The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-05
Engineer Wilson's Report.
NEw YORK, October IS, 1886.


GENERAL-In accordance with your re
quest, on the part o. the Water Committee.
| / have examined the plans and specifca-
tions submitted by the Newark Filtering
| Company for proposed hitter plant for the
| city Of Memphis, and would new respect
| fully effer my report.
Enclosed herewith are copies of the draw
ings furnishe me, Of which A is n general
| an of the arrangements of the filters; d
| is verticit section Of one filter, showing
| the internal arrangements Of pipes, valves,
etc.; G is plan Of the same, and D is
| drawing Of the cone valve. Enclosed alss
| is a copy OF the specih0al iens sui omitted, to.
gether with a written description Of the
filters and appurtenanses and IN explanA:
ton Of their operation, both in altering and
in wash ne the fitering material.
1t wall be seen tron tho plan A that the
force Imaip. With the exception of the TIVE
branches leading to and from the filters, is
entirely Independent Of then, a. d should 1t
be necessary, may at any time be made to
deliver the water directly into the re- srvoir.
Provision is also made at the extremity Of
the filter connections at X for the addition
of another filter, should an increased water
supply necessitate 1t.
The enclosed written description of Alters.
together with the speeihoatiOns, render their
construction and operation so plain that
will not attempt to ,Alarge upeA them any
further han to explain that in washing the
fltefing materisl unfltersd wafer from the
force n ain will bO used ms 9 I'd Of the filtered
" ter from the res ry0ir, as formerly optem-
plated. This will obviats the neeessit, ofaux-
Hilary pumps and boilers for this purpose, AZ
well as the expense Of their maintenance. OF
cour,e TO raise the head ofWater in the
stand pipe without auxiliary pumps sufi-
cient to wash the Sitter beds will br ng an
In creased load Upon the pumping engines
while the washing is being dose, bot, in my
estimation, the expense Of this " I'll be but
very small proportion of the entire cost Of
independent pumps and machinery for this
purpose:
As lar as can now see. both the general
design am arrangement Of tbs details Of this
proposed q ter plant are excellent and can
see 40 reason why, in mechanical point of
view, the whole plant shoud ret operate
pTSS:t,SSSiy IS is99nts@ plated s II VIII;
success must, in the absence If pract cal ex-
amples OF this magnitude, rest with the pre-
dlction of the civil engineer until its entire
success on so large scale Is established BY
president.
The strength of the boiler plates composing
the tiers as specified is abundantly ade-
quate. The diameters Of the water pipes and
valves are all properly P '.oportoned, but the
thic ness of the IRON of the pipes not being
specified, may be determined by yeur super
intending engineer, should the work pro-
coed 1t is also highly probable that i'm
provements in the minor details nay here
after be made which will meet with his ap-
pr val. II lie proposed by the Sitter COM
pany to operate the small pumps for feeding
the Goa ulant by means OF awheol placed
in the inlet pipe to he Glter. II this device
is properly designed and constructed it will
prove an excellent plan, as any change in
tho velocity of the water lowing through tho
PIPES will vary the speed OF the wheel, and
the quantity of cOagulaRt forced into the
inlet pipe will, in cons qnence, be p'opor-
toned TO tho quantity Of water flowing to the
filters.
The device proposed for aerating the
water after its filtration is both novel and
ingenius. This consists of we'll fve feet in
L.. -. N.aaN H. MI. IAWl
the water in the reservsir; the water stand
ing in it at the same hight as that in the
reservoir. In the center OF this we'll aud tx
tending down TO say within foot OF the
up to an elooW on the outlet pipe from the
filters Between the upper end II this pipe
and the elbow ON outlet pipe, are PLACED .
number Of open ended cones made Of thin
other about one sixty -fOur th of on iAeh apart.
The water howing down this pipe from the
filters will BY its velocity draw in air through
| these cones, which whom IL reaches the bot
| will BY the pressure exerted By the head Of
| water above IL be absorb ID ny the water and
be carried into the reservoir with II. The
/ fact that air will be drawn down tube by
nearly h halt century Rvo, the air for blast
| furnaces being furnished BY such device;
| hence oan see no reason WIN, II properly
designed, itshould not be in this case en-
| tirely succe sful. IA
Iwould therefore recon mend that all the
valves in connection with the Alters DO fitted
with outside screws. Those shaYn. upOn the
| drawing have the screws inside, which upon
being exposed to the muddy v ter and fire.
9ueptly operated, would seon wear out and
need renewing. The V1ves mightbe operat.
cd by means Of hydraulic cylinders, should
| q plan DO submitted % your experimenting
engineer that would meet his approval. :,
hSht oi wafer the ts sars vii be- n say az
teen feet above the bottom Of the alters. 40
cording to the plan, it IL contemplated that
the bottom Of the hltera will be placed six ieet
reservoir, Ia order 10 rive sufficient head to-
| operate the serator, which added TO the NJ
teen feet in the 6lters, would make twenty
| one feet additiotGl static head against the
pumping engines while STEERING, for period
| Of tWenty-three hours per day. 10 Is oontem-
| plated that on hour In each fenty -four will
be occupied in washing the kltsrnS material.
at which time an additional head Of say
tWenty-hye feet will be required, making an
additional average head for the t5yenty-iouF
| hours Of twenty. two feet, to which II We add
say two feet for friction of water through the
| inlet pipes, will make total additional dy-
/ due TO altering, Of twenty Jour feel, HayT
| iug no profile OF the proposed line OF the
! force main, which 81 updorstanS rightly.
| will be thirty inches diameter sndnn nine
ace1fatei; just how i6c6S HEAD I'll wStsI.it
/ will require TO oVeroome the friCtIsbai reIis-
lance, and force 7,500, 0ool gAllone Of water
through II in twenty soar heurS; Put tdoH
theJssults Of soma obsStvationt taken mcH
q thirty .fhch foroo main, having rfooehly'
the same proportion 70 number q bends ~
the one proposed, for Mempht, esnmetS
this required head 70 be forty. six feet, which
added TO 100 feet static head EiyI total dy-
| nsmic head againststhe pumeing enki9eS
when not 6ltoFipg,c hut ,IuTpipg d.
reotly into the reservoir, Of rs feet; Now
| while hltefiue this head VIII BE- in
| creased twenty. four ieet, ms shown abovos
pumps Of lis fost, OF is and Al0o per cent.
more head than when DO al ednE. Assum-
ing the yearly average duty OF tho pumpine
engine 70 be 61,Q0l0oO pounds of water
rated one foot nigh for each 10 pounds o.
coal co sum din actual pump nE, then "
raise SOC, C01 gallons, or a., i75 eOe ponnds Of
water, i46 feet high Ia TWEEN t. eur hours,
will REQUIRE fraction over seven and six
tenths zoos IL coal, or 300 pounds each per
day. In hlteri g, tho increased head TO
be maintained ss shown above will require,
. timatins The efioisnoy " the puis cling ma
chingry al 81 per oent, an increased eon-
sumpiion % fuel OF lS1S per cent, OF in
vound Numbers, one ton OF coal pOr day Wh0n