The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-11
asFoRE THE couNclL.


Engineer Bisckford submits His Com
prehensfve Report. =
BUTTE, April 10.-City Engineer Black
ford submitted a very comprehensive re-
port of the workings of bis departments
to the city council tonight. The report
contains some very valuable information1
which is not obtainable elsewhere and In
IL is embodied general review OF the
operations of the department. for the past
five years, and in a measure since public
improvements began in Butte. 1t Is the
second report that has been submitted
from the city engineers office and covers
over 80 pages of type written matter be-.
sides number Of valuable and carefully
compiled tables. The following subjects
are treated in the report: Descriptions.
of the storm and sanitary sewer systems
with their cost and recommendation,
street grading with recommendations,
sprinkiing with recommendations. paving,
Office work, description OF the water sup
ply system, fire protection. table OF fire
streams and family water rates.
On the sewer system Mr.. Blackford
says:
an the spring of 1889 when the ques-.
ton of establishing a system of sewers
was under consideration, the council with
the advice of the first city engineer.
Joseph II. Harper. very wisely adopted
what Is known as the separate system OF
drainage. q
The two :ystems may be briefly de-
THE separate system provides for dis
posing of all tho drainage from houses
which consists of refuse from sinks,
water closets, laundries, etc., by a.small
sewer large enough for that purpose only.
"The combined system provides for
carrying both storm water and house
drainage in the same sewer. With the
former system IL 10 impossible to accom-
plsh tho purpose desired. viz: house
drainage with small pipe sewers at a
moderate cost, while with the latter IL
becomes necessary to build a sewer LARGE
enough to carry the surface drainage due
to heavy rains and melting snow from q
considerable area. The cost of such
system is usually great and beyond the
means OF many communities which can
well afford the cheaper and equally effec-
tive system with small pipes. The COM
bined system is particularly objectionable
in o dry climate like ours, where water for
flushing Is scarce and the rainfall at GER
tain seasons insufficient for that purpose;
under these conditions large sewers be-
come very foul and offensive and danger
Gus to public health"
The report states that there are 1.6
miles OF storm culverts in the city. of
which a detailed description Is given.
1.-THE earlier work on these culverts was
done without any we'll defined plan and
as consequence some money was wasted.
Much of the work Is very inferior in
quality-this is due partly for the small
price paid for 1t and partly to the lack of
rigid inspection as the work progressed.
Owing to these conditions the cost of
repairs has been considerable in the last
four years and this expense will
doubtless continue to a greater or.
less degree. The principal cause of the
trouble is the securing out of the bottoms,s
thus allowing the water, which attains
great velocity on the steep grades, to wash
under the walls. 1t is my opinion that
sooner or later that all of that part of the
culvert where the paving is washed out or
where the walls rest upon decomposed
granite, will have to be repaired with
stone or q bottom of plank placed between
two-inch plank which has been in place
for 10 years or more, and as yet shows no
sign of decay or deterioration, and l am
inclined to think that this would be the
cheapest and most expedient method Of
preserving the culvert and reducing the
cost of repairs. =
.The class of work in those parts of the
culverts built in 1892 and since that time,
is much superior to that in the older parts,
and was built at a considerable increase
in cost. The walls are of stone. the arch
of brick and the paving is of smelter Stag,
concave, the whole laid in cement mortar.
The Stag, although hard and glazed, or
vitrified, is brittle, and / have noticed
some cracks in 1t, caused by stones pass
ing over 1t. Future observation only will
determine it's value as q paving material.
1.-THE Buffalo gulch culvert passes
through the most densely populated dis
trict of the city and under some of its
largest buildings; it Is therefore of the
most Importance that 1t DO maintained in
tact. think it's capacity is sufficient to
carry all of the water which will ever
reach IL but break or stoppage during a
heavy rain storm would be very serious
catastrophe and would probably result In
much loss OF property and perhaps some
loss OF life, rigid inspection of these Gull
verts every month and especially after an
unusual flow of water, has been duty
that have never neglected, and beg TO
mention here. as a recommendation to
the incoming administration. that steps
be taken to pave IN substantial man.
ner, wherever necessary, all of those parts
of Dublin gulch and the old town gulch
culverts, which pass thr Sugh or lie above
the populous districts.
"This matter has been mentioned by
me in reports to the council from time TO
time and have made with consent and
approval the repairs which were abso-
lutely necessary, the lack of funds, how
ever, prevented any further work.
What may not be thought an alarm
list or to have overestimated the necessity
of vigilance in this matter, / quote the
following from the report of my prede-
cessor, ]. III. Harper. an engineer of close
observation and citizen OF many years
residence in the city: rss
latter describing the probable, let me
add the inevitable result of a stoppage in
the Buffalo gulch culvert, at a point north
OF Granite street. he closes with the fol-
lowing words: Many may consider such
a visitation as entirely visionary, but those
who have seen Buffalo gulch as an angry
torrent, running half bank full, across
which q man would hesitate before he
would attempt to ride horse, will know
that this condition of affairs has not only
been possible, but has been in the range
of probable occurrence for some years
past on the sudden fall of a heavy rain
upon the hills about Centerville.'
1.-The city now has S.433 linear feet of
storm culverts, the actual cost of which
n 81 he h..