The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-22
Weekly Letter on
Municipal affairs
xxx. - LIvERPooL'S WATER
SUPPLY.

WHICH mas ho" one oi tne nhest water
p'ah.s III 'ne "oIlo' ''au literary 10 hsh'
'or ,ts wafer &C., az 'ne peelnh'ns OF 'he pres,
emu EN- century inc distributing system, was o,
tne 'nos1 pr'"esal nature IN inc aosshee ol
p'upei l''a'ls' wafer eaits "c,e e"lloseu, eath
aelverihs anout uoHen ioaos aay In lne
poorer a's'rc's t"ere were constant Draws
arouha the water oarreis' anu ~ ho "onuer
',"'t 'nc intermittent, in'Fes'ec1 anu "heer'a"
character vi '"e supply leu W HUI" uNe'ea'''-
HESS -, anu aisease'
me present supply "hicn Is Wholesome, pure
anu aae4uate' is Drought IRON one OF the Ia
''iouS i"hes Ill picturesque Nor'" "a'es. anu ''''
pool nave peei' encou!agea 10 make liberal use
OF ,ne wafer IN Tue interest OF cleanliness ana
n'"it" ~ A' present. '"ere are !.,'o'S PationS Vi
'ne L'erpooi water supply e''ner IN the Guy
OF ns sHputDs, ana the popuiatioh a'ppnea Is
es'iiha'eo AT over an,oVV. Last year the Guy
useu ''e. ~ ~, s",,o''s vi III
.'e"se " oso'o'''o0", o'ei '''e eo"su''p'io" ""i
ing tae previous Twelve "'on'hs'
""',,'eu years aso Tue o''y so"ices oi
A''erpoois water supply were shailo" wells
"I"'ie" oa' y. '"e ieu sa,'us'',s' '"e P'iAeip"'
supply peihs from PUBIC wen IN tne center
., e the to"h' near 81 neorse nali' un.l' le4o
'"e Guy was s"priieo WIN water ny P'N"'c co'''
panes' up =" which 'hne '"e supply was .ho,e
or iess 'naucq"a'e; III .na' senr .''e municipal.
NY LION ho'u oi Tue water ques'i"h anu pioush'
"pou' d great Improvement u! ou'i''R OUT 'he
private companies. me sum Paiu amounted 10
more tnan @soW'oo". WINE uhoer the manage
.''e"' " '"e '''"",''p"'i! ."c 'esu''S were ue''
Ter 'han uhuer the private Ct uorpoia.'on' 'iey
were ho' "ho"y Satisfactory. inc cN'e a"'"'''
oe' "e'e .o.s'"'tV s s'uu9I's '"e poo'e'"' anu
"',a''y' III io'o' st'ueh upon us so'u''on'
A.. lowaras 'he emu ol 'M. year tne a''en.l'n OF
the water coHmiltee was ea'.ea 10 'ne ao'
'"''"s' VI Wv '' 's'' III -o''' "ais,
as source oi supply 'or ihverpooi, anu III loeo
'he heces'at! powers were oo'a'"eo from paria'
""en'' NO tne was ''s. =" p,oeeeuhs Will '''e
WORK. wheh was con'Pie,eu III ieo-' Inc 'nu-
sohry OF the aaih anu o.he, "ork necessary 10
!or'i the small iaAe "n'ch 'ne u'''e''ah'"s re'''
n'ol'ed was eohstruetea unoer tne airec'
tion OF the ci'y' whiie 'he rort'ana cement
"sed was phrehaseu from a single hrm whereoy
uniformity was maintained inc hrst water
was sent through the new aHueauct In ls'i'
and IN the following year the WORKS were COM
pleted' when the oiu "eii supply was apa''-
doneu' me to'ai area Vi 'ne watershed from
which the city can lmponhd water Is 22''4z
acres
Ihe area OF the lake iormeu ny damm'hs inc
river Nyrnwy Is LII acres' its iength' tour ana
three'iourths miles, ana a'a'iaoie contents
l2,hi'ooo'ooo Ea'iohs' Inc stone useu 1or
building was similar in character to the rock
~''''''~-
opened Tor the purpose at distance OF about a
mile and quarter from the dam. btween the
quarry and the wall rails were iaid' and the
railway cars were ut,lized ior conveying the
stone 10 inc wall OF 10 convenient position ae
the side OF II Tor nitihg ny cranes Inc progress
OF building operations was necessarily slow, be-
cause OF the mass OF materials to be prepared,
transported and manipulated, ana Inc frequent
interruptions through frost anu storm IN the
winter seasons
The erection OF masonry wall instead OF an
earth embarrassment, which had been usual In
that country, permitted OF an important depar'
ture In the method OF dealing with overhows and
foodwater. Instead OF a separate by'wash built
at the side OF the valley, according to the ordin'
ary practice in reservoir construction, the wall
itself has been utilized as an overflow, and 1t
has been so shaped that whenever the water
rises above the overflow level 1t falls In grace
full curve over the back OF the wall. and passes
away down the old river course To discharge
water from the lake to the river below the dam
two circular discharge cnlverts pass through the
wall, and during the building were used as TEN.
porary passages for the river. These tunnels are
fifteen feet in diameter and seventy feet In
length, and the passage OF water through
them is prevented and controlled by stopping
of brickwork nineteen feet Thick in which
pipes were imedded with valves attached, which
can he opened or closed at will. There are
three discharge pipes; one OF thirty'nine inches
in diameter, another OF thirty, and third of
eighteen inches, through which water Is sup
piled to the daily and monthly compensation
gauges
When the city applied to parliament ior pow.
ers to carry out the scheme there was the