Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-08
WILL Be ABANDONED.
An Iniuent Pipe TO Answer the Purpose Of
the Bedford Basin--Chief BIgeIow Ad-
yertises for Bids.

An InfIuent Pipe 10 Answer the Purpose Of
the Bedford Basin-Chief BigeIow Ad-
vertises for Bids.
The Bedford Basin is to be abandoned. so
far as its use by the city Water Department
is concerned, new wrinkle having been
discovered by which small infuent cham
Der can subserve the same purpose as the
huge basin. The advertisement for bids for
an infuent chamber were published yester-
day by Chief Bigelow, of the Department of
Public Works.
Superintendent Geo. Brown, Of the Water
Department, explained the proposal for bids
Yesterday to DISPATCH reporter. He
said: "The proposed infuent basin will be
sort of well, 11x14 and IL feet deep. 1t
will have to be OF substantial character, on
account of the action of the water upon the
sides. As is generally known, the water
which supplies the Bedford pumping sta
ton comes from the Hiland reservoir by
means of large pipes, and at present goes
direct into the basin, from which the supply
for the engines is drawn.
"There is a decided objection to the empty
ing of the water into Bedford basin and its
subsequent retaking by the inHuert pipe to
the engines as there have always been more
or less local impurities in the Bedford basin,
besides the priodical allusions to the unsafe
condition of the. reservoir, which, although
unfounded In fact, have disturbing effect
upon people living In that locality. There
will be an automatic governor of the in
fluent chamber which will regulate abso-
lutely the flow Of water through the pipes
and the water Will be sent to consumers in
lust as pure condition as it leaves Hiland
reservoir. should imagine that the in
fluent chamber will cost in the vicinity of
5000, although no bids have been re-
ceived."
"what will be done with the disused
basin, Mr.. Brown?"
"Why, the water will be drawn off and
the reservoir thoroughly dried out and
then, believe, Chief Bigelow will park the
in the city in place very much needed"
Controller E. s. Morrow corroborated
Superintendent Browns statement that the
basin would be transformed Into park,
and said that the idea had been in contem-
plation for several months Being asked
for data as to the cost, etc., of the Bed
ford basin and the date of its erection, Mr..
Morrow delved into some musty, fusty doc
uments, but was unable to find any specific
accounts. Finally, however, the Business
Directory for Pittsburg and Allegheny"
issued by Isaac Harris and printed by A.
A. Anderson, in 1874, was found to contain
some information upon the subject Mr..
Morrow stated. however, that the engineer
who erected the Bedford basin was Colonel
Mcclellan, father of the Drs. Mcclellan.
Mr.. Harris statistical remarks upon the
city water matters arc as follows:
We have now in ODeratiOn two Watnr works
for supplying the city. The cost of the old
works brilliant, supposedly built in 1923, in
eluding pipes laid, was $4,000; cost of new
bedford, supposedly, excluding pipes laid,
ga, ,OO0 and these are much the largest The
the basins IS Of II The U' new 675s7a @ The Th engines
of the old force l3A gallons per minute
through l5-inch pipe, into the basins I16 feet
above the river; the new, 4,S20O00 every "a
hours through 2qiDcn pipes into basins prob
ably 150 feet above the river. 1t is contem-
plated to supply the city of Allegheny with
water from the new basins, by laying a main
pipe across under the Allegheny river.