The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-01-19
RICHMOND, VA, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY Ia Ia5a

the abundance and excellence OF It's water suppl,
Yet aiiths wster Used In that city Is drawn froi
the volume is SO small that it is all taken fhroug
the ManayQnk canal. which Ia fraversad by boa
Or sgh, tor
and over the wheels Of Numerous factories into IL
pool formed By the water works dam.
the passage Of boats through It, or by contact Wit
the earth and stones in it, channel Il is the fsr
eagn proancn which dense population adj to it
volume, that render ft impure.
The volume OF water discharged BY James river
very great. and the population on its banks Is el
wholesome. This pure and wholesome water enter
the James River canal from the river, inilarge vo
Sans: 11,h snd hoTs through 1s between Inpsopis
nours. The bordsrs of the canal are not even cult
vated but as far down a. the Trsdegar Works, ar
is. In fact, nuisance whatever along or near th
calaI Dy which ito waters could be defled on thei
qp.ok passage from the river to the city.
am induced to offer tbs 30 comments on the ch ar
scter OF the water. By the suggestion which ha
been made to me that the use II canal tcater nigh
De deemed objectionable-a prejudice which,
think, would be here in this case, entirely mis-
placed aud unreasonable.
Ian am aware m that the James river water i. frs
quently dlscoiored by the earthJ matter which j
dissoves and brings along with it in seasons of we
weather, and Of which it should be relieved wher
discooraticns rs the effect Of impurities and speak
the water which the canal as pure II
so thatIt tnere receives not hing that 10 Of
iennve or corrucf or unwholesome-that it is river
water unchanged in character by its passage
through the eaaal. The volume Of water which
nows along this canal is five times great as tht
! total quantity now consumed and wasted by the
CITY 81 London. with its population Of over two mil
the total quantity suppied to the city OF Phils
delphia By the works al Fsirmo1Ht.
| Tne present consumption Of the city Of Richmond
Is = esuinated 6y your superintendent. MIR Davis, al
2!00,W0 gallons per diem, which is equal 10 aboct
three cubic feet per second, asersged upon the
a. fast as that average would indicate during the
| nuriness hours. and in hot weather. The vo!ume
lowing through ihs lower part OF The canal vt this
tiue, when the mills are generally at work is abou
40 cubic feet per second, and through the upper
part above the wastes ii il considerably more
Inc canal now fur aishes therefore, about one hun,
nfe4 ana fttrty times as much water is consumed
6y the eatre city and is, es already stated capa
at first to draw only about onehaif the pre.sp,
dally consumption OF The whole city from the canal
which quantity is only equal to the amount which
| quantity insppreciabiy small.
II the depth of the canal were increased only o,t
inch. while all its other caractt ristics remain the
same, it would afford sufficient additional ouanti
ty OF water TO supply the proposed lower service
when the population in that part Of the city shall
have reached 10000 persons without the nee s,ily
O. drawing upon any part of the supply which now
hows thr. ugh it for the use o. the mills.
submit respectfully that these facts fully estab
lish the positions on which rest my Plan of OBJ
tanning supply OF water tor the city from the ca
pure as it while a wing down James river. and
much better than other great cities car usually oh
tain. and that the quantity of this pure water ID
| future demands. / may add, that the stability o
ths canal has been well tried, and is quite worthy
which the whole city now depends or of any otheI
reser voir which you are likely to have built
| OF the LOacer SeTrice.
propose, as all eady stated, to divide the distr
button into two parts, by closing the connecting
pipes or stops. betwsen that portion Of the city
| which is to be supplied by the pumps, and tnat
which is to be supplied directly from the canal 10
obtain the line Of separation. requested the Ci
Engineer. Mr. Gill; to lay down Oh msp of the city
the points where a level 20 feet above mean tide
and IA feet below the surface of the basin intesects
the principal streets This plane cuts Cary street
Der of 18th; Prankn street between the Exchsp ce
Hotel and Mayo street, and passes Broad street q
The portion of the city situated below these points
| propose to supply from the canal-varying the
rule however IN special cases. where it is desira-
Bile tnat the water should be delivered at a some.
| what higher level than fourteen feet above the
| streets.
