The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-09-08
themselves that they completely overlook

the public wants.
It is n cupious anomaly that while New
York and Philadelphia are exerting every
means in their power to supply their citi-
zcns with water during the present drought
our Water Committee and City Council con-
template an enormous outlay to supply us
with water when the river will be overflow
ing with it. Tie scarcity in the northern
cities is in time of drought our scarcity
when we have q sunerabundancc.
We have no scarcity in our rtUer, not
even in the present drought, which is with
out parallel since 1888, if not 1906. Our
supply was never better Or purer. We suf-
fer only during frcshets, when there is a
superabuudance in the river. The cause
of this apparent anomaly is undisputed-
namely, the inability Of our present pumps
to work during frcshet. To remedy this
defect we must go to the root of the matter,
and alter or improve our present pumps.
This can be easily done by erecting auxili-
ary steam-pumps. BY them we can insure
ourselves against any want of water du-
ring freshet, increase our present supply,
and correct and improve our present
machinery so as to enhance its effectiveness.
These stcam-pumps are used in Almost all
| American and European cities, and can be
erected, VIC arc informed by q recent report
on our City Water Works, at cost Of
twenty-five thousand dollars, and in q few
months. The contemplated reservoir will
cost ut least two hundred thousand dollars,
and will most probably require more than
year to complete it. We all too sadly
witnessed last night the necessity of immc
diate improvement in the present Works,
| and what risks we shall all run if we have
to delay full year or more. The steam
pumps recommended would only be auxil
iary to the present pumps, and used rs
occasion might require. The expense,
therefore, of working them would be COM
paratively small, and the danger of their
getting out of order is not worth moments
consideration. The superiority of machinery
properly constructed oyer large reservoirs
| is amply testified to in the St. Louis
report of 1868. In that Mr.. John G..
Einck, an eminent engineer, says
lido not think it necessary to have large
reservoir. a small reservoir can accom-
plish the same thing as large one il you
have your reserve engines always in rcadi
ness. l think it equally safe to depend
upon the engines, upon which you have to
depend finally anyhow, as to depend upon
q storage reservoir. / would rather depend
upon reserve energies than on a large rcser-
voir without reserve engines"
Mr.. James B. Eads, another eminent en-
gineer, in the same report, says:
II think there is not much difference
between the reliability of u wcll-built
engine and u wcll-built reservoir. think
we can almost put as much dependence in
n wcll-built engine, well designed and well
built to perform its duties, as if the rcscr-
yoir did its duty. Reservoirs sometimes
break down rs well rs engines, and il
you have wcll-built engines you arc so much
more safe. If you have one large rcscr-
yoir, and it breaks, the whole of it is gone
nj once"
Mr. Willis Il. Pritchard, another eminent
engineer, also says:
u think good machinery, properly erect
cd and put up, is preferable to u reservoir" ;"
Numerous authorities could be quoted in
favor of good machinery, but the above, |
hope, wilt suffice. If the evil under which
we suffer arises from defective pumps,
why, / would most sOlemnly ask, do we not
amend and improve the pumps Our pre-
sent reservoir is quite sufficient, at least
for the present. Why, then, erect another
at more than 100000, when every object
contemplated could be much better accom-
plishcd for one-fourth thnt amounti The
other questions ] will leave until future
day; and remain, sir, your obcdient SER
want, RICHMOND.