The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-04
The Question at Cincinnati.
To lie Editors of Tie oincir,.ati Gazette:

report on the subject of supplying
water TO the cities of Newport and Cow
ingtOn, Ky.
a portion of the plan proposed, was,
that instead of pumping water from the
impure stream Of the Ohio, the water
should be pumped from below the bed
of the river, after the water had passed
through a stratum of sand and gravel
from fifteen to twenty feet in thickness,
To effect this for Cincinnati, it is only
necessary to continue the pump pipes
| (which are already laid about one-half
way across the river) so as to meet the
sand-bar on the Kentucky side, above
| Newport, and nearly opposite our city
water works. AT this point, sink
shaft or we'll, of large size, is to be dug
TO depth of from twenty to twenty
five feet below low water mark and be
walled up high enough to prevent the
floods of the river from Overhowtng
the walls; the lower portion OF the walls
to be built Of open masonry, to permit
the ingress Of the filtered water, and
the upper portion of the walls to be
built OF solid cement masonry, so as to
exclude the muddy water at time of
floods. From this sink-shaft or well,
tunnels may be carried out under the
sand-bar to any extent which may be
required to afford a plenteous supply OF
! water. All the walls of the stnk.Shaft
or we'll, and all the walls OF the tunnels,
will lie surrounded with the sand and
gravel naturally deposited by the river
on the sand-bar-the current OF the
river always keeping the sand and
gravel filter.bed perfectly clean and
free by its own action.
The surface Of the filter bed thus
brought into action Is so immense that
no perceptible current will be produced
by the action of 100000 gallons OF
water per diem, and no choking or
| fouling of the filter need be feared. By
the laws of nature, the surface will be
secured by the currents Of the river;
and while the river is in its most mud
dy condition-that is, when it is rising
the current of the water through the
| filter bed will be upward, so as to carry
of any Impurities which may have
lodged on the upper stratum of the
gravel.
II, however, at any time it should be
| found that there is tendency in the
filter bed to choke, in spite of the
natural laws cited, there are meChan-
/ ical means which may be brought to
| the rescue. First. That portion of the
| hlter-bed which Is exposed above low
water, may be scraped and cleaned or
renewed as often as required. Second.
That portion of the tilter-bed below
! low water may be "flushed," that is,
the current OF water may be reversed
through the gravel, and all the mud
lodged in the gravel will be thrown out
again so as to leave it as pure as ever.
This effect may be produced by pump
ing the water from the river when at
its lowest and clearest stage into the
interior of the sink we'll or shaft to "a
considerable hight above the river, and
permitting the water to pass out
through the filter into the river. a pipe
with valve to open or shut as re-
quired, and attached to the engines of
| the Water WorXs, would be the means
requisite to effect this "hushinH."
There is no expensive or difficult en-
cheering work required to carry out
this plan. such as was required to pro-
cure good water for Chicago. There IS
no experiment or new principle in the
matter. The pure water led into New
York and Boston is not perfected by
gathering in pure water into the large
reservoirs for settlement; it is procured
by leading the surface water, always
comparatively impure, into vast sur
faces of u sandy soil nature, through |
which the surface waters percOlate and |
come off pure into the large lakes which |
supply those cities. So the pure springs |
on the hillsides flow. So may coptous |
supply ofpure water be obtained from |
the natural filter found in the bed ofthe |
Ohio river.
1t is we'll known to chemists and ex-
perienced hydraulic engineers that no
degree of settlement Of water, even in
the largest reservoirs, will purify water
as filtration does. Filtration frees
water from Its most deleterious impuri-
ties, its inorganic or saline qualities, |
Causing it to be softer, and sweeter, and |
healthier; while settlement alone only |
frees water from its organic, or muddy |
and vegetable qualities. These i'm
purities, il settled out of water, lodge at |
the bottom of the reservoir, and accu-
mulating from day to day, form base |
which 1t is not pleasant to think OF, |
when we know that they are the off, |
scourings of Deercreek and a popula-
ton of about 1900 people, who live on |
the bank of the Ohio river, within a |
distance Of three miles above our Water |
Works. The idea that this drainage OF |
the neighbOrhOo6 above the Water |
Works may be avoided by taking water
from the main channel of the river, is |
a delusion which the sooner discarded,
the better for the health and welfare or
the citizens of Cincinnati. The plain |
law of chemistry is that all these i'm
purities dihuse themselves through the |
whole body of the water very rapidly,
and the current of the main channel
takes them there mechanically besides.
In corrOboratiou Of this 1 quote the
snp1o1ned opinion of two of the most
eminent chemists of this country:
The proposed plan of Mr.. Jeffrv is
simple and effective. Filtration through
porous strata, not only deprives water
from organic matter, but from more or |
less of its dissolving inorganic. Ber-
ZeliaS filtered a saline solution through |
sand, and found that it run out more |
or less completely deprived of salt.
Mattecci repeated Berzelias' expert
ments and confirmed his statements,
he filled u tube about 26 feet long
with sand and filtered a saline solution
through 1t, and he found that the densi-
" or the liquid introduced by the up
per aperture of the tube was to that Of |
the liquid escaping from the lower end
as 100 10 OBJ. OF all known permeable
substances, the only ones which present
all the requisites of tiltering media OIL
water on u large scale, are sand and
gravel. These are cheap, allow the
ready passage of water through them.
and impart no impurities to the waters |
which pass through them. And their |
employment is suggested by the pure |
and ltmpid springs which arise in
sandy or gravelly districts. The pres
ent condition of our water works is not
adequate for the wants of the CITY. Nor
Is the quantity of the water furnished
suen AS properly constructed water
WORKS would furnish. An increase OIL
RESERVOIRS would, of course, give us a |
greater supply, but we would be liable,
as as al present, with the present condition
O y, ssui tIs, TO supply of water totally
would 1t not be we'll, before The build.
ing OF costly reservoirs, merely to hold
water, TO make an expenditure in an
other direction, i. e., "a supply Of nnre
water under all circumstances, Which,
the plan OF Mr.. jeffrey will accomplish.
e. GRAsEILT.
E. S. WAYNE.
Chemists.
To prove that 1t Is practicable to make
excavations along the bed of the Ohio
river above the Water Works, 1 had n
RnriPS of hnrinna made. and fnnnA =