New-York tribune., 1906-11-27
PUMPER HOLDS SECRET.
WON'T TELL 1T TO CITY.
Moses" Titus, of Jameco, Drascs
Big Pau, but Can't Be Drd1Cn.

city RldgeWood reservoir.
The Tribune last week gave some of the details
of the surprising contract which the city hao
made with Moses" Titus to pump water at
Jareco. year ago the city was maintaining
at Jameco, near Massepequa, the eastern edge
of Nassau County, a pumping plant which pro-
duced from 100000 to 1.40u.OO0 gallons of
water day. That was what the Jameco plant
had been pumping for years from its so-caled
shallow wells SiIas w Titus came along about
a year ago He investigated all the conditions
surrounding the Jameco plant After mastering
all the details of the geological formations and
| discovering the cost of maintaining the pumping
plant he was ready for a proposition. which he
made to Commissioner Ellison
Commissioner Ellison wished to increase the
Brooklyn supply Titus said that he could treble
the supply which was being produced at Jameco.
Commissioner Ellison told him to go ahead and
demonstrate it. Titus went ahead with some
what radical changes. He sank the Citys we'll
holes through the clay beds which underlie the
water gravel on the south shore of Long Island,
and within few weeks had forty pumps draw
ing water from under the clay bank AS al
ready stated in The Tribune. the Water De-
partment contracted pay him $40 million
gallons for water in excess of 100000 gallons
a day, which amount was fully equal to the
average pumping capacity of the Jameco plant
under the old method of pumping
The capacity of the Jameco plant to-day Is
something above S,000,O0O gallons a day. Mr..
Titus is cleaning up profit of close to $500
a day. or approximately 100000 year. De-
Quoting the cost of the changes which he made
in the Jameco plant it is certain that Mr. Titus
will make a profit of about S15OOOO for two
years, at which time his contract expires and
the plant passes into possession Of the city.
But the city does not own the Titus process.
Mr.. Titus refuses to divulge the process by
which he forces air down pipes and forces the
water from the gravel at considerable depth.
He maintains that the process is a secret of
his own. and that he is not obliged under the
contract to explain it Unless the city can in
duce him to explain the process to its engineers.
it looks now If the city at the end OF the con-
tract period, a year from next February, would
take over the improved plant without the secret
process. Probably at that time Mr.. Titus will
be ready with a proposition to double or
treble the amount he is now furnishing at the
rate which he is paid $40 million gallons
Ever since the publication of The Tribune's
story about the revolution in pumping at ia
meco the question has been asked, Why doesn't
the city install the Titus kind of pumps and in
crease it's Long Island supply? When this ques-
ton was asked Corporation Counsel Ellss yes
terday, he sad
Perhaps this inquiry should be made of my
successor in the Water Department. ComrnlS-
sioner O'Brien. AS 1 made the contract with
Titus do not mind telling how it came about.
Let me explain. in the words of a layman, about
the water situation Long Island. AT Jameco
and other places the city has had for many years
what are called the infltration and the shallow
we'll systems of getting water out of the sand
and gravel on the south shore. The water
gravel is close to the surface 1t has been the
custom to lay loose jointed pipes a few feet
underground and cover the system with sand.
The water enters the loose jOnted pipe system
and is led by gravity to huge we'll. and from
this well the water is pumped into the conduit
leading to the Ridgewood reservoir. The snail
low well system consists in sinking the wells to
the clay bank under the gravel This clay bank
| is in some stretches thrty-fve feet thick The
water on top Of the clay does not penetrate 1t.
The so-caled shallow wells take their water
from the top of the bank of clay. Under this
strata of clay is another water-bearing stratum
Of gravel and sand. Just where it comes from
IS a question The citys engineers have sunk
wells into this second. lower deposit and
pumped water from it. but hitherto the removal
of the water in large quantities tended to weaken
the clay roof over the lower stratum of gravel.
with the result that the clay would close IN
around the pumps and the wells would be USE
| less.
Mr.. Titus was confident that he could take
large quantities of water from this lower stratum
OF gravel and sand. and | told him to go ahead.
! only too glad to get the water, as 1t Is of
fine quality and quickly available for the Brook
lyn supply. Mr.. Titus said that If rightly built
there would be danger of the clay bank roof
| interfering with the pumping from the greater
| depth. Many experienced engineers hold the
| opinion that after time any wells sunk into
| this lower stratum Will have to be abandoned.
| That is why. hitherto, the city has not main
! tanned the deep wells. 1t is only fair to Nj.
| Titus to say that up to the present his theory
| has been sustained He sunk his wells through
this deep clay bed into the lower stratum, and he
! has steadily increased the flow of water. | do
| not know what his process Is. He will not tell
| our engineers how he does II. We have our
theories about IT, but until test them we will
! not know to a certainty whether can do what
! Mr.. Titus is doing. At the end OF his contract
! term he Will have to turn over his
! chinery at Jameco, and the city will thereafter
own it. but we do not know whether the essen
| tial secret possessed by Mr.. Titus will come
| into our possession at that time.
isn't he making too much out of it?" he was
| asked.
He is entitled to what he is making" said
Mr.. Ellison, decisively. THE city needed tho
water He said he could produce il for given
! period. Some of our engineers did not believe
that 1t could be done. Titus went ahead and
made good The $40 a million gallons we are
! paying him for two years is not excessive He
will make tidy sum I'm the two years. but at
the end of that time we are in hopes of know
| ing well as Mr. Titus how TO get the water
MIR. Titus was vigilant in guarding his secret.
| When he began TO change the pumping plant
we sent some of engineers to look ana
get some points Titus quit at once. and said
that if our engineers not prevented from
! spying on him he would quit the contract
gave orders that should not trespass.
The city has another year In which to work
| however and believe that in another year we
shall know how to get the water from the lower
levels by the so~called Titus air-lift system"
In expectation of largely increasing the Long
| Island supply Mr.. Ellison, before leaving the
Water Department, awarded a contract for
TO Mace C,,,ff IL