The age-herald., 1899-11-05

'eThe reservoirs on Shades mountain can not be imsJeoved as to location. It has never been my fortune to see reservoirs so well situated as these, and the water held therein cannot fail to be improved by such storage This fact is shown by the bacteri- ologieal results
 Quality of the water: The important question to be answered by this investiga- tion is does the water of Birmingham contain impurities? Is it wholesome?
 "The result of my examination shows that it is free from the really serious item of pollution. the one that the sanitarian looks for with greatest anxiety, namely, sewage material. In the fact of this free dom, it enjoys superiority over large and increasing number of the cities of our iand.
 "No objectionable results traceable to water are to be observed in the health re- port of your city, judging from the data furnished me for inspection.
 with the facts as they are before me, embracing the analytical results fer the samples of water taken by me, am led to the opinion that the water supply of your city cannot be classed as unwholesome. Respectfully submitted,
 "(SigneD WILLIAM P. MASON.
 Improvements.
 The company has recently made such changes at and in the vicinity of the re-
 
 the sanitary conditions perfect. The com pany has had built a large sanitary wagon, which is used at the Cahaba station to car ry off all refuse matter. This wagon makes daily trips over the premises and removes every vestige of objectionable matter. In fact such care is exercised in the sanitary regulations as to render contamination of the water an impossibility.
 The construction of the water works sys- tenn of this city was a mammoth undertak- ing: indeed it was one that only men or colg.age-men who had the most implicit confidence in the future of the city. and who contemplated the due appreciation Of their efforts by the people whom they bene- fited-only such men would have expended their money and labor in the enterprise 1he cost of the works exceeded the million mark and besides many thousands of dol lars have since been expended in improve ments.
 It is a fact not very generally known that Birmingham has practically two system"of water works, the system being in du- picate as regards the supply, precluding any possibility of the people ever experi- encing a water famine or the city ever be- ing without fire protection. The company has two pumping stations. One is located at North Birmingham, which receives Its supply through a canal extending six miles in a northeasterly direction to Five Mile creek The canal delivers the water at
  a capacity of ten million gallons From this reservoir the water is pumped through a 90-inch main direct into the city mains. A supply of water is kept in this reservoir at all times sufficient for emergencies The machinery is all in duplicate. consisting of two compound con1ensing duplex Blake engines of two and one-fourth million gall Ions daily capacity each, and ose similar Deane engine of six million daily capacity. The other station is located on Cahaba river, at a point, according to surveys, about seven and two-third miles in a south easterly direction from the city. The avail ah'e supply of water is practically unlim tied.
 Supply Inexhaustibe
 Except to the most skilled hydraulic en- ham Water Works company would seem an utter impossiblity The distance from the . city and the character of the country through which the water is brought, rem der the execution of the work nothing less than marvellous. Conveyed through tun- nels in the mountains, and over a distance of about eight miles, not only was d vast amount of capital required, but the in- genuity of the most skilled engineers of the