Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-16
THE CITY WATER WORKS.
official Inspection by the Water Com
,v,1fron

S'c'ai inspection by the Water Com
mittee.
Yesterday Mayor Mace Gonigle. President
Evans, OF select council, President Lever
Barr, Berger, Boos and Brown Of the
water committee, McMulien, of street COM
mittee, and City Treasurer McComscy,
paid an official visit to the water
works for the purpose of in
spectihg and reporting to councils the
present condition and necessities Of the
works. The committee was conveyed to
the works in an omnibus, and was accom-
panied by reporters of the daily papers.
On their way out they stopped and made
an examination of the city reservoirs. In
the west reservoir there was ii feet and l
inch of water, and in the east reservoir Is
feet and 6 inches. Owing to injuries sus-
tanned by the walls Oi the reservoirs by
the unusually severe weather just passed.
It is deemed unsafe to fill the reservoirs to
greater height than above stated. 1t
will be remembered by our readers. that
when the spring thaw set in the south
wall OF the west basin sprung 4 leak at the
point at which it is pierced by the receiv-
ing main, and that 4 considerable portion
OF the embankment was washed away.
This leak has been thoroughly repaired
and the washed part Of the cmbankment
neatly filled /; but the brick lining of the
reservoirs near the water surface, will
require very considerable repairs several
courses of brick have been entirely torn
out by the action of the ice and frost, and
in several places, especially along the
:,ou;l, and west walls of the west basin,
holes have been worn behind the brick
lining and the walls have been thereby
considerably injured. The north wall Of
the east basin, which in former years
gave the water authorities so mucl, trou
bic, and which VS. repaired by Superin-
tentient kitch last summer, appears to
DC entirely water tight. \ part Of the
embankment which was badly washed by
former leaks and repaired last fall,
will require sodding. Superintendent
Kitch s. feeds the city, entirely from the
west basin, keeping the water in the east
basin as = reserve in case of fire.
From the reservoirs the city officials un-
der the lead of Superintendent Kitch drove
to the water works at the city mill, where
they were met by Engineer VIM. Stehman
:.ns! his assistants VIM. Mclaughlin and
Wan. Gibson, and Col. Tom Thurlow, the
last named Of whom WAS Overhauling that
"costly b!under' the Geyelin pumps, the
valves Of which require repairs. In con.
versation with the superintendent and en-
sincer We are Informed that the Geyelin
pump, since the reduction Of the size of
barrel from twelve to ten inches, works
with comparative case, but that it is,
nevertheless. almost useless because when
the water i'll tho ConestOga is very high it
can't run because it is submerged and
when the water is very low it can't run
for want Of Il head to drive it. For all
practical purposes, it might almost as we'll
be lying high and dry on the banks of the
creek. BY the way, we were told by
Engineer Stehman that Mr.. Geyclin was
in Lancaster i few days ago, making some
inquiries about the working Of the pump
it appe airing, from his talk with the en-
ginecr, that he has trouble with another OF
his pumps, somewhere in Virginia, which
also refuses to do the work cut out for
it.
How different from the above in every
respect is the Worthington pump! 1t is
pretty as 4 picture and works to charm,
making no more noise than sewing ma
chine AM throwing its millions Of gallons
Of water into the reservoir at all times and
Ender all circumstances. The superin-
temdent and engineers are Of course proud
OF it, and keep it in the most excel
leni order, it's brass mUuntings shining
like FURNISHED gold and all it's surround
ings being neat and tidy. Tho
little half million gallon WorthingtOn
which stands alongside Of it, and which
did snch good service in the emergency
two or three years ago, is now idle, but
During the late flood, the water entered
f?,. Wrrt hi ,rt nj ADoIoI
it to 4 considerable depth leaving great
deposit of mud aud slime, but this has II!
been removed, and the engine house is in
excellent condition. It is the intention of
the superintendent, however, at an early
day to give the exposed casting of the en-
gine and pipes connected with it and ad-
ditional coat Of paint to prevent them
from fr.sting.
The boiler room is in as good condition
as it could be expected to be considering
the extraordinary amount of work the
boilers are compelled to bear. There are
but four boilers in the works, and these
We're erected four years ago. They have
been III almost constant use. and on many
occasions been ovcrheated in order to
supply the necessary amount Of steam
for it must be remembered they were not
erected to run the WorthingtOn engine,
but only the old engine used in running
the Geyelin pump. The Oyerheating Of
the boilers has not only weakened them to
some extent, but has broken tho iron
plates in front Of and above the furnaces
and cracked the brick walls within which
the furnaces are built. These walls have
been shored up and prevented from falling
to pieces by timber braces placed between
them and the walls of the boiler house,
but it is painfully evident to the most
casual observer that a new boiler house
and a new nest of boilers, Of at
least equal capacity to those now in use,
should at once be provided, a. has more
than once been urged by the mayor, Sill
perintendent and engineers in charge.
The boilers are examined and cleaned
every two week when the water is muddy
and every three or four weeks when it is
clear but one great difficulty is that the |
boilers being connected in pairs two Of
them have to he emptied, for cleaning, at |
the same time, and it is too great a strain
on the other two to run the 5000, 600 |
gallon pump and if this is not done down |
goes the water in the reservoirs.
The Birkinbinc water power pumps were |
found to be in good condition, and work
ing we'll. under III excellent head OF
flowing over the breast Of the dam from
shore to shore. One Of the pumps was
leaking a little but not materially.
The pier between the dam and the fore
bay, and the bridge tim5ers in front of
the headsates, gave evidence of the sever
ty of the late ice freshct. The heavy