, 1881-06-19
OUR WATER SUPPLY.

OUR WATER SUPPLY.
Some Practical Suggestions or II,
Subject by Judge Booth.
To the Editor Of TIC Chieago Tribune.
Chicago, June lS.-4A plan for the suppl
| Of water should combine the following fea
ules:
| l. An abundance 0f pure cold water frot
the depths Of the lake, not only for presel
needs, but alnp1, for that indefinit futur
When Chicago shall become one Of tile greA.
est cities OH earth.
:. Pcrmarence and security against acci
dents, so that the people Of the vast cit.
may liaye ITO concern lest the supply be eli
| off. But, since all structures erected by mai
are i'll Some degree liable to accident, to b.
wrecked by su1lle superior force or weakened
by natural decay.
=. Tile source Of our water supply shOult
he accessible fur examination and repair.
! Lastly, how can these REQUESTS be best Sc
| cured at the least expense, present and pros
| pectire. These considerations are obvious
and they seem to cover the whole ground
Thcy will command the assent of all wlt
comprehend the situation.
Heretofore it has been our misfortune il
constructing works OF Il public nature not fC
appreciate the requirements even of the i'm.
mediate future. 1t was the natural colls,.
| quence Of our unparalleled growth. Our
| plalls have seemed almost ephe1neral i'll theil
character. X few years at fartlcst have
shown that they required enlargement. The
present crib, at the time when the plan WAS
adopted, was supposed to be ample for the
next fifty years But it had scarcely been
finished before 1t WAS found that all ,,tltli-
tional tunnel was necessary. And now,
after the lapse Of little more than 4 decade,
it is apparent, not only that the supply is
about to prove inadequate to our needs, but
that we are in danger Of losing it altogether.
AT last We seem TO be waking up to just
appreciation Of the future, resolving to build
for rcrnlanence, and upon 4 scale c0lnlnell-
surnte with the manifest destiny of our great
city
Two plans have recently been laid before
the public which should receive the careful
consideration Of our citizens. One OF them
is, to 60 north OF the city twenty miles or
more,-far enough at least to get beyond all
possible contamination from the sewage, and
there locate . crib and ptlnping-works., II is
assumed, and perhaps such is the fact, that ut
that distance water may be tonnd of the
depth OF fifty or sixty feet within mile or
less from the shore. II this be the fact, then
the location Of q crib and pumping works ut
that point wouI,t be great saving Of expense
i'll tunncling. But Il permanent crib, or aqua
port, would cost as lnucllaS there us it would
if erected opposit the city, and perhaps more.
Suppose location be chosen twenty miles
north where the bluff along the lake shore is
about 100 feet in hight. Then there would
be the. cost Of pumping the water to that
hight above the lake level But, in order 10
utilize the elevation thus obtained tor the
purpose of raising the water to anything like
4 corresponding hight in the city, it must bc
brought Eitller in Ill iron pipe Of sufficient
strength to bear the pressure. What the
cost Of laying such III iron pipe twenty miles
long, say eight feet III diameter, would be- T
shall leave others to figure. But even then
It would DC necessary to have puMping-Wurks
The present stand-pipes in DUR water-towers
are, if ! am correctly informed, about 15o
1eet in hight. Yet suc! is the friction along
the lliains, and the exhaustion and innnmei-
able faucets, that III many parts OF the
city during midsummer the water in the [
second story Of onr dwellings. But with the t
location If the tunnel and crib as pr0nVscd, |
there would be the friction Of an additional !
twenty miles to overcome with fall of only |
one-tif1fl Of an inch to the rod An elevation |
o1 ~ feet at that distance would give fall !
Of less than half al inch to the rut, and that
W"nid Only cause healttlful current. Moth
ng less tlln1i that, | am persuaded. would
iaise the water to the necessary hight III our
y pumpins-works III the city. Of course,
he water would lose much of its GOODNESS in
II its pass;lge iitIler. The rough estimate,
which understand has buen male, that this
MILLIONS Of dollars, is probabIy mol EXCESS
ve. Hes'ies, :, there would be Il tlitti-
:uIty i'll distributing the watrr, as well
Is i greatly increased expense III case All ell
arged CAPACITY of the works should be
lecdcd III the future, which do not present
themselves as objections to the other pla,l.
t all enlargement should be called far. If
pipe eight feet i'll diameter or OF any other |
TIE Should prove inadequate to supply the
s;''lts pts Of tIle city, tlle only remedy would be
Expensive a:' this plan must be, Stiff, if Il il
necessary to SECURE the blessing Of ahun-
ant pure water, think we wifi ali agrre
llat the city should prepare to undertake. it.
LIZ stono otner p,ali IS to go out opposlt the city
nouSll 10 ti!l1 a depth of sixty feet or
more, aud there locate crib Of some
OIL anu construct one or more tunnels.
II considering this plan the first question is
'iictller pure water can be thus obtained, not
~ 10y az present, out III the distant future.
All we thus escape the impurities that ar,.
ci1a1hIy being poured into the lake through
it sewers, anu which will INCREASE contlli-
aily; ;ls the city enlargcs. This can be as
81 !dlllEu Only Dy Il careful and thorough ex- ,
We should find out how far
hter ordinary ald extraordinary conditions !
~ water is affected by the sewage. Last
,rlilg would have been Il good tint. tn ascer- I
III how far the contamination extends u1l-
Ct circumstances lhost favorable to its ex-
ilsion. If under the conditions then ex-
ting it had been found that the water at a
stance Of four or live miles remained un-
'rrupted We might reasonably conclude
at at the distance OF seven miles
} amount OF sewage ever likely to
; poured into the lake i'll future I
ouid affect the water appreciably. The cor
ton OF the water at different distances
OH the shore rs we'll rs at diverse points {
I'd various depths should be carefully ex- !
nlned It the result of these investiga-
,ns Should prove satisfactory, as l am con !
lent it will, then VIC shall be prepared to
lnparc the advantages aud disadvantages t
this plan with the one previously consiI- I
Gu. The fact that tunnel or any number
tunnels can be constructed to an indefnit
Stance under the lake is demonstrated. l
nat IS only Question Of time aud money, +
e chief interest i'll this problem centres in s
t mode Ut stcuriug all adit at Lhe lake eud
me admission OF the water, as we'll as to
cllltAte operations III constructing the tun-
4. Oll tllls p0lnt We are hot without the