The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-07-10


week we spent some little time in
looking over the various water systems
in the different towns we visited, and
! now know the council made no mis-
take in the purchase of compressed
air plant for Armour. 1t is ahead Of
anything we inspected, affords the best
pressure, the purchase price is less and
cost Of maintaining is nominal. 1t was
for the purpose of satisfying doubt
in our own mind mostly that we.
made the trip. We wanted to know
whether the system would be an ex-
perllnent or something that would be
OF practical value to the people of
Armour when once installed. Now our
mind rests easy. We entertain no re-
gret in having as a member of the city
council voted to place the compressed
air system in here. Tt was with
some misgivings that we saw the pre-.
liminary contract let at the time il
was, but now we are satisfied no mis-
take was made. We felt before that
none could be when the contract call
ed for a pressure equal to a standpipe
$50 feet high. backed up by a surety
bond. But like the man from Missouri
we wanted to ssee .
The city Of Madison has the old
standpipe and pumping station. For
tunately for that town they have arise
of twentY-eight feet in the lay of the
land between the standpipe and
where the pump is operated. At the
time we were there the indicator de-
noted a pressure Of forty pounds The
standpiIe was not full. 1t would
afford sixty pounds at the pumping
station when the tank was full, but
the pressure would be only forty-six
pounds at the base of the pipe or any
place in town on the same level
At Howard a compressed air plant.
has been recently installed. That is
the proposed system for Armour. In
the pumping station there the indicaa
tor placed the pressure on the mains at
sixty-tfve pounds. More could be had
If desired, but that amount is suff1ci
ent to rip the shingles from any build.
ing in town and the pressure is the
same all over the corporation and con-
tinues that way as long as a drop Of
water remains in the tank. The hose
was attached to hydrant for our
benefit and it was no trick to throw
water over the highest elevator in
town. The stream Of water turned
onto a boulder as large as mans
head two rods away would drive it
right down the street. 1t required
| two men to handle the nozzle. The
pump was in operation, driven by 10
horse gasoline engine, and more water
could be pumped in the tank than the
hose would take out. The water
comes from well 43O feet deep, S-inch
hole. The water is soft and was secur-
ed in sand rock, the same as it is beliey-
ed can be had here. The tank is SO
4 feet long and feet in diameter, hous-
ed with all the machinery in brick
building. For Armour 1T is proposed
to buy two such tanks, and our build
ings will be 30x40 feet, 10 feet high
above the foundation. The town Of
/ Howard has experimental for four
years, but now has one Of the finest
4 plants in the state, but almost $4,000
has been expended, mostly in expert
menting. It will possibly take all of
the s1O, 600 voted at the last election
to install the plant here, sink the
well and lay mains sufficient to com
plete circuit, but once in we feel sure
the people Of Armour will have no
occasion to regret casting their votes for
the issue Of bonds for water purposes.
4 Salem, Alexandria and many other
towns have adopted the same system,
Saleme even disregarding the tank for
the compressed air plant. 1t is the
real thing for South Dakota town
where artificial pressure must be had.
i Poor .lOF,n. ThOse Files. II h0se FficS (