St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-15
The new RESERVOIR.
Business Men and City OFF,
eials Inspect a Public I'M
ppovement.
High Ground Will Be Amply
Provided With Water
for Fires.
Money Well Invested in a
Basin Which Will Meet
All Demands.
Description Of a Work in
Which Every Citizen Is
Interested.

On Invitation of the board of water
business men of tho city, including
members of the common council, board
of public works, board of fire commits
sioners and members of the engineering
department, were yesterday afternoon
driven out to Rose township to make an
informal inspection of the new high
service reservoir recently completed.
The party left the water works
office Gil East Fifth street at
2:30 o. m., Col. Allen leading
with his spirited team and setting the
pace at a lively rate of speed, the en-
tire party covering the Intervening dis
lance in very short time. At the res
ervoir grounds, after having explained
the plans of the reservoir and the work.
ing of its connections, light lunch was
served, after which an inspection of the
pumping station was made. The party
was composed of the follow
ing well known citizens: William
Refs, A. G. Wedge, Thomas
Grace, W. T. Irwin. Horace Dunno,
Joseph Jockey. J. ID. EasterbrOok, John
Summers. P. ]. Giesen. George f.
Kuhles. DR.. Day, Henry Hickman. L.
z. Wright, s. P. Folsom, Judge Egan,
l.. Hoyt. Peter Burke. J. B. Ludden,
Robert Mannheimer. A. Kalman, John
Kerwin, M. R. Prendergrast, Thomas
Brennan, b. A. Cox, P. V. Dwyer. P. r.
Kavanagh, J. G. Elmquist. A. p. CrOn-
auist, John Fischer, Il. V. Pratt, John
c. Horrigan. j. G. Quinby, Patrick
Keigher. l.. W. Rundlett, A. r. Starkey,
w. 2. Murray, James Starkey, G. NJ.
Crowley, William Lindeke, P. H.
Kelly, James Kavanagh. j. K.
Hoyt, J. b. Overton, John Caul-
field, Dr.. J. Ii. Murphy, Dr.. Hoyt, Reu-
ben Warner. Paul Martin. J. G. Prem
dergast, J. T. Black, William O'Gor-
man, Daniel Egan, Gen. r. w. John
son, Col. A. Allen, j. &. Donnelly.
From Minneapolis: Matthew Walsh,
w. w. Redfeld, William Winthauser.
A Bergstrom, j. +. Tanning. From
Saltwater: f. W. Durant, III. Ii. Har
.rison, Mr.. Davis.
The reservoir is located near the
northern city limits, four and half
miles from the court house. on highly
elevated plat of ground overlooking the
city. During the past four years the
inadequacy of the high service water
supply has been several times made ap-
parent by heavy drain upon it in
THE EVENT OF FIERCE FIRES
on st. Anthony hill and Dayton's bluff,
and the reservoir was constructed with
a view to forming fountain head by
means:of which steady pressure could
be maintained at all times. The reser-
voir is connected with the high service
water main running from the pumping
station to the city by means OF single
thirty-siX-inch pipe, which serves as an
inlet and an outlet to the reservoir.
When the consumption OF water is not
equal to the amount supplied by the
pumps at the station half-mile to tire
east, the pipe serves as an inlet, the sur
plus water going into the reservoir; but
when the consumption is greater than
the pump supply it is an outlet, the de-
ficiency being supplied from the reser-
yoir. By means of this stored supply
the water pressure will be always the
same, and the pumps may be run at a
steady rate of speed and much more
economically, as it will not be necessary
to strain the machinery in the event of
an extraordinary draught from the city.
The reservoir or water basin is of an
oblong shape, 500 feet long by 900 feet
wide and 20 feet deep, and in eonstruc-
ton is partly an excavation and partly
an embankment. Upon the natural soil,
after the excavation had been made,
section of puddle was laid. This is a
mixture of clay, sand and fine gravel,
which was mixed wet and rolled in
place by
AN S,000-PoUND ROLLER.
Upon this layer OF puddle was placed
a section of clay concrete, which forms
the reservoir proper. About ten feet
|, of mp
crete branches off, and there is placed
above 1T. to prevent damage by frost,
layers of clay, gravel and granite fac
ing. Extending around the rim of the
basin is a granite coping. outside Of
which is a SOdded embankment about
twelve feet in width.
The capacity of the reservoir is about
10000 900 gallons, a quantity sufficient
to supply the high-preSSure service at
the present rate of consumption for
period of ten days if the pump house
supply was cut Off and the city left de-
pendent upon the reservoir. The water
surface OF the basin is 80 feet above
low-water mark of the Mississippi
river at the st. Paul steamboat landing;
22O feet above Wabasha street at the
postoffice; 10 feet above the general
average Of the higher graded streets on
LAY ION > pug. ciSnIy 1tGt dOofc 81.
Anthony hill. Hamlinc and Merriam
Park, and will look down on Bridge
square in Minneapolis from an eleva-
ton above it of about $50 feet. The
water pressure is forty to fifty pounds.
The reservoir was planned and the
specifications drawn by j. f. Flaming,
of Minneapolis, and II. A. Harrison. of
Saltwater. The construction was UNI
der the supervision of }. B. Hawley,
graduate of the state university OF 1887,
who was assisted by Thomas Grace, an
old resident OF ST. Paul. Macarthur
Bros. were the contractors. and while
the Job was not completed q month age,
as called for by the contractors, the
board Of commissioners are so well
pleased with the work that no fine will
be imposed for delay. The cost of the
reservoir, including pipes, valves, en-
cheering. inspection, ETC., will be not
far from $4,000.
The reservoir is situated on four
teen-acre tract Of land purchased by the
city some time ago. The land will be
enclosed, neat cottage for keeper
will be erected on it, and the land not
used for reservoir purposes will be
dressed and embelllslled. 1t is proba-
BILE that. through the action of the park
commissioners. the place will be known
as Reservoir Park