, 1890-09-12
a crrys WATER SUPPLY IN TANKS.

A ciTYS WATER SUPPLY m TANKS.
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 l have looked at it from
all points, and the more l 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 l I'm in
fear about As it is, after a rough cal
culation l estimate that this plan will
give this city and other places pure wa
ter at low price and in unlimited guam
tity. The whole plan is 10 bring the
water in a vessel made for the purpose 81
FROM a point in the lake so far from
shore that there will be no chance Of il
containing impurities.
The vessel would be somewhat on
tile plan OF the floats used in New
York for carrying garbage out to sea
and dropping it in the ocean through
the bottom IF the vessel. In the a 3
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 a trap in the bottom.
When we had our vessel full of the pure
and sparkling water we would tow it to
the harbor by a tug, and pump the
water into tank cars specially made for
the purpose and running like ordinary
freight cars on the common track. The
cars could be provided with trap dooN
or valves through which to discharge
their liquid contents into a reservoir
over which the train would run, just as
a coal or wheat car rum and drops its
load. This plan, Of course, would only
be adopted where the system was TO be
applied on "A large scale. Where the
idea was to be adopted as n temporary
eNpedient 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
a profit for half IA cent a ton per mile.
A ton Of water contains 2S5 gallons, so
that. allowing 80 gallons of water TO each
person, the railroad would carry e sup
ply for a family of five the distance OF
a mile for half a cent. 1t would cost
3 l-2 cents as freight from the lake to
Rochester, assuming that the distance
is seven miles. Thirty tons is an ordi-
nary load Of Goals on n gondola car,
and a locomotive would have no diff
Guilty in drawing a train of twenty cars,
or 600 tons, holding III, 900 gallons. II
one train made twelve trips a day-a
moderate estimate for a run of seven
miles-we get 2, O52, 900 gallons of wa
ter. You see there is virtually no limit
TO the amount of water you can bring
TO town in that way, and the plant re-
quired is neither expensive nor difficult
TO make.
Two or three steam pumps of a kind
that can be found ready made, the ship
for carrying the water and the tank
ears are the principal novel features of
lne WHOLE anu any BOOu mecliaihc Gail
rig them all up in n short time. The
plan, l tell you, is entirely practical,
and when l have had n chance to con
suit with some ship carpenter as 10 the
cost Of the vessel, and with the railroad
managers as to the best rates they can
give on freight, l may give you more in
relation to IL.
Jus fancy" continued the pro-
jector, how easy IL would be to estab
a reservoir in the vicinity Of Burke
park and keep IL tuA-ot water by a
train at tank cars running TO GHd1rom
charlotte.
If the cost of carrying the water by
rail should prove too great, " the pro-
jector added, Is though he had caught
another idea, then l shall figure on
the exPediency of bringing the water
from Lake Erie in canal boats. All We
want in that case is a feet Of boats that
we can run into the lake, fill with pure
water, tow down here and pump the
contents into the reservoir. ! intend TO
call the attention of the Chicago people
TO the plan of bringing water in ships
from beyond the sewage line."-Roch-
aster Post Ernrasg