New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-18
THE ENGINES OF TIE BROOKLYN
WATER Works.

The lsrges. P1mprg 1t gines ID the United Safes,
and, with few exceptions, in the world those 10
c, urse o instruction for the Brooklyn Wster Works
Each of the .wo engines viii lift 10 900 600 gallons TO
an average hight Of It's fee. per day Of sixteen hours
through tube So inches in diameter and about 800
feet lopg.
Mess1s W.lles & Co, the contractors for the entire
works, isaued proposals some twelve months since,
inviting bids for plans. The result was that some
seventeen plans Of engines submitted, involving
distinct principles Of actop variety Of FORM There
were sirg,e acting, double &C iGg, AID direct acting
cylinders; beam engines, steep'e engines, inclined
engines and horizontal er gnes; some travelling 100
feet per minute others at 100 feet with all kinds OF
pump forms and motions. II became evident, how
ever before long, from the character of his drawings
and numerous examples Of work executed, tina. the
plans Of Nr. William Wright experimenting Etgineer
Of the Woodruff s. Beach Iron Works, at Hartford,
were the most suitable, and Messrs. Welles, after
thorough examination Of the various proposals. well
a. of the principal gnes in the country, decided to
accept Mr.. Wrghts plan.
The conduit of the Brooklyn Water Department is
situated some 1870 feet below the great Distributing
Reservoir and powerful epgues viii have to be en-
poyed TO raise the water. The two machines now in
course Of construction are double acting ywhsel en-
OH es Of 10 feet stroke and 80 in. BORE each working
two pumps of 81 in. bore aud &c in effective stroke,
BY spiral cams This is modification of the Hartford
pumping er gine built by Msssrs. Woodruff & Beach.
Three fly. wheel shaft gears, with two pump-shshs,
each driving two pumps and reducing their speed to
one third that of the y wheel shaft. The four pumps
are each fitted with double pistons, worked by the
came, alternately toward and from cash other, with
Lap on the upper and lower centers so that the water
ia Lifted without changing lis direction, as in other
double acirg pumps. In the Brooklyn engines, only
ore psir of pumps will be used for EACH the piston OF
one workicg its charge through the oher, the effective
stroke of each being 30 in with AZ in travel and the
cans being connected directly to the hy-wheel shaft.
Double be at valves are also to be used.
The duty established as a test of these engines is
GOO pounds of water raised one foot, with one
pound of coal; the water being measured by actual
dscba,g e tito the Ridgewood Reservoir The trials
Of the Hartford engine, gave, 10 one ca o@oooo and
in another, 69O, GOO pounds duty.
An important improvement has also been adopted
for the large air chambers attached to the ergnes and
which will be serv ceable in controlling the action of
the force tube column. The boiler power viii con'ist
of three "dr,p-return hue" beers for each engine,
each set obtaining about 800 feet square of surface.
These with the steam pipes, cylinders, &c, will bs
carefully protected from radiation. The building in
closing the ergire and boiler rooms will be ITO feet
Tor BY so feet wide with chimney Of feet fue aud
leo feet in hight.
Notwithstanding the late panic, the other portions of
the water works have made rapid progress aud full
complement of hands ba, been continually employees.
The COZ duit line of masonry is already completed and
the back filing and furnishing stone and brick will be
pushed through this Winter Section eight OF the con-
dut which section contiguous TO the engine house s
perhaps the worst portion of work the line. Much
of the grade is full ten feet below the waterow Of the
country and it is only by means of steanpumps, ne
cestitstirg an immense expenditure, that operations
can be continued The sub contractors this section
Aesrs FaIwes ard Potter, now think they have sur
mounted the principal part of their difficulties, aud
that they will be ready with their portion of the work
mex. season. Three Of the storing reservoirs are pro
crossing rapidly, and operations will be continued upon
them thrt ughou the Winter. The grand dstri outing
reservoir at Rdgewood has taken form and shape;
the eastern section Of this immense basin is 90 near
completion, that it will be ready for water this Fs,
while only third the remaining section remains to
be finished.
Upward Of 5000 tuns of castings have already been
delivered to the contractOrs and over 100 tuns per
diem are being manufactured in various founderies
throughout the country. Several cargoes of pipe are
now on their way from Scotland, ard nearly all the
hydrants, stopcocks ard fpecia castiogs are ready
Large bodies of men have been laying pipe 10 the
streets of the city for several weeks past and some
twelve miles Of tubing are already down.
The Water Commissioners have not as yet, pu. the
car al inc into the hands Of contractors. Ii would much
alleviate the present suffering condition of the laboring
classes if this porton Of the works could be immedi-
aely set going, the Mesns. Wees state that they
would forthwith lind employment: for from 500 to 700
men upon it, No decrease in the number Of men en-
poyed has occurred upon the entire line OF works
during the hard times and between 800 and 900
aborers are now steadily engaged. This force will be
continued throughout the Winter, if the Brooklyn
Common Council consent to pay the contractors in
cash, during the next few months, instead OF The
now much deprecated bonds Of the city.