Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-08-22
CORRESPONDENCE.
A Costly Mistake.
ROSI BUKV'i NID'' mug, IT, I60I 7.
To the MINING JOURNAL.

To the MINING JOURNAL.
The undersigned, in justice to him
self, wishes to say to the public that
he is not responsible for the muddy
water that has been in the pipes, the
shortage of water, nor the work at
present being done in the reservoir.
The latter he considers waste of
money without receiving any benefit
in return. He understands a second
wall in front of the present is to be
built, but TO go further below the sur
face. The expenditure is Il waste, be-
cause there is no guarantee that an
impervious stratum will be reached at
reasonable distance. The present
wall goes five feet below the surface.
If such a st,utum should be reached,
say in ten feet, there is nothing to pre-
vent the water escaping around the
ends of the wall. Besides, there is
every evidence that beneath the sur
face of the bottom stream of water
runs, which will not rise into the reser-
voir, and must have an outlet. Nature
has already given one. and it would be
best to leave this channel alone. To
open down to it is to make an escape
for the water to be impouuded. If
this water-course has strong cover
ing placed over it, and then an
imperyious coat, the water course will
be permitted to have its own way, as
in the past, and the water of the reser-
yoir preserved intact. The same object
might be attained if the second wall
entirely encircled the bottom of the
reservoir, resting upon an impervious
bottom. But what an expense And
ought not the source of this water
be determined? But the majority will
not permit it. The undersigned re-
quested that the reservoir be attended
to six weeks ago, in which case the
muddy water of the sides would have
been prevented, and sufficient water
impounded to supply the town for
from 40 to so days. Ordinarily the
springs yield about 100000 gallons 6:
day in excess of the towns con
sumption. In drought the yield
fails to probably so, 900 below this con-
sumption. Then the reservoir is
needed, and it can easily be seen that
the storage of 100000 gallons, max
ing due allowance for evaporation and
other losses, would be ample for at
least six weeks.
To make the reservoir water-tight,
the original plan of last summer, or
some modification thereof, should have
been put into execution. That plan
was to build a strong water-tight wall
uI on a solid bottom (not necessarily
an impervlous bottom, as it was not
known if such eXisted,) and then line
the sides with concrete or clav. In
other words, the object was to form "a
watertight Extraordinarily if one
did not exist naturally.
The bids received one year ago call
for tagging and pudding. 1t was not
done before the winter set in for lack
of time. This April, for economy's
sake, portion was concerted, but that
not proving sufficient, the Board di-
vided as to the method of procedure,
the majority favoring a second wall,
the undersigned wishing either to con-
crete or puddle that is, give the
original plan fair trial, which it has
never had. An exempllfication Of
the plan can be seen in the reservoirs
of Philadelphia. There no masonry is
used; the sides, which do not extend
into the hill, are earth entertainments,
but the whole interior is puddled with
clay.
A large bed of good pudding clay
lies within 800 or 600 feet of our reser
voir, with the haul down hill. After
it was in position the bottom could be
covered with flags, and the sides with
riprap, thus protecting the clay from
muskrats, crawfsh, beating rains and
the Washing of waves. The riprap is
is the only af;er-thought not forming
part Of last years plan.
Should, however, the plan of the
majority prove successful, its members
will deserve credit for their sagacity,
and none will yield it to them more
heartily than their colleague.
ALEXANDER C. HAvERSTICK.