, 1872-11-15
The Great Pumping Engine at The
Water HToc!zs 2 Success.
Steam Admitted TO the Cylinders Yes
terday Morning for the First
Time.
The Massive Walki11g-Beam and Fly
Wheel in Fiction.
Twenty Kills. Of Waller Fipe Laid During
the Year.

Through the nipping and eager air OF yester-
day forenoon, . large and distinguished crowd Of
Chicago aotablcs assembled at the Water Works,
Like the Athenians Of old, to see and to hear some
new thing. Mr. Cregier's new $3.50 900 toy was
to be shown of. and great many gentlemen
wished to witness theevent. Among thosepres-
ent were the Board OF Public Works and their
employees, prominent members Of the Common
Council, Engineers and Commissioner Stone Of
the St. Louis Water Board. The gathering was
one which could keen1y appreciate the starting
Of en- engine Which could supply practically
Em;tless supply Of water-at any rate for one
man. It possessed interest for them which
the Sunday ordinance greatly intensified.
history OF the engines ct the Water Works,
with a description Of this particular machine,
was published at length in The TRIBUNE yes-
tereay, and Z repetition of it would not be i1l~
tcreating. Tie first movements on the part Of
the mammoth were to be closely ecrutinlzod, and
were o source Of considerable anxiety to Mr..
Cregler. Shortly after 10 o'clock the two levers
With set the engine in motion we're raised by
III. CreS:e- and an assistant. Slowly, un-
Ger pressure OF e iew pounds OF steam, the
enormous beam on one side rose to the
roof Of the building, and tie
B!a0t Hf-Nuee1 DGTdu TO I6FO4F6 Will
pondetous but uoiseless motion; then the
other beam rose as ths former subaided, and the
dial which registered the revolutions Of the
wheel marked one- The levers were raised
again, and the wheel kept in motion for few
minutes in this way. Meanwhile the water raised
by the few revolutions Of the wheel and action Of
the pumps was allowed to for around the
mouth of the well, below the engine Tempo
1ary arrangements had Iecn made for the wafer
which ran away as fast as pumped up, in order
to give general idea CT the amount raiEed by
the suction of the colossal l,umpa. In minute
or two the levers were withdrawn and
under o head OF fifteen pounds of steam, tho
mighty engine worked on its own great rcspon-
eibi1ty. Now The water came on in deluge
gurs1ing, rushing, roaring Ike cataract, foam
ing white, and dashing ever the machinery in
the maddest manner, and seeking the lake from
which it has been torn, With & ceaEeless roar,
through the immense dacts provided fcr it. All
who Witnessed the operation Of tho engines were
impressed with the enormous volume Of water
raised at each stroke of ths pumps and at the
power Of the engine. The latter moved as
easily. quietly, noiEelessly, as well-conducted
watch, the regular breathing Of the steam in the
cylinders like an ove-groNn tcper sleeping out
his last drunk: There was no vibration, and
even with the three large engines going at once
in that comparatively small room, one lad no
need to raise the voice to make himself heard.
This engine IVES 8 triumphant success, and
Dewitt c. Cregier was the happiest man in this
city yesterday morning. Chicago has reason to
be'proud Of him and ot Lis engine The latter
Is said to be tie largest pumping engine i'll the
world.
Some OF the papers have been describing the
engine as Of 400 horsepower, which, as Mr.
Chesbrough states, is all mooushine. There are
go many different methods Of estimating horse
power that the capacity of an engine is not safc-
II estimated in that way. The marine engines
OF the British Ea7v, for instance ara spoken OF
ss, say, 500 horsepower, when they may be in
reality four times that power.
The correct method given by N1r. Chesbrough
in estimating this ensino is as follows: 1t is
or 2S6, 600, ,G00 pounds, l5O feet III q hours, or
Il, zoe, ,000, 900 pounds foot i'll ~ hours, or
300, O,0e0, GOO pounds l foot in minute. Horse
power is estimated ct capacity to raise Sc, 600
arrived at would be SU9. To this is added
25 pei cent for power lost in friction Of machin-
cry, and the horse power OF tie engine may thus
be called 1900. Ii the same time, il circum-
stances required, the cylinders of the engine,
under high pressure, could accomplish double
the amount Of power, bnt the pumps will not
allow such doubling. The next engine in size
can pump 1s,oon,o ,o9o gallons; the next 12,0oo,-
During the past fortnight the new 36-inch
main through the LaSalle street tunnel, from
the Water Works to LaSa1e street, has been
put into use, and the effect upon the supply
in distant parts Of the city has been little short
OF marvellous. AS far South as South Park
avenue, an additional head OF twenty feet Of
water was Immediately obtained. The value Of
this man was further cy e-1p1i iGeGbyau accident
to the Bush street 71ain q fortnight ago, which
would haye been . terrible disaster brt for the
new 36-inch pipes. With the Kew engine,
which will get down to work III day Or two, as
soon as the novelty has s1ol7, oil. tie city will
be better supplied with water than it Las beeu !
in number Of yearR. Gut what is enough to- |
day will doubtless be iar too little year hence |
Up to, April ]: 1872 -il,e city had laid 237111 |
miles Of water-pire throughout the city, Dur |
ing the past year the city has laid nearly 20 miles
of Hater-pipe. more than was ever laid in the |
city before II the same time- There are seven |
eizeB which hare been Lid, as follows 4-incl,, |
%, ,446 feet 6-inch: S7.945 feet 8-inch. 27,24U
12-inch, 4 555 feet 1G-inch, 1G feet; 24-inch IS
feet; 36-ioch 10,691 feet: total, I03; ;932 feet.
At tho same tirle 81 .659 feet. or 1015 miles Of |
have been laid s;nca April Of the fol- |
lowing sizes: foot, 2i5 feet, 8 fcet. j feet and
~ feet. The exhibit, for brrnt-out city, be-
come especially gratifying. We may show Bos-
ton that she has nothing 10 fear IN her calamity,
when after our much Grcater disaster re can
build up city and lay more water and sewerage
pipes than were ever laid before in the same
TINA.