Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-19
THE RESERVOIR IMPROVEMENTS.
WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY
COST.

The improvements in the eastern reser.
voir bave been noticedin tn . INTE., ,LL1GEN-
GER from time to time, ut their beginning,
during their progress, and at their compile
3 p. m. to-day the water was to he turned
into the finished basin, and that all the
city councilmen were invited to be present
to sec how successfully tho work had been
done. At that time Superintendent Kitcl
to the members copies Of the
report, which shows the occasion
for thcwork. the extent and character of it.
and its cost in detail.
LANCASTER, Pa. Aug. 16, 1850.
To the Gentlemen cfthe Councils cfthe Csiy Of
Lancaster.
At Il meeting Of the water committee in
May last. called the attention of the water
committee to the dangerous condition OF
the eastern reservoir, believing that unless
it was Immediately repaired the whole
Of the north bank would be washed out.
The water committee visited the reservoir
on Friday, May 81, 1880, found it in very
unsafe condition, with evidences of increas-
ing leakage daily. The bank on the north
side, built of bad material. which seems
never to have been sound. and which
has given away several times before.
was found to be sliding and u gap
widening daily, opening along the
bank diagOnally, through which the
water from the reservoir ran in 4 steady
and considerable stream. There was every
probability in the opinion of the committee
that if the water We're kept up in the res
crvoir to the height required t. supply the
In SsrI, # I,n. sfN ft,nt I.bpl
would soon give way. l was ordered to
mittec ut its meeting, May Fl, 1850. six
imOusly resolved to proceed with the
work of repairing the reservoir ut once.
under my immediate supervision. Con
tracts were Immediately entered into by
the committee for bricks, sand. cement.
layin. of brick and hauling. The part oi'
the work not contracted for was the labor,
and this was placed under my immediate
charge. for the reason that it was impOssi-
bic to tell the extent or nature of the work
to be done, until the bottom AMI sides
were torn mp and thoroughly examined
and tested. Evidences OF leakage were
found in the bottom, on the sides AMI run
ming along tho feed, supply and waste
pipes. 1t would have been impossible To-
give quantities or designate the kinds oi
material to he used or work to he done.
Pipes required re-caulking, .jcints to bc re-
made, the mains to be walled in, in heavy
cement eases and columns parts of the
bottom. where evidences of weakness eX-
isted, were rc-laih in cement grOutinc,
varying in thickness from six tO eighteen
inches. In fact the work was SO varied in
character thai it would have become IN
endless and very expensive source Of
claims for extras. on the part Of any con-
tractor who would have undertaken to ,lo
that which was assigned me. The mayor
who visited the work very frequently ami
the members of the committee impressed
upon me in connection with this work the
necessity of making durable, lastin. AMI
permanent job, AMI to this end gave me
every assistance. l believe the result will
prove that that end has been attained. |
began the work in the south east angle OF
the reservoir near where the bank washed
out in February 1879. After | had torn
up the brick bottom found the clay pu'l
ding thoroughly water soaked. 1t will he
remembered that there always has been y
slight perculation through this portion of
the reservoir visible on the outside before
AMI since the repairs in the spring Of 1879
were made. I made new concrete bot
tom in the angle running north about so
feet and west 100 feet square. This bot
tom is 1S inches thick ut the east end AMI
10 inches at the west. Along the bottom
of the bank commencing in the angle
under the twenty -four-inch forcing main
and running all around the reservoir to the
angle in the northwest end made y col
crete and puddle ditch ut some points three
feet wide, and ut others where more
strength was required seven to ten feet
wide and from three to four feet deep.
This ditch was partly filled with finely
broken stone and gravel and ran fulrto the
surface of the gravel and stone with &C.
mcnt, making II water-tight wall. On top
of this pu,ldlc'l the clay surface of the
bottom of the reservoir. From the south
east angle all around to the northwest
angle on the east and north sides in width
an average of II feet from the banks
laid IN extra flat brick bottom in cement.
The clay bottom in the middle of the res
eryoir where the extra brick bottom
was not put in was cc-ralnmed sOlidly aml
strengthened with additional pudding
TLi; done in the bettOm stripped the east
and north banks of their brick lining, re
rammed them, puddled them from the
concrete and puddle ditch in the bottom to
the top of the water line, one foot thick
along the east end and ALONG where the
principal trouble has hitherto occurred oil
the north bank increased the pudding to
five feet, lesscniny it in thickness as
reached the northwest angle. l next put
4 lining of stone gravel and cement con
crete all the way ronnd, from the south
east to the northwest angle from the bot
ton! to the top Of the water line, Of one
loot in thickness, and upon this concrete
lining, cushioned with IN inch or tw" Oi
the best river sand, laid on edge the
brick which forms the inside coating oi
the reservoir. The bottom of the reservoir
when l took it up was found to be com
posed nearly wholly of brick bats liil flat.
threw these all out, except where | could
use them in making under bottom, AMI
laid u bottom OF whole bricks OH edge.
Finally ran thin cement into the inter
stices Of the newly laid bricks on the bot
tom and sides. took out the large lat
ticed box covering the twcnty-inch supply
main Oh the Orange street side, as the
strips were SO wide apart that large fish
could pass into the pipe, and replaced
it by one the open spaces between the strips
of which arc considerably narrowed: !
put in an overflow pipe OH the east bank
an inch or two higher than the automaton
telegraph signal, and propose connecting
the two reservoirs at the division wall be-
tween them with an overflow Of the same
height as the discharge overflow on the
east bank.
The fOllowin. list of bills will exhibit
the expenditures in maxim. the foregoing,
repairs
i.y Contract.
The james Cement Company, 7G9 bills.