Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1890-10-09
a cTTWs WATER SUPPLY IN TANKS.
Novel Scheme to Convey Water from
Lake Ontario to Rochester.

Novel Scheme to Convey Water from
Lake Ontario to Rochester.
BY far the most novel suggestion that
has yet been offered for supplying
Rochester with additional water is the
following:
The proposal is, in brief. to bring the
water from Lake Ontario by means of
tank cars running on a railroad.
In explaining the proposal the pro-
jector said: ''Since the idea first oc-
CURED to ME have looked at il from
all points, and the more 1 think of it
the better it pleases me. But whether
it will be found practical or not re-
mains to be seen. The engineers can
no doubt easily calculate the cost. and
that is the only feature that am in >
fear about. As it is, after a rough cal
culation estimate that this plan will
give this city and other places pure wa
ter at low price and in unlimited ouan-
tity. The whole plan is to bring tho
water in vessel made for the purpose
from point in the lake SO far from
shore that there will be no chance of it
containing impurities.
''The vessel would be somewhat on
the plan Of the floats used in New
York for carrying garbage out to sea
and dropping it in the ocean through
the bottom of the vessel In the case
OF my ship the cargo, instead of being
taken to sea, would be brought from
sea to shore, and in place of entering
the hold through the matches would
come in through trap in the bottom.
When we had our vessel full of the pure
and sparkling water we would tow it to
the harbor by tug, and pump the
water into tank ears specially made for
the purpose and running like ordinary
freight cars on the common track. The
cars could be provided with trap doors
or valves through which to discharge
their liquid contents into reservoir
over which the train would run, Just as
a coal or wheat car runs and drops its
load. This plan, OF course, would only
be adopted where the system was to be
applied on large scale. Where the
idea was to be adopted as temporary
expedient the water could be pumped
from the cars directly into the mains
Of the town.
''Now for some figures in regard to the
scheme. The railroads carry freight at
/ profit for half a cent ton per mile.
4 ton of water contains 285 gallons, so
hat, allowing so gallons of water to each
person, the railroad would carry sup
by for family of FIVE the distance of
! mile for half cent. 1t would cost
1-2 cents as freight from til, Jake to
rochester, assuming that the distance
5 seven miles. Thirty tons is an ordi-
lary load of Goals on a gondola car,
nd locomotive would have no lift
ulty in drawing train of twenty cars,
r 800 tons, holding III, 600 gallons. If
ne train made twelve trips day-a
Moderate estimate for a run of seven
niles-we get 2, 052, 900 gallons Of wa
er. You see there is virtually no limit
D the amount of water you can bring
D town in that way, and the plant-re-
uired is neither expensive nor difficult
} make.
Two or three steam pumps of sind
nat can be found ready made, the ship
IT carrying the water. and the tank
ars are the principal novel features of
lie whole, and any good mechanic can
g them all up in q short time. The
AN, l tell you, is entirely practical,
nd when | have bad a chance to con
~; - ship carpenter as to the
) -, In hass=sSsa,51