The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-01
SETTLING BASIN is
NOW COMPLETED
1'lic Connecting Flumc Is Under
Way, and Will Be Finished
Ere Long.
RIcAMoND's BIGGEST JOB
Many Difficulties Had to Be
Overcome and Most Of Them
Have Been.

When will Richmond have clear
water, water that Will be reliably
clear? The long talked of settling basin
IL supposed to be the one thing that
Will settle that important question.
The settling bacin proper has been
completed. Messrs. Winston & Com
pany, the concern which has just
closed u contract to build the big dam
In the Catskill Mountains to supply
the city Of New York with cool and
sparkling water. the second largest
contract ever made in this country,
built the settling basin. They COM
pleted the work last fall, but that
did not give the city clear water for
q great deal OF work in the hands of
other contractors had to be COM
pleted before the settling basin could
be available.
The Conduit Gives Trouble.
A conduit or flume had to be erect
ed to convey the water from the pump
Ing arrangement on the James to the
settling basin. The difficulties In maxi
Ing the contract for the building OF
the flume were immense, and the his
tory OF those troubles have appeared
from time to time in this paper In
the reports OF the meetings OF the
Water Committee and the Council.
Finally the contract for the building
of the reinforced concrete fume was
awarded to the Krousc Construction
Company. This company undertook the
immense Job with the understandin &
that they must have all sorts of time
to make allowance for high water In
the James River. and other cnnt!n-
gencies
Many Frcshets bothered.
They have had all kinds of difficult
ties to contend with. Golfer dams
were necessary. and fifteen times high
water In the James knocked the cof-
fer dams out OF commission. There
was also great difficulty in putting In
the Golfer dams, because of the i'm
mense boulders in the James. which
interfered with the proper placing OF
the dams. AZ soon az the boulder trou-
BILE was overcome and the dams put In.
along would come a freshet, and the
destruction OF the dams or the work
that had been done upon them was but
the work of night.
Then the labor problem came In for
solution, and 1t was especially dis
tresslng. because the men employed in
this work had to spend many of their
working hours In the water, Mcssrs.
Krouse 6 Co. used every eNertion and
all the ingenuity possible to overcome
these difficulties, and through 1t all
showed pertinacity that was won
derfui
notwithstanding all the difficulties
they have had to contend with, Il is
more than likely that the Krouse peo-
pie Will complete their contract before
The frosts come.
More Work Yet.
When the conduit, or nume. shall
have been finished. then will come the
Job OF putting in the necessary tanks
and machinery pertaining to the coag-
ulating process. the pumps and the
apparatus for air compression.
Al the pipes for this business have
been completed. and are now being
housed in until the time when they
shall be needed. The delay in the conf
plet.on OF the conduit has necessarily
prevented continuous laboratory and
ARCHAEOLOGICAL examinations OF the
water which has from time to time
been admitted to and drawn from the
basin.
However. the examinations so far
have developed great improvement in
the character of the water. the clari-
fication OF the water by the simple
process of sedimentation without the
use of any coagulapts having been
very satisfactory
A Prodisious job.
1t should be borne in mind that the
large flume or conduit to carry the
water from the basins to the pump Is
to be built 1000 feet in the river near
the north shore, and the balance In the
old canal feeder leading from the
river to the canal.
In order to carry out his work and
get sure foundation for the conduit,
coffer dams had to be built the entire
length of the conduit FURTHERMORE. In
order to get proper foundation. large
masses Of boulders and gravel had to
be eNcavated. SO that the conduit might
be at last built on q solid rock founda-
pipe connections will have to be ex-
Tended across and under the old canal
This is necessary In order to supply
the present water-power and to provide
Cor, future additions to the present
All XII 81 these things are attende
With vast and perplexing difficulties
That the average citizen knows not Of
However. the people Of Richmond may
look for clear water before the spring
lreshets begin to color the limpic
waters of the James.
Bunk Statement.