The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-10-12

Silrlstfibn ASSOCldbtuH Vi OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES CoIl-
its Sessions in Springfield ON Thurs
day. About three hundred delegates, repre-
senting nearly every association in the State,
have been in attendance, and the, meetings
have been spirited in interest and cordial in
harmonious and active sympathy.
HH haE l.4l-4 y ~ =. 1919 eLh GInJ
X ''f Water supply ,n' Z
REPORT OF, McREE SWIFT, C. E., TO
8 THE COMMITTEE OF THE COMMON
COUNCIL FOR SUPPLYING THE CITY
g. OFPORTLAND WITH WATER, ain q
81 LIBERTY STREET, New YORK,
Sept oath, 1867,
To Taos LYNCH, Esq, and others, Committee
G. on employing the City of Portland soith acdter.
.GENTLEMEE:--I have at your request visited
Portland and made an examination of the plans
for supplying your city with water for fire and
other purposes, and beg leave to submit here
with the results of this examination with APP
proximate estimates of the cost of the proposed
works '' -' 'ft"i '''i'' ''''i''A III '''7N
Three plans for procuring water have been
spoken of, all of which originate in Sebago
Lake. The first is by taking the water from the
Cumberland and Oxford Canal at a point near
the city, and forcing it by means of steam pow
ser to u reservoir to be located on BramhalPs
hill. / made no estimate of the cost upon this
plan, as it would involve the iiexpense of
purchasing the entire canal now used for trans
pOrtatIon of lumber and other freight, and ev-
en- il this purchase were accomplished 1T
reasonable rate, the difficulty and constant ex-
peuse of maintaining the canal with its locks,
etc, in good order, and the ilnpossibiity OF
conveying the water to the city in a state of
purity after its exposure to the adulteration to
be expected from carrying it SO great distance
in an open channel, presents obiectiobs that
would make this plan the least desirable of
the three t,,f /
The second plan is by taking the water from
Preseumpscoti river at the rapids or fall four
miles distant, and To raise it by means of
pumps, 10 be be driven BY water power, to d
stand pipe oil Graves hill, to be conducted
thence through All inch main to q reservoir or
reservoirs on Bramhall's or MunjOy's hills.
The cost npor' this plan is also probIematical,
as the expense of procuring the water right
held by individuals can, not be arrived at at this
time. ErclatSi0e 0fthis important item, the ex-
pense of delivering water into the BramhalIs
hill reservoir would not vary much from $lS6, !
000 This estimate includes the cost of dam,
conduit, pumps and wheels capable Of raising
4000OO0 gallons in twenty-four hours into the
city reservoirs stand pine on Graves hill and
81 900 feet of "a inches main.
The great objection to this plan lies in the
necessity of taking the water atterit has been
used by the various manufacturing establish
mehts now existing and that will hereafter be
erected on the presaeAssfiRtt are used extep-
can be cleansed frt m the impurities necessari-
ly thrown into it, before it is carried into the
reservoir aforesaid.
The third and last plan is, by taking the
water in its pure state from Sebago Lake, $50
1T. above tide water, and conveying il By means
Of conduit and pipes,a distance of sixteen
miles TO the reservoirs in the city .e5l sfsu i5b
This, though the most expensive, is by far
the most desirable plan, aud would furnish
your city with'a. abundance of water of the
purest character. lA s',ti0 grHf iBaetift6t i1tle
My estimate of the cost of delivering the
water by this plan into the city reservoir, in
cludeS Il brick conduit 1000 feet long the me-
cassary excavations and foundations for the
same across Summit Swamp "a receiving well,
bulk head and gate house, and $500 e., of
10 inch main. with requisite gates, etc, and
amounts to $472,000. 9iit7Fi .nh a'Hi aiat'1E3G
The objections, totthis last or conduit plan,
are the cost, and the liability to accident to so
long a main but think the former should not
be considered too great for your thriving city
when the quality and purity of the water and
the liberality of the supply are taken into con-
sideration. And the liability of any interfer-
aflce with the supply by accident to the main
is abundantly provided against by the large
reservoir capacity proposed las with a. stor-
age OF from 100000 to 8OOO0,000 gallons Of
2}2 cubic inches, which the reservoir plans pro-
vide for, abundance of time for any possible
repairs renewals is secured. siiW .,s3Glq 4ssJ
1t will be observed that these estima tes SO
far, for the work eIclusire of reservoirs and
city distribution, etc, which are common to
From experience in other seaports, Il think
you should calculate upoa q daily consumption
for all purposes OF not less than sixty gal
Ions for each and every inhabitant OF the
city; and n population of sixty Thousand is not
too large to, expect for Portland by the end
of twenty years. With these data a daily con-
sumption Of 5000 900 gallons 81 ould be pfoyid-s
ed for now, though the present draft would
not probably exceed 800, 900. Ipropose, there
fore, to use 4 20 in. main to conduct the water
from the Lake to the reservoir, which under
head of 100 Vt. will deliver by gravity into the
proposed reservoir 3,550,000 galIonsof 1872 cubic
inches in twenty four hours. Whenever the
demand requires that quantity, say in twenty
years, another main OF similar capacity could
be more economically laid, and saving of the
expense of useless capital be avoided. 81 dr. bgs
lt .t- RESERVOIRS IN THE CITY. cream. ,,.... ~,
1t will be seen my reference to the two proposed
sites for reservoirs in the city, to wit, Bran
halls and Munioy's hills, that there ia no i'm.
