The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-01
TRUNK SEWER
STILL TIED Up
oHiciaIS Find Many Leaks in
Pipe Line and No Way to
Stop Them Soon.
End NOT YET IN SIGHT
nav OPERATE IMPROVEMENT IN
UNFINISHED STATE.
END NOT YET IN SIGHT

Although seven members of the city
.ouucil. two members of the board of
--b1ie works. Mayor Bransford and
"a, Engineer Kelsey journeyed to the
new city pumping plant at Eighth West
md sixth North streets yesterday, they
rsre rewarded only by seeing the
--beels 90 round. They found that the
$50 feet of twenty-four-inch wooden
l.ova nine which is to connect the in
,srreptiuC sewer with the gravity sewer
ras not in condition to be received by
,be citv engineer, and probably would
.ot be i'm condition for from three to
siv weeks II is possible that the soun-
in will accept a proposition to be sub
nitted by the contractors to allow of
the operation of the pipe line between
the intercepting sewer and the gravity
eswer and the operation of the pumping
nisnt without vitiating the present con-
i-sct between the contractors and the
civ. This plan is opposed by City In
gineer Kelsey, but it seemed to meet
1i;h the approval of Mayor BransfOrd.
the seven councilmen present and with
the two members of the board of public
works.
Men Refuse to Work.
When Mayor Bransford and Council
men ReedaIi, Hall. Fernstr0m, MurdOck,
Raybould. Wood and HodsOn and City
Engineer Kelsey arrived at the pumping
plsnt they were met by Contractor
campbell of the Campbell CONSTRUCTION
company. who explained that so far as
he could judge there were still about
twenty-five leaks in the wooden pipe
line between the intercepting and grav-
itv sewers. He said his neil quit We'd
nesday. refusing to work longer in the
water, and that it required from two
10 four days to reach each leak with a
force of from ten to twelve men, He
said every leak found and investigated
50 far was in the joints of the wooden
nine and was caused by the improper
placing of the steel sleeve which joins
The sections of pipe. He admitted tina;
il would require some weeks to put the
pipe in shape to be inspected for at
ccptance.
Pumps Ready to Operate.
The pumping station was shown TO
be in condition to operate as soon as
the belt connections are made with the
pumps which will convey the contents
of the interCepting sewer into the gravi-
~ sewer The pumps are at present
operated by an electric moter of 49,
horsepower. but either Of the two
pumps can be operated by the electric
motor or by the gas engine already In
stalled 1t will be impossible to instaf
the gas generating plant to furnish fuel
for the gas engine until the pumps are
in operation and the surface watT' ana
seepage tenOved from the vicinity of
the pumping plant, This can only be
accomplished by the operation of the
The contract between the city and
Contractor Campbell stipulates that the
twenty-four-inch stave pipe line be-
tween the intercepting sewer and the
gravity sewer shall successfully stand
a cold water pressure Of fifty pounds at
the pumping station before acceptance
by the city. Two one-inch water pipes
are now flowing into the pipe line, but
the contractors have been unable to
raise the pressure to more than thirteen
pounds to the square inch. They have
placed a bulkhead at the juncture OF
the pipe line and the gravity sewer but
this bulkhead is not tight and contains
An opening an inch and a half in dame
Ter. This hole, together with the TWEEN
ty-five leaks i'm the line, have prevented
them from raising the pressure above
thirteen pounds. The normal pressure
of the pipe line under operation will De
thirteen pounds to the square inch.
To Operate Present Pant.
II was shown that the city is at the
present time maintaining a pumping
plant at Third West and Eighth South
streets at an expense of over $500 per
month. This plant serves the purpose
Of clearing the intercepting sewer of
water so that connections can be made
with the residences along its route Mr.
Campbell made a proposition TO Mayor
BranSfOrd whereby he would waive any
claim against the city for the accept
ance of the pipe line until the leaks
were entirely stopped and which would
allow the operation of the pipe line and
of the pumping plant. He explained
that the leaks could be found and
stopped without interrupting the opera
ton Of the pumps, and offered any suit
able bond which the council might
name. Mayor Bransford called the
o0unciinlen together and also called in
NessTs. Mcmillan and Brooks of the
board Of public works who had arrived