Evening journal., 1898-09-13
ritter acct. Filter maIntenapc
s1OO.aS6


"Includlng $3.50 for filter house.
To the figures in the last column
should be added labor, and possibly
some other items, to obtain the actual
cost IT operation. Originally one man
at SIP a week, or 1924 year, did all
the work Of running the filters. H..
aow has small amount of assistance
from laborer employed about tn
pumping station at SO per week. The
filter man is on duty from about $50
to l1.3O a. m, and from $50 to 113O
p. m. No charge is made against the
filter plant for the power required to
supply for aeration nor for electric
lighting. At per cent. the annual in
terest charges on the cost of construc-
ton would be about $4,000 or about 81
per 100000 gallons filtered.
Assuming the plant able to work at
it's rated capacity OF 100000 gallons
per day, the cost of construction, in
Guiding subsequent changes, would be
about $4,000 per .OOO, 900 gallons. But
in the report for 1895, after the filters
had been in use for less than year,
Mr. Bond recommended that their area
be doubled, setting forth his reasons as
0ol,ows:
The capacity of the filter now in use,
although in excess Of the consumption.
is insufficient to supply the pumps
when they are running at their norma,
speed. and to decrease the speed OF the
pumps is poor economy, and to force the
filter beyond it's rated capacity is detri-
mental to the purity of the filtered
water If the filter area were enlarged
the rate of filtration could be lessened
and the quality of the water would b
improved; besides increased facilities
would be AFFORDED for cleansing thC
beds, which is the secret of the eff
cheney of all filters. A filter of equal
area to the one now in use could be
built on grounds below the pumping
station at a greatly reduced cost.
In explanation OF this quotation Mr..
Bond states that the 1000 000-gallon
water power pump is always used when
any pumping is being done. This, with
the 1O, 900, 600 gallon steam pump, gives
daily pumpage Of 100000 gallons
which is 20 per cent. in excess OF the
rated capacity OF the filters and 80 Ia
per cent. above their capacity when a
half bed is being cleaned. Under the
first plan, when a whole half bed was
cleaned at a time the rated ca
pacity of the plant was reduced to g.
900, 900 gallons, making the pumpage sc
per cent. in excess of the capacity pi
the filters. An automatic gate Is pro
vided for admitting unfiltered water C
the clear water we'll, If necessary tc
supply the pumps. but Mr.. Bond state.
that with upward filtration all the
water the pumps viii take can be got
through the beds.
It has already been stated that tn.
pumps are shut down when the water
is very tuTbid. practice followed b.
fore the filter plantwas installed.This MOI
only rslives theflters Of much work, bu
gives them occasional resting spells. In
1894 or 1895, Mr.. Bond states, it wac
necessary to pump very turbid water
with the result that the filterinl
material became so badly clogged thai
II had to be removed before the filters
could be operated again. In view o.
all these facts, the filter capacity seems
10 be overrated when placed at 10000,
600 gallons per day and that withou
particular reference to the degree o
publication effected We shall not az
tempt to decide the proper rating, an'
the consequent cost Of constructaon pc
1 900 600 gallons actual capacity.
wilmington has had a generally de
cressing amount Of typhoid fever con
siderlng it's growth in population, dur
- ing the period for which statistics ar
available, or from 1881 to 1897, inclu
sive. The following figures show tina
this rate has not been notably acceler