Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-02-01
OUR WATER SUPPLY.
VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED.

VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED.
Views OF the Mayor. superintendent ant
Others.
In view Of the fact that city councils
meet tomorrow evening, and the question
Of making some further improvements at
the water works will probably be discussed,
a representative Of the INTELLIGESCEE
yesterday interviewed Mayor MacGorislc.
Superintendent kitch, John Best and
others and requested them to give their
opinions as to what was necessary to be
done in the premises.
His honor the mayor said that lis
opinion was very fully expressed in the re-
port Of the water committee made to
councils ut their last meeting, and in the
ordinance presented ON that occasion for
the improvement of the water supply.
His views were, in brief, that nest 0!
four new boilers, of greater capacity than
those now i'll use. should be at once erected
on a line south of the present boiler house.
and that. to accommodate them, the boiler
house should be enlarged, or new
boiler house be built. The boilers now in
use are in fair condition, but are barely
sufficient 20 run the Worthington steam
pump. Accidents arc liable at any mo-
ment to occur, and if they should occur
the city has nothing to fall back upon.
| The boilers have been in almost constant use
| ever since they were erected and have
been subjected to a strain entirely too Sc
! we're. The first step to be taken, in the
! mayors opinion, is to contract ut once
| for q new set Of boilers of capacity twice
! as great as those now in use, with Il
cut Off so arranged that any two of the
new set, or the entire old set,
could be used as exigency might require.
The probable cost of the improvement, in
Guiding a new boiler house and all neces-
!; sary connections, would not exceed s6. 900
or s6,50O. This improvement has been
too long delayed and should be commenced
| Immediately. Other improvements us
! suggested by the water committee month
ago, should follow. These consist of the
| purchase of another Worthngton pump
| of capacity of 5000, 900 Or {. .OOO, 900 cal
Ions Of water daily !; the extending of the
2O-inch Orange street main to tho western
part of the city, and laying in other sections
| mains of larger calibre than those now in
use-the total cost Of all the improvements
suggested being estimated at $50, 600, t,
meet which a loan of that amount has been
approved by the water committee.
The superintendent Opinion.
Superintendent Kitch agreed will
the ma-Or as to the oessity o,
the improvements suggested He said til.
boilers now in nse have been very service
able ones, bat they have been subjected tc
unusual strain almost constantly and that
the walls supp orting them have given way
and require repair. The drOuth Of last
summer and fall, SO dried up ths Cones
tOga CT eek, that the Geyelin and Birken.
bine plmps, run by water power, were
almost useless, and this made it necessary
to run the Worthington steam pump, tn.
greater part of the season, both day ant
night AS 4 consequence. the tirc-sur
faces of tho boilers are growing thin, an(
on Saturday night last patch had to bt
put on one of them, some "a by % inche!
square. This necessitated the stOppin. o
the steam pump for about 12 hours, ane
within that time the city reservoir lost B
inches of water-and this was Saturday
night and Sunday morning, at which tim,
less water is used than during any other por
tiOn of the week. Should an accident hap
pen that would require the stopping of tl,'
WOrthingtOn pump for any considerable
!
4S to 60 hours, providing the water powel
remained as it is at present. Should the
water-power be no better during April o,
May than it is now, the steam pump
would be taxed to its utmost capacity Il
keep up the supply, and then if an accident
were to happen there would be water
famine.
On being questioned as to what should
be done with the water-power pumps i.
case tho new WOrthington pump and new
boilers were erected, both the mayor AM
superintendent said they favored keepin.
them where they are and running them t.
their full capacity whenever there was
sufficient head OF water in the creek t,
warrant it.
Mr. Kitcll believed it would be tru.
economy as well as sound policy to pro
cure a new set of boilers ut once for now
the repairs to-the old ones have to be made
during the night, and workmen charge
double wages for night work, though they
cannot do half rs much work as they ca,
do in the daytime.
Chief Engineer VIM. +. Stehman coin
cides with Superinte ndent Kitch as to the
condition of the present works and the
necessity for new set Of boilers. The
| boilers are blown out and thoroughly ex
amined and cleaned by the superintend.
ent, engineers and firemen, without extrs,
expense to the city, every two weeks.
They are in as good condition as could be
expected. considering the hard work they
have to do.
| A Manufaoturer's Views.
| John Best, boiler and engine maker, OF,
being asked his opinion of the need of fur.
ther steam power, was at first rather reti-
cent, saying that if he expre>sc his opin
ions freely his motives might be called in
question and he might be suspected of
looking after a job. On being pressed,
however, he said that No individual busi
ness man or firm of fair intelligence would
attempt to transact the amount Of bust
ness the city is now doing at the water
works with the small capacity Of boilers
they now have in use. He built those
boilers himself, but not to run the 5000,
600 gallon pump they now drive. They
were built for an engine OF much smaller
capacity. Mr.. Worthington's own engineer
recommended four 40-hossc power boilers
to run his pump, while the four now il,
constant use slo only S0-horse power.
All boilers are liable ut times to be
damaged by overheating. These boilers
were overheated before the Worthington
pump was put in, and ought not to be sub
,iectcd to the task which they are now psr
i