Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-03

| Delng at the TaLo Oh ABOUT elRnI anu Ouc.udl
million gallons day. This implies, of course
that the entire annual flow could be impound
ed in reservoirs, which could probably b
done.
The large extent of water surfaces in the re
gion under consideration is satisfactory evi
dence to some minds of an abundance of wa
ter. This circumstance should, on the, con
trary, raise the gravest doubts on that point
The larger the water surface the greater tn
evaporation, and the smaller the portion avail
able for water supply. The frequent occur
a part of the rainfall is lost by evaporation
In such lakes the entire rainfall upon theil
surface, and frequently that upon much larger
areas contiguous, is wholly lost by evapOra
ton. White Bear lake, containing over 1,9o(
acres, must, to all appearance, receive the
drainage of region twice or three times az
large as itself, yet no water issues from il
above ground.
| 1t is contensed that, by draining these
| by evaporation might be made available. The
suggestion has an air of plausibility; but dc
not see reason to expect any material increase
of the yield from operations of this kind. A
system of drains that would reduce the lake to
dry, arabic ground would, undoubtedly, inter-
cept all the water formerly supplying the
lake, without exposing it to great loss from
evaporation. Merely to tap the lake, by a
ditch or conduit, would not reduce it to this
from which the evaporation is not materially
less than from water surface. Amelia lake,
containing originally something like 200
acres, has been drained to large extent by
the water company. The former bed of the
lake is wild rice meadow, and no water is
visible. This lake, in its natural condition,
must have received water enough to support
an evaporation of one-fifth or one-sixth Of an
inch per day, from its entire surface, during
warm weather, amounting to two or three
cubic feet per second during the hot part of
the day. Were this evaporation suspended or
materially diminished, we should expect to
see water flowing from the ditch at all times.
But such is not the case. l have observed the
ditch on several occasions during the past sum-
mer, and found it entirely dry. The officers of
the company are under the impression that the
yield of water has been materially increased by
the drainage of lakes, but do not find that
this belief rests on any exact information.
The flow of water courses varies from mul-
titude Of causes, and it is next to impossible
to assign to each its due weight.
A system OF permanent drains, capable OF
converting pond or marsh into dry, arabic
ground, costs, under ordinary circumstan5 es,
not less than one hundred dollars an acre,
though, of course, there are cases Of peculiar
conformation where the cost would be much
less. Few of the lakes are so situated as to
admit of the successful application to this
method, and those that are favorably situated
will undoubtedly be drained in the course OF
time, in the interest of agricultural improve
ment, without the agency of the city.
Evaporation practically ceases during the
cold season, but at this period another cause
operates to diminish the quantity of water.
In this rigorous climate long periods occur in
which no water enters the ground. Last WIN
ter was an illustration. For more than one
hundred days the thermometer did not rise
above the freezing point but two or three
times, and then only for few hours. During
all this time the flow of streams must have
been sustained wholly by water previously
contained in the ground. At the close OF this
period l measured the flow of streams. The
st. CroiX, at OsceOla, was discharging at the
rate Of one cubic foot per second for every two
and half square miles of drainage ground.
Yhe Mississippi, above st. Anthony falls, at
the rate of less than one cubic foot per second
for every six square miles of drainage ground;
and the Minnesota, at Fort Smelling, less than
one cubic foot per second for every thirty
square miles of drainage ground. At this
aforementioned rate the district under consId-
Grafton would furnish but little over million
gallons per day.
There are two well grounded reasons for
aot adopting Lake Phalen as reservoir in q
permanent system of water works
1. The manifest tendency of railroad shops,
founGrfeS, and other industries to extend in
that direction, promises to surround the lake
and its affluents Ia a few years with dense
population, highly detrimental to the purity
of the water.
2. 1t is highly desirably to obtain greater
pressure than is afforded by Phalen In order to
diminish. as much as possible, the quantity to
be pumped to a higher level, as well as the
lift of the pumps.
PROBABLE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CITY, PRES
EMIT AND PROSPECTIVE.
The quantity of water required per head of
population varies greatly liz different cities.
The lowest rate of consumption in the United
States, so far as I am informed. is at the city
of Providence, Rhode Island, being yearly
average of about thirty gallons Per head per
day. Among the largest is Chicago, with an
average, for 1879, of one hundred and twenty
gallons per head Per day, In many of the large
cities the consumption reaches 100 gallons
per day for each person. In Chicago there
have been days on which the consum Dtion
has reached one hundred and siXty-four gal
Ions per head. To show how rapidly con-
sumption increases on the Introduction of wa
ter, it may be mentioned that, in Milwaukee,
the consumption, during the first year after
the completion of the water works, was stated
at twenty-five gallons. By the last report it
is put at one hundred and twenty -four gallons.
Excessive as these rates of consumption ap-
pear, they show, 10 most cities, very obsti-
nate tendency to increase from year
to year. The use of meters, and charges
based upon the quantity actually used, re-
strains but does not wholly arrest this tend
ency. The tendency originates in that habit
of extravaganza which forms so marked
characteristic of the American people, and
cannot be wholly controlled save by the exer-
else of powers foreign to the spirit of our in
situations. great maay meters are in use
in Chicago. The city of Boston has attached
meters to all establishments using large guam.
titles of water: yet the consumption there in
creased from seventy-four gallons, in 1877, to
something like ninety gallons in 1880 Even
adopting the most vigorous measures for re-
straining the improper use of water, it would
not be judiclous to assume less rate of con-
| sumption than one hundred gallons q day for
each inhabitapt rs the basis of new system
of water works. The consumption would
probably fall far short of that figure at first,
| of few years.
Data, collected by the publishers of the st.
Paul directory. place the present population of
the city at $1,000, and the annual rate of in.
crease at 20 per cent.-the number of names in
the directory exceeding that of last year by
this percentage. This may be, in some meas
ure, due to more efficient canvassing. The
number of horses built during the past year
would indicate an increase Of, at least, six
ten pery cent. in the population. 1t is ap-