Grand Rapids herald., 1892-09-18
HOW TO GET WATER
The Cook Ertesian Well Sys-
tenn az Memphis.
TEST OF The GREAT PUMPS
With Their Capacity Of al, 100000 Gal
Ions Per Day-W. L. Goats Opinion
OF Local Strata Conditions.

which tue Cook well system Is used ,rel-
alive 10 obtaining . ooneensus of opin-
ion ia reference 10 the ability Of that
system 10 furnish per manent supply
OF water. A few days ago he received
tue following letter from R. c. Groves,
president OF the ArteEan Meter com
pany of Memphis, Tennessee: - am
10 receipt of yours OF Angus, 81 in re-
gard to the Cook wells and our sue
Cess with same. We are now IN the
NTH year in the use of the Cook we'll
strainer and have supplied the city OF
Memphis entirely for the past three
years, usingthe Cook stvaIner. II you
have anything like the conditions un-
derlying your city as We have Ia Menu
pnls, there can be no question about the
Cook strainer's being the best. | think
| the manufacturers OF the strainer can
adapt the same 20 your conditions.
whatever the sand msy be-that is,
/ whether IL Is coarse or iine. We made
test OF our pumping engines yester-
day. newspaper report of which |
| send You herewith. We developed 2S,-
/ OOO,O 900 gallons per day without any
| trouble. Ii your city contemplates
I large expenditure of money II will pay
/ you 10 send your engineer here TO IN
| spect our works. We Will put him IN
| possession OF the facts as they exist
| here and doubtless great deal can be
| learned"
In reference to the test of the engines
| and the consequent test of the capacity
ef the well, Memphis papers said:
| Report of the Test.
A most successful and pleasing test
was made Yesterday afternoon of the
| capacity of the pumps Of the Artesan
Water company, which supplies the
| city with water. There is used by the
city about S,500,000 gallons of water
daily. One engine supplies this need.
Yesterday all three engines were go
| ing, pumping at the rate of y, S,000,0 900
gallons OF water.
The company's plant is situated
! back of the Louisville 4 Nashville
depot, beside the railroad tracks. Ii ls
handsome structure, built OF pressed
| brick, and containing three Worthlng-
| ton vertical, high duty engines, or
| pumps, built especially for the plant,
at cost of $l55, 900. These stand in a
huge circular pit, or dry well, 20 feet
deep, lined with brick and cement, and
lighted with electricity. DOub!e-deck
platforms of open iron work, connect
Ell by spiral stairs, render access to
all parts of the machinery easy. Be-
low the dry well is the wet well, % feet
deep, where the water accumulates be-
fore 1t is pumped up. A stand-pipe
| rises In the center of the pit, which is
| tapped by the connecting mains. The
pit alone coat S6f.0 without piece
of machinery IN 1t.
Capacity of Pumps
The pumps have each Il capacity of
10000, 900 gallons day, and one of
them making an average of S,000,C q
day ls sufficient to supply the needs of
the city.
Curious as it may seem, Memphis is
extravagants with Its water supply,
slxty-four gallons day to each person
being the proportion, while in London
twenty-five gallons day per capita IS
considered ample.
The source of the supply is from a
huge tunnel or vladuct half a mile
long, ninety feet below the SUI face,
charged by sixty odd wells, eighteen of
which are connected with the new tun-
mel just being completed. These sixty
wells vary in depth from $50 TO 500
feet. They cover an area OF many
acres. These wells are of heavy
wrought iron tubing, such as is gener-
ally used for large steam pipes. These
tubes are about twenty feet long and
are screwed together. At the bottom
Of this tube and connected to II, $50
feet or more below the surface, Is Il
brass stralner fifty feet long. 1t is a
seamless tube, sawed full of horizontal
Sits, of which there are $4,000. The
pressure of the water IS such that il
forces the water higher than the high
water mark of the Mississippi! river.
Connecting all these wells are tunnels
seventy-tive feet below the surface of
the ground. The man tunnel is five
feet inside diamater and nearly 5000
feet long, and conveys the water flow
ing into It from the wells 10 the pump
we'll. where the big pump forces 1t INTO
the city mains. In no way can water
get into the wells or tunnels save as ID
comes from the arteslan sands, $50 or
900 feet below the surface, pure health
giving and refreshing.
Largest IN tho World
The pumping station s the largest of
lts kind in the world, and that there
is no other city the size of Memphis
where srtesian water Is IN such general
use. The feature of tho occasion was
the exhibition Of surplus water made
in reservoir close 10 the station.
The waste water, or IN other words
the water not used by the city. was
turned through a measuring vat and
out INTO the Bayou Gayoso. The over
flow tank g forty feet long. twelve
feet vide and nine feet deep. At the
north end the water "a forced in from
the mains and boiis and bubbles up
| Ike some mighty mountain stream
that las been pent up for miles and
Suddenly breaks forth from its rocky
eavsrns and trlcs 10 seek the level OF
its source far I'D on the opposite side
81 the uountsn. lt sGrges from here
ON through the tank ant falls fifteen
feet over the exhaust way into a foam
ling. seathing macs Of waters below
that more than hi the drain. The
/ volume Of water that pours over the
partition "a five feet wide by two
deep. aud every drop e clear as cry
stal
At4.co O'Clock sharp The frat wave
Tapped over the SIDE of the partition
and in Eve minutes = steady stream
was flowing over 70, whle the water
wa> rushing chs dam proper ~ the rate
o. p 600 coo gallons a day, quantity