The herald., 1893-05-28
THE HILLS WILL HAVE WATER,
Great Progress Being Made in
Extending the Mains.
The City Water Company Extending
Its Service in All Directions.
Thc Transformation Being Worked with
the Old Citizens Company's Lines.
A Most Ingenious Pump
ing Power.

both in quantity and quality, will soon
be over. In few weeks, before the hot
weather can be expected to have set in,
their pipes will be filled with pure water
and plenty OF it. This matter 10 OF such
general interest that HERALD reporter
was yesterday detailed to examine into
the status of the water company's work
and report how fast progress was being
made.
The old Citizens Water company had
on College street two pumping stations
for filling their reservoirs. These latter
are on the north side Of College street
and have heretofore been supplied with
ater from the river, brought through
the Providencia ranch in ditch and
pumped up from "sump" on the
corner of College and Pearl streets.
The City Water company is now bus
ily engaged in remedying the defects
which have heretofore existed and have
inaugurated large system OF new
mains to supply the hills and will dis
card the use OF river water altogether,
using the naturally filtered water OBJ.
tanned from the crystal springs source
of supply.
AS an indication OF the amount OF
new mains being laid for this purpose
and to further extend the water service
of the city, the following statement will
convey an idea:
For the territory heretofore served by
the Citizens company line of 12-inch
mains is being laid down Everett Place |;
thence along Bellevue to Douglas street,
distance OF 300 feet; at this point it
meets a 10-inch main which will run
from Douglas to Temple street, and
down Temple to Union avenue, dis
tance of 2500 feet. These all connect with
what is known as the 'high reservoir"
Connecting with the slow reservoir"
down Peach to Bartlett street a line of 16-
inch mains is being laid for distance
OF 1466 feet, and from Bartlett to Temple
1900 feet of 12-inch pipe will connect
with it. This will give the hills total
of new mains aggregating 1856 feet, or
weeks will be filled with the purest
water in California, and the long-suffer-
ing people OF the hills will have plenty
of water to wash with, drink, and to
sustain their long-psrched lawns and
plants.
These old reservoirs of the Citizens'
company will be drained and graduBlly
overhauled, and then they will be filled
from the City Water company's beauti-
full resery DIR south OF the Southern Pa
ciic's railway tracks and north OF
Elysisn park, by q most ingenious con-
trivance.
Mr.. Mulholland, the superintendent
of the company, found himself confront
ed by q serious problem when his cor
poration The ssiTSofl rssifSSfs r6Fn 81 he
sy.s--roAil pnny are respectively 5000 feet
and TO- 300 feet from the city company's
reservoir, and at an altitude above that
reservoir of 100 feet and 800 feet respee-
lively, over which distance and up
which height it was necessary to pump
the water from the city company's res
ervoir. Now few things are more ex-
pensive than pumping by steam. Mr..
Wicks had, as already stated, two steam
pumping plants in his system, and the
bills for oil for fuel in one OF them ran
from 500 to $4,000 month. Mr.. Null
holland decided to avoid this expense,
and by the, aid of Pelton wheel ar
ranged q hydraulic pumping power
which forces the water easily over the
distance named, into the storage reser-
voirs. This wheel is run by river
water stream, but this water is used
purpose being returned to the river.
The water it pumps is the naturally
filtered fluid which comes from Crystal
springs, eight miles up the river. through
pipes all the way, not once being ex-
posed to any chance impurity.
1t may not be generally known that
this crystal spring water never sees the
light until it flows into the company's
reservoir in this city. 1t is taken from
an underground source, and is water
which has been cleansed and filtered by
its seepage through strata OF gravel and
sand un til it is absolutely pure. 1t is
collected in subterranean pipes, con-
Quoted by tunnel through which it
passes into the oompany's main reser-
voir.
But to return to Superintendent Null
hollands Pelton wheel. This ingenious
contrivance drives q massive pump
which has capacity OF 100000 gallons
of water every "a hours, and can safely
be run up to 100000 or 100000 gal
Ions. All that is needed usually, how
ever, is a $500, 900 gallon capacity. The
usefulness and ingenuity of the contriv-
ance may perhaps be better understood
when it is stated that all this water is
pumped at no other expense than the
pay OF a couple of men 10 look after
the machinery. 1t can be as easily
regulated as steam power, being run at
the rate OF one revolution q minute or
several hundred, according to need. A
stop cock is turned on, the water flows
and the science of hydraulics does the
rest. There is no expense for coal or
oil no smoke, ashes or dirt.
To make assurance doubly sure, the
company has put in battery of boilers
and big Corliss engine, to have on
hand in case OF any mishap happening
to the present arrangement, but it is
not expected that it will be necessary to
use these latter.
This pump. as stated, takes the water
from the company's storage reservoir
adjoining the pump works. This reser-
voir contains magnificent sheet oi
water, amounting to volume OF 15, ,000,-
600 gallons, and it is as pure as crystal.
This ia the water which is supplied to
the whole city by 30.inch mains, and
which the people of the hills will here
after get the same as in every other por-
ton of the city.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
It will be welcome news to the inhab.
itants of other portions of the city to
learn that the water company is making
improvements in its service in various
parts of the city. For example, they
have been at work for some time laying
wax, r,ainr If fron tn 11-inch nine in