Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-14
A NEW RESERVOIR.
COUNCIL WILL BIZ ASKED To AUTHORIZES
THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONB.
The Cost Estimated at Fifty Thousand Dollars, bat
Will Probably be LeSs-An Outline Of the
Water Boards Plan.

The Water Board and the Council Com
mittee or Water Works held q joint session
last evening, at which business OF the ut
most Importance was discussed, prelimi-
nary to its submission to Council this
evening. This business related 10 a high
service reservoir, something upon which
the Board has been figuring for some time
psst. For years there has been universal
recognition of the fact that the present res.
ervoir is not only too low, but also far
too small. Its capacity, with ten feet Of
water in it, is but 900, 900 gallons, but
as a matter of fact it is in such bad repair
that no more than 720, 900 gallons can be
kept on hand at one time-enough to run
the city for about four hours should any
thing happen to the pumping apparatus.
1t would cost several thousand dollars to
put the reservoir in anything like proper
repair, and while the work was going on
the city would have to get along with
water pumped directly into the pipes, on
the system explained in the REGISTER a
month or so ago. This might result disas-
trously in the event of a fire.
With the new reservoir, discussed at
last evenings meeting, three things would
be accomplished, to-wit; The amount OF
water In storage would be increased
more than four-fold, there would be a high
service, and, by reason Of the peculiar con
strucIicn of the reservoir, the water would
be 80 aerated as to relisye it in q great
measure Of its Impurities. Each of these
things are valuable, but combined they
render the plans Of the Board very attrac-
tive.
When the joint session was called TO
order last evening, Mr. Jones, on behalf OF
the Board, outlined the project He said,
in substance, that the reser yoir in contem-
plation would Re located or the hillside
Immediately east of the present basin, and
would be somewhere in the neighborhood
OF sixty feet above it, the exact height de,
pending in great measure upon the charac-
ter of the rock and soil. The plan now in
the possession Of the Board showed
the reservoir to be six hundred
feet long, from north to south, and
about fifty feet wide. The capacity
would be three million gallons. Three
estimates of the cost had been made, and
from them the Board fixed the outside cost
al City thousand dollars, with a certainty
that it would be considerable less, after the
bids had been considered. The western edge
of the new basin would he about seventy
five feet east of the present reservoir. The
shape of the bottom would be something
like u saucer, ond would be lined through
out with fire brick, laid ia cement upon a
thick bed of clay. The reservoir would be
divided by a wall into two portions, one
with a capacity of one million gallons and
the other holding two million. The smaller
portion would be a little higher than the
larger, aid into it the water would be
pumped, the overflow running into the
larger portion over a dam. The supply
pipes would take water from this larger
part, and thence distribute il over the
city.
There was a general discussion Of the
proposition, during which the entire SUBJ
ject of water supply, purity, etc, was
gone over, aud a great deal Of interesting
information disclosed by members of the
Board. Among other thing, it WAS stated
that the Board had enough cash on hand
and in sight to defray the entire expenses
of the project, there being no necessity Of
calling on the city treasury for a dollar.
The cash now in the hands OF the Board
amounts to $34, 600, and The surplus for
the coming six months will be about $20,-
600 more. The Board is very DESTROYS Of
having Council act upon the matter to-
night, 40 that bids may be asked, and
work commenced as soon a. favorable
weather sets in. This will make it possible
to finish the work this year.
Before adjourniDg a resolution was drawn
up asking Council to authorize the action
desired by the Board, and this paper will
be presented to. night, when favorable &C.
ton is expected.
The new basin will be about 270 feet
above low water mark in the river, and
will give a pressure which will take the
water to every house in the city limits, be.
sides, Of course, greatly increasing the
pressure for the ~low-lying portions Of the
town.