Water borne drainage was therefore decided on, and it was considered that the septic tank constructed for the St. Peter's Barracks drainage near Le Braye Slipway, St. Ouen's Bay would be large enough to take the sewage from the Blanches Banques Camp also.

A drainage system must have no dips or rises but must be of a steady gradient throughout to be self cleansing; levels were therefore run upwards from the septic tank and it was found that by using the highest parts of the ground available there was just sufficient gradient. The drain pipes at Blanches Banques were all laid on concrete, and were carried across dips on the ground on plan king supported on small piles.

The lines of drainage and the buildings requiring drainage (Latrines, Ablution Rooms, Bath House, Cookhouse, Wash-ups, Drying House, Hospital, Guard Block, Clerks Quarters and Staff Quarters) were therefore sited first and the other buildings grouped round them.

The water supply was designed to supply the same buildings, every building that required water also required drainage.

A cast-iron pipe was designed to carry the water from the reservoir to the camp and this 3" pipe was carried right through to the Hospital. On this 3" pipe were established hydrants at intervals, - the reservoir being sited on a "col" or "saddle" about 80 feet above the camp gave good pressure of water for fire purposes.

Smaller pipes of galvanized wrought iron branching from the 3" main supplied all the buildings enumerated above.

All these lines of pipes were most carefully laid out so that there might be no dips or rises anywhere, since dips would permit sand to collect, and rises would permit air to collect and block the flow.

It was decided to form the reservoir of galvanized wrought iron tanks of 1,000 gallons each, connected together. This was for speed and simplicity of erection; it also enabled any portion of the tanks to be cleaned independently without cutting off the water supply.

Six rows each of five tanks connected end to end gave a total capacity of 30,000 gallons.

After considering various methods of lighting such as acetylene and petrol gas, it was decided to light the camp by electricity.

The principal objection to this was that as it would be practically the first electric lighting installation in Jersey, it would be difficult to get spare parts and stores locally, it would also require a class of skilled labour to run it that was not available locally.

One of the principal reasons for deciding on electricity was that the laying of pipes for acetylene gas or petrol gas would cut up the sandy ground considerably just as hundreds of tons of materials for the buildings were being carted over it, and the pipes would probably be crushed by the traffic passing over them unless very deeply buried, whereas the electric light wires could be taken overhead.

A "Pelapone" oil engine was selected to generate the electricity; this type of engine is similar in appearance to a motor car engine but runs on paraffin after starting on petrol. The dynamo stands on the same bed plate and both engine and dynamo run at 800 revolutions per minute; - no belt is therefore required (a great saving in engine room space).

The system was duplicated, - the smaller engine of three cylinders and 13½ horse power could run a normal lighting load, and the larger engine of four cylinders and I7½ horse power could run the electric centrifugal pump at the well half a mile off at the same time.

Duplication was essential in order to carry out periodical repairs and overhaul.

The lamps employed were metallic filament of 25, 15, and 10 candle power, the 15 candle power lamp being most generally employed; - there were in the end about 350 lamps throughout the camp, not including those that were fixed on the barbed wire boundary fence as a stand by.

By using electricity a large saving was also made in annual upkeep, as it was found possible to save a second engine room (and the necessary personnel) for pumping from the well by using an electric pump operated entirely from the electric light engine room.

This electric pump ran at 2200 revolutions per minute being direct driven and on the same bed plate as an electric motor supplied by current from the electric lighting installation. Though the pump delivered 6,000 gallons per hour (and more under favourable circumstances) it was only 6" in diameter, and the small space occupied by electric motor and pump enabled a further large saving to be made in the size and cost of the pump house.

As it was essential that the lighting of the boundary fence should not fail even for a minute it was decided that each light should be self contained, or independent.

Lamps lit by paraffin gas (vaporized as in the well known "Primus" stove) with an incandescent mantle were chosen and installed when the camp opened, - they were hoisted to the top of long poles after being lit.

These were very satisfactory as long as too strong a wind was not blowing, but a violent wind so cooled the vaporizing apparatus that it would not function properly; and after various improvements were tried without complete success these type of lamps were finally abandoned for acetylene lamps.

Finally twenty-four of these lamps were installed (six on each side) and later one more at each of three corners, - a total of twenty-seven.

In these lamps the acetylene gas was made in an apparatus on the ground and conveyed to the lamp by a flexible tube the lamp being lowered for lighting and cleaning. The glass globes gave continual trouble by becoming cracked in wet and stormy weather, and finally a lantern was designed and made locally which acted perfectly. As this lantern was made out of an old carbide tin fitted with narrow panes of glass cut from broken sheets, it cost practically nothing. .