Fourteen feet above the streets il the least bs;ob+
| at which the water will be delivered to any consu.
mer in that part Of the city; aud the number will be
very small indeed OF those who will not be able to
orawlt at points more than IS feet above the streets
la the lower parts of Main Cary streets it will
be delivered at elevations from 90 to 90 feet above
| By going carefully over the register the Sunern.
tPndeIt has ascertained for that the water rept,
received within these districts marsed of on the
| map amG unit to
For the upper ssrv ice..... $40 ees
Fer the lower s q5-
He has ascertained also that the numOer OF wster
| takers is,
| n the yroposed upper service .............I 90,
Jmdofng from thesa facts alone # ,ynm; o.,
that less than fourth of all the consumers anC
lees than ole-thd OF all the rents received are in
| Cuded within the space proposed to be supplied by
the canal; but it does not follow that the Qudntite
of water consumed in these respective por.oDs bea
either OF these proportions to each other. In th'
lower part of the city to be found proportion
10 the population there, greatsr number Of liyery
stables, tobacco factories, estingi houses and ma
| chine shops-each of which establishments onIy
| counts as one IN the register OF consumers, apS
| all OF which. l am informed by the superinten
dent MIR Davis, pay less in proportion TO the ouan
| tity OF water consumed by them than private
houses.
consumption of water in the lower part OF The cit
| bears a somewhat larger proportion to the whole
quantity furnished, than either the number of ta
| bears TO the whole.
| But there are other reasons why greater proper
ti.n OF the consumption will be found in the dis
trct marked off for the lower than in that assigned
to the upper service, than the amount of the water
rents OF the number of takers would indicate
The water is drawn by the consumers in all the
lower part of the city under heads varying from S.
to l60 feet-which creates very rapid escape from
all the hydraRts there. and consequently leads te
great waste when the stoIs fren any cause are neg
| lected
On the other hand. in the upper parts Of The city
there are many hydTants FROM " hch the ESCAPE il
inconveniently slow, and not q ANAL mum Der from
which, in The day time, and in hst Weather, no wa
/
These two facts-that every consumer whose by.
dTant is in the lower service draws under head ex
ceeding las feet and can get all the water he
ana frequently, in consequence of the rapidity OF
the dist.harg ges, takes more than he wauts; while
those on the higher only obtain scant supply and
some times none at all-ge again to convince us.hat
part Of the city, compared with that in the upper
part. are greater than the rents or the number Of
The ara no means OF estimating with accuracy the
qusntities OF water actually used in that part o.
c IS sona a II
| less than the hall OF the entire supply which ie
low delivered By the pumps into the reservoir,
shall present conclusions however as far as they
| may depend on this fact, under two suppositons-
| hr.t. that ore half Of the whole supply Is drawn
and next tbas the one-ihid part only of the totai
present delivery ID used there.
To supply this part Vi the city, propose to lay
main OF 10 inches diameter on the north sde OF the
| canai-sinking IL very little below The bottom
which will receive the water at some point not far
impurities which might be thrown int the basin ,OI
| which may reach the canal near the bridge foi
II is shonId be objecisi that that part of the ca
nal to the oal from buildings near it, tn,
otjec ion may be obviated By extending the piair
Tfedegar works. do not recommend su:b a. ex.
tension at present. because can see no difficulty ir
wss ss .ns S .Ss sgsns "a
| basin and do not regard the cost of euch al
extension therefore justffable.
| WIN tue aTf8ukohtcAts ucE0 pIOpOeeO, tu6 IOWel
portions of Richmond will be more abundauty sup
piled with the naost unexceptionable river water
than any city CT which have knowledge Prsoti-
caiy. the supply will be unlimited: and the facili
Ties for obtaining il are so great hat it may becom'
question whether ths water might not be adyan
tageonsig and probably delivered on that lowel
level to greater extent than would be needed fe
mere domestic uses In the event Of any intsrrup
ton of the flow. consequent on injuries to the ca
nal, the lower portion of the city may be suppieS
during its continuance as it is ut present-ey re
opening, temporarily. the connection between tn,
ample resery yoirs which will be required for The
regular supply and purihcatisn of the water used
| In the upper service.
1t Is. perhaps, worth while to allude to the fac
the city are generally auirs small, though thsy
| have been found to be sufficient under the very
high head by which the water isnow forced through
them.
But the apprehension has been expressed to me
that when the head is reduced as Is contemplated
by this division Of the distribution these pipes may
be found to be too small 70 permit the passage OF thu
i xfrv of xuhi