The Portland daily press., 1880-07-13
Sebago Water Supply,


1t will have been noticed that in times of
our needs From the lake to the lower gate
house, distance of 54OO feet, is brick con-
duit from which two lines of main pipe of 20
and 26 inches diameter extend to the city. The
grade of this conduit as projected and intend
ed to be built. was amply sufficient for the
requisite supply, but at point 1000 feet from
the lake, the contractors for the work finding
the rock excavation more difficult and expen-
sive than they had estimated, begun to raise
the grade of the brickwork and in distance
of about 1900 feet had raised it three feet above
the bed of the inlet at the lake, leaving mid
way in the conduit dam of solid rock three
feet above grade, materially diminishing and
retarding the flow of the water towards this
city. This condition of things the directors of
the Water Company determined to remedy,
and have commenced the removal of the OBJ
structive body of rock and the relaying of the
conduit larger than before and at grade. The
section now under reconstruction, begun last
April is about 1900 feet long and is covered
with solid rock 26 to 30 feet, 800 feet being in
tunnel and 425 feet open cut In order to do
this work the water must be shut out of this
part of the conduit which will require the
pumping of the entire water supply for city
use
A recent visit made to the lake shows good
work being DONE The pumping works are
situated about 600 feet from the roadway lead
ing to Windham, and consist of 60 horse
power engine driving pump whose capacity
is over ,OC0 gallons daily lifting the water
26 feet from the conduit and discharging it
into an open box sluice, AZ inches wide and 80
inches high, which carries the water 1900 feet
round the works and returns it into the con-
dult South of the Dumninp station ahout IN
feet, is the north end of the tunnel, 800 feet
long, into which "five manholes' 10 feet
square have been opened to give ventilation
and for supply of materials as work progresses.
Passing over the tunnel we come to an s'open
CUT 425 feet long and 80 feet deep, then there
is short tunnel 40 feet long. and we have
reached the south end of the 1900 feet section
At this point the work of excavation and re-
laying new conduit will commence which will
be feet on bottom by A feet high. The old
conduit is "egg shape" q feet greatest width
by 81 feet high.
80 horse engine used exclusively in running
the steam drills, used in blasting the rock, and
a II horse power engine used for'.loisting the
rock and materials and pumping warter
out of the trench. The estimated cost of the
work is $25, 900 to coo, and had the work
been done by sthe original contractors in 1867
would not have cost $4,000 extra.
The work will be pushed with all possible
dispatch but Will require at least four months
to complete and meanwhile all the water de-
livered in the city must be pumped into the
conduit In case of possible accident to pump
ing machinery or of delay incident to SO large
an amount of difficult work our citizens must
expect to suffer some unavoidable incon-
venience in not receiving their full supply.
The water company while desiring that all
citizens shall use the water freely, would now
request that any waste be carefully avoided.