The Evening critic., 1882-02-28
DISTRICT AFFAIRS.
An Interview with senator on
tho Gubipct.

the subject.
In conytrsation last evening with n dlstln.
euishcd member Of the District Committee
reporter of THE CRITIC asked the committee
man IT, In his opinion, Congress would do
ANYTHING practically for the District this ses-
sion. lie replied that It looked as IL It would
not.
"What," qucrled the reporter "secms to be
the trouble -
"wcll, there are several. In the nrst place,
the District has 10 day In court, so far as the
House Is concerned, and another Is, It seems
like an lmposslbility TO educate new members
up 10 a sense Of their duty to the District.
Then there Is another diniculty In the way.
There are too many disturbing clements in
the District too many statesmen who seem to
have a voice on the outside, but not n vot, on
the inside. II is impossible to get any meas
ure leforc Congress- for the benefit OF the
District, but straightway n lobby Is organized
10 fght IL. Take, for instance, the bill for
he New Library building. The committee
have labored n long time on the bill
and have about agreed upon the
main points and agreed on a plan, ana are
ready TO proceed TO the consideration OF the
details, but here comes the lobby with obIec.
tions. II has a better aud cheaper plan.
Then there is the code. The House has one
and the Senate another, and the lobby still
another, and last, though not least, comes the
question of the water supply. one set wants
a million and a-half dollars, aud another says
we don't need any moro water, that we have
enough, and that there Is job in the bill to
increase the supply Of ., water, ana so ON.
water In the District 2"
"well, l have given the question much
study and l am of the opinion that there is
plenty Of water II IT is properly utilized"
" How are you going to do that ?"
"That is the great question. I believe by
the proper mode Of plumbing and meter
system, the District has all the water that is
necessary. certainly more than other city
In the United States.'
"But IT is said that there Is no meter made
thus far that VIII measure water?'
81 know that II is said that no meter has yet
been brought out that will regulate and reg
lister water properly. am not welded to the
meter system, but do say that cannot see
why there should be such prejudice against
water meters any more than gas meters l
know that there is an idea that water Is free,
and so II is. You can go down to the Potomac
and get all you want for the mere labor of
going after II, or you can build a cistern dig
well; yet you don't do 1t. l can't see why 1,
who use say hundred gallons OF water per
day, should pay as much as you who use
thousand
"Can you tell me anything about water
meters, how many kinds are In use and how
they operate and what the results have been ?"
''Yes. In previous attempts to regulate and
register the distribution of water In towns and
cities, for use in dwellings, hotels, shops fac
tories, &c., wheel or piston meters have usually
been employed. Besides the objection as to
cost of them, they are especially open to this:
that their operation is dependent upon the
head, or pressure, OF the water flowing through
them, and its velocity is therefore retarded
more or less, according to the force required
| TO operate the meter. In other words, the
| head, or pressure, in the servce-pipe is re-
duced according to the pressure that must be
| applied to rotate the wheel or reciprocate the
| piston of the meter, as the case may be. The
| pressure at the spigot is hence reduced corre-
| spondingly, which is obviously Objectionable
| in the majority of cases, and especially I'm
buildings whose elevation is such that the
| water can only be delivered in them at certain
| times and under favorable conditions is,
when the pressure IN the main is at its maxi
mum. In fact the use of such a meter In such
cases Is for this reason impracticable. This
| and various other difficulties attending the
use Of piston or wheel meters have tended to
prevent their general adoption and use. The
| Leede meter, as has been demonstrated, Will
operate reliably solely by the buoyancy Of
water at the ordinary atmospheric pressure,
and therefore entirely Independent of any
| head or pressure In the service-pipe, save
| such as is sun Icient TO merely deliver the
water without reference to Its rapidity OF flow.
| The operation of the meter depends upon
| floats that alternately rise and fall as the
water hows into or out OF suitable
| meter is placed either above or at the highest
poin: in the building where water is required
| TO be distributed and the supply pipe is carried
directly up to IL, with few or no sharp bends or
angles, in.order TO avoid as far possible any
obstruction TO the flow OF water up to such
point, whence 1t is distributed over the build
| ing. The supply pipe Is throttled by a valve
| whose action depends upon float In n cham
| ber, located below the measuring chambers.
| The float and valve thus constitute an auto
| matte governor that controls the supply of
| water to the metre and discharge beslies rcgu.
| lating action of the registering mechanism.
| The DEMONSTRATORS that have been made and
are being made every day are evidence of the
| strongest character that il our water supply
were regulated there would be no necessity tc
already pay $3.50 TO come up TO $40 pei
year, thus paying for what the man who
allows water to run to waste should pay.