The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-19

Members of the board of health and
other city officials yesterday inspected
the reservoirs and sources of the water
supply of the Providence Gas and
Water company. After making the
round Of the reservoirs the party
lunched on the shores of Summit lake,
near Clarks Summit.
In the party were Mayor James G..
Bailey, DR.. w. A. Paine, president;
Attorney George s. Horn, NJ. J. Kelly
and Dr. ]. *. Bentley, of the board OF
health; Attorney r. J. Murray, secre-
tary of the board DR. w. f. Allen,
health officer; Captain W. II. Burke,
sanitary officer; r. N. Cullen, food in
spector; NJ. F. O'Malley, plumbing in
spector; Edward James, jr., and John
j. Kearney, OF sanitary committee of
select council; Major j. b. Fish, super
intendent, and V. +. Arnold, assistant
superintendent of the Providence Gas
and Water company. and representa-
tives of the daily papers of the city.
The water supply was found to be
abundant, aggregatng about one bill
lion gallons, and gave every indication
of being pure and wholesome Near
Chinchilla was the only thing ap-
preaching a nuisance likely to con-
taminate the water supply that was
discovered by the investigating party
This nuisance Is due to the creamery
of the Scranton Dairy company, which
is built on the bank OF the stream. All
the refuse from the creamery is washed
into the creek, greatly polluting the
| water
At present the Water company is not
taking any water from this creek.
| When the Dairy company began to
pollute the stream the water company
ceased to utilize it.
CHANGE PROBABLE.
| The members of the inspecting party
felt that in the event of long dry
spell and consequent scarcity of water
the company might be forced to fall
back on this stream and it was deemed
advisable to have it in At con-
| dition for use. 1t is probable that
the dairy company will be asked to
build sewer that will carry the refuse
from its plant to a point on the Leg
getts Creek below the lowest reservoir
OF the company. An alternative plan
is to lay a line of pipe for the water
company up the stream and construct
an intake above the creamery.
The first stop after the party left the
| city was made at the low pressure
reservoirs of the company at Chin
chilla. There is located the first reser-
Voir of the company constructed thirty
one years ago. 1t is a small affair. 1t
was the first intention Of the company
to supply water only to the Delaware
and Hudson Canal company and the
| Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
company, but soon demands were made
on 1t by people of the northern part of
the city who desired to obtain water
and the company was compelled to
branch out and increase it's supply.
The work of improvement has gone
on since and now the company has
three reservoirs at Chinchila, the two
low pressure reservoirs and one a short
distance above known as the Leach
reservoir. The other reservoirs of the
company are the Griffin pond, Summit
lake and Maple Glen.
THEIR CAPACITY.
The two low pressure reservoirs at
Chinchilla have capacity of 100000
and the Leach reservoir over half a
million gallons more. This is known
as the high pressure reservoir and is
$40 feet above the level of the Lacka-
wanna river and 266 feet above Provi-
dence square. 1t is used for furnish
ing water to the high points of Green
Ridge and the Sixth ward OF Dun
more. In the evnt of a big fire in
Providence the entire water supply for
that place can be obtained from this
high pressure reservoir, which would
give pressure that would render the
, | use of steamers unnecessary.
The Griffin pond reservoir is the larg-
| est owned by the company and is about
| four miles northeast OF Chinchilla. The
| water covers 125 acres of land and has
: an average depth OF twenty feet. The
capacity is 720,000,000 gallons. The
; water from this reservoir is carried
$ along the natural bed of the lake out
let until a point one-third of a mile
above the Leach reservoir is reached
From that point down it is carried il
, a twenty-four inch terra Gotta pipe
1 The company owns all the land around
Griffin pond and on both sides of thu
, creek leading to Chnchilla which pre-
! | vents the locating Of anything tha
; | would have a tendency to pollute tn,
, | water.
, Four miles to the south OF Grifir
| | pond and between Clark's Summit anC
. the Poor Farm is Summit lake, which
was originally known as Mud pond
|
full improvements. Stumps and float
ing islands were removed and now
there is lake of clear. pure water tha
| covers siXty-eight acres of ground
The average depth is fifteen feet anC
the capacity Is i5OO0O,0O0 gallons. Boil
of these big reservoirs are supplied al
most entirely by springs.
GRIFFIN POND SUFFICES.
: So extensive is the supply OF the com
pany that even now in the summer
when the daily consumption is abou
100000 gallons, the Griffin pond fur
nishes the entire supply. 1t is no
found necessary to take any wate
), from Summit lake. Between the latte
r and Chinchilla is the Maple Glen stor
: age reservoir with a capacity of $4,000,
600 gallons. 1t is for emergency pur
!. poses, such as extensive fires or othe
i unusual demands on the water supply
= From Summit lake the water flows II
its natural channel to within less thal
). hals mile of Chinchilla, from whicl
:. point IT is piped in 24-inch terra cott
n pipes to the Leach reservoir, wher
= the extensive filtering plant of tn
company is located.
, Here the water passes first througl
= series OF screens, then through
,, chamber in which a number of thi
!, strips Of soft iron are suspended 70
K the purpose of gathering the impur
d tiles that may escape through tn
screens. Afterwards as a further pre-
s. caution the water passes through
e sieve of burlap. Above and below tn
:, filters are arrangements for aeratin