The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-23
City News
WATER PRESSURE
/, ALMOST NORMAL
FAMINE IN HIGH PLACES AT LAST
BELIEVED.
Another Submerged Main Is in Use and
Pressure Is Now Adequate in West
Side Mains-Break Not Yet Repaired
Precautions Will Be Taken Against
a Repetition.

Minneapolis householders who live on
the high places have resumed the use
OF. water, catching the faucet flow in
pals and pots and pans, instead Of
thlmbles or minute sponges, the pro-
eed!re of yesterday. For the water
famine is over. y '' ,-.,s, .. II
:, As q result of the recent break in
Place pumping station the waterworks
authorities will make improvements
which will greatly reduce the extent Of
serious consequences in the event OF
9 similar accident. When the big
36-lnch main cracked it was necessary
to close the gate above the break, and
this action also shut off the other sup
ply main. a 30'inch pipe.
These are the only Two supply mains
from the Camden Place station, and
the West Side was cut off; from the
what came thru from the submerged
mains across the river at Hennepin
avenue and Twentieth avenue N. =:
These pipes are comparatively small
and were not adequate to carry enough
water to maintain the ordinary pres
sure of seventy-fve pounds in the
downtown districts. The pressure i'm
which is not sufficient to. raise the
water to the upper stories of the high
er buildings and to the highest points
ON Lowry Hill and Kenwood.
Lessons of the Break.
The lessons that the accident teaches
are three, as follows:
First-There should be duplicate,
or reserve, system Of feed and return
mains between the pumping stations
and the reservoir.
Second-The gates at the Camden
Place pumping station should be so
arranged that either Of the two big
distributing mains could be shut off
other.
| Third. There should be additional
connection between the East and West
Sides so that in the event Of another
accident at Camden Place the West
Side could be supplied from the East
Side system, which has direct connec-
ton with the big reservoir pipe line
thru supply mains at Central avenue
and Marshall street.
The first thing to be done will be to
set new gates at Camden Place so that
the two distributing mains can be con.
trolled separately.
Then will come the proposition for
additional connection between the East
and West Side systems. 1t has been
agreed that the best place for such con.
nectlon will be at Thirty -second avenue
N. Two twenty-inch mains will be
carried across the river on the new
bridge. one line being suspended under
each sidewalk. The submerged main
will, be abandoned. Costly attempts
haye been made to keep it in repair
without success, and it will not pay tc
dig. up the pipe. These mains will
probably be used only for emergencies
such as the present enc.
aIhe matter of a duplicate system of
teed and return mains between the
pumping station and the reservoir has
not been considered: at length, but Il
greatly needed. The theory Of a first.
class water supply system, according to
a1erts, is that there should be- SO OF
6o per cent of the plant in reserve fol
| emergencies. Judging from the expe
F1ence of the past two days Minneap
| Oils has no such reserve. With a fine
| reservoir and two frst-class pumpine
stations, either Of them fully able ,tc
| supply the city, the efficiency Of The
plant is greatly reduced by the lack OF
| gate.
The break is being repaired with al
possible haste. The sleeve was cast YES
terday and is on the ground, but tn
pipe has not been uncovered. It i
; bedded in concrete and the work O
! removing this material progresses
slowly. It will not take long. however
| to adjust the sleeve.
No one has any. explanation as t.
| why the break occurred. It may hav,
been a flaw in the iron. but even thi
| has not been determined.