The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-03-22

|
water than the earth and sand that SUR
round them. ad-occasion last year to
tap them 10 several places and was much
surprised at the trouble we had 10 cutting
through them. They were one solid mass,
the cement was as hard as the bricks. If
il should DO possible that these sewers leak
how much more so swill the present city
plan Of building privy vaults where the
bricks are purposely put in dry.
The large pipes that are put in on Rail-
road avenue and other places in the city
have bad effect; l have no doubt they
were put in according to instructions
From 1854, (which was at the time the
cleaning commenced) until 1858, 1--we were
not troubled with sipc water, the latter year
it began to be troublesome, and TO give an
illustration of the pressure of sipe water. l
will relate two incidents which happened
that year. The first brick cistern was built
in the city in the rear of house called the
"Flat Top on Fifth street. The cistern
was pretty full Of water; the pressure from
below forced the whole Of cistern bodily up
three to four feet above ground. Again
there was some heavy clearing being done
on the block where Mr.. Reed lives; to
dispose of the logs, which were very heavy,
five feet through, deep trench was dug
aud the logs buried. The pressure forced
them up out of the ground with report
equal to small cannon and this too, on
high ground. On the 18th day Of June
of tina year. 1853, with the river equal to
40 of our present gauge, the levee broke
In 1859 we had the highest sipe water up
TO the present time which was 10 inches
lower than now. In 1866 the city had de.
termincd to get the best aud largest pump
to be found, the Andrews pump, with
warranted capacity Of 10000
gallons per minute, and engines Of
two hundred horsepower were procured at
cost of ten thousand dollars; besides
which the city built all the present brick
sewers, some six teet Others four and hall
feet and three feet in diameter, to convey
the water to the pump. Tho spring rise Of
1867 was the highest water known up to
that time, and WAS 1l2t inches lower than
our latest high water. The river remained
up a much longer period than this year.
water down, and only at one time when
some part of the machinery broke did the
sipe water come within three feet three
inches Of our present inside water. The
pump WAS at no time run at much more
than one half the capacity she would have
done with properly constructed engines.
Neither were the sewers Of sufficient size to
convey the water fast enough. At the
time We were using the pumps our money
was much deprecated, and the pump was
an expensive aff.ir. The same pump or .
better one could be run for twenty five dol
lars per day, what comparison would that
be with present destruction Of sidewalks
streets, &c, and incalcnlab.e damage to
private property and business. Whist be.
came Of this valuable property that cost
the city 80 muchl One administration
gave the engines away, or might rs well
for all the good it did the city. The next
administration sold the pump for old iron,
because there was no engine to run It. l
contend that the pump gave very salts
factory proof of what can be done by either
pumping or forcing or both.
What other methods are there for dis
posing Of the water, which | believe rs our
city increases, will increase also in
proportion as it has done for the last
| twenty-cight years. Filling our streets
does not diminish the amount, for it has
increased every year since the filling was
commenced. Fox. Howard & Co. brought
in over four hundred thousand cubic yards
Of earth; there has been as much more
since. You might say we will compel
every lot owner TO fill up his lots. You
might persuade those who have the means
to do 80, but what will you do with the
poor man that owns just one lot, and that
lot most likely low one, and will cost
more to fill than il is worth. suppose he
will have to sell TO some one that can All
it. Again, wish to build. and require
the building to be the full size of the lot {;
the basement is very essential to my bust
ness; can you compel me to fill It upl I
think not. Then you never can have this
town solidly filed. Surprising it was pos
sible to I'LL it up solid to tho Commercial
avenue grade, we have not cvon then mas
tered it. The sipc-wster forced itself
through the filing of the custom house,