The record-union., 1897-01-27
SEWAGE PUMPS ALL RIGHT.
The New Plant Put Into Operation Yes
terday.
In Very Short Time the Contents
of the Sewers Was Ex-
hauSted.

Mayor Hubbard and Trustees Tozer,
Kent and Devine were present yeSuer-
day morning when the new sewerage
pumping plant was started UP Tor a
final test.
The pumps were started UP with the
sewers full, and in thirty minutes there
was not enough water In the sewers
to keep the two pumps going. Thev
were guaranteed to pump 10000 gallons
minute each, but the guage shoWeo
THAT they were pumping over oo'ooo
gallons when the test was made
The water ran through the main sew
er like a mill-race, and the matter was
deposited in the river freely even at
the present high stage of the water
The members of the board and the
Mayor expressed themselves as well sat-
isfied with the work of the pumps, and
at the meeting this afternoon the whole
work will probably be accepted and the
amount Of the contract ordered paid.
The history Of the plant Is that the
contract was let in September last to
j. A. Cunningham of this city, and he
built the boilers at his own shop, while
cisco by w. T. Garratt & Co.. SO that
the whole work was done in California
As before stated, the contract called
for a combined capacity of 10000 gall
Ions minute, but the tests that have
been made show that each pump will
raise $4,000 gallons a minute, or that
S6, 900 will be raised When both are run
ming. This, it is confidently expected,
will keep the sewers clear for years to
come.
The foundations for the pumps and
boilers have been Laid down twenty
one and one-half feet in solid concrete,
and there is consequently no jar in the
machinery when either or both of the
engines are running.
The following is a description of the
plant, which, by the way, was de-
signed by City Engineer Mullenney,
who supervised its construction:
The machinery consists of two Rich
ards centrifugal pumps, driven by two
vertical compound condensing Eide
engines" and SO arranged that both
pumps can be run by either engine, or
they can be run separately. The en-
gineS have hig'h-presSure cylinders of
ten-inch diameter and low pressure CYL
4rlders of eighteen inch diameter. with
a common stroke of fourteen inches.
They are to run about go revolutions
per minute working against a maxi
mum head of IS feet with a boiler
pressure of 120 pounds per square inch.
The steam distribution in these engines
is regulated by a single patented piston
valve, operated by a Fink" link, and
Of -ic 1.a ia1
ait will while running.
Each engine has its own independent
jet condenser and air pump. The lat
ter are vertical, single acting, worked
from the high pressure cross-head in
the same manner as in ordinary marine
practice. They are ten inches diameter
and have a four-inch stroke. The ex-
haust steam from the low pressure cyl
inder to the condenser passes through
a feed water heater, which contains
twenty one and one-half-inch diameter
brass tubes, five feet six inches long
The feed water circulates twice through
the heater, and is pumped into the boil
ers at a temperature of about $50 de-
grees Fahrenheit. The exhaust con-
nection with the condenser is so ar
ranged that the engines can be instant
ly converted from condensing to non
condensing in case of accident to the
air pump.
The centrifugal pumps with a capaci-
ty of 10000 gallons per minute have
open runners fOrty-eight inches diam
eter. Each pump has a single suction
of eighteen inches diameter. The sue
tion pipes are made of one eighth inch
thick steel riveted together They are
about twelve feet long and provided
with foot valves. The discharge from
each pump is also riveted steel pipe
three teenths-inch thick and taperS
from eighteen inches TO twenty two
inches. These were made by ]. A. Cum
ningham There are about 40 feet
of twenty two-inch pipe for each pump.
A flap valve is provided on the end Of
each pipe and next to the pumps are
placed check valves.
Each engine and pump is placed on a
strong. substantial cast-iron base plate,
bolted down ON q concrete foundation
five feet deep. The pumps and engines
are placed in a concrete pit seven feet
deep. A concrete sump for the suction
pipes has been constructed under the
flow Of the pit and the city's sewer
1S3QS 10 IL mere are * iloIlZOllNo1i,
tubular boilers, y-eight inches di-
ameter by sixteen feet long, made by
J. A. Cunningham, the contractor for
the whole work. These boilers are set
in brickwork in the usual manner ind
connected with sheet-iron smoke
stack, for'ty-two inches diameter and
about sixty feet high. outside the build
ing.
The building is an ordinary frame
structure, 81 feet 6212 feet X 16 feet
nnder the rafters and is covered with
corrugated iron. The whole of the ma
chinery is a credit to the makers, who
are noted for their good work. The
engines are neatly finished and well de-
signed. with very liberal wearing sur
faces. The plant is expected to give
an efficiency of GO per cent. TO 90 per
cent. with a coal consumption of about
two and one-quarter pounds per horse
power per hour.
SUPREME COURT DECISIONS.