Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-08-05
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
How the New High Pressure Reservoir is
Coming on.
IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WORK DONE.
Water Pumped Directly Into the City Mains
Yesterday.
PROPOSED ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT.

Contractor Chisholm il getting along
finely with the ~excavating for the new
reservoir, and an immense amount of work
has been done, mainly on the eastern side
of the bill, where il is not visible from the
city. About all the original grade of the
hill has been cut away, except q ridge
about fifteen feet thick, forming q portion
of the road for the use of garbage men and
others hauling stuff to the crematory, and
this ridge will be removed as soon as q
new section Of road along the hillside can
be completed. The leveling of of the hill
top has been q big piece Of work, but has
been done expeditiously, and shows that
the same thing might be carried on by the
city, along the top of the hill to the south,
at q much less cost than the oft mooted
project of leyeling of the hill has been
heretofore supposed to mean The cut at
present made is triangular in shape,
about fifty feet wide ut the north end
and two hundred and fifty wide at
the south, and is 800 feet long. At the
south end, the cut is 40 feet deep, down to
the level Of the top of the reservoir wall,
and will be carried Is feet farther to form
the basin proper, making the total depth
of the cut 1T the south side 81 feet. This
excavation of the reservoir proper will re-
quire the removal of $4,000 cubic yards Of
rock and earth. A test pit has been sunk,
and the bottom found TO he q compact
soap stone, which will make an excellent
foundation for a basin. This stuff is so
solid that nearly every yard of il will have
to be blasted out with dynamite.
-.
The new section Of Crematory road to be
built around the new basin will be about
600 feet long. A large quantity Of lime
stone has been saved from the excavation,
9nd will be used in putting the new road
in condition. The present ridge across
the reservoir site will be left stand
ing until the new read is open for
travel, and will then be cut away.
In this connection a gentleman said yes
terday 1T has been suggested that thecity
put the workhouse gang to work extending
Il the DTcS6uI llu6 vi LUu OPChCu oohO
years ago as far north as Tenth street by a
cut along the hill side-to the north,
bringing it out at the top of the hill at or
about the new reservoir. 1t is claimed
this extension of Eoff street could
be made for about $1,000, and would
afford q short cut to the crematory and the
reservoir, aud also afford citizens Of East
Wheeling and the central portion of the
city a short and direct method of reaching
Mt. Wood, and that portion of the city ly-
ing along the pike. This cut once made,
Palo Alto street, which is virtually an ex-
tension of Charles street, could be ex-
tended north to intercept the Eoff street
extension, and would afford an opportun-
ity for many laboring men Of small means
10 acquire homes of their own, as the city
is in the habit of leasing lots up there at
a merely nominal sum-from $40 to $25
per year each. The height OF the new reser-
voir will furnish water to al these people
scattered along the hillside, both north OF
the basin, in the First ward, and along
the high ground in the Second and Third
wards, and will undoubtedly cause many
! rev houses, to 60 up on the hillside In
the next two or three years
While the reservoir was being cleaned
out yesterday, Superintendent Riddle
tried the experiment Of pumping water
directly into the street mains Of the city,
using the attachments put in place a year
or so ago for that purpose. This is the
first time the thing has been tried, and it
worked like a charm, q pressure Of 90
pounds being kept up in the city mains,
while the reservoir was allowed to run
dry. The usual amount of mud, fish and
debris was found in the basin by the clean
ing u but there is no record OF dead
dogs, or anything else calculated to excite
remark.
-
TIE Gas Trustees and those members of
Council who are alive to the danger which
threatens the city gas works, are not a bit
discouraged by the last failure to obtain a
quorum Ofths Committee GGSS Lights, and it
is proposed to Cali another JOINT meeting
rs soon 81 possible, at which the situation
ca De thoroughly discussed and some sort
of tangible action taken. Should
there still not be a quorum OF
the Council committee, it is probable
the Trustees will themselves make a re-
port to Council, putting in strong language
the necessity of the city's doing something
to protect herself.
One of the Gas Trustees said yesterday {:
UNLESS this issue is met, it will not be
two years until the gas works passes the
self-sustaining point, and instead OF being
a source of income to the city, outof which
certain interest accounts are met, the city
will have to make annual appropriations
for the support of the works, or else give
il credit for the gas burned on the streets.
1t has been said that the price Of gas can
be raised in such an emergency, but that
would only hasten the inevitable end-be-
cause if we are losing ground with 10 cent
Gas, we would lose faster with the price OF
, gas advanced. The plant we propose to
put in at present would cost, as has been
said, $4,000 to $4,000. A plant Just
about sufficient for street lighting
can be erected for about $4,000,
but we wanted TO put in duplicate sets OF
machinery, which would bring up the coat
to the first sum named. By the time the
Legislature meets, this plant would be
ready for operation, and we could at once
put one set of machinery and n circuit
in operation, for the streets and public
buildings, and await legislative action.
A soon "a the enlarged powers desired are
secured, the other set OF machinery could
be started up, aud the city 60 at once into
the business of supplying domestic con-
sumers, without the loss Of q day. To put
of the construction Of q plant until the
Legislature has acted, is only to play into
the hands of the system which threatens
the ruination of the gas works"
CITY HALL NEWS.