The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-02
IN AND ABOUT THE CITY.
The WATER SUPPLY PROBLEM.
The Pumps overworked and Not

~AC q jumps OVerWOEAc4 oAQ NOb
nou9h Water Then.
Tne deepening of the ten-inca well at the
water works has not, thus far. resulted in
any appreciable increase in the volume Of
water, although depth Of something over
800 feet has been attained.
The water problem is becoming a very
| serious one, and it is expected that the city
council will. tonight, take some action
looking to an improvement Ia the water
| supply, as the pump is still drawing
a portion of the water from
the river, and this condition of affairs must
o1ntinue t. exist until some remedy is APP
| piled. When the pump begins TO pump air
| the river II drawn upon 70 fill the vacuum,
and tins mixture of river water without its
Impurities being precipitated Is seat into
the mains with the artesian water and
enters into private consumption.
Physicians say that the use of this water
| is the cause of bowel disorders, many of
which are of an aggravated character, ana
as long as the river water Is supplied, it is
suggested that before the citizens drink the
water they should uss three grains OF alum
! TO gallon of the water to precipitate the
impurities. The alum also lends astriugent
qualities to the fluid, and in the proportion
used is tasteless.
The lack of water supply to keep the closet
| pipes IN houses flushed aad of storm water
AID water from the water works TO flush
the sewers are held to have caused more or
less sickness in the city.
Supt Manning. of the water works, says
that thu Well now being deepensd, although
mechanically disconnected from the other
| wells, is being drawn upon by them and this
| fact is demonstrated By the water rising in
and overfio wing the casing when the pump
was shut down to discolnect the WELL and
| when the pump was set to work on the
/ eas a,,t laa die4 ta1
well went down from seven to twenty-five
feet, at times, showing chat the vein of the
well Is closely connected with one or more
of the other wells.
Supt. Manning's theory of tue pump
taking air is that III the casing and pipes of
the wells being pumped from there are not
| less than from 400 to 500 feet joints, and
there must be many of them which are not
air tight This would continually cause a
vacuum. He thinks something must be
| done, and that soon, or there will be much
more cause for complaint during the
summer, as the demand will necessarily be
greater. The big pump is even now being
worked beyond Its registered capacity. IL
| IS, Supt. Manning says, supplying 100000
! gallons daily, and with the present system
the two pumps cannot be operated at the
same time
The recommendations for improving the
water works system, by Aldermen MIC
Donough, chairman of the water COM
mittee, at the last meeting of the council
! were referred TO the committee of tue
| whole, and it is expected that it will take
some action tonight This looks to an iu-
crease in the pumping capacity, an increase
in the mains, the sinking Of new wells and
the erection of a stand pipe SO that a
hydraulic pressure may be secured and
| maintained.
Temporary relief has been suggested to
obvlate the necessity of drawing any per-
zion of the waters supply from the river,
by constructing reservoir to be fed by a
conduit into which the water will How, by
cutting of the castings to a depth which will
permit the overflow into the conduit, and
pumping direct from the reservoir into the
mains. 1t is believed that this plan will
supply ali the water that the big pump
eau accommodate.
Supt. Manning says that il the waste
waste Of water by consumers could be stop
ped it would make a vast difference. Globe
valves are left open, ald i'll many cases
propped opeu, and the water is needlessly
wasted under the mistaken idea that little
water continually running through the
pipes in closets prevents the Introduction of
noxious gases into buildings. whereas moth
ing but flushing will do that when the
valves are open, and when closed the valve
is in itself the sanitary protection. He says
that some steps must be taken to stop the
| WuDAeSdIb WHSbS.
The idea has been suggested that the
present water works plant be retained and
the land adjoining the trGct now under
lease, be used to sink other wells, another
main be put down to the city, and a stand
pipe be put up on the water works tract Of
sufficient hight to give an automatic pres
sure which will force the water to the upper
stories of buildings.
1t is understood that Alderman McDoa-
ough proposes to test the apparatus recently
mentioned in the MORNING NEWS for To-
eating subterranean artesian veins, as it
has been discovered that in some places
water cannot be found, although the we'll
be sunk near other understanding wells, and
the late A. N. Miller, superintendent of the
water works, in putting down well struck
q vein Of artesian water, aud after the drill
went some distance deeper the water sud
denly disappeared as rapidly as cup of
water poured in rat hole. The well was
cased below the cavernous opening, and the
drill went further down in the water bearing
| rock and another flow obtained