Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-04-03
THE DRIVE WELL PLAN.

Sioux City Proposes tO supply Its Water
Works from Drive Wells.
Sioux City Journal.
The experimental drive wells put in
near Dennis foundry by the city. were
tested again yesterday with the fire
engine. There are five Of these two inch
wells, coupled together. These furnished
an abundant supply Tor one stream from
an one and one.foufth.inch nozzle, the
water being thrown 100 feet, and fair
supply for two streams Of the same sizr
the water being thrown half as far. 1t
was estimated that with the two streams
on. 800 gallons per minute we're thrown.
The wells showed no signs of exhaustion
lin fact they increased in supply during
the pumping.
The great increase in the supply Of
water over the frat day's trial was owing
to the engine being put down nearer the
water. A trench about tour feet deep
had been dug, and the engine Was ruu
into this. It Is reckoned that the pump
of the water works engine. can be put
four to slx feet lower, than the pump OF
the fire engine was worked yesterday.
aud this will greatly facilitate the draw.
inR of water frcm the drive wells.
As has been mentioned. the wells have
been driven to q depth Of from forty five
to sixty-three feet, the lowest we'll giving
the best supply. All the way between
these depths water is found. Above this
water strata 10 layer of tough clay tina,
effectually shuts off surface water, and
prevents the source of the clty's water
from being tainted BY any surface filth.
The water which supplies the drive wells
can never be contaminated, however
dense the population may become in that
part of the city.
Reckoning the supply given by each
we'll during the test ct sixty gallons per
minute, moderate estimate, thirty five
wells would supply 3.026000 gallons in
twenty.four hours The estimated mum
Der Of gallons required by the water.
works per day is 5000 900. At Brooklyn
tattery Of 100 drive wells supply z, ,0O0..
QUO gallons per day. The drive wells eau
be put in on the streets or alleys, and on
the lots where the pumping works are
nov located.
The water furnished by the wells le
beautifully clear, and has none of the
favor of iron noticed in the drive well
water ON the east side OF the Perry. J
p. Dennis d Co.'s foundry, about block
distant, has used this water for steam
making for number OF years. The head
engineer informed q reporter that seven
years use had made so little scale that
it was only necet sary to clean the boiler
once, and it would not have been nee.
essary then had the men in charge
''blowed OFF, the boiler once IN SIX weeks
or such q matter. The water furnished
by the wells was tested beside cistern
water, aud found to be as soft, but il
must be remembered that cisterh water
at this time OF year has in 1t something
It was hoped to get some kind OF an
could be done waa an examination with
Dr.. Frs2eys powerful microscope. which
showed 1t to be Of unusual purity, and a
hurried test by the expert at Bergen
Bros drug store, who demonstrated that
it had less Of lime in it than cistern
water has. and consequently is softer.
The saving by using drive we'll water
over getting the water from the Missouri
river is reckoned at from $50 0OO to $50,
QUO. The items that make this saving
are 2 100 feet Of 16-inch main from West
Seventh street to the river, two settling
basins, pump to move water from the
river to these settling basins, pipe line
across the bar from the high water shore
to the river at low water, and saving on
pump house. There is the further ad.
vantage of a steady supply, something
that the shifting channel and stage OF
the Missouri could not always assure.
The test was witnessed by a large
number Of citizens, delegations from the
water-works company and the city
council aud by Wm. Fisher. engineeI
of the Marshalltown water.works. All
unite in pronouncing the drive we'll plan
success.