The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-29
PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY.

Modern Systems and their H~istory-Prim-
itIve Works.
From available statistics and historic
duction OF water supply into houses by
pipes under pressure was in connection
with the London Bridge Water-works,
established in 1852. The earliest water
mains were of lead or wood, but it was
not until castiron came into use for this
purpose, about 1910. that the water supply
of cities and own began to receive its
full development.
The introduction Of pumping machinery
for domestic water supply dates from May
30. 1881. when a certain Peter Maurice
WAS grated loase to eract- an engine
within the first arch of London Bridge,
for the purpose OF supplying the city of
London with water. These works, it ap-
pears. proved SO successful that he was
granted the privilege Of erecting another
engine In the second arch of the bridge.
His pumping machinery consisted of an
undershot wheel. 90 feet in diameter,
having 26 floats Il feet long
S wheel Is gave inches motjon broad i'd m asoa
of toothed wheels and levers. of
16 pumps in such a manner that for every
revolution the plungers make 2 Is
strokes, each stoke amounting to two feet
six inches. The ~plungers were seven
inches in diameter. Il the water wheel
made about six revolutions per minute,
the speed depending upon the flow of the
tide. Making no allowance for slip, the
two wheels were Thus able to pump at the
rate of 1850. 900 gallons In twsnty-four
hours. The oldest water works In the
Uhlted states are supposed to be those at
Bethlehem. Pa. which were built In
1884 by Hans Christopher Christian
ant ruTltrrTrs1hr .-H
Denmark. The water was taken from q
spring issuing near the banks of the Men
OgasSl Greek, as it was then called, The
water was conducted $50 feet through an
underground conduit into a cistern, when
it was pumped by a f1ve-inch wooden
pump through bored hemlock logs to a
height Of seventy feet into a wooden tank
perienced frem the bursting of the pipes,
and as a remedy one and q quarter inch
pipes of sheet lead, soldered along the
edges n bedded in a cement of pitch
and brickdust and laid In 3 gutter were
tried. However. they do net appear TO
have given much satisfaction.
In 1862 Christensen, aided by one John
Arbo and one Marshall. built larger works.
An eighteen-foot understood wheel was
made TO drive three single acting iron
force pumps. having q fou inch bore and
eighteen inch stroke. The force main was
OF gumWood aud the distributing pipes
were of pitchpine. The latter had to be
renewed in 1869. In 1855 lead pipe was
substituted for the gumwood force main
and for most of the distributing
pipes. The last pitchpine pipe was
abandoned in 1871. The reservoir
was a little wooden tower. This was
removed in 1903 and a stone tower was
built. This was about fifteen feet high
and contained q tank at an elevation of
about one hundred and twelve feet above
the spring. A reservoir was built some
years later o. higher ground and the
water tower was abandoned. The triple
pumps also were replaced by one double
acting pump. In 1868 steam W was
used for pumping, and in 1874 the wooden
conduit from the spring to the pump
house was replaced by an eighteen-inch
iron pipe.
Until the year 1900 there were in the
United States, including Bethlehem, only
the following eight water works, given In
the order of the years of their construc-
ton: Providence, r. l., 1772; Salem.
Mass, 1796; Geneva, N. Y, and Ports
mouth. N. H., 1897; Worcester, Mass,
1898; Morristown. N. j., and Peabody.
Mass. 1899. From that time on progress
in the adoption of water WORKS has been
steady and uninterrupted, and now even
comparatively small towns enjoy the ad-
vantaSes afforded by them.--Fare and
Voter.