Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-16
A GIGANTIC FILTER.
The City of Davenport Makes n De-
purture I'm urifyipg Its Water.

The Chicago Times-H Herald publishes the
following description Of the water-fiter
plant at Davenport, Ia.
The largest, the costliest, and the best
filter plant I'm the world has just been
completed at Davenport, Ia. Practical
men. whose experience has made their
opinions worthy Of respectful attention,
say that this plant really solves the
water-supply question for nearly all west
ern cities. The cost Of the plant Is
$4,000. The ten double-filter Shells
which contain the immediate water sup
ply. have a capacity Of 100000 gallons.
The Mississippi river is the source from
which the water supply originally comes
The water is drawn from point IN the
bed of the river nearest the channel down
into tunnel that passes under the rivers
bed for q considerable distance. through
this tunnel 1t sweeps to the pump-wells'
and thence into the filters. There IS no
danger Of contamination. as far as the
sewerage is concerned, for the point, IN
the river from which water - secures -
a mile and a half above the government
bridge and the point at which the DaNeh-
mort sewers enter the river. At this same
point the Mississippi has a current OIL
about five miles an hour and dashes over
the Rock Island rapids, giving II compete
aeration, oxidation. ana allutioh' an VI
which tend to its publication.
The filter plant is in Itself most mar
vellous sight Each OF the filter shells -
9ih feet in diameter and 81 rect long. Inyy
are built OF homogeneous steer OF tehslo
strength. The water company has 90 lar
built about thrty-seven miles or mains,
into which the purified water hoWs from
DESPITE the fact that there are ten filter
To- .,A "a.
a mechanical standpoint, or the entlle
plant, that the filters can be USED cltncr
one at q time, or in their entirety; as ciI
cumstances may make IL oNlsaoie' ne
an indication OF the effort that mas Desn
made to provide this plant Witn every
possible means of purifying water, IL may
be stated that each filter Is ABOUT tnFee
quarters full OF white SAND, ailouI'.aaIIs 80 -
about thirty carloads for al tne ,ni iovt1
This sand Is brought from Horn lslahu'
IN the Gulf of Mexico. The pecullar ma
ture of this sand is that each gram IS Oh
almost equal texture, and a perfect crys-
tai This is brand-new, ana a very Costly
departure The ordinary sand that Is usea
for filtering purposes is porous porous answer we.
therefore. does not I'm all respects answer
the requirements. This. however, is the
first time that a city OF any size mas 80
filtered its water supply. =,
IL must be remembered tnat water az
WAYS contains microbes. Sometimes they
are so infnitesmally small that only "a
macnifying glass Of exceeding power will
detect them. If there were no sand IN
the filters that was aosoIutely iipelEIii ttie
10 the attacks Of the microbes, these niue
seeds of death would be quite likely 10
find lodgment in the pores Of the sand.
There they would die and rot. ana IN a
short time the sand would become fruit
full source of disease rather tnan piahS
20 nnrifv water. This is why Horn Island
sand is used in Davenport.
If all the rivers in the country, barring