The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-07-14
New Apparatus at Insane
Asylum Given Tryout and
Found Satisfactory
PRESSURE IS VERY STRONG
Kenosha Supervisors Expected to Wit
ness oficial Test On Thursday and
it is Believed That Asylum NOW Has
Best Protection in State.

Best Protection in State,
At the Racine county insane asylum
where all of the Kenosha county pat
tents are confined, a preliminary test of
the new water and fire protection sys-
tenn just installed, was made in the
presence of the special committee APP
pointed by the county board of super
visors, on Tuesday afternoon.
The official and final test is to be
made on Thursday when the Racine
county board of supervisors meet in
special session and it is expected that
some of the members Of the Kenosha
county board of supervisors will go to
the asylum to witness this test and
inspect the new fire fighting apparatus.
Only a test was made with ne new
pump it not being possible to try out
the tank standpipe because it was not
filed with water. 1t can be said that
the institution now has the best and
most adequate fire protection of any
other asylum of the kind in the whole
state of Wisconsin and better than is
accorded the people of Racine, only not
on so large a scale and with less water
supply.
In the test 100 feet of hose was at
tached to one of the hydrants and
one inch nozzel attached. The pump
was started and a solid stream of water
was thrown twenty-five feet above the
highest gable on the building, in fact
it was evidence that any fire that might
occur could be successfully fought with
that one stream. The pressure Of the
pump, shown by the water gaegp
showed that it started with 115 pounds
pressure and ran up to 141 pounds
The elevated tank, or standpipe,
will hold $4,000 gallons Of water This
is constructed of steel; stands 125 feet
from the surface and 149 feet to tie
water level and will give a pressure
of 80 pounds to the square inch. The
structure contains nearly so tons of
steel and 10000 heated rivets were used
for It's construction The contractors
are the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., and
the price $4,O75.
There is a cement reservoir, built by
Louis johnson. 1t is 43 feet in dia-
meter; y feet in depth and holds no.
600 gallons of water, making total
of 10000 gallons of water for use at
any time and the cost of this viii run
to $1,000.
One thousand feet of mains has been
put in and now these mains extend
around the entire building and the num-
Der of hydrants have been increased to
seven. There are no dead ends. Two
pipes run under the buildings and sup
ply water to the interior. There is now
being put in cut of, 50 that the stand
pipe pressure may be cut out in case di-
rect pressure is wanted.
To date the cost of the improvement
has been close to 50, 900 Of the $4,000
appropriated at the last session Of the
board. In the asylum there are now
being cared for over 300 patients and
their friends can rest assured that they
are now perfectly safe SO far as fire
protection is concerned.
In years past, or ever since the asy-
lum was established, the fire protection
has not been adequate and that was
the main reason why the old buildings
were destroyed by fire Close to $780,
600 has been expended for protection
since the Inauguration Of the institu-
tion but now it IS satisfactory in every
detail and an Improvement that the
county board is to be congratulated
upon.
Of course the test on Thursday, when
the county board is present, win be
thorough and must come up to what
the plans and specifications and CON
tracts call for. The contractors are con
fdent that they viii more than fulfill
these conditions
Besides witnessing the test Of this
system, the board members will dis
cuss the advisability of also putting in
the buildings a thorough fire sprinkling
system. The water at the asylum is
supplied by an artesian well 1000 feet
deep. Although the well is apparently
as strong as when put in, it is liable to
give out some time and Tor this reason
the county will eventually provide for
a reserve well.
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