Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-02
IN DANGER OF FAMINE
Brilliant Station 0vertaxed by the
Increase in Population.
ALL THE RESERVE Is IN SERVICE
If There Is an Accident the Water Supply
Is Bound to Cease.
WILCOX WANTS MORE ENGINES AT ONCE

A slight accident at the Brilliant Water
Works during the present summer would
produce water famine in this city. Such
is the substance of report to Chief Bige-
low by Superintendent Wilcox, of the
Bureau of Water Supply. The average daily
pumping at the Brilliant works during
July last year was AZ, 39O, 900 gallons, and
even at that it was with great difficulty
that the pumps could maintain over three
or four feet of water in the reservoir The
natural growth of the city in the past year
is expected to demand tar greater amount
of water than was consumed last summer,
but the maximum capacity of the pumps,
under the most favorable circumstances is
only Al, 900, 900 gallons day. Superinten-
dent Wilcox says there is little doubt but
that amount will be required during the hot
months of the present year, and should an
accident disable any one of the pumps it is
easy to imagine the result.
The Engines Are In Danger.
That there is a danger of such an accident
to one or even more of the pump engines it
is only necessary to quote paragraph from
the report, which will also be interesting
to those who remember the scandal con-
nected with the building of these same
pumps away back in the seventies. The
Superintendent SAYS:
"In examining the engines early in the
year cracks were found in four of the large
quadrants or working beams On engines
Nos. and 4, one beam on each have had
tension bands shrunk ON them and may last
for years. But there is cracked beam on
Nos. and 2 engines which will need re-
pairing before long. IF the reinforce bands
put on 3 and do not hold the beams well,
it will be necessary to put in new beams"
As a measure of safety the Superintend-
ent recommends that the work of putting
in new pumps be commenced at once, as
two years will be required before they can
be completed for actual work. As a meas
ure of economy as we'll as safety COM
plete new set of modern tubular boilers is
recommended. The present boilers are
worn out, wasteful and unfashioned. and if
the kind suggested is adopted there will be
q saving of 25 per cent in fuel obtained
Some interesting figures of the cost of
pumping water are given. The cost of nat
ural gas fuel in February and March last
year was S3, 750 month, but after the in
PRODUCTION of Lima oil in September the
figures jumped to s13, ,442 62, and in Novem-
Der, S15,3 1868 r. The average cost of pump
ing 1000, 900 gallons to the Highland reser-
voir varied from So SO to s14 Y, and the
total cost of pumping for the year was
$126, 29S 70. The cost of pumping ! ,000, 900
gallons one foot high averaged 2.41 cents.
Want FueI-saving Appliances.
According to Mr. Wilcox, Pittsburg is
years behind in the economical use of fuel,
and he says that the extraordinarily low
cost of maintaining our water supply for the
past seven years was not due to the steam
plant or pumping engines, which have
dropped back in the march.of progress,
but to the fact that mere nominal sum was
paid for natural gas as fuel under contract
which had no regard for the amount used.
The whole boiler outfit of the city, he says,
is old, coated with scale, patched from end
to end and Of type which would not be
tolerated where fuel is expensive Natural
gas, he states further, is not yet appreciated
to its full value and probably never will be
until there is necessity for a general re-
turn to coal.
The water assessment for 1892 was turned
over yesterday to the City Treasurer for
collection of the tax, excepting the Nine
teenth ward, which will reach SAC, 900. The
other wards are assessed as follows: First,
s43, 11s; Second, S39 1856 Sc; Third, s56, TT 80;
Fourth, S45,411 so; Fifth, s22, 351; Sixth,
$50, S44 Seventh, SIC, ,557 so; Eighth, ST.
S46 so; Ninth, S27, 1854; Tenth, S14, 537 so;
Eleventh, s29.071; Twelfth, S44, ,694 rs; Thir-
teenth, $26, ,961 %; Fourteenth, S57 ,O31;
Fifteenth, S22,S15; Sixteenth, S34, 4,776;
Seventeenth, S39,311; Eighteenth, S15.-
IT so; Twentieth, S5s,S Twenty-frst,
S3S, 40 70; Twenty-second. SS,O41 25;
Twenty third, S15,665 50; total, S7o6, ,267 36.