portant difference in their elevations above
tide water-both being about LOO # the ay-
erage OF four elevations on Promenade and
Vaughan streets being $50 it, and Of four ell
eyations on the corners of the proposed site on
Munjoy hill being l4S ii. .Bu.af15 Iao5ltsr asrsi
In point of area BramhalIs Hill site contains
900 square feet which il is estimated would
cost 1881 500; bat the irresiiiarity in shape of
Sltt, anu Sfcdt Ill SllfIdc6 ell
eyations would make the construction OF a res
ervoir on this site more expensive than one
upon Munjoy Hill. The total cost of CONSTRUCT
ton of reservoir occupying the whole of this
ute, exclusive of the cost of SITE is estimated at
S135 900, and when completed it will contain
with a depth of 20 #. 55,000,00O of gallons In
view of the additional cost of this entire site
imposed upon you by the irregularities refer
ed to, in the lower portion of the site, pro.
pose to reduce the dimensions of the site to a
ec'angnlar form of 632 by 5l5 it,, bounded on
wo sides by Promenade and Vaughan atIeets
n this shape the reservoir of 81, 500 So, it, |
lrea would contain 36,000,000 gallons, aud
would cost III site, say, ieff fAl7 81 Sfc2 750
In cnsctFuction, 7ni i.i 81 d. iA" fiHi $4,000 |
a.. teei,al aidJ .ssiIsi ~ --
he site for Munioy hill contains "a" S-''''"
426,50O square feet, which would 'eiDiaal Il
cost, say ~, isif 6.aIin .i'i ip213,25O |
i'SS value OF houses upon it,, 'oa 10, 10000
! ne s total cost would be-for site, $I73,25O |
o o'"s'ructton, -lnsatI hHt .-l vi 81 900 |
.-7'i a'I --7I' riaa efi soc-o-@o
ms reservoir Constructed for a depti, If VA.
er VI ~ ieec VIII contain 44OOO0O0 gallons
- "a nloie peiicet work would result from
'uiIuiIs y Reservoir upon each of the hills
nentlOheu, ana Tue city would then have n ro.
Ivoir of 80 600 900 Of gallons But shnS,J t
eservUir be determined upon, a division ,uaII
7ould have to be. constrncted in the one Sc.
ected, which might be built of masonry. to
ave SPACE, at 4 cost Of 800 ZOO on the M,iSn,o~
i'll, and Of $4,000 on the Bramhall hill
'hese walls would reduce the capacity of each
eseryoir almost 100000 of gallons. Ii the
'ramhall hill site be selected, q stand pipe of |
feet high should be erected in the reservoir |
I a cost of not over $1,000 which could be con-
ected with the main by an or 10 inch pipe, |
!, th4 supply all that portion of the hill
Vnich hes dtore the proposed reservoir. l35L,l
ha ~ R,aat also be p, borne in mind that should
niles of pipe, which, if the Munioy Hill be Sc
ected, would have to be 20 inches in diameter,
ouh be reduced to 16 inches, and a saving OF
A summary of these several estimates Is as
blow: - - w.
Bramhall hill rectangular with end nine
nd division wall will cost S2SI,75O; and viii
ontain 50 100000 gallons. ~
Mnnjoy hill with division wall and difference
e eov cen IL inch and 20 inch main will cost
1I H. 10y, and will contain 43,O0OO0O gallons.
,;,ia swo reservoirs aoithout division walls and