Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
FACTS AND FIGURES
Result of Commissioner Blacks In
vestigation of Water Meters.
ADVANTAGEOUS TO CONSUMERS
Interesting Statistics Secured on
the important Subject.
SOME TELLING ia BLES

When the commissioners go before Con-
gress with their request for legislation
which will permit the gradual introduction
OF water meters into the houses of water
takers in the District of Columbia they
will go prepared to make a strong fight.
For some time Engineer Commissioner
Black has been conducting a thorough in
vestigatiOD of the subject and believes he
has facts and figures at hand to convince
the most skeptical that water meter, far
frcm being a curse, Is positively a boon to
the city.
This water meter system, which we
hope to gradually introduce in Washington,
is not understood" said Captain Black to
a Star reporter today. 1.-The meters are 20
be put up at the expense of the District
and maintained by 1t without cost to the
householder. They are to be paid for out
OF whatever revenues accrue to the water
department..
Their presence in house will not have
the effect of limiting the quantity used.
From a careful estimate. based upon ac-
tual use Il will show you the figures in a
minute), the limit We have allowed each
person, that of seventy-five gallons per
day, is found to be most generous. Take
these figures. for instance. of the cities
which have water meters and look at the
actual use per capita per day. Boston, for
instance. according to readings of the wa
capita per day in the highest-class apart
ment houses, while in first-class apartment
houses the per capita use fall to forty-Six
with thirty-two gallons per day for mod
erate-claSS apartment houses and sixteen
and six-tenths gallons per capita per day
for the poorest class of apartment houses.
The average per capita use of all apart
ment houses supplied by meter is thirty
five and sixteenth. while boarding houses
are reckoned as having used forty-six and
one-tenth gallons per capita per day.
Average Consumption Elsewhere.
'In Brookline the average consumption
of water to dwellings, supplied by meter is
forty-four and three-tenth gallons per cap
ita per day.
Newton gives the per capita daily use
of water i'll all houses supplied with mod
ern plumbing to be twenty-six and five
tenths gallons. while in the same town the
per capita consumption to those houses
supplied with but faucet is but six and
siX-tenths gallons daily.
I'm Fall River the most expensive houses
Use but 23.3 gallors per capita per day.
while the average class of houses, gem
orally having bath and water closets, use
but 81 gallons per capita per Gay.
Corning now to Worcester, continued
Capt. Black. the average per capita con-
sumption daily of the whole city is but
1GS gallons. while the best houses
Woodland street are credited with using
but 11.9 gallons per capita per day. Cedar
tion to be 23-4 gallons, while on Elm street,
in houses of moderate cost the consump-
ticn falls to 19.S gallons. Cheap houses on
Scuthbridge street use 12.2 gallons, while
Austin street 1876 gallons are the fig
Cres given.
I'm London. where the meter system pre-
walls to a large extent. houses renting from
$50 to $500 each, having bath and two
water closets, are given as using but 25.5
gallons per capita per Gay, while the mid
Gle class of houses. with an average rent
of 500, use but 1o.6 gallons per capita per
day"
The Superintendent's Report.
While these figures are all official, the
Engineer Commissioner was not willing to
accept them basis for Washington.
So he directed the superintendent of the
water department to pursue certain inves-
LEGATIONS and report. This was done to-
day. the superintendent reporting as fol-
lowe:
Il have the honor to submit herewith in
tabular form a statement of what Is be-
lieved to be the maximum probable con-
sumption of water for all domestic pur-
posls by a family consisting of four adults.
two children and three servants. This is
based on the following assumptions:
Capacities-Bath tub. 6 feet 30 gallons:
closet flush tank. gallons; wash basin,
112 gallons: wash tub, 20 gallons. Allow
and child of family. Two baths per week
for each servant: use of closet five times
per day for each individual: use of wash
basin five times per day by each individ-
ual: nine tubs of water per week for laun-
dry: ten gallons per capita per diem for
cooking and miscellaneous use; use of
street sprinkler 20 minutes per day with
rate of flow of 5 gallons per minute"
What Ii VIII Cost.
This is followed by a table giving these
figures for the week, which show the fol-
lowing RESULTS:
Consumption for week, 4,367 gallons.
Consumption per day, GA gallons.
Consumption per capita, 60 gallons.
Consumption per quarter, J6fS0 gallons.
Cost at cents per 900 gallons, $1.6S.
Assuming the house in question to be of
three stories, with twenty feet front, the
rate per quarter under the existing system
would b. $50. The mean number of wa
ter consumers per tap, as given in Captain
Burr's last report is Sc on the middle high
service and SIT on the low service"