The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-28
THE wATEn WORKS.
Progress ofths impToV elneats and Other
Mattorl az Intafeaf.

Matters OF Interest.
Yesterday afternoon, As an emiiafy Of this
paperwas surveying With disgust the horrible
mud hole left at the intersection Of Main and
Eighth streets, where the repairs to the dis.
charge pipe leading from the Water Works to
the basin were made, be was hailed BY superin.
tendent Riddle, who was Standing In front OF
the Works at the foot OF the hill, and beckon.
Ing for our man 10 come down and zee him.
After watching q heavy coal team pull out OF
the hole where II had stalled, and make its
way down that dangerous hill 10 the Works,
our reporter also went down.
II want 10 show you what we are doing"
said Riddle, as he took tile reporter by the
arm and walked him over TO where two di.
lapidated boilers were lying. They were
double flue bollers, and formerly comprised
the south battery OF the old houSe. They
were placed In position early In the COS, and
for several years past It has been wonder
that they have not blown the old rlckety
Works into the river. On one there was
seven patches, and several on the other; they
were covered with bliSterS, the iron being
nothing but light scales In some places, Ly.
Ing beside them was the mud drum, reduced
to almost sheet iron. They should be pre-.
served as relics and Us illustrations OF the
mysterious ways OF the past management Of
the works
The place they occupied In the Works Is
now vacant, but the battery that was con-
htracted for 1t at Sweeney's last September
will boready In about three weeks for active
service. The north battery Is In fair condI.
ton, but at present the only steam TO run
the two old pumps must come from these
boilers. The battery by itself cannot supply
this steam, but q connection has been made
from its steam drum TO the Steam pipe lead.
Ing from the new boiler house across the
road TO the Worthington pump, and the old
battery thus acts as steam drum In itself.
Connections are being made by Sweeney so
that the steam from the new house will pass
direct to the two old pumps as well as to the
| WOrthington pump. These connections, by.
the-way, should be hurried up.
Opposite the Works Is the new boiler house
and very complete one 1t D. Both the
north and south battery Of four boilers eacl
are In position. The south one has been used
for two weeks, but was cold yesterday In
order to clean out to-day, while the north
one was fired up Saturday. Both burned
considerable coal at first, but as they dry out
and the chimney becomes lined with sOot
they improve very perceptibly and are giving
satisfaction.
Both Of the old pumps are now In working
order, and the WOrthington Is doing rs vel
as can be expected without well. The
pump Is receiving injury every hour It runi
without well. As Il is now, Il can only bS
run at halfspeed. and then has 10 be stopped
every half hour for about eight minutes, in
order to blow 1t out and get rid OF the bits oil
grass, leaves and little twigs that are sucked
IN through the fine wire screen now used on
the mouth OF the supply pipe. The need OIL
a pipe can be seen by those who take the
trouble to look It Is our impressian that q
well has been Ordered-Rtany rate, Contract
or Hamilton was ordered 10 make q survey,
but some Of the committeeman raised an in.
quiry as to what right the chairman had Ia
make the order for survey, so Superinten'
dent Riddle informs US.
While wandering around outside the works
an immense iron casting was found, and in.
quiry was made as TO what 1t was.
"Oh, that's the extra cylinder ordered Ia
take the place Of the cracked Worthington
one, over which there was such Il howl.
had 1t patched with copper andi Is as dry as
barrel, and will remain so. That extra cyl.
Under will not be wanted for forty years, and
it cost money, too"
"Now look at this" said Riddle taking up
an old piece OF curved iron hardly an eighth
Of an inch thick. "rhats 4 piece OF thai
old discharge pipe. 1t was laid in 1884, and
Is good for nothing. Inside OF last week we
had eight breaks 1t should be entirely re,
newed, or else another 1s.inch one laid
Theresa basket full of the stuffwe took from
the Worthington," said he, pointing TO q
mass Of grass and twigs.
The steamboat chinlneys were receiving q
coat Of black paint yesterday.
The laying Of the 30.inch main is com.
pleted to the basin, with the execution OF or
Sixteenth from Main to Eotf streets, and or
Market from Tenth to Eighth streets. Or
the last named section work has been com
menced.
A force OF man is also at present at worE
on Coal street, between First and Second
streets, where the hillside has slipped, tax,
ing the water pipe with 1t about six feet in
every fifty.
Last Monday force OF men was put t.
work laying new pipe to Hobbs Glass
House, but the continued breaks in the dis
charge pipe caused q stoppage Of that work