The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-13
THE PUMP A SUCCESS.
Economical Work Done by the
Five-Million-Gallon Holly.
ACCEPTED BY BOARD OF wdRks,
Tvo-Thirds Of the Coal CONSUMPTION
ssved-The Old Pumps Do Good
Work-Important Opinion.

The test OF the new 5000, 00-gallon
Holly pump, which was completed yester-
day morning, was an unqualified success
The trial took four days, and the result
was far beyond the expectations formed
BIZ the board. The chief test was to be
that the Holly pump would raise any
given quantity of water with half the
amount of coal needed by the two Worth.
ingtons and the Dow combined. The
Holly has 100000 capacity. the WORTH
ingtons Loo, 900 each and the Dow 2.0OO,-
QUO gallons. The result of the test was
that the Holly raised 3.672, l27 gallons
with q consumption of l8,GG6 pounds Of
coal; the two Worthingtons and Dow
raised 1888, $50 gallons and used 81, 90S
pounds of coal, or nearly three times the
Quantity consumed by the Holly pump.
The Holly Company, therefore, have done
far better than they agreed to. for the
economy of coal was to be one-half, but it
proved to be two-thirds.
Going more into detail is report upon
the test signed by G. H. Wright and
William Campbell, engineers employed by
the city, describing it as test to deter.
mine the relative economical efficiency of
a No. compound horizontal crank and fly.
wheel pumping engine manufactured by
the Holly Manufacturing Company, OF
Lockport, N. Y. over that of two COM
pound duplex pumps manufactured by
Worthington, of New York, together with
Dow tandem compound pump. Each
set OF pumps was required to fill the
reservoir from q given datum line to .
16-foot mark on gauge through 400 feet Of
2O-inch pipe without regard to time. the
object being to determine the amount of
fuel required by each set Of engines to per-
form the work. The static head from
vertica! center of reservoir to pumps as
shown by water-gauge is 277 feet. Tho
totsl lift from surface Of supply to vertical
center of reservoir Is 277 feet. The average
increase Of load or resistance by friction
On pumps a. shown by water-gauges was
rs follows: Worthington pumps, a.l2;
Dow pump, I.33; Holly pump, 8. The
test was supervised on behalf of the COM
pany by Philip Buehner and G. H. Ander-
son.
The report was declared satisfactory
and the test as fully complying with tho
conditions of the contract, and. with the
advice of the corporation counsel, the
board Of public works accepted the pump.
The petition for improving Window
street was again returned, as it was found
that many of the signers were on both the
petition and remonstrance.
The following important opinion by the
corporation counsel was read:
have the communication from the city
engineer under date OF August 8, relating to the
matter OF the Improvement OF Decatur street
under ordinance No. 1,7l7, which has been re-
fcrred TO me for m opinion. ! have investi-
gated the various proceedings that have taken
place in connection with this matter and find
them as follows:
In the spring OF the year 1891 there was pre-.
sented TO the city council q petition for the i'm.
provement OF Decatur street from Madison street
to Wyckoff street. This petition was such that
under the charter. a. 1t then read, the improve.
mcnt could not be paid for on the mode OF
immediate payment" but only on the mode Of
payment by bonds" The petition was In.
suficient to authorize an improvement In the
mode OF "immediate payment"
In April and May, 1891. the city council passed,
and on May z, 1891, the mayor approved
ordinance No. 1,717. which ordered that the Inn
provement be made and that payment be pro-
vided for BY the issuance OF honda
On June s, 1891, q contract was let to Matt
Brannagan to do the work ordered by the
ordinance and soon afterwards he entered upon
the work.
August /, 1891, the supreme court decided in
the matter of the bonds proposed to be issued
for improvement of Broadway that the bond
system contained IN our charter was invalid
aud that the city had no right to proceed under
It. On August 4, 1891, Mr.. Brsnnagan was mott.
fed to stop work. / understand that afterward
a petition was circulated to have the work paid
for by the immediate payment mode, and
that . number of the property owners signed
this petition, but how many of them am not
IL 49, a GSxA nhAt hSA lat
petition was ever acted upon by the city coun-
Gil or I'm any other way used ss q basis for any
new proceedings, except that after receiving the
petition the board of pubic works gave Mr..
Brannagan permission TO 60 ahead under his
contract am informed he then resumed work
aud continued until November, 1891, when he
ceased for some reason unknown, having COM
rleted about thres-fourths Of the whole i'm.
proveEcnt
These being the facts - laid before me am
OF the opinion that the city OF Seattle never au-
thorizsd the execution OF = contract for the I'M
p-ovement of Decatur street. The supreme
court has held, In the matter OF the Broadway
bonds, that the method provided in the city
charter for payment by bonds cannot b en-
forced. Ia deciding the casa the court says that
this proceeding 10 Al attempt on the part OF
the city to make itself primarily liable for the
cost o, the local improvement aud 10 make such
cost part OF its debt, and certainly such was
The lain intent OF the ordinance aud Of the
contract n the case of Decatur street Under
our state constitution. when city becomes in-
ceb,ed to she extent of IA per cent. OF the tax
abe property therein, IL cannot become further
indebted IN any manner. or for any purpose,
withou, he assent of th-ee-ffths OF the voters
Of the city voting at al electioa held for that
purpose. Consequently, when city is indebted
To tho extent OF IL per cent OF It's taxable prop
er;y. il can only legally order an improvement
in two ways First by providing special fund
10 he created by local assessment ana making
such fund primarily liable for tho cost oil the
Improvement; or. second, by making the cost OF
thu improvement. payable from money IN the
treasury or from the revenues 20 be derived py
ordinary taxation or other sources of income
for tie current year. Unless one of these two
modes he adopted, no liability attaches TO the
city by reason of any contract or attempt 10
create indebtedness which Is not authorised by
the voters, the city being indebted 10 the extent
before stated. An ordinance cannot DC valid
which under such circumstances ialis 10 pro-
vide the fund, aud attempts to make the city
liable by reason OF such failure II il were
otherwise, in all cascs the provisions 81 the
constitution could be evaded by mere pre-
tense
In the matter OF Decatur street, IL appears that
the city council clearly did not intend 70 have
the costs OF the improvement paid from ths
general road fund OF the city or from any money
:hcn in the treasury or the proceeds OF general
taxation or other sources of income during the
then current year. Ii plainly attempted to
create an Indebtedness, or an improvement on
credit. This being its intention. it was obliged
60 provide the fund because the city was tnen
Indebted IA. beyond the IL per cent limit us
attempt TO provide the fund was decarsd oy
the supreme court to be invalid and Illegal
consequently its purported contract was An az .
l~Exs ft.r lD latl