The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-03
SCRANTON'S GREAT
WATER RESOURCES
Board Of Health Inspected the East
Mountain Reservoirs Yesterday.
THEY SPENT A WHOLE DAY AT 1T
Some Interesting Figures Concerning
the Largest Water supply Possessed
by Any City in the United states,
Except New York, and the Best
Water supply of Any City in the
United states or Any Where Else.
New Screening Apparatus Examined

The members of the board of health
of the busiest (per capita) city in the
world yesterday made it's annual in
spection of the best water supply
sources in that same world. The city,
OF course, is Scranton and the concern
which controls the water supply in
question is the Scranton Gas and
Water company, which was in business
even before the city was organized, and
1t may be added performed the chris
tening when the lease of municipal life
was granted in 1866.
The inspection of the company's sew
eral dams and distributing reservoirs
yesterday showed high degree of per-
fection and the men who look after the
health of the city were enthusiastic in
their praise of the great water supply.
Health officer w. f.. Allen, M. D.,
said, "rhe finest on EARTH" President
of the board, w. A. Paine, M. D.,
could not be more perfect" and all
other members of the party were
equally expressive in their remarks.
The party, which left the city hall
in the three carriages at 9 O'clock was
composed of: DR.. w. A. Paine, presi-
| dent, and r. j. Murray, secretary Of
the board; and George S. Horn DR.. j.
X. Bentley, NJ. j. Kelly, members of the
board, and Mayor j. G. Bailey, Health
officer w. f. Allen, Sanitary officer
w. II. Burke, Food Inspector Thomas
Cullen, and Superintendent Robert
Reeves, of the Scranton Gas and Water
| company.
AT NO. Z DAM.
After leaving the city the first stop
was made at No. dam, which once
upon a time was considered the pride
of the state and with its S0,000,000 gal
Ions capacity was looked upon as a
| monster reservoir Now it is used in
the secondary capacity of distribut-
| ing point and the big dams further on
completely engulf it in their greater
proportions. At this dam the new sys-
| tenn of screening" just put in use was
explained by Superintendent Reeves.
| There are three double sets of selves,
through which the water runs in a As
! inch pipe. The sets are so arranged
| that when one seive Is being cleansed
| of the impurities collected from the
water the other seive is in use. A pat
ent valve changes the course of the
water.
The same system is in use in New
York and Boston. At this place also
is the Ventura metre, which registers
the flow every twenty-four hours. The
average daily supply to the city is 15,-
100000 gallons. Superintendent Reeves
said that his company will, in a short
time, introduce an improved metre,
which will register the quantity of
water passing through the pipes every
ten minutes, and by an electrical ap-
pliance the figures will be communicate
ed to the Scranton office. After the
inspection of the No. dam, which is
the main distributing point in the
Roaring Brook system, the party drove
to the Elmhurst reservoir; capacity, l.
300, 900, 900 gallons. This is in excellent
condition. The place of the old tan
merry, which covered over five acres of
land, is now a grove of maple trees.
All the land between the Erie and Wyo-
ming and the Delaware, LackaWanna
| and Western railroads from No. to
| the Elmhurst reservoir has been pur-
chased by the company; also all the
land to the Oak Run dam, capacity,
$50, 900, 900 gallons. The company also
ownes thousands of acres of woodland
on the headwaters of the Roaring
Brook.
STAFFORD MEADOW SYSTEM.
After a bOmteous dinner at the Park
hotel, Elmhurst, the party rode over
the company's fine red-shale road, six
miles long, to the Stafford Meadow sys-
TEN. The Williams bridge dam, capac-
ity, $500, 900, COO gallons, was inspected
This dam is used for high pressure
purposes-to supply the "hill and Hyde
Park. The Burnt bridge reservoir, now
in course of construction, was one OF
the most interesting points in the trip
Wor. has been going on for two years
and the dam will not be completed un-
til November, 1898. 1t will have a ca.
pacity of $500, ,00O,000 gallons and will
be one of the largest in the state.
The Stafford Meadow distributing
dam was next inspected. This supplies
the South Side part of the city.
The return to the city was then be.
gun, the party reaching here at 6 p. m.
after a forty-eight-mi ride. Superin.
tendent Reeves was personally compli.
mented for the perfect enjoyment ant
| SupCacS of the inSnpctiOn trim