, 1879-07-13
WAHER-WASTE.
A Point Reached Where Some
thing Must Be Done.
The Limit Of Available Supply of the
Works Already Reached.
1 Daily Kastage Of Twenty aiIlien Gallons BY
Criminal Carelessaess.
# hot Stopped, There Will Be Complaints
Of an Insufficient Supply.

OF an insufficient Supply.
Present 1mrossibility of Building
New Pumping Engines
The water-supply Of Chicago ia becoming
problem OF sucn interest as to demand the at
tcntloa Of every citizen, and to suggest some
plan of solution that shall prevent, in the near
future, the occurrence OF any contingency that
e}ali have the elect to materially lessen the
amount Of this element necessary for the ]egiti-
mate purposes for witch it is intended. Every
year Witnesses an increase OF population. The
water-serVice, consequently, is extending, while
the machinery at hand with which to furnish the
required supply is practically at stand-stil' SO
far as the capacity1s concerned There are two
pumping-works, one in the North Division and
one in the West Division. These are
furnished with six engines, four Of
which are double, while the remaining
two are single machines. These engines, II in
operation simultaneously, can furnish lo5, ,000,-
Oc0' gallons OF water daily. But, as usually
worked, they pump and distribute about Co.
0U0,0 gallons per day. The North Division
engines supply about 81, ,000: QUO gallons and the
Vest Division engines the same amount While
the maximum capacity Of the pumping ma
chinery is as set forth above, it is not practi-
cable to keep all the engines employed stimuli
taneous1y, for the reason tiat repairs arc ucces
STATED, aud, should all be Kept going and NO
rest given them, it would not be long before all
might be out OF order at the same time
and, therefore, the source Of supply great
~ ENDANGERED. On the supposition, therefore,
that the largest engine is at rest. rs each one
must be occasionally, and, as ex-Engineer Ches-
brough remarks in bis last report, ought to be
twice wear for examination and repairs, it is
found that
TIE AVAILABLE CAPACITY IS ABOUT 1O,00O,000
GALLONS daily, rs based upon the capacity OF this,
the North Division double engine, which can
pump 3iotD,000 gallons every twenty -four
hours.
We find upon examining the statistics setting
forth the increasing demand Tor water during
the past six years, that where in January, 1873,
1t was 20 000 600 gallons Der day, In July, 1878,
it reached 40 600 900, the point of capacity at
which it was aud is considered safe to work the
engines, or rather at which they may
be operated and available reserves kept.
Since 1873 the average daily supply
has shown . steady increase, rising in
August, 1874. to 4, 500 600, declining in Decem-
March, 1875, it reached the highest point known
up to that time, 43, 500, ,0oo finally sinking in
November to 3s,0o0 900 gallons. In August,
1S77, the average daily supply was ,0O0
Eal'ons, aud IN April. 1873, it had tumblcd to
ii, ,00O, 900 gallons. In August OF the same rear
the average was 6l,oo,Ooo gallons whlie tue
highest actual quantity pumped in july the
game year Was 70,O00,O 600 gallons. 1t will OF
course be remembered that July year ago was
extremely hot. and this enormous amount OF
water supply demanded br the city grew out OF
the temporary causes cnsendered By the nigh
TEN perature.
Tie total capacity OF the Chicago Pumping
Works has been
TWICE INCREASED sIECE 1857
In TINT year it was 40,000, GOO gallons daily. In
gallons, and in November, 1876, to 105, 5,000,u00,
In lSi0, ISL, and 1872 the demand for water
Was very great. aud tile available capacity less
than the demand. In 1870: while the available
capacity was 10000, 600 gallons daily. and the
rota1 capacity $4,000, 600 gallons, the average
supply in midsummer ran about 5000, 600 gal
Ions daily in excess Of the available capacity.
In other Words more water was demanded OF
the engines than ought to have been done in
safety. In August Of the following year it ran
to about 1000, QUO gallons in excess. with the
lucreasc OF total capacity in 1S the available Ca
pacits was increased about 90 600 gallons per
lav, aud when tile new engines we're nut in Op-
Grafton on the West Side in 1876 the average ca
pacity WAS augmented $4,000 900 gallons per
day. These figures, it must be borne in mind,
the average supplies and capacities, the
former based upon The quantities used during
the months indicated.
THE ACTUAL CONSUMPTION OF WATER IN CHI
has increased wonderfully since 1863 In that
year, with a population Of 252 ,054. the amount
actually supplied daily vas l4.64 .99a, or 5s.4
1tif,p had raarhed .Mct 7{k and the daily gnDp17