The record-union., 1899-09-18
TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT?
HOW SHALL THE NEW SEWAGE
SUMP BE BUILT?
City Trustee Devine States His
Reasons for Favoring Per-
manent Structure.

manent Structure.
Eds. Record Union: At special
meeting of the Board of Trustees, held
on the 18th instant, for the purpose CT
considering the advisa bility OF enter
ing into a contract with Mr.. Cunning
ham for the construction of tempor-
ary sump at a cost of $4,000, for the
disposal of the sewerage and drainage
of this city, l inquired why TINS city
should expend such a large sum OF
money on a temporary sump, When we
knew very well that we could build a
substantial and durable sunp, one that
would fulfill all the requirements Of this
thriving city for hundreds of years to
come. for a sum not to exceed nor
even equal the lowest bid now in the
possession Of the Board of Trustees, for
the construction of the proposed tenn
porary sump?
The City Engineer gave, as a reason
for the increased cost of the proposed
sump, the advance in the price of iron
and Steel since he made his first esti-
mate of its cost. I cannot understand,
in the name of common sense, why we
should build a temporary sulnp when
we can build a permanent one as quick
ly and at no greater cost to the city.
Engineer Mullenney said that the
plans and specifications had been ready
since the 26th of June, and that since
then the price of iron and steel had
mounted skyward which would natur-
ally increase the cost of construction,
and he therefore denied having had
anything to do with the increased cost
of those commodities, which is GER
tainly true.
He has had nothing whatever TO do
with sending the prices of trust BOOM
ing iron and steel skyward, or in any
other direction; nevertheless the fact
remains that the total cost oF exCavat-
ing and clearing out the old sewer,
furnishing cement and bricks and lay
ing around the same, supplying and
driving all proposed and necessary pill
ing, managing and disposing of all
sipage water and for doing all brick
work around boilers and the erection of
the proposed building for the protection
of motors, boilers and engines is $2,!4S,
leaving a balance of 81 Coz for the
manufacture and placing OF the pro-
posed sixty feet of steel pipe in the
sewer, and calling it a permanent sump.
Should anyone be bold enough to de-
nominate it anything else, they will
commit an unpardoaable offense
against the profound wisdom and judg
ment of the City Engineer, and some
sewer expert members of the Board of
City Trustees.
Just think of it for a moment-sixty
reet of steel pipe, 534 feet in diameter at
the open end, dipped in asphaltum, with
openings cut in the top g said pspe
for the reception of the suction pipes,
whence all the sewerage and drainage
is proposed to be disposed of. At the
east end of that sixty feet of pipe the
joints are quite open in the sewer,
through which the quicksand founda-
tion is again liable to be drawn. which
possibility may bring this so-called
sump to similar destruction TO that
which befell its costly predecessor.
It would seem that the advance in
the price of steel should not make so
much difference in the cost of this
sixty feet of steel pipe as is claimed AL
lowing ITO pounds to the foot, and al
lowing 10 cents per pound for it. will
bring it's original cost to $1,G20; and
allow $50 per foot for asphalt cover
ing for it, which is a liberal price, viii
bring the total cost of this sixty feet
of pipe to only S1,110.
AS aluminium only costs about cents
per pound, it must appear to any ordi-
nary mind that 10 cents per round is
a very liberal price for steel, even when
it is borne upward by the powerful in
fluence of an unscrupulous combine.
Certainly it appears from the lowest
bid now in the possession of the Board
of Trustees for furnis 1ing this steel
ptre and laying it in place that the
contractor has amply provided himself
against contingencies and possible loss
v unforeseen accident or other unto
wand events
Compare the contemplated contract
with binding contract that same gen
tleman entered into with this citv Sep
tember s. 1896 which comprehended
nearly twice the amount of labor, and
about five times as much material as
the contract now about to be entered
into between himself and the present
Board Of Trustees. as the following de-
scription from the advertisement for
bids at that time will prove. and of
which labor he agreed to perform and
to furnish all material necessary for the
completion of the work for the sum of
S15.341:
ITO furnish a complete pumping plant
hAIyO9eAA
lows: Three boilers and two centrifugal
pumps, each with a capacity of 10000
gallons per minute and each pump to
be operated by a compound engine,
making the pumping arrangement in
duplicate, with a common shaft for
pumps and engines. Provision to be
made also for the placing in position
of present drainage pump of 5000 gal
Ions per minute. to be operated by cleo
trio power To include suction and
discharge pipes of boiler steel properly
calked and dipped in asphaltum: also
gates and valves. to include a sump
twenty feet by twenty feet by eighteen
feet. with concrete bottom and brick
walls laid in cement mortar, to include
concrete foundations for boilers IL
inches thick, and for pumps and en-
gines five feet thick. To include a
frame building 40 feet by 40 feet with
sheet iron smoke stack and coal bins
and to include piling al the river bank