Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-10-04
A BROKEN PUMP
At Tas CITY WATER WORKS EkPHASZE TIE
DANGER OF FURTHER DELAY
In the Matter Of Authorizing the Purchase Of thsNsw
Machinery Deemed Necessary BY the Board.
An IAisrTisw Which Sets Forth
the Situation.

The failure Of Council, and its Committee
on Finance, to do something with the pend
ing proposition Of the Water Board to en-
large the pumping capacity of the works to
meet the pressing requirements OF the sit
uation, is provoking good deal ofno very
favorable comment, about the city, there
being a general realization of the gravity OF
the case.
Yesterday Superintendent Cummings,
OF the Water Department, reported that
the big Gordon-Maxwel pump was in
disabled condition, and that it must be shut
down for day or two, thus throwing the
entire burden of supplying the city upon
the two old plunger pumps and the worm
| ington. AS the city needs ABOUT o,oOO,VOo
! to Z, 0OO, 600 gallons per day during TINS sort
Of weather, and the Worthingtonls only aole
to supply 3, 900, 900 gallons, and each OF the
pluneer plumps loo, 600, a total of 5,0O0,OOO
gallons, the situation is not altogether IA
yorabe. and another break or enforced
stoppage would, of necessity, put the com
munity upon short ratiOns, with the added
danger of fire, to which calamity we are
always liable, staring US in the face. For-
tunately the accident to the big pump IS Oh
such a nature that it will likely be running
again tonight, but the fact that 1t was OH
Yesterday illustrates the point the REGIS
TER and the Water Board have been
making. that the city is running risk, I'M
der the present state OF affairs, and ought
not 10 tempt the fates any further than is
absolutely necessary.
Yesterday a reporter for the REGISTER
saw Mr. Mortimer Pollock, the President
of the Water Board and asked Tor his
views upon the necessities OF the situation.
He said
at is Just this: We have big and cost
ly new basiD-a prime necessity 10 our
city, as every one Notwithstanding idle, Tor
the want Of s-achinery adeq uate 70 the la
Dor Of filling 1t with water and keeping IL
full. Not only that, but there is decided
element of danger in the situation as re-
CARDS the old machinery. for the consump-
tion of water is so large that we are forced
TO either run all our pumps all the time, or
speed the Gordon-MaXwell up TO
fifty per cent. beyond the labor
it was built TO do. Every machln-
ist knows what that means. We
carefully enquired into the case. ascertain
ed what the department needed in the way
of new machinery, formulated PROPOSE
ton for manufacturers of pumps, which
was accepted by them, and we to-day stand
ready TO have the machinery put into het
pumping station and will pay for IL
ourselves, out Of the revenues or
the Board, without asking the gen
eral city treasury FOR a dollar. We create
no deot or obligation on the part OF the
city, for our contract with the successful
bidder would bind him to put in the ma
chinery and guarantee it for five years, the
CITY to run il, and to pay, semi-annually,
such amounts as could be spared from the
department treasury. No interest is
charged, and if any accident happens to
the machinery within the term Of five
years, the firm putting it in must put
il ia order at their own expense. This !
proposition is a most advantageous one for
the city, and there is great and pressing
necessity for the Improvement, and yet
valuable time is allowed to slip away. The
community is running grave risk in thus |
trihing over this matter To-day our
largest pump is of, and in the face Of a
probable consumption Of 10000 600 or 7,0O0,- |
900 gallons, we are only able to pump 5000, !
COO"
us there much trouble, ordinarily, in |
keeDing the reservoir fulgn
Eyes. IL the early morning, the machin- |
cry running all night, we gain on the de- |
mand, and the basin will be as full as it !
will hold BY one or two O'Clock in the |
afternoon the water Will be nearly all gone, !
although we are pumping right along, and
there is no supply for an emergency, the
machinery, in effect, pumping right into
the pipes. [ know Of one morning, recent
ly, when the reservoir was full at six
O'Clock, and at nine the water had fallen
eighteen inches, despite all that the pumps
could do"
what is the capacity of the proposed
new pumps"
1--WE contemplate putting in two pumps Of
q capacity OF $500, 0U0 gallons per DAY each,
or total Of 100000 gallons. That would
give US an ample supply. Our best pump.
at present, is the Gordon Maxwell. 1t WIS
built TO pump 4.O0O.00O gallons in twenty
four hours, but by speeding it up we can
get ), 500, 900 or 100000 out of il. 1t is a
big strain, however. Sometimes, during
hot summer weather, the consumption of
water runs up to nearly 100000 gallons.n
"Do you think the Water Board has the
authority to proceed, without the action Of
CouuclW
Il do, most assuredly. When 1t became
apparent that the Council and the Commit
tee on Finance was not disposed to hurry,
l was personally III favor of opening the
bids, accepting one of them, making out
and signing the contract for the prosecu-
ton of the work, aud then sending the
matter to CouHcil, for ratification, but
others on the Board were not disposed to
do this, and as n result the bids were re-
turned, as has been stated in the REGISTER.
Aside from this, it is my settled opinion
that the Board has the power to take in
dependent action, so long as it does not ask
for money from the general city treasury.
The new reservoir has been cited II il
true that the Council primarily authorized
the construction of the reservoir, on an
estimated outlay But when the Board found
that il would not hold water, they went
ahead and enlarged IL, and spent about as
much money as was at first contemplated
They paid the bills, we have a good
reservoir, and the action of the Board was
never called in question"
Then you look upon the contemplated
new machinery as an item Of necessary eX-
pense, needed to maintain the efficiency Of
the worksp'
Exactly 1t is true that it viii involve
100000, but do not see that the sum in.
volved changes the principal OF the thing.
If it was 3, 900 or $4,000 it would be all
right, no doubt"
tsThere has been some talk of a PROPOSE
ton to put in apdmp at the old reservoir 10
pump into the new basin"
Eyes; have heard of it, but il does not
commend itself. The city would practical
" be dividing its plant and multiplying its
employees 10 no purpose. They would have
to handle the water twice, az an increased
expense, and without any advantage that
arn able TO see"
"A disadvantage would be trying to keep
100000 reservoir full out of 100000
gallon Notwithstanding like filing
barrel out Of quart cup, with syringel"
Yes. that would be about II l don't
think the idea ought to prevail. To go
back to the main question, l think we
ought 10 be permitted TO get to work
promptly, as it will take years work to
get new plant in operation. You see.