The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1906-02-08

large, but under the latter condition
they are not. would think it advisable
to have the boiler capacity increased by
the addition of one more boiler of equal
size to the present ones This would al
low the pumps an increased capacity of
33 per cent. each, or ZOO, 600 gallons
per day, and would also furnish hy-
drant pressure of 100 pounds per square
inch. While the franchise requires
maximum of eight fire streams, so feet
high from 300 feet hose for city of the
size of Manitowoc you should be able TO
throw twelve such streams, which could
be done with the pumps operated rs
above described and the power provided
for the same
The franchise originally provided for
a water supply from filter gallery but
as the seepage was not sufficient, resort
was had to & large open well which has
proved a remarkable success This well
will furnish sufficient water for domestic
consumption and for small fires, lasting
from one to two hours but for larger
fires recourse must be made to the stor-
age in the filter gallery and to the river
intake During the test which lasted
total length of time of two hours with
four streams for one. half hour and eight
streams for one and onehalf hours,
practically all of the water in the gallery
was used and the water level in the well
was lowered to within two feet of the
bottom of the suction pipe.
As the franchise provides for a river
or lake intake, the Company would be
allowed the right to turn the river water
into the system. Although they may
have this right, | am strongly of the
opinion that it should not be done on ac
count of the danger to the health of the
city from drinking sewage polluted
water. For this reason | would suggest
that the water supply be increased to
double its present capacity and that n
storage of 200, 600 gallons of this water
be provided at the pumping station.
The increase can be readily made and
from u conversation | had with Supt.
Gray, ] understand that he intends to
make some such improvement in the
spring.
If the water from the gallery is to be
used occasionally, as presume it will
be, would suggest to both the city and
the Water Company that they have the
water analysed to satisfy themselves be
yond doubt that the water from the
gallery is perfectly safe to drink. | have
no suspicion tina. it is not, but ~ it has
been ont of use for II number of years,
you should know what is the quality of
the water. In fact it is u very good
policy for any city to have the public
supply analyZed at least twice year.
The question has been raised whether
the river intake had sufficient capacity
to supply the pumps have made the
necessary computations and find that
the pipe has abundant capacity to supply
both pumps.
In regard to the four and eight-inch
fire stream tests that have been made NJ
required by the franchise, will say that
the Water Company has demonstrated
that they can comply with these condi
tions of the franchise, for the tests were
perfectly satisfactory to Inc so far as
the Water Company was concerned.
The fact that they possibly may not
have been able to demonstrate this
capacity in the past is no assurance that
the plant is not of sufficient size to com
ply with the conditions of the franchise,
but it is due more to the possible laxness
of the officials or the employees of the
company in not always having it in
mind that they must live up to these re-
uuirements at any and all times. The
F.! infrequency of fires and the neglect of
the city officials to look closely after the
interest of the city in this respect quite
| likely has had not little to do with the
conditions that have existed in the past
The Water Company is not altogether
responsible for the conditions that exist
| lection Of the city, as ii must be remem-
bered that the city employed an engineer
in the first place to design the system of
mains and in the second place has or
dered all of the subsequent extensions
The city is therefore responsible for any
mistakes that have occurred in the de-
sign OF the distributing system, which
are now affecting this efficiency Prima.
rily the mistake was made in not adopt
ing comprehensive plan, that provided
for the sizes of all future extensions
which would have been proper to meet
the conditions that exist to-day and may
! Obtain in the future.
Besides this the efficiency of the fire
protection, afforded by this plant may
be, ana doubtless is, greatly reduced by
the iniudicious choice Of hydrants in "A
large fire and by the use of unnecessarily
long and crooked lines of hose laid from
the hydrants. If one were to judge by
the recent fire in your city and by the
way the hose was laid during the recent
test. it would appear that the above
opinion regarding the use of the hose
was very true The firemen should be
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