The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-12

SEA LIE IOC 1.14N
Tenth-The building being Of wood, II Is re-
commended that an iron roof be put upon It
Taking up these subjects In order.
Firxt--Was 1t mistake not TO purchase larger
pumps? In judging Of m oct of this kind the
circumstances under which, and the purpose for
which II 10 done, can not be omitted.
We have already seen that the kize Of these
pipes ives determined upon with the full expec-
tatiOn that new works Of IN entirely different
kind would be put in operation within two
years and it was the desire Of every one con-
nected with the city, that 10 far N possible al
provisions made for the temporary supply
should be of character to be utilized in the nm
ished work, and that no unnecessary expense
should be incurred in furnishing the temporary
supply.
In the plan for . gravity supply from Cedar
river there are two districts making about 800 to
1000 acres of the best resident area of the city
that lie too high TO be furnished by gravity, and
pumping plant II proposed for them, the wafer
being taken from the high gravity service re-
servoir.
In ordering the pumps for temporary use at
Lake Warrington, had in mind their subse-
quent use for the high service pumping system,
- may be seen by reference to my report of Feb
ruary II, page %, in which say 1t il proposed,
after the new works are pat into operation, to
remove portions Of the pumps, boilers, ETC.. from
the pumping works on Lake Washington TO the
high service reservoir and to establish pumping
works there.
Pumps OF larger pattern than those pur.
chased woald have been useless for this pur-
pose. being entirely out of proportion with work
TO be done.
Again, when this pumping plant ID dispensed
with, 1t will be great economy for the city TO
have pumps that will be in demand for other
small works, that the surplus pumps may be
readily disposed Of
But what is of much greater importance than
any Of the points named-it was essential to buy
pumps that could be furnished by the ma,Iufac-
turers In the shortest possible time.
The inconsistency of calling for larger pumps
and in the same breath shouting for water be-
fore the sun goes down, Is very apparent, but
one Il left in doubt in an epidemic Of this char
acter, which we have had of late, whether to
aseribe the ailment to total deprayity" or to an
ignorance OF the fact that the larger the pumps
the longer the manufacturer will be in furnish
ing them, and the longer it will take to put them
into operation after they are received
The point has been raised-not by the report
under consideration. however-that it is more
economical to pump with larger than smaller
sized pumps. Within certain limits and under
certain conditions this 10 true, but with pumps
of this class and with coal at $50 per ton this
element Is infinitesimal and utterly unworthy
of consideration compared with the advantages
afforded.by smaller pumps some OF which have
been given.
After reaching the size OF these pumps. the
first cost follows close upon the capacity of the
machine. In . plant Of limited capacity, not
exceeding 6,5o0ocO gallons, as in this case, very
large pumps are out of place, for the reason that
the disabling Of one pump throws too great
proportion of the plant out OF use.
But. as . matter OF fact are these pumps 30
small a. you would be made to believe that they
THn{r {vna lick
steam cylinder, 16 inches in diameter; low pres
sure steam cylinder. % inches in diameter:
water plunger, II inches In diameter; stroke, Is
inches, and two Of each of these to each pump.
They have the largest low pressure cylinders,
and the next to the largest high pressure cylin-
water ends are relatively smaller, owing to the
great head of about 400 feet against which they
will have to work.
1t should be remembered that 400 feet il an
unusually high head for water-works pumps
and that the mere statement of the size of the
water end of q machine made for working
against such O head conveys no adeq uate idea
of the size of the engine itself.
A 1,250.000 gallon machine for such conditions
has the actual size OF . $500, coo machine in
tended for ordinary water works practice
To have gone into the purchase OF larger
pumps ut the time these were ordered, with the
city suffering for water as it was, and with
other conditions such as have been named.
would have been nothing short OF criminal, If
done knowingly, and any engineer who would
have done SO would have been justly open to
censure of the severest kind.
Nothing betrays the animosity of this whole
attack upon me so perfectly as does the clamor
e. to the size of the pumps.
At the most 1t was giving prudence and safety
the beneht OF the doubt. and the city has not
suffered, nor will it suffer to the extent of
farthing financially on account of 1t, while it
has for present needs an ample supply of water,
probably several months sooner than it would
have had had larger pumps been purchased.
submit. gentlemen, that this is . boomerang
that will justly react upon those who use it.
But after all the real test for these machines
is, will they meet the immediate needs of the
city OF Seattle in the way of water supply,
and will they do what they were intended to
do? The committee even admits this much
And ii they do. then they are as large as prll-
dence and good judgment would have dictated.
They were intended only for Temporary SER
vice. and rightly so intended. and the effort to
make it appear that they were intended, or
ought to have been intended for permanent
durable service will ignominiously FAIL without
reference to the personality of those who make
the effort.
1t has been contemplated from the first that
other pumps would have to be added to the
present plant for this temporary service at Lake
Washington, as is shown by the foregoing quo
tations from my report of March IA. The coun-
Gil will remember that more tnan two weeks
ago verbally recommended the purchase of
more pumps Immediately.
To sum it all up, therefore respectfully SUBJ
init that we must answer the questions as to
whether we should have purchased larger
pumps in a most emphatic negative.
TOO limited view OF the field, the relation
OF the temporary plant to the proposed perma-
nent one. and Interpretations as to time, are
responsible mainly for ali honest opinions
which would condemn these pumps as too
small.
second-Are the steam domes insufficient, and
will the recommendations as to steam domes
contribute to furnish dry steam?
To answer this question we can proceed in
either one Of four ways:
Ave can adopt the only truly scientific
method and actually measure the Unframed
water in the steam as 1t comes from the boilers.
and compare 1t with that coming from boilers
| OF similar size, working under like condition
| but which have steam drums.
| The boilers of the Spring Hill Water
| Company, standing by the side of
| the new boilers, have steam drnma
similar TO those recommended com.
par'son OF the dryness of the steam in the two
cases. II determined by carefully conducted ex-
periments, would give some clue which vould
heip us in an intelligent answer to this cues
iion- ms experiment has not been made,
hence 1t will not aid us in the answer sought.
B-We can resort to theory and arrive at a
conclusion more or less approaching correct.
ness according as we apply principles in our
| reasoning more or less soundy
The purpose tor which domes and drum. ara
used ON boilers is to so reduce the velocity Of
the steam before il enters tho s,ao.. -. :.