The Washington times., 1904-06-19


L. ployed out on North Capitol
Street in the construction of the Ultra
ton plant. which Is to transform the
! water furnished the people Of Washing
ton into something that looks like the
element it is designed 20 represent.
Meanwhile, the city claps its hands.
and wishes the willing workers Cod
speed.
The work is progressing as rapidly as
circumstances will permit, but it is
certain some considerable length Of time
must elapse before filtered water is ac-
tualiy supplied. X Will be six months.
at least. before the concrete construc-
ton and the excayating will be COM
pleted, and after that a further stretch
of weeks or months before the piping
will be laid, and the connections made.
Three millions of dollars are to be ex-
pended on the filtration plant, but Il
would be hard 10 find a citizen Of Wash
ington, who paddles about in a mud
puddle. with some wild idea he is tax
ing bath, who win think the cost ex-
travagant. On the violent contrary, the
citizen doesn't care how much the Gov
eminent spends. and IS rather willing to
get rid of a portion of his own worldly
wealth TO bring about a contamination
so devoutly TO be wished
A Question of Taste.
II is a Washington legend that some
persons really like the looks and taste
OF Potomac River water. 1t may be true
for in this age Of marvels il is hard
20 fix the limits where the ability 10
believe ends. but if one were compelled
TO make decision the limits would he
somewhere near this statement. Es-
pecially during the past pair Of weeks.
when the Potomac has been doing its
most elaborate best TO show what II can
accomplishment succeeded.
The actual work of construction on
the filtration plant has been in progress
little over a year, and in that time
much has been accomplished. The bids
were opened on March 81, 1903. and the
contract awarded to the firm OF Co
warden, Bradley. Clay & Co., which be-
gan TO get machinery in place and 10
start operations That firm was sue
ceeded by May & Jekyll, to whom the
contract was sublet. May & Jekyll were
succeeded in turn by Dean & ShipIey.
and the last firm. on January I, of the
present year, organized the Sand Filtra-
ton Company Of America. which is at
present engaged in the larger opera
tons now in progress.
The excavation and concrete construc-
ton amounted to approximately a mil
lion dollars. and a Ike amount is in
VOWED In the contract for piping, which
. was awarded to the Brennan Construc-
ton Company Of Washington. The
pumping station and allied works are
70 be built by the Government itself.
under the immediate and direct super
vision Of its own engineers.
Plant Good for Years.
When the plant is completed it will
comply with Washlngton's demands for
filtered water for many years 70 come
or so II is promised. The present
water supply OF the city Is about 50. 100
600 gallons per diem, and the filtration
plant viii offer a constant and entirely
normal flow OF 100000 gallons per
diem This can be increased, under
forced pressure. by about 1900, 600 gal
Ions.
The filter beds are each an acre in
extent and twenty-nine IN number. and
each has per diem capacity OF 1000 900
gallons OF water. The plan is TO use
twenty-five Of them at a time, while
the four remaining are being cleaned
and prepared 10 begin their work over.
The allotment OF four idle beds is
thought 70 be A generous one, as It is
only when the water is exceptionally
turbid, as II is at present. that it will
be necessary TO keep so many idle at a
time.
The process OF cleaning Is an inter-
esting one in itself. On the bottom of
the filter beds sand is placed 10 a
depth of about four feet and on this a
constant depth OF about the same
amount OF water is preserved by the
joint automatic operation OF the in
flow and the rapidly Of filtration. After
a time the mud and various forms OF
animal and vegetable life that flow
into the filters have crusted the sand.
80 that il no longer performs its as
signed duty.
How Beds Are Cleansed.
Then must come the cleansing. Men
arc sent down under the roots OF the
filter beds. "A crust perhaps half an
inch thick is cut away from the top
OF the sand bed and a food of water
let in, By which the rejected sand Is
swept out into the courts. Here II is