The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-17
BREAK In THE PUMP.
The True Condition of Affairs
ct Last Confessed.
SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG.
1he Majors Of the Holly Pump Nay
HAVE 60 Send IN Export EaginssP-
BaFsting Of Gate CAP.

The frequent denials that anything was
wrong with the Holly pump at Lake
Washington station, and the recent ''cer-
tihcats" Of two experts that the pumps
were in good condition. have received
very grim comment by the bursting of
cap" on the gate ct the Lake Washington
end Of the big main. It occurred on
Wednesday. but the employees kept silent
about it until the fact leaked out. The &C
cident in itself was not very serious, and
was one against which the manufacturers
guarded by having . duplicate In readi-
ness. which was soon placed in position;
but IL has led to discovery of the fact that
something is very seriously wrong with
one OF the Holly pumps. 1t is a compound
pump. and one part may be worked with
out the other. One part 10 in apparently
good order. but the other is in such bad
condition that it is not improbable re-
Quest may be sent to the makers at Lock-
port, N. Y. for an expert engineer to come
to Seattle and see what is wrong.
Even at the time the two members of
the committee reported "all's we'll" the
pump was wrong. and that fact was known
to at least some of the officials. although
they may not have been the persons
The pump is pounding" or vibrating.
Mr.. J. M. Colman has spent part of three
days endeavoring to ascertain the cause,
but 30 far without success. He has ex-
pressed his determination to discover it /;
but last night positively declined to say q
word on the subject, either of the ''pound-
ing' or the breaking Of the ''cap" until
his examination is completed.
H. IS H. h~1> ~
ter is the stubbornness with which efforts
were made to conceal the true state of af-
fairs until secrecy was no longer possible.
The result 10 that the public has entirely
lost confidence in the management of the
water system. Where tho blame is to be
located cannot be determined until MI.
Colman's report is made.
Commissioner Van Brocklin, of the
board of public works. was asked yesterday
if he had any explanation to offer.
"The bursting of the cap was, in my
opinion" he said. ''due to the strain
through using only one of the pumps.
The other is not working because Mr..
Colman il making an examination. The
breaking of the cap did very little damage.
and we put in another. The delay was
due to the time consumed IN sending q
man to shut off the other gate near the
reservoir. to prevent the return Of the
water down the main till the gate at the
lake end could be fixed. We started up
both pumps SO as to fill the reservoir again,
and tomorrow Mr.. Colman will continue
his examination.
1.-THE Holly pump is a~splendid piece of
machinery. and it is puzzle what causes
the pounding on one side. The Holly
company's engineer. at the time the pump
was tested, assured the board that the
pounding was due only to the newness of
the engine. know, of course, that when
. new pice OF machinery like that is started
it is necessary to keep the parts little
easy till they work smoothly. Too tight
bolts would cause an overheating.
II cannot imagine what can cause the
trouble, and Mr.. Colman has so far been
unable to trace it."
Not only has the pounding" been going
on, but the connecting rod has broken
twice. that being due to the same original
cause as the pounding. There seems also
to be leak in the interior. which may be
either the cause or the result, but is di-
rectly connected with the general unsatis-
factory condition.
The Pacific Insurance Union, of San
Francisco, has wired its agents in this city
to meet and appoint q committee to ex.
anime the condition and needs of the
water works of this city, and to urge upon
the city council the necessity of at once
taking steps to secure another pump for
reserve purposes of about 5000, 600 gallons
per day capacity.