The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-01
Will be Finished Within Year
 and a Half
LETTER FROM MR. PUROY
Superintendent Reyer Explains Char acter of Two Filter Plants-Work Has Areday Begun at North
 Birmingham.

Mayor Drennen yesterday received a telegram from J. H. Purdy, president of the Birmingham Water Works company. to the effect that tho North Birmingham filter plant would be completed in twelve months and the Shades mountain filter plant In eighteen months.
 The work of excavation for the clear water basin of the North Birmingham plant has already commenced and Su- perintendent George Reyer stated yester- day afternoon that active work would commence at the Shades mountain plant next week. Much of the material for the filtration plant has already been receiv- l ed including Q pumping engine to be used for the Cahaba filter. two car loads of "A, 20 and 16 inch pipe to be used for aerating, and a bill of iading for another car en route has been received.
 The plans for the filter plant at both North Birmingham and Shades mountain have been definitely decided upon and are now in the local office of the compa- ny. The plan adopted by the company l is the American mechanical filtration system. By this system the water at l the Shades mountain plant will be aerat- ed by the system of pipes arranged along two sides of the small reservoirs, these pipes having GA four-inch outlets by which the water will be sprayed into the reservoir.
 Concrete Basin.
 1 A clear water basin, built of concrete, 330 feet long, 70 feet wide and twenty feet deep will be built just north of the present reservoir at Shades mountain. This basin will hold about 5,0OO,oOO gall Ions of water, and will be covered. On the east side of this clear water basin. the fllterhouse will be erected. In this will be located thirty filter tubs fifteen feet in diameter and about twelve feet high, each having a capacity to filter half a million gallons of water every twenty-four hours or A total of 15,oo0,0oO gallons daily. These filter tubs will be built of boiler plate. and will have screens about one foot from the bottom.
 On these screens will be placed layer of gravel nine inches In thickness.
 Over this layer of gravel bed of >4nd four feet In depth VII be laid. The eater will be irrigated Into the filter tpJA from the small reservoir above the sn d level. Passing through the sand. the a1ater will be collected by a system of pipes and conveyed to the clear water loasin. The water will thus be eonveyfli from the clear water basin into the piT Is leading to. the city
 Each of the filter tubs vii, DC arranged independent of the other, so that when it becomes necessary to clean them it can be done by turning on strong cur rent of water from the bottom, thus thoroughly washing the sand and gravel.
 North Birmingham Plant
 At the North Birmingham plant the same system will be used, the water be ing pumped from the present reservoir to the filters and through the same pro- cess as at Shades mountain. At North Birmingham there will be ten filter tubs with a capacity each of half a million I gallons daily or a total of 100000 gall l Ions.
 Superintendent Ryer of the Water Works company, when asked if he con | the North Birmingham plant and IS months for the completion of the Shades mountain plant a reasonable or unreas- enable length of time for this work. stat I ed that the construction of the systems would be pushed with the utmost vgor l and If possible they would be in operation | in less time. "All plans have been ar ranged" said Captain Reyer ''and 1t all | depends now upon how fast we can push the work and how promptly the material will be delivered. The work will not be 1 delayed on our account, and we shall use every endeavor to instill the systems at the earliest possible moment" The following letter, written to Mayor Drennen from President ]. H. Purdy of | the Water Works company. was given | to the Age-Herald last night by Captain Reyer.
 MT. Purdy's Letter. MT. W. M. Drennen. Mayor, Birming- ham, Ala
 My Dear Sir: Since Mir. Lynn's return from Birmingham he has reported to me his meeting with yourself and commit | tee, and that there Is doubt in the minds of some of the council and some of the citizens of Birmingham as to the good | faith of the Birmingham Water Works company in carrying out the promises made by me when l met with you and council at Birmingham. I wish to say that immediately upon my return to the ofnce from Birmingham after that meet ing, our engineering force was at once started upon plans and drawings for the proposed filter plants for North Birming- ham and Cahaba, and this work has been pushed as vigorously as consistent with so large an undertaking.
 The plans for the North Birmingham filter plant were completed last week and sent to Mir. Reyer and work has been started upon that plant. and we expect to have 1t completed and in operation within ten months.
 'The plans for the Cahaba filter plant are now completed and today sent to MT. Reyer, with instructions to start work as soon as possible and we estimate it will take from fourteen to sixteen months to complete the Cahaba plant.
 I assure you that the plans have been prepared as rapidly as consistent with a careful study of the situation, and that work upon the Altering systems will be pushed as rapidly as it can be. wish you would kindly communicate this to your committee and council. remain. yours very truly. .BIRMINGHAM WATER WORKS co. |
 D~o