Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1871-12-12
our water Works.

OFFICE CITY Water woRKs,


OFFicE CITY WATER WoRKs,
WILMINGTON, DEL, DEC {, ls1l.j
{. Fsbietr, Esq.,, Chairman Water
C0mmittse
DEAN Sin, desire 10 call your attention
10 the bad condition Of the stop valves In the
old portion OF the city From my experience
the past Two weeks, ! would say that all or
a great portion OF them are UNIT fnr use, and
81 MD le taken cut and replaced by new
Onss qs room AS possible. Some ten days
siuCe re had occasion to shut off the water
LEW a King and French streets, 10 allow
lhe umbtrs 10 make some repairs 10 a
essS hydraul; after the repairs were com
pit.st the water was again turned on, as
We supposed In little while we dis
covered from the residents between Seventh
and Ninth slreets, on French street, as well
as those living near Eighth and King
streets, that they had no water in their ny
dTants We made a thorough examination
0f all the stops eiiecting that section Of the
city, aud all seemed TO work right. The
water 10 supply French street il conveyed
through slX-inCh pipe down King street
and at Eighth street a three-nch pipe Is
connected with IT, and tins again connected
~ Eighth ami King streets with three
iheh man. Seventh and King streets, the
nx-inch pipe connects with one Ol the same
size, which eNitnis Crossing aud connect
ing al Fiencl ttfee; with the three inch
main the whole length of Seventh street in
an easterly direction So that II even the
one stop wave at Seventh and French
Streets was down. The people should have
been able 10 get supply through the three
inch pipe AT Eighth and King stle.is. AS
aOon Rs possible we made The necessary ex-
animation, and found that the valves 10
both had fallen, completely shutting of this
whole section We lemcdied the difficulty
ny putting 10 new stops.
On Wednesday last, in attempting TO shut
OF the water on Seventh street, between
Market and King streets, for the purpose Of
allowing Ferris & Garrett to make some re-
pairs IN thAt neighborhoOd, they found ia at
by closing the valves at Seven Ii and Market
streets, that the water shut of from the
whole Of the western part ol the city, and
not only 30, bot In closing the valve on the
westerly eide Of King street, al Seventh
street, We entirely cut oil the supply on
King street, below Seventh street, which
should not lave been IN Tue least effected by
The closing Of Tie valve in the Seventh street
main. On Tuesday, having all things in
readiness tna' III might give az little trouble
As possible, and knowing that the large main
on Jefferson stiCei was filed as high no as
Seventh street, and would help 10 keep up
The supply at the lower end Of the city, we
shut OF the water as we supposed, (thC stop
in the siXteen-inch main seeming to work }
and Rt once disconnected The pipe on
Seventh slieet below Market street, when
vs. discovered that while the key turned the
valve stem, Tie valve did not work, and The
fun head was sill on, there WAS nothing
Iell for Us but 20 shut on the Reservoir
which we did us soon rs possible | an
happy . say that we succeeded in cOmpltt.
ing the work, although Il was under very
uuiaYOrAble circumstance. the ncciden
developes two important hc,s TO which
desire 10 call your attention RS lollows:-
F.Fst-Thal while six-iuch pipe cAtend
iIun the Reservoir at Tenth and KIM
streets 10 Third and King streets, the yalv,
At Seventh and King streets is closed, an,
The water used by residents on KING street
south from Seventh street. receive thei
supply nom the Market street mAin which
q connected at Font, Second, Third
Fourth, Fifth, ami s.Itn streets, by three
inch pipes
sscond--Thht lie people in Tue western
portion Of the city have not The use Of flow
water which should reach them through III
sighI-inch main. which connects with tn
siTtsen-inoh main At Eighth and Marke
streets. II thsy had The simple shutting Of
at Beyeuth and Market streets could not s.
seriously erect thsm.
The conclusion al which have arrived a
IL that both these valves, Seyeuth and Kin
streets and Eighth aud Market streets, al
closed, and The water cannot get beyou
hem except in q ciicutous route, an
through very small pipes. As soon as IL
weather pUmjts, ! would recommend
thorough examination OF ihsse stop valves
and The detective stops replaced ~ iaril
Us possible.
Many o. these sop valves hsye been 10 us
tor perhaps tNeaty years, aud some i0I
,nnch lopKeT time, and my opinion 10 that
better Tow Ol water, aud less complaint
from consumers will be lad, after th
remedy has been applied
Very respectfully yours. &c,
c. Ii GALLAGHER, Chiel Engineer