Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-14

Yesterday afternoon the annual tour
of inspection by the City Water Board
to the pumping station and reservoir
| took pace, and the visit demonstrated
anew that this department is in fine
shape, is working we'll, and is equal
| to anything within the capacity of the
| machinery.
The party left the City Hall in two
! hacks and two puggies at half
past two o'clock, and was made
up of Messrs. H. F. Jones,
DR.. C. F. Ulrich and August Wiede-
busch, of the Board, Clerk John Schell-
base, Superintendent c. NJ. oliver,
| Mayor ]. R. Butts, City Engineer a.
L. White, President Henry Schrul-
bach, of the Board of Public Works,
| Sheriff H. c. Richards, Fred Conan, OF
| the Staatz-Zeitung, John Wallace, OF
| the Intelligencer, and w. G. Beans, OF
| the Register. At the works the visit
ors were met by Chief Engineer Will
| lam Junkins, and his staff, and an hour
was spent both pleasantly and prof
| itably in a tour Of the building.
Everything was in the pink Of condi-
ton, clean and bright, and showed ex-
cellent management and careful atten-
ton to details, however small. Both
pumps were running, making eighteen
| revolutions per minute, at which speed
! they throw about 14,000, 900 gallons of
| water in twenty-four hours, with 145
! pounds steam pressure The immense
| ly heavy machinery works as smoothly
| as a clock without jar or vibration,
! showing proper foundations and excel
| lence of construction, as well as the
| best of care and supervision.
The plant which is located about
| three quarters of a mile above the
| "Top" mill, stands on the river shore,
and consists of one large brick struct-
| ure for boiler plant and machinery.
| In the northern half are the boilers,
| comprising three batteries of two tu-
| bular boilers each with an aggregate
| horse power of 1,2r0. One battery
runs one pump with ease, two batter
| les are in use when two pumps are IN
use, as is the case a portion of the
time each day, and two batteries will
also run the additional new pump, to
| Council, the department thus always
| having one battery in reserve in case
| of accident. Natural gas is used as
| fuel, but the coal bunkers are kept
! filled as precautionary measure. The
pumps are of Holly manufacture, with
a capacity Of I, 100000 each. One is not,
therefore sufficient to supply the daily
| consumption, and both are In use q
portion Of each day. Each pump has
four plungers, with an aggregate ca
| pacity at each revolution of 25S gallons
or 641a gallons per plunger at each
stroke At each revolution, therefore
with both engines running, SIC gal
| Ions of water are lifted. This water is
brought from the river to the wells
| by suction, but in the new well to be
dug for the additional pump the water
will flow in by gravity. The new pump
| will be located between the south end
Of the present building and the river
and will have a capacity of 1200C 0O0
gallons in twenty-four hours. The well
will be 40x50 feet in dimensions and
sixty feet deep, which will carry the
| excavation down through the hard red
shale upon which the foundations Of the
present we'll and the Main street stone
| bridge rests to the great sand stone
ledge which underlies it, making a
structure as solid as the hills them
selves. The material excavated will be
used to fill out the bank outside the
present limits to a line with the long
crib which now protects the bank, and
will add materially to the vacant
ground about the works and next sea-
son this will be laid out and beautified
with trees, grass and plants. Little
was done in that direction this season,
because of this contemplated work
The working staff at the station con-
sists of the following: Superintendent,
c. NJ. oliver; Chief Engineer, William
| Junkins; Assistant Engineers, William
| Scroggins and William Crosby: Fire
| men, Alexander Campbell and Charles
Miller; Well Men, Edward Hazlett and
Otto Wiedebusch; Oilers, John Eel
singer and Lew Wallace; Wipers, Will
lam Gill and Charles Bradbury This
is very efficient force as the general
condition of affairs attests.
From the pumping station the visit
ors repaired to the reservoir. where
everything was likewise found in good
condition, and the party returned to the
city about four o'clock.
City Engineer White is still at work
upon the plans for the new PUMPING
plant. but will soon be through, and
then active work will De commenced
Immediately, and will be vigorously
prosecuted. When this addition is