Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-08
TO GET CLEAR WATER
COUNCIL COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER
THE FILTER QUESTION TONIGHT
PROF. HUNTER WILL Be PRESENT.
The Chemist TO Give the Result Oh
nj. observations at Boston and
EImirn-Tests That Are Being MADE
mt Louisville.
mt Louisville.

| The Committee on Water will hold
very important meeting in the City Hal
tonight 10 consider various plans ard
suggestions for the 1ltering of the litter
| ing of the James-river water, which Is
supplied TO residents. The most interest
ing feature OF the meeting will be the APP
| pearance Of Professor Hunter, Of Rich
mond College, who will explain the sys-
TENS employed at Elmira, n. Y, and at
Boston. Mass. Inasmuch as the fame of
the former system has already reached
here. and the committee was contem-
plating a tour of inspection TO Elmira,
what Professor Hunter has TO say on this
subject will be OF considerable impor-
lance. Professor Hunter has just return
ed 20 the city. and was seen last evening
at his residence. on west Grace street by
Dispatch reporter.
LIKES THE ELMIRA SYSTEM.
He said he would prefer not to discuss
the matter until he had appeared before
the committee but he spoke in terms Of
high admiration Of the system in use at
Elmira, and will probably recommend its
adoption to the committee, though ne is
making some experiments at the college
laboratory, which will tend TO throw ad-
ditional light on the subject. The plant
al Elmira, says Professor Hunter, cost
10000. but its capacity is only about half
that required for Richmond. Mechanical
filtration, he thinks, is the only rational
method by which the river water can be
cleared of mud. The water Of the city Of
~. 1. q cd C N
so bad as the Richmond water to start
with.
Professor Hunter gives the comforting
assurance that there are other cities
where the water is just as muddy as 1t
is here, though he qualities the compli-
ment by saying that in no city is it any
worse.
MAKING TESTS AT LOUISVILLE.
The following letter has been received
by Mr.. S. s. =. Patteson on the vexcd
question of filtration from Mr.. John
of Detroit who represents
the American Sanitary Engineering Com
pany, Of that city:
Gait House,
Louisville, KY, August 80, 1898.
Mr. S. s. +. Patteson, Richmond, Va:
Dear Sir,-My attention has been drawn
to an article written by you a short
time ago in reference TO the question OF
purifying the water supply Of Richmond.
l have been carrying on series OF
tests on the water supply of this city
for over a year now, and in all Likelihood
these tests will be continued until TO-
ward the end of the present year.
1t would give me pleasure TO show you,
or any of the authorities in your city,
my plant and what / am doing at this
place. / have developed process which,
no matter in what condition the water
may be, will purify it, l Will send you
by this mail a copy of the Louisville Com
mercial, which contains an article on this
subject. Yours very truly,
JOHN MACDOUGALL.
ECONOMICAL AND EFFECTIVE.
The article from the Commercial is an |
Interview with Mr.. MacDougall, in which |
he says:
"Phe water company is proceeding |
wisely In waiting to see what can be |
lone i'm the matter of filtration before |
with work OF such magnl-
ude. 1t must be remembered that pc |
cuiar and difficult conditions confront !
those having the matter in charge |
hat the filtration of Ohio-river water |
al this point is one of the most complex |
problems of its kind yet presented for |
solution. The difficulty lies in the pecu-
lar silt carried by the Kentucky river, |
Tue to the geological formation through |
which il flows. If the question were only |
me of removing the ordinary sediment |
,arried' by the Ohio and most of its
and the bacteria carried by its |
waters. II would be a relatively easy mat
er TO install a plant capable Of doing the |
work. But the Kentucky river brings |
lown a SILT in time of high water, that
S only about one-third the size OF the
bacteria, and In all filtration by ordinary
Methods, this silt Will go wherever the
water flows thus defeating the object
or which the filtering plant is intended
[ has taken a special machine, devised
or the purpose and the result or much
experiment. and heavy expense TO over
ONE this difficulty. The work has been
and ii now remains TO
at once the efficiency and the
of our plan to the water COM
amy.
SAND SYSTEM WON'T DO.
"The English. or slow, method OF sand
ltration not only would not do the work
equired under these peculiar conditions,
S / have already told you. but would be
expensive, requiring vast
rea of reservoirs and a vast sum for
heir maintenance. Under the generally
o-called American, or rapid. system OF
and filtration, TO supply the needs of
results would be no better i'm
his one particular of removing the Ken
uckV river sediment. the outlay for |
lum alone. for chemical action on the
'ater, would be about $4,000 per annum.
nd the requirements for washing out
he basins would be about 100000 gallons
{ filtered water daily.
Under our system the efficiency of |
hich has already been demonstrated
e use no chemicals, so the item of 500
70 for alum would be eliminated. Then |
q can keep the basins clean on about
DC gallon Of filtered water TO every
IN gallons used under other systems |
D the economy of the thing is apparent.
his we intend to demonstrate fully du-
ng the coming tests. Having done this
, the satisfaction of all concerned, It
i'll then be time for the water company I
ng i'm the fltering plant. which is too
-eat and expensive an operation to be !
gun without a full understanding of
he results to be obtained in the two es-
initials / have set forth-etiiciency and