The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-05
THE NEW WATER WORKS
A BUSY SCENE AT TIE SITE OF
THE BUILDINGS.

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Two Hundred Men at Work on the
Foundations and Substructures.
The System 60 Be in Operation by
October-The Wells and the Con
duit-Some of the Obstacles That Pie
Contractors Have Had to Contend
With-The Laying OF the New
Mains in the City.
Work on the new water works is pro-
crossing rapidly, and by October Savan-
nahians will be enjoying the blessings of a
supply Of unadulterated artesian water,
pumped from as fac system Of works as
there is in the United States.
The site Of the new plant at Gwinnett
street and Styles avenue is a lively place
Over 200 hands are at work there daily,
and the contractors are pushing things with
a vim.
The outer foundation wall Of the boiler
room, which is three feet thick, IL up TO the
| level of the ground, and the force Is now
| getting the engine room in shape. The con.
crete flooring, three feet thick, is
almost completed. and the foundation for
the engine, which is already upon the
| ground, is finished with the exception of the
| placing of the cepstoHes in position. The
| hosting gearing to lift the machinery in
place is being erected, aud work on that
portion Of the plant will start in few days.
THE ENGINE FOUNDATIONS.
The foundation for the second engine Is to
| be laid a few feet from the first. Work on
1t will begin shortly. The engine room is
| 75xl24 feet, and is arranged so that two
additional engines OF the same size as the
! others can be put in at any time should the
| necessity arise. The boiler room Is also
ample, being 75xS2 feet.
Just south of and joining the engine
room are thu wet AID weir wells. The for
mer is l24 feet long, 10 feet wide and IA
feet deep and the latter As feet inches
long, II feet wide and II feet Deep
The south wall Of the wet we'll will also
be the wall of the water works building
proper. The conduit will flow directly
into the wet well, from which the
engines will pump insteai Of
pumping from the wells themselves as Is the
case at the present works. The twelve ar
tesian wells which have been completed and
capped are expected when out off to flow
1000, 900 gallons Of water daily into the
conduit. This will keep the wet well con-
stantly supplied, aud the weir well will take
care Of the overflow.
The CONDUIT
The conduit work is being pushed with a
force of 100 men and IL is now we'll ad-
NhhOo4 dOHu les dNbuu6 bDWhTu LO6
river. The construction OF conduit is an
interesting process. The ground is exca-
waited % feet deep and As feet
long, when bulkheads are put
in with board bracsd on
the sides. pulsomster is then used TO re-
move the water. Next concrete cradle
fifteen inches thick is laid, after which the
bricklayers come in aud construct the cir
oular sewer.
The earth excavated from one bulkhead
length is used to ill In the completed ones
in a manner which necessitates but one
handling. An ingenious invention ls used
to do this. An iron pulley arrangement,
similar TO the package railroad system Ia
use in dry goods stores is erected over the
excavation. A number Of iron buckets are
hung on each side and can be dropped to the
workmen by means of a rope. While the
right side set is being filed
those on the left are at the other end OF the
contrivance. As soon as one set of buckets
is loaded it is hooked lifted up on the track
and started along to the place to be filed
where the buckets are dropped and dumped,
the empty buckets in the meantime passing
on to take their load. This is kept up
steadily all day, and 10 proves to be great
labor-saviug invention.
TROUBLE WITH QUICKsAND.
In constructing the conduit a great deal
Of Inconvenience has resulted from a strata
OF quicksand which has been found at
varying depths after getting through the
clay subsoIl A timber force has had to be
kept following up the excavators to dry
the earth in order to work it. The
strata is diminishing, however, as the ex-
cavation gets nearer the river and little
trouble is expected from it in the future.
The pulsometer. which is used to keep the
water out OF the excavation is the first ma
chine of its character ever seen IN this Sec
NaGvR En- 3d.
up through pipe are exactly like a pulse,
from whence it derives its name.
Contractor Cooley will complete the lay
ing OF the big Gwinnett street main within
a week. He has seventy-flve men at work
and Is now within 600 yards Of the works.
As soon as this job is completed he will start
on the West Broad street main with force
sufficiently large to conplste the work by
May /,
HURRYING UP THE WORK.
The clay taken out of the conduit and
other excavations is being used Co fill ia
the low land around the water works aud
also the holes in Gwinnstt street.
Contractor Chaplin, who Ia doing the
brick work, lives on the ground. He has a
temporary house co structed, In which he
sleeps, cooks aud eats.
Alderman Cam, chairman Of the water
committee, who has charge of the work, is
we'll pleased with its progress. He has
worked hard aud faithfully in the matter
since be was placed at the head
OF the water committee, and
the completion OF the works
will be an achievement for him. The total
cost to the city will be about 1850, 100.
Through his financial management the
alderman managed to get five years time
on the payment Of the pumps and proper
tomato time on the other machinery, by
this means amply keeping the cost withia
the city's income.
The new water works, when completed,
will be permanent pumping station for
Savannah, no matter how large it grows.