Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-07-31

tudt he lOlIuu tue cdlCdSSeS Oh nVe dead
cows lying in the ravine that furnished
most of the water in the Crystal Springs
basin. The water furnished to the San
Francisco consumer is not fit for domestic
use, still the people of that city turn ur
their noses at Sacramento straight" ano
say they would not live in this city, What
this city needs is not better but cleare,
water.
DR.. Simmons said if this well system is
adopted we will at once remove all these
objections.
Mr.. Williamson said ne was opposed to
the proposed tiltering process. They would
be too expensive, and it would take an
army of men to care for them, and the
water would be unhealthy.
DR.. Simmons" If we adopt the well
system the filtering process will be un.
necessary
AT this stage of the proceedings Z. C.
Jordan entered the room with Mr.. Means
and introduced the latter to the gentlemen
present.
Mr. Jordan said: Mr.. Means is present
at my request In speaking OF the water
system of Grand Island, l find it very
similar to that proposed to be introduced
in this city, and l have no doubt but that
he can give you some valuable points and
suggestions"
DIR. Simmons, Chairman of the commit.
tee, requested Mr.. Means to give the gen.
tlemen present an idea of the water supply
of the town in which he lived.
A SUCCESSFUL WE'LL SYSTEM.
Mr. Means said: The system of waite,
works in Grand Island is all that could be
desired, and was put in at cost of $33, 500
1t was put in during the time he was Mayor
OF the city. For many years they discussed
the propriety of having better system oi
water works, and the well system was agi,
tated as 1t is here at the present time. The
proposition was passed, laid on the table
pigeonholed. ETC., and no definite action
could be reached. The first year he was
Mayor, having become convinced of the in
exhaustible underground supply, he called
an election and the people voted $35, 500 in
bonds to put in the necessary pumps
mains, ETC., to make first class plant. He
lad been connected with the Rock Island
Railroad Company for some years in the
capacity of Superintendent of Bridges, and
he had considerable experience with differ.
ent kinds of water works. They made Out
plans and specifications and advertised fol
bids and proposals for its construction
The mains are all of castiron. The wells
were drove, not bored. He said castiron
pipe was much superior to sheet or boiler.
iron. was easy to tap and was the cheapest
in the long run. He said in California they
could lay pipe much cheaper than in Ne
braska. In the latter place the pipe had tc
be buried from five and half to six feet
TO KEEP 1T FROM FREEZING,
While in California it would not freeze i
left on top of the ground. He thought
boiler or heavy sheet-iron would DO fol
In, J-Io
have five miles of mains, two steam pumps
of 100000 gallons capacity each in TWEEN
ty-four hours. They are of the Knowles
patent and work admirably. In connec-
ton with this they have stand pipe 11C
feet in hight. The water is discharged
into that stand pipe and in this way they
always get an equal pressure. In case the
pumps are disabled this stand pipe will
hold supply sufficient to last the city foi
twenty-four hours. 1t is quite pipe, made
of heavy iron near the bottom. Its dimen-
sions are: hight ITO feet, diameter 10 feet
All the mains are connected with and
draw water from this stand pipe. When
an alarm of fire is sounded the
pumps are disconnected from the stand
pipe and pump directly into the mains
Beatrice, neighboring town, they use the
Holly system and pump directly into the
stantly day and nj ght to maintain the sup
ply. In Grand Island the pumps are run
only in the day time, a few hours in the
morning and again in the afternoon ant
evening. The pumps can fill the sianc
| pipe in three hours. He says he has wit
| messed five streams thrown at the sam,
| time from inch noZzles to the hight oil
| one hundred and fifty feet and the indica
| tor registered pressure of one hundred
| and forty seven pounds.
Grand Island is in a quick sand valley
In driving these wells the first strata con
tanning water is found at a depth varying
from l6 to 20 feet. Then you pass through
| strata of hard-pan varying in thickness
| from Is to 20 feet, and ydu find an abund
| ance of water; in fact, an inexhaustiblt
| quantity. He said he had driven many
wells. The water found in the seconl
strata comes up through the hard pan or
| level with the water discovered in tn,
| first vein. The water for the town supply
is drawn from thirty-six two-inch wells
driven eight feet apart in straight rows, sil
| in row, forming square. The top
| of all these pipes, which are gal
vanized iron, are connected will
| one suction pipe some five feet below tn,
surface of the ground, and the pumps draw
upon all of them at the same time Th
arrangement is so perfect that any on
well, or any number of them, can be shu
| off at pleasure. The suction-pipes are 81
arranged that each we'll is precisely tn
same distance from the pump. and tn,
suction is equal on each. The wells, pumps
stand! pipe, in fact the entire water works
cover piece of ground only about 90 fee
square. The pipes were driven from 40 I,
AZ feet below the surface. When bott
pumps are run at very high rate of speed
one will sometimes kick little. This i
| never noticed only when run very fast
| He thought the addition OF one more well
| the driving Of one more two.inch pipe
would remedy that evil. He said the sup
ply was so strong that he thought the pipe
could be driven as close as two feet apart
| The process of driving pipe in this section
would be impracticable, considering tn
great depth that must be attained From
what he had learned of the Williamson
and hospital wells, he was of the opinion
| that four six-inch wells would supply thi
entire city with water.
| Grand Island is growing city on leye
plain six miles from the Platte river at it
nearest point. This plain or valley is a
| underlaid with quicksand. and nowher
| csn one sink from fifteen to eighteen fee
| without striking an abundant supply {
| water.
Mr.. Williamson said the water struck g
ITO feet rose to within sixteen feet of th
surface in the wells just east of the city.
| Mr.. Means-"That clearly demonstrate
| the feet that you have artesian water. Yo