The evening times., 1896-04-15
BIG ENGINE STOPS WORK
Water a Little Low at the U
Street Station.
SOME UNEASINESS FELT
Terrible Strain Upon Piece of Ma
chinery That Is Holding Up II Col
umn of Water Nearly II Tcnth b of II
Mile High-Gen. Meigs' Original
Plan Again Under Consideration.

The big Nortibcrg engine at the J-street
pumping station is not running. Some per-
sons think ii is still broken.
Supt. Hayden says this is Il mistake.
The break at Il .oinr which caused Il SHUT
down and danger q. a shortage Of water
about three weeks ago. Mr.. hayden says,
has been entirely repaired and the mig
machin" is all right and III running order.
ii doesn't run because worktnen are busy
removing the old shed which has been re-
placed by the handsome brick AMI stone
structure at a cost of some S25-DUO, as
housing for the splendid plant with which
the higher levels OF the city ar. 10 he
supplied with water.
Inc WORK of forcing water INTO the Ing
mains tor Columbia Heights ana other local
nI..s mat IOrIirry ur,w from the >t"nu-
pipc at the head OF six "enth street, 10y
ex-senator HcnucrsOn's / -slaenCe, is now
being done by tne TWO Old engines wrO-"
place. IN part, was To be tahrn hy ia:
Nordberg engine. They are both busy
night anu day. II anything should happen
10 them Supt. Hayden says the supply
could hc kept up from the Keno FcNcr' or.
We've got All the water We want III
that row, - he added.
How nucn?' asked The Times r'pnrlcr.
who was inquiring into the cohdnIoh "l
ON, / don't know was the reply.
1t may he Il little low right now, but we've
got plenty. We filled ncf up the nlhrr Gay,
ana We can fill 1t again whenever We get
ready
SOME UNEASINESS.
In spit,. OF Mr.. Hay,eIi's coniiucn,c, There
has been some uhCasincsS about the Fort
Reno supply ever since the Nurubcrg en-
gine broke down.
In-re it undoubtedly a great pressure
added by holding Il supply Uf water AT
The Reno reservoir. Gravity works quietly,
but ait the time. and with the column
mat is added 10 carry a single drop over
ne edge or the handsome fountain III Jne
center OF Fort Reno reservation. - feet
abov. the level Of the SEA, a tremendous
strain Is kept up on Ihe whole system of
machinery that Centers at the t->trcct
station.
Whenever there is a weak join, or any
defeCt whatever, the water finds II and
finally pushes its WI through. II was tins
pressure that found the weak spot in the
Nordb~rg engtn" III the first place. and II
will continue 10 find weak places III any
machinery that can he put III to Work
against II.
GRAVITY has the advantage that 1t never
gets Iirci. mas nothing rhaJ VIII wear out.
is cternally vigilant, and when any force
that IL opposing ITS action rciaxes FOR the
thousanutn part OF second II is on hand
with all its power, and pushes its way ln-
When IA piece OF ma chinery thatls holding mp
a column OF water nearly Il tenth III Il miI-
high needs to have any or its parts nova bic,
Il very delICate engineering problem !,
presented. Water Cah De pumped even
higher.
water IL II, something over 2'Coh,'ou gar
Ions. III addition, water IL running IN
slowly.
THE GREAT STRAIN.
But ia the words or Il mau familiar Win
what's Icing don. between street aud Fort
Reno: 1t is necessary TO Keep packing The
machinery all the time, the STRAIN is So
great.
There are persons who say neither the
NorIberg nor the 1000 UUu-gallon Barr
engine TO be put in within eIGht months,
can ever ,iO The work required. except
with constant repairs. IL i even thought
by some that the NoTdberG engine cannot
bt. mace avallabic at an, but tnat IS PROB
ably far from the truth.
Iuc difficulties presented by the efioTt
10 use the Reno reservoir by pumping
from l. street have revived the ola pr UjeCt
of making II large reservoir at Reno 10
lie filled directly 10y aqueduct from Great
Falls.
II is said that this was the original plan
OF Gen. Mcigs. who built the aqueGuct iurty
years ago. with main supply reservoir On
the hcIgnIs at Reno watcrcouldbed delivered
on the top floor OF any house i'll the city,
and almost anywhere III the District.