The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-24

water company anu ENJOY
Pleasant Day.
The magnificent East Mountain wat
er shed of the Scranton Gas and Water
company, from which the larger
amount of the water furnished this
city is drawn, was inspected yesterday
by the members of the board of health
and a number of the city officials, as
Is the annual custom. All of the res
ervoirs, with the exception of the
smaller ones. were thoroughly exam
ined by the authorities under the lead
ership and guidance of Superintendent
Robert Reeves.
The start for the tour of inspection
was made from City Hall shortly be-
fore 10 o'clock, in five three-seated
surreys. There were twenty-three in
the party, as follows: Health officer
Allen, DIR. George b. Reynolds, DR..
Thomas Rodham, J. George Eisele, e.
G.. Stevens, w. L. O'Malley, of the
board of health Mayor Moir, Food In
spector Widmayer, Plumbing Inspector
Monies, Sanitary officer Burke, w. +.
Burke, w. A. Lynott, ]. e. Kern,
Franklin Phillips, Livy S. Richard,
| w lllldIn NJ. rONleT, y. lOOlty, L.
j. Jennings, William Griffiths, James
Leyshon, William Neville and Robert
| Reeves.
The first thing inspected was the
| tunnel leading from Lake Scranton un-
der the mountain to a point just back
of and to the west of the Speedway
hotel. This tunnel has but lately been
completed and is eighteen hundred
| MI
Through 1t extends a thirty-inch wat
er pipe connecting at a valve house
on one side of the No. Z reservoir.
BY means of a splendid set of valves
in this latter house, the water from
the Elmhurst reservoir may be con-
veyed through this pipe into Lake
Scranton should the necessity arise.
The necessity has not yet arisen, nor
is 1t expected to. The blast of cold
air coming from the mouth Of this
tunnel was like a whiff of breeze from
"Greenlands icy mountains" or some
other equally frigid place.
After the inspection of the tunnel
the party, led by superintendent
Reeves, drove down an excellent new
ly-made road to the No. reservoir
from which the larger amount of the
East mountain water supply is dis
tributed to the city.
BIG DAILY DRAUGHT.
The capacity of this reservoir is so,
100000 gallons and it was being filleC
yesterday from the Elmhurst reser
voir. Mr.. Reeves stated that th
amount of water distributed every 2
hours from No. 7 is now about 21,OOo,
900 gallons, a considerable increas
over last year.
The members were shown through
the inner reservoirs, or gate houses
which are under cover, and examiner
the screens through which the waite
passes before it reaches the distrib
uting pipes.
The water from No. reservoir
now drawn off for distribution just te
feet from the surface. so that an
sediment which may settle on the bot
tom is not taken up.
The party next drove over the boule
ward - the Flmhurst reservoir mag
nihcent sheet of clear, crystal water
| and the main source of supply for tn
city just at present.
The capacity of this reservoir was u
to a short time ago 1900, 100000 gallon;
but the recent of addition of three fee
to the dam has permitted an increas
Of 200 100000 gallons. so that now tn
capacity is 1,500,0 900. Food Inspec
tor Widmayer secured samples of tn
water from both this and the No.
reservoir, for future chemical eXamina
tion.
From Elmhurst the party drov
through to Moscow, where after
. general brushing down and washin
| up they were seated to a right, royi
dinner at Hotel Dixon. The repaS
finished, brief addresses were made
several, including Mayor Moir and d
, Allen.
. DR.. Aliens remarks We're especial
, interesting. In the fall of 1895 he said
came to his ears that there were seN
, eral cases of typhoid fever in house
, situated along the banks of the streal
, running from the Elmhurst reserve
to No. I. The doctor Immediately II
vestigated and discovered to his di.
:, may that not merely a few but fiftee
. fully developed cases of typhoid few
existed in houses on the average NJ
: twenty feet from this stream, the VIZ
= ter from which Scranton people wei
daily drinking. Not only this bl
the cesspools of these houses wei
draining directly into this stream.
r TOOK PROMPT MEASURES.
The doctor acted promptly and
did the officials of the water compan
s The cesspools were cleaned out, an
y men employed by the company We
n kept on duty day and night, patrollir
back and forth seeing that nothir
y was dumped near the stream. Ever,
: thing coming from the houses WI
!, disinfected and buried hundreds of fe
away. The company almost immed
e ately purchased the land and the res
G dents became its tenants.
L The most marvellous thing about Il
II | Mhnln fair that not a 60