The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-03
TO IMPROVE
MANILA
Report of Lieut..
Brown Of the
Engineers.
WATER SUPPLY
INADEQUATE
Difficulty of Devising a Proper
Sewerage System at
Moderate Cost.


neers, who holds the important post of
city engineer at Manila, p l., has made
an interesting report to General Giles
pie, chief of engineers, in regard to the
engineering work in progress for the
improvement of that city
THE water supply system of the
city, he says lis composed of a
pumping station on the San Mateo riv-
er, some seven miles from the city
there being four pumps of d combined
capacity of 10000 cubic meters per
twenty-four hours-a conduit to the
distributing reservoir, three miles from
the city, 26-inch main iron pipe into
the city and the system of city distri-
button
The water is sold through the meter
system in houses and is gratis at a
number of public hydrants throughout
the city. The water rents are paid at
the office of the Department of Public
Works and water supply.
The present water supply is fast
becoming inadequate, and during this
month a survey was made along the
| San Mateo valley to the mountains.
and the stream was gagged to deter
! mine the feasibility of getting supply
of pure water by gravity flow.
There is no sewerage system in Ma
Mia at present. and the difficulty in de-
vising one at reasonable cost is magni-
| fled by the low level site. it being on
an average of 21a meters above mean
low tide. An efficient system on the
pumping or air lift plan would cost
some three and a half million dollars,
United States currency.
THE greatest encouragement to
| spending money for a sewer system for
this city is that SO large a per cent of
| the population is too poor to make the
proper sanitary house connections with
the sewers should such exist.
The present condition of the work
outlined above, is: Water supply,
amount delivered in Manila per day,
10000 cubic meters; condition of sys-
tenn, poor; Divisoria market, complete,
except interior fitting of stalls; widen
| ing of Bridge of Spain completed No
vember l. 1900; stone quay on Pasg
completed save a small portion of con-
crete floor, and small part of roof-cov-
ering and skylight; Highway bridge
over Pasig, one abutment and two piers
completed, save coping, other abutment
80 per cent completed; steel for super
structure on site.
THE construction of the piers and
abutments was delayed four months on
account of the failure of the contract
or to accomplish or even to make an
impression on the work. 1t is being
done by hired labor and the contract
ors bond of $4,000, United States cur
rency, stands liable to be partly or
wholly forfeited. However, the work
seems to be coming within the contract
price.
The bids for erecting the steelwork
were all exorbitant, and that work will
have to be done by hired labor the
survey of Manila is completed and the
map is 80 per cent completed: the Lu-
meta sea wall is completed; the protec-
ton of the Maecon drive awaits the
rainy season to determine whether any
more protection will be necessary. Bids
for the new steel market in the old
walled city We're opened on June Is,
1901
'Trhe magnitude and Importance of
this work may be judged from the eX-
penditures made since July, 1901
The total expenditures under the de-
partment of city public works from Ju-
ly /, 1900, to April 80, 1901 were $942, 5S5,
and the expenditures on account of wa
ter supply during the same period were
$50, 749.-Washington Evening Star