The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-08-27
New York Engineer Offers To Put
in Filtration Plant Here for
Less Than $4,000
WoUL D. FURNISH PURE WATER
Now Closing Contract for Plant at
Lake Forest and Will Send De-
BE tailed Estimate for Kenosha
Plant in Short Time s

W. Fl. Wheeler of Beloit, the builder
of the Kenosha water plant, and
Joseph B. Rider, civil engineer of
New York, came to Kenosha Monday
evening for conference with the
mayor and other city officials on the
question of securing purer water for
the city and the New York engineer
claims that he will be able to offer to
the city a solution of the present
troubles without the great expense Of
Extending the intake. Rider is the in
yentor Of sand and gravel filter which
he claims will do all that any filter
can do and he claims that the filter,
which would be needed in Kenosha to
take care of the entire amount Of
water now passing through the mains
of the. water company, could be- in
stalled at cost of less than 500, 900
and could be operated at an expense
not exceeding $1,000 a year. Wheeler
and Rider met Mayor Scnoleya at 1.-THE
Elchelman Hotel and half hour con
ference was held and Rider will in the
! future submit more definite estimate
to the city and to the Kenosha Water
Company. Rider is just closing con
tract for the installation of one of his
filters at Lake Forest and this will
give the officials of Kenosha a chance
,, to study the workings Of the sand and
gravel filter, The filter works on the
same principles of filtration as are us
| ed IN the more expensive filters, but in
stead Of using great beds Of charcoal
the water passes. through walls of con
crete and through layers of sand and
gravel, 1t is claimed that the filter
/ is just as reliable as the charcoal filter
and that the cost is greatly reduced.
The Rider filter is not a new idea as il
has been tested in many cities both
larger and smaller than Kenosha. In
figuring on the cost of a filter for Ke-
nosha, Rider figured that the city
could use some o. the fat land near the
present water plant as a site for the
filtration beds and this would reduce
the cost of installation by eliminating
the necessity of purchasing property.
Ii addition to this he figured that it
would be an easy matter to get the
sand and gravel in Kenosha. His first
estimate Of the cost of installation Of
beds to furnish 100000 gallons Of
water daily was $4,000, but he said
that the cost might run a little over
this amount. There is no great ex-
pense in Connection with. the operation
of the filter and he declared that most
Of the filters in the country in cities
OF this size were operated at an ex-
rense not exceeding $500 year. Rider
bears the recommendation of Mr.
Wheeler who is widely known in Ke-
nosha and Wheeler declares that the
filter which he offers is the very thing
that is needed in Kenosha.
As to the purity Of the water turned
out by the filter Rider gives a guarantee
that raw lime water containing under
$50 bacteria to the cubic centimeter
will come out of the filter with less
than 100 bacteria to the cubic cent?
meter and that this means practically
pure water
The filter would it is claimed solve
all the troubles with the lake water
lat Kenosha. The latter is 70 be laid
before the water commissioners later.