Great Stink” made draw of piece of occupation organisation inwards parliament intolerable.
Three days later, the Times reported the abandonment of a committee:
“A abrupt rush from the room took place, foremost amidst them beingness the Chancellor of the Exchequer [Benjamin Disraeli] who, alongside a majority of papers inwards 1 manus in addition to alongside his bag handkerchief clutched inwards the other in addition to applied closely to his nose, alongside trunk one-half bent, hastened inwards dismay from the pestilential odour, followed closely past times Sir James Graham, who seemed to endure attacked past times a abrupt tally of expectoration; Mr Gladstone also paid item attending to his nose… The other members of the commission also precipitately quitted the pestilential apartment, the disordered nation of their papers, which they carried inwards their hands, showing how imperatively they had received honour to quit.”
The “Great Stink” concentrated the minds of the legislators. On 2d August, parliament passed an deed allowing the structure of Joseph Bazalgette’s ambitious system for enclosed sewers for the capital.....MORE
1976 had the hottest summertime average temperature inwards the UK of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland since records began. Few places registered to a greater extent than than one-half their average summertime rainfall. Denis Howell (right), the Labour Minister for Sport, was appointed “Minister for Drought” inwards 1976 in addition to recalls inwards his memoirs:
“It is widely believed that the rains came instantly upon my engagement every bit ‘Minister for Drought’—and that it has never stopped raining since! The fact is nosotros went a farther 10 days without pelting in addition to inwards the West Country were downwardly to 25 days’ supply. The province of affairs was growing desperate inwards parts of Yorkshire in addition to it was arranged that I would go at that topographic point for a ceremonial turning-on of a standpipe seat upwards on 1 of the housing estates… As I turned on the stopcock the rains came, solely a few spots at first, exactly presently nosotros were deluged. The reservoirs were empty in addition to the Earth was dried up. It was going to hit got weeks for the H2O to soak through the public in addition to fill upwards the rivers in addition to reservoirs. My appeals for continued water-saving, delivered every bit I stood inwards the pouring rain, were amusing exactly necessary. We had got through a crisis far to a greater extent than serious than most people appreciated. However, the emergency measures nosotros had embarked upon did non necessitate to endure brought into functioning thence nosotros were never able to exam the efficiency of a two-line six-inch pipage organisation set downwardly lxx miles of the fast lane of the M5 spear betwixt Bristol in addition to Exeter.”
When the weather condition broke at that topographic point was widespread flooding in addition to Howell was appointed Minister for Floods. During the harsh wintertime of 1978-9, he was appointed Minister for Snow. The relevant chapter of his autobiography is entitled “Man for All Seasons.”
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