The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26
South CaroIinianS Think Bir-
 mingham is Great
PUT IN AN ENJOYABLE GAY
Enthusiastic In Talking About Their New Municipally Owned Water works-Left for Home at
 Midnight Last Night.

| the paving of the city streets with the view of making several hundred thousand dollars worth of Improvements upon the streets of Columbia. The committee con ! sisted of R. C. Keenan, George W. Col lin5 and F. W. Seegers. members of the City Council, and City Engineer E. N. Chisolm, Jr. Mir Keenan is chairman of th6 committed
 The gentlemen arrived here from Chat | tanooga early yesterday morning and un- der the escort of Street Commissioner J. M. MeCartin. City Engineer Julian Ken dricll and John E. Donelson visited every part of the city, making a close exemaina- ton of the street paving, guttering and eonduits for water mains and electric wires. During the afternoon the investiga- tions were continued with especial refer ence to the paving in the business dis trict and the laying of the street railway tracks, The members of the committee were highly pleased with the result of their investigations here particularly with the bitulithlc and brick paving and wide streets.
 Greatly Pleased With Visit.
 We are more than pleased with our visit here" declared George w. Col lins, the spokesman of the party, yester- day afternoon. We have been extended every courtesy in making our investlga- tions and our visit has been a revelation to us of the greatness of Birmingham and the splendid municipal building and well constructed streets We have visited Ashevlle. Knoxville and Chattanooga, but find here better conditions than at any of those cities.
 You have a most beautiful as well as wonderfully thriving city and our trip over the ear lines has been of great in- terest to us. I have no doubt that we shall use Birmingham street improve ment methods as a model In our work of reconstructing the streets of Columbia, and our investigations here have been at tended by very satisfactory results"
 City Engineer Chisolm was equally en- thusastic in speaking of the committees s reception here, but he also declared that Birmingham people ought to visit Co., lumbia and see a growing, progressive city
 Columbia has 40,O00 population within the city limits" said he, land the four suburban mill towns add 2O,0OO more to our population, all in one big district with Columbia as the center.
 Pride of Columbia Is Waterworks.
 "The pride of Columbia, however, is our new water works plant, owned by the city, and recently completed at q cost of $4O0.0O. We believe we have the finest water and the finest water plant in the United States
 Our water supply is obtained from the Saluda river. and In obtaining the supply we had to tunnel under the Broad river to reach the Saluda These two rivers unite ! at Columbia to form the Congoree.
 Two 100000 gallon capacity turbines of 375-horse power each pump this water up twenty-two feet to an S,O00,000 gallon sedimentation basin, which removes all earthly material, after which 1t Is con veyed by gravity to the coagulating basin, where alum Is used for clarifying the water.
 From this basin the water Is conveyed to six filters of 100000 gallons capacity ] each, then to the clear water basin of D. 75O,OOo gallon capacity. This basin is four 
 seen upon the bottom. the water is so l clear
 ''From this basin the water goes by gravity to the power pumps or the aux Hilary steam pumps of 100O0,00O gallon ca pacity per day, and pumped from them direct to the city. A stand pipe 100 feet high equallzes the pressure The mains are tested to stand a pressure of 15O pounds per square inch. Extensive Paving Plans.
 "Columbia proposes to expend large sums on street Improvements during the next few years and this committee was selected to visit the large cities of the south and investigate. the kind of paving and methods used in keeping the streets in good condition.
 We visited Asheyille, Knoxville and Chattanooga, but we find superior con dltions here and will have a good report to make upon Birmingham.
 Experience has taught municipalities that experiments in street paving are too costly and Columbia will make no ex- perments. We want the best and '. get the best
 We will spend sGO0Oo thls year upon bitulithic or asphalt paving and possibly more each succeeding year for several years"
 During the inspection trip early in the afternoon someone in the party mentioned the ball game at West End.
 Did you say baseball?" spoke up Mir. Collins in an eager voice. "Show me the way. Say, boys we'll all go," and im- medlately there was q movement toward the hotel to get ready for the game.
 On the way Engineer Chisolm privately informed the Birmingham members of the party that MT Collins was the champion rooter of South Carolina and that all would have to go to the game. All went and enjoyed a spectacular performance, made partly so by Mir Collins and his fog horn voice In the grand stand.
 Tine party of South carolinians lef last night at midnight for Atlanta. loud in their praise of Birmingham, it's streets and it's citizens who made their visit en- joyable.