The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-06
President Scranton
on Wafer Pressure



cislly with reference to the late fire on
Lackawanns avenue, and the matter is such an
important one to the city, that make no apol-
ogy for stating the company's position on the
subject.
We maintain minimum pressure az tho level
Of our water Ruage OF about forty five pounds,
which is equivalent TO fifty pounds minimum on
Lsckawanna avenue. Experience everywhere
shows that, with suitable hydrants in good order
and on pipes large as ours, that pressure is
moro than ample 10 supply steamer, with all
water required for tho most desperate fire.
Neither has there ever been lust complaint in
scranton Of insufficient water at fires except
when hydrants were out OF order. frozen. for
which the responsibility rests on city officials
alone
During the late Lackawanna avenue Are the
pressure on our office rIagc at no time fell
below iorty.Hvc pounds Had there been the
lack Of water claimed hy Mr.. Chittcndcn and
some others the guage would have dropped to
at least ten pounds. In confirmation OF this it
is worth noting that all during the fire there
was ample pressure on the top floors OF the
Hotel Jernln lseven storicsl, Connell building
(cigh' stories, and Mears building (tcn Stories),
all drawing water from the mains furnishing
steamers AZ the Are. This would not have been
the case had these complaints Of low pressure
been true
To the select council committee having this
matter in charge We suggested simple expcri-
ment hy which all this could he tested in open
daylight in plain sight Of thousand people.
We offered to build a little tank. open at the
top like a hog eshead. to tun the water from q
hydraut into it. and then let a city steamer
pumping through four hundred aud odd feet Of
hose. and with the same size nozzles as at the
late fire. try to empty the tank. Ii the steam.
IL,
that. whatever else was lacking at that fire
it not water. Was not that offer q fair
one? Not being accepted, il is pretty conclu
siye proof that thr statements made by Mr..
Chittenden and Others as TO low pressure are
not believed 10y themselves.
In his report TO select council last Thursday
night, Mr.. thittenden complains that We de.
clincd. in case Of fires, to let the city. al its
own expense, open the great valves that regulate
the city pressure. Of course We declined Does
any man of common sense seriously suppose
that We would trust to any ono outside OF
our own employees tho handling Of what, II
carccsSIy done, might 100000 worth Of
damage in ten minutes? Mr.. Chittcnden also
says that his committees request that the nv.
drant pressure be raised from ffty.ive to eighty
pounds was met by an absolute and unqualified
refusal.
fused TO increase pressure until II could be
shown that our present pressure was not SUN.
cient for the city steamers TO do their work
properly, when in fit condition and propcrIy
handled. " Is true that wc gave as one reason
Tor declining to almost double our present pres
sure the fact that plumbing throughout the
city has for twenty-five wears hecn adjusted to
present prcssures and would not stand an exccs.
si,c increase. Mr.. Chittendcn says We have an
lal1 81 4,
speaks lightly of any risks TO plumbing through.
out the city as none of the compauy's AFFAIR
We should most certainly never dare turn on
anything like our full static pressure, unless some
one financially stronger than Mr.. Chittenden
would guarantee against the claims for dam.
ages sure TO follow. One hours experiment Of
that kind would make us cursed from one end OF
Scranton TO the other.
II is also true that the excessive waste consc.
oucnt upon such an increased pressure a. Mr.
Chttendcn desires would in itself alone prevent
our adopting it. Since consolidated tho provi-
dencc system with ours We are putting into
the city the enormous quantity Of about y, 600
Wc gallons OF water daily for 100000 people,
being about 30 gallons or four hogsheads of
water, daily. 10 every man, woman and child
We cannot learn that there il another place in
the United States where such an excessive aIan.
THY of water TO each inhabitant il used
In Boston. where tho most gigantic system Of
water works in the Ci,ili1cd world is now under
construction. the report Of the commissioners,
lust issued, teens with alarm hecanse the Use Of
water has actually risen To il2 gallons a person
| u is safe TO say that nearly one-half the water
| in scranton is needlcssly wasted and every oh.
s,rrng man knows IL. II there were no other
reasons, Il would hr sufficient that o,r Scranton
storage system, comparatively one Of the largest
! IN the country, and on which we have ,lrswn
steadily over since last July, through the longest
hrouc'l' On record here. and which we hope is
| still good Ter 100 days moro, would rot, in our
| judgment, bc anywhere near sufficient II NC
should rasc our pressure TO the point Mr. Chit
| tcnGcn desires
To provide Tor the more than excessive waste
| rtai,, 10, b,,. 10