The age-herald., 1900-03-13
FIRST SESSION OF
 JOINT COMMITTEE
Investigation of Fire Protection
 and Water Supply Begun.
COMMERCIAL CLUB ROOMS
Superintendent Reyer of Waterworks Company on Stand-Makes Full Explanation of System-An-
 other Session Today

 club, the board of trade, and tho city coun- cil, appointed to investigate the cause of the inability of the fire department to con- trol the recent fire that destroyed the Met ing it; also. the water supply of the city, met in the Commercial club rooms at 2:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Of the commit tees appointed, the following were present; Commercial club committee-Judge J. J. Banks, chairman; Mayor w. M. Drennen, A. R. Dearborn, Joseph Beitman and John W. O'Neill
 Board of trade commlttee-G. Rotholtz and John W. o'Neill
 City council committee-Harry Jones, chairman; R. H. Kerr, R. P. McNally and J. T. Lynagh.
 George Reyer, superintendent of the Bir- mingham Water Works company; A. M. Lynn and H. S. Jaudon, of the water works company, were present, at the request of the Commercial ciuh committee.
 Major W. J. Milner, former superintendent of the water works, and Thad. Mullin, chief of the fire departent, were also present by invitation of the committee.
 superintendent Reyer'S tatement Judge Banks presided over the meeting and after stating the object for which it had been called requested of Superintend- ent Reyer a statement concerning the wa ter supply, the pressure and the size and number of water mains in the city Tie meeting was thoroughly informal. every one present taking hand at asking questions Mr. Rcyer, MT Lynn and Major Milner gave such information as was requested ano explained in detail the sources and sup ply of water, the position of the water mains and pipe, the cut-offs, reservoirs, etc. MT. Reyer spread out on a table before the committee a diagram of the water works system, and with particular refer ence to the fire plugs used on the day of lhe Metropolitan fire, stated in substance the following: He said the indicator in the company's office showed a pressure of S5 pounds to the inch during the fire; that shortly after the fire started the pressure fell about five pounds, but never below this five fire plugs, or hydrants, were in use, each of which had two outlets, making ten streams that were playing on the fire. He said the company had two sources of water supply-Cahaba river and Five Mile creek. The Cahaba line has two reservoirs with capacities of 2S 900, 900 and 1l0 100000 gallons respectively, and the North Birmingham reservoir. on the Five Mile creek line, has 100000 gallons capacity. The valves along the mains have at all times been wide open and the mains are continually filled to their capacity and a high pressure maintained. He further stated that the supply from .eta.: the pipes filled and satisfy the daily re- quirements of the city, and that the Cahaba supply was never cut off.
 Life of Cast Iron Pipe
 MT. Reyer said it was impossible to state what the average life of cast iron pipe was, but that when well protected it was almost indestructible. Some of the pipes put in by the water works at Nashville fifty years ago. he said, were still in use and in good condition. He said the soil in Birmingham was mostly clay and gravel, which did not usually affect pipe. The largest mains in use by the Birmingham water works are 30 inches, inside diameter. but the mains in the business part of the city vary from to 16 inches, the main in First avenue being inches, and the one in WSUlleuil SWctl l1 l he odpPiy oL water in an S-inch main is sufficient for ten hose. He said main at Fourth avenue and Twenty-first street, burst while the fire was raging, but that there was very little waste from it, not enough to affect the pressure in the fire district
 He said where 200 gallons of water were fed the hose every minute there would be a loss of fifteen pounds pressure ito every 100 feet of hose of 2k inches in diameter. Taking S5 pounds pressure at the hydrant, this would give pressure of Al pounds at the nozzle of a 200-foot hose when fed 245 gallons per minute, the nozzle being an inch and a quarter; this would throw a horizontal stream 12O feet and a vertical stream 30 feet An S00-foot hose would throw a stream 63 feet horizontally, or 35 feet vertically.
 MT. Reyer stated that tine pressure in the main at the higest point in the Red mountain tunnel was 21 pounds, and that loss of about four pounds was sustained between Cahaba river and the South High lands.
 Sufficient Water
 MT. Reyer stated that he was present at the fire and noted that one stream was very weak not being sufficient to reach the third story of the Metropolitan hotel but he was unable to account for the lack of pressure, as there was at all times ample water in the mains. He said there was sufficient water in the business district of the city to supply the entire Birming- nam fire depar ment. with two or three others of like capacity. all going at the same time. In this statement he was borne out by 0dr. Lynn of the Birmingham Water Works company and Major Milner, the former superintendent
 When MT. Reyer had concluded his state ment the committee adjourned to meet again this afternoon at o'clock