The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-03-14
Of the Big Pumps Set In Mo-
on at 1918 Yesterday Afternoon
and It Worked to Perfection,
| Sending Water All Over
the Capital City,
VICTORY CROWNS EFFORT
THE BIG MAINS WILL BE
TESTED AT ONCE AND
FROM NOW ON
Austin Will Enjoy An Abundant
Supply OF Cheap Water and
the Boom Will Come.
(From Fridays Daily.)


+ Everything has an ending and Aus
tins weary waiting for the time when
she could enjoy the almost free water
supply from her great dam and water
power system has at last come to q
finish. 1t is no more looking ahead for
something to happen, the water is right
here in town running through our mains.
Citizens, all you have now to do is to
make application at the mayors office
for permission to tap the mains and you
can turn on water that will cost you
so little you won't know you are paying
for it. The day of Austin's jubilee is
right at hand.
THE PUMPS STARTED.
At 1918 o'clock last afternoon one
pair of the big pumps was started by
Mr.. ]. f. Sloan, the superintendent for
Stilwell- Bierce Smith-Vaile company of
Dayton, O., the gentleman who for all
these months has been putting in place
that heavy machinery. That Mr.. Sloan
had Zone his work perfectly was fully
shown by the way in which the pumps
commenced their long round of revolu-
tons. There was not q jar, not particle
of false motion, not hitch or bauble-
the start was made perfectly and the
pumps continued in motion as smoothly
as though they had been running for
years. Mr.. Sloan cannot be too highly
complimented for his painstaking work.
Of course, as with all new machinery,
the pumps were worked slowly, to wear
the bearings down gradually. AT 3
o'clock when a Statesman reporter Wis
tied the dam, Mr. Sloan had on the same
rate of speed as when he started the
pumps at 1918 p. m. He had the tur-
bine gate open only three-fourths of an
inch, while the full speed is to allow
seven inches of water through the gate.
The pumps were going at only six revolu-
tons a minute, while % a minute is
their capacity. Yet evenat that slow speed
(which was maintained all last night
at $50 the fire hydrants all along the
dam boulevard up to McDonald's brick
yard were flowing. At $50 last night
the water was flowing through the plug
at Rio Grande and Sixth street. Orders
had been given to close all plugs after
water had flown freely through them,
and if this was done in the lower parts
Of town last night the water by this
morning will have reached the highest
point in the city.
IN THE POWER HOUSE.
The board of public works have wisely
TWO pairs of water pumps, thus enabling
them TO commence work before the roof
nf- 3he power house is completed. And
2sterday all afternoon great many
iti2ens drove out to the dam to watch
the wheels go round" There was not
particle of jar from the moving ma
chinery. Each pair of pumps, with all
their connections, weighs 80 tons, yet with
one pair at work the building was as
sound as the Rock of Gibraltar The
mighty power in those double pumps is
controlled by small wheel like that used
for brake on railroad train, and so
perfect is the machinery that the big
driving wheel can be moved for only a
fraction of an inch if necessary. 1t is
wonderful in its simplicity of contro-and
the facility of the movement is but poor
index of the joy that will bubble up all
over Austin over the completion of our
darling hopes. Despite every hostility
and opposition we have gloriously con-
quered and triumphed.
The two pairs of pumps, each 4,OoO,ooo
gallons capacity a day, are so connected
that either pump can be run with either
wheel or both conformity together, with
but fraction of time for adjustment
The system is perfect in all respects.
ELECTRIC LIGHTS.
w. dynamo. for the electric light and
power plant anot be put in until thu