The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-01
TO BUY AN AIR LIFT.
Council VIII Meet To-day 10 Hear
Water Committees Report.

a meeting of the City Council Will
be held to-day at 1890 o'clock for the
consideration of a report from the Wa
ter Committee. which was authorized
some time ago to ask for bids for the
establishment of an air lift plant at
the city's water-works. The bids are
in. and the committee now seeks au-
thority to close a contract with one of
the three bidders.
The companies that submitted bids
for putting in a plant, were the Bacon
Air Lift Company of New York, $34,-
S25; the Mckiernan Drill Company of
New York, $4,000: and the. Pneumatic
Engineering Company of New York,
two bids, $21, 100 and $23,350. Repre-
sentatives of the companies are in the
city, and IL is desired that meeting
of Council be held soon in order that
the matter may. be concluded.
Some weeks ago a test of an air lift
was made at the waterworks, the flow
of the Springfield well. the only one
connected, being thereby greatly in
creased. Even after the lift was re-
moved the dow continued stronger, and
it is now considerably greater than it
was before the mechanism operated
upon it.
The Bacon Air Lift Company made
the test, bearing part of the expense.
The expense to the city amounted to
about $3.50, which the company agreed
to deduct, should its bid be accepted
by Council after the test was made,
and it was decided to put in an air
left. 60.
A guarantee to- increase the daily
flow of water from all the wells to
100000 gallons will be given
by the company securing the contract.
The station now pumps about $500, 900
gallons a day. The Water Committee
is still considering the question as to
the number of years for which a guar
antee of 100000 gallons should hold.
Two bids were. made by the Pneu-
matte Engineering Company because it
wanted to give an estimate upon some
additional work that has been spoken
Of The lower of the two bids is for
the same work that is contemplated
by the other bidders. The same results
are guaranteed by each, that is, to
meet the requirements that may be
made, but the apparatus of two seem
more costly than that of the third
10 one OF the companies a contract
Will doubtless be awarded. The Mayor
witnessed the operation of the test lift
pleased with it. He expressed himself
yesterday as favorable to the award of
contract to one of the companies,
probably the lowest bidder, payment to
be provided by the budget for 1902. as
1t would take four or five months for
the company getting the contract to
put in the plant
Alderman Bacon, chairman of the
water Committee, naturally favors the
award of contract. He said the in
stallation of an air lift would mean a.
now of water that would render il
unnecessary for years to come to bore
more wells. The flow will be such as
to provide a far greater population
than is now Savannah's with all the
water 1t would need. Wherever the
lifts have been employed the results
have been thoroughly satisfactory
Ihey serve to increase the natural. flow
OF the wells by flushing them and re-
lieving them of deposits. With an air
lift connected, therefore, there would
be no further need for the old method
OF forcing water back into the wells to
flush them