The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-05-30
THE WATER WORKS.
Satisfactory Exhibition OF Hydrants

4 GREAT PROtEC RIOS To PROPERTY.
The tirst exhibition of the workings
OF the Water Works In this village since
their completion. took place Tuesday at
the committee appointed at corporation
meeting held before the works were put
in, also two Of our corporation assessors
and two Of the selectmen of the town
and large number of citizens
In the afternoon the pumping station
and reservoir were visited, the large hoil-
ers and two powerful duplex pumps, each
of them capable of throwing one million
gallons per day into the stand pipe one
mile away or into the fifteen miles of
piping throughout the village.
The machinery at this station is of the
most approved kind, and does its work
easily and well. There are two sets all
the way through, boilers, engines and
pumps, one of which can do vastly more
work than is required of both, but the
two complete sets are put ill., in order to
provide against any possible accident To
either, so that there can by no contingen-
cy be a time when the village viii be with
water
The party then visited hydrants In va
rious parts of the village, AMI attached
hose to them and in most places ascer-
tanned the pressure to the square inch.
The first point visited was the hydrant
on the extremity of the pipe on Madison
street, near the residence Of MIR. Ford
/ This is the highest point on the line Of
works and the friction Of a long piece of
single I inch pipe has 20 be overcome,
/ but although the wind was blowing brisk
| ly the pressure was sufficient To throw the
water over auy building in that vicinity.
With insufficient hose the pressure threw
the water on to the roof Of the two story
residence of Mr.. Ford. The extremity Of
the pipe on North street, nearly out to
the Catholic cemetery. was tried with
equally favorable results The hydrant
at the corner of Bush aud High streets
was tried. This hydrant threw torrent
Of water from a | VA inch nozzle. The
same was true of tho hydrants ON all the
lower levels.
On the South side, hydrants were test
eS' at NOlin'S mill, Baptist hill, the ex-
IRENE of the line at corner of Main and
Bloomfield streets, near Park Schoolhouse,
and on corner of Railroad and Mill
streets. The results were entirely salts
factory at each place.
The application of the gauge Indicated
pressure at the several hydrants as fol
lows:
Corner High and Bush SITS. 50 lbs.
corner High and Madison, 50; Mill st
South side Sc Baptist hill, 81 corner
Main and Bloomfield, extent Of pipe on
South side, - l-2; near Park School.
| mi -
-.
At O'Clock in the evening six lines of
hose were attached to hydrants and six
streams of water thrown at one time on
the top Of Co5urn Hall block, delugiDg
the block completely.
The tests were made with gravity pres
sure from the stand pipe alone and met
the highest expectation of all.
The works are in good condition and
with the - hydrants as they are placed
covering every part of the village, when
accepted by the corporation, will, with the
other facilities, the force pumps and
1 steamers, constitute a. thorough protec-
ton fran fire a. can be had until some
thing better than water Is found to eX-
tinguish fires.
| 1t was expected that representatives OF
the New England Insurance Exchange
would pc present in order to see the
workings of the system with a view to
reduction OF rates Of fire premiums. but "a
fire at Bellows Falls. Vt, prevented some
from coming, and what prevented others
we are unable to state.
We ought to have sharp reduction of
lire rates in this village, and with a hy-
drant contract there is no doubt but we
can have 1t.