Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-12
TIE WATsRWORKS.
Supt. Murrin Talks Of .'B's.. Com.
plants About the Service.
Where the Fault H., End the Only wav
IL Can be Rene died-The
City Council Knows
the SITUATION.

w eho signed
by "B. appearing in the Union of Tues.
day and asserting that the destruction Of
School Building No 6by fire, was caused
By the inc Efficiency of the superintendent,
OF waierworks, on account of pumps
being out of repair and hydrants me-
elected which accounts for the CITY buv.
ing new pump, supt. of Waterworks
Murrin, who was accosted by an ARGUS
represe NATIVE on the subject this morn>
ing. said: THE fact that the city is going
TO purchase a new pump, don't 90 to
show that the works have been permitted
to run down. Where you have direct
pressure system as we have here, without
reservoir or stand pipe to insure safety,
the machinery should be duplicated so
that II one set breaks down you can run
the other set, which we cannot now do.
as the old gangs and rotary pumps we're
only 100000 gallons capacity per day
when new, and have not capacity enough
now for domestic consumption, let alone
fire purposes.
The qusdruplex pumping engine had
been in service nine years last Apr !, and
is doing as good service as ever and has
never been found wanting yet when
called upon. invite examination and l
guarantee it viii stand inspection. At
the time of the fire at School No. 6 the
guage on the engine showed los pounds
water pressure and held it for over an
hour IN til the 12-inch water main bursted.
Before. The main broke the engine was
pumping at the rate of 9 300. 600 gallons
per day, and after the bresksge we were
pumping at the rate of over 6 DOC, 900
gallons to maintain the as pounds water
pressure.
b suggests that if the mains are not
strong enough to stand the pres sure of
the present works they will not stand
pump OF greater capacity. The capac-
ity of the pump has nothing to do with
the wster pressure whatever If we don't
have to pump over the guaranteed capac>
ity of tie quadrupe engine We can get
$50 pou nds water pressure or more if de-
sired. About testing water mains and
hydrants the water pipes are all SUBJ
Jected To hydraulic test of 800 pounds
to the square inch before they leave the
foundry, and see by the report Of supt.
Cramer. when the new pumps we're tested
in August. 1882. they had 155 pounds
water pressure. After they are tested
once they are supposed to be all right. and
there is no more sense in testing them
after to see il they will blow up than
there is in testing a steam boiler every
month to see if it will blow up.
about the hydrants think the firemen
will bear me out in the assertion, that
since took charge of the works in Feb,
1889. they never went to a hydrsnt that
was not in working order. and I have
heard few if any complaints Of not hsv-
ing enough pressure. know where the
trouble is, and so does the council. Mis-
takes made in the past should not be
charged to me. and the council is trying
to rectify them as fast as possible. Our
water m aims are altogether too small for
fire purposes, especially near the out
skirts of the city. The farther you get
away from the pumping station and the
smaller the mains, the more friction you
have to overcome.
AT School No. they had doublejhy-
drsnt of a 4-inoh main, and had two
streams from it. Each stresm went
through over 900 feet of hose. The
other stream was from single hydrant,
with over 1000 feet of hose; so. taking
two streams of 4-inch main at
dead END through such long section of
hose, it was almost impossible to get
much pressure. AS TO BIS remark
about the steam cylinder and gusges at
tie works, II he Can give us any pointers
they will be thankfully received. MIR.
Holy. the man who designed and super
intended the construction of the pump,
was ut the works three weeks ago, and
vas we'll nIeased and felI prOud that il