St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-10
OUR WATER SYSTEM
Defended by Eminent Engineers
from Minneapolis Assaults.

kAOAAA PVlAS Assn taAISs
Mr.. Waters, the engineer of the Mime
apOliS water board, read paper ON Pump
ing Machinery VS.. Reservoirs, as Applied to
Water Works Systems, before the Mime
sofa Engineers club at that city on Fri
day evening, in which he claimed that the
high-pressure system of Minneapolis was
superior to the reservoir system of St. Paul,
''aS reserve in case of accident, +" sin sIs-
tanning high pressure in the mains at
fires, " ''in economy in first cost of conStruc-
tion," and lin the purity Of water delivered
for domestic purposes" having caused con-
siderable discussion among ST. Paul resi-
dent and visiting engineers and water board
people yesterday, a GLOBE representative
tackled two of the best authorities on the
subject in the state for points.
ONE OF THE ENGINEERS
of the city waterworks system said: There
is always danger of pumping machinery ON
the high pressure system of waterwOrks get
ting out of repair, while break in reser-
vOir is of rare occurrence. In case the st.
Paul reservoir should break away, still the
city could be supplied by the high pressure
system on st. Anthony hill. The conduit
of the Wadnais lake system is constructed
large enough for the future wants of the city.
and is capable on the low pressure system
of furnishing from 25, 600, 900 to 30, 900, 900
gallons of water per day, but the mains
leading into the city have a much smaller
capacity.
The experience of all the large cities
which have tried the direct pumping sys-
tenn has not been satisfactory, as matter
of economy, advantage and dependence.
and all the large cities have the reservoir
system if located where it is possible to OBJ
tain it. Milwaukee pumps direct from the
lake into reservoir and from it has low
pressure, while Cleveland is building res
ervoir to also be supplied by pumping from
the lake. Only such cities as Chicago,
Minneapolis and others which cannot get
water by reservoirs depend upon the high
pressure system. In the larger cities the
uniform pressure secured by the reservoir
system makes it more economical and much
safer than pumps. In small cities perhaps
it may be more economical to pump.
BURSTING WATER MAINS
The high pressure obtained from pumps in
cases of fire neceSSitate greater cost in the
material of water mains and what is known
as plumbing, and render disastrous acct
dents liable in times of emergency by mains
bursting ON account of this pressure. Within
six months the water mains have burst
twice in Minneapolis in consequence of adj
ditiOnal high pressure at fires, and from such
cause for fifteen hours at time there has
not been five pounds water pressure in its
mains. One of these bursts occurred at the
Academy of Music, and the main which
Succumbed was on Washington avenue
south. This raising and lowering pressure
on the mains can be set down as liable to
occur 1000 times to single instance of the
breaking away of the reservoir.
Reservoirs cleanse water from impurity
rather than otherwise, and one is erected in
Cincinnati to let the Ohio river water sedi-
ment settle therein. Where water spoils
is where it is in shallow storage reservoirs
or lakes, and the simple lifting of this water
by air-tight pipes into water mains cannot
aeriate or purify it, and it is full as likely,
if not more so, to reach dwelling in
Stagnant or cucumber state from the
pumping as from the reservoir system. In
fact the reservoir is presumed to be deep
and to have surface thoroughly exposed
to the air, which is a purifier, and the water
from it is likely to be purer than that taken
up directly from shallow deposit by ma
chinery or otherwise.
INTERVIEW NO. 2.
A Milwaukee engineer visiting in the
city being asked his opinion said: "Among
all hydraulic engineers the reservoir system
of water works is considered the best and
the safest. A reservoir will not give out
once in ten years, and not in three times
that number of years if properly constructed.
The Milwaukee reservoir, with high pres
sure to throw water into the same, once
supplied that city four days when not a
~ no forooI fYOp, t1n IoI
into it with the pumps. Machinery has no
advantage over the reservoir system, for
nothing is so liable to give out as machinery,
and no such reliance could be placed upon
it as upon low pressure service from res
ervoirS."
The reservoir gives steady and reliable
pressure in the mains, which the pumps do
not, and where coal is used for motive
power, the furnace fires may get low or
something may suddenly get out of order,
when conhagration suddenly breaks out
and increased pressure in the mains should
be had. If with pumps pressure can be
had to throw water to the tops of the high
est buildings, this pressure to be of practi-
cal use should be maintained all the time.
The worst shock that can be sustained by
water main is to suddenly raise the pres
sure therein from so to 100 pounds. This
subjects the mains to more strain than as
though they were pounded with
heavy hammer, and when this is done the
mains are liable to burst, as has often been
the case in Minneapolis when this pressure
has thus been raised at fires. This sudden
putting OH of pressure in the mains, to be
at all safe, necessitates a heavier weight of
iron and cost of the same. This too applies
to every supply pipe, closet, faucet, ETC., in