The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-03-12
work was done when labor was
higher than ever before.
Filtration Plant.

cost of s10,437. This contract was
let TO George Erichsen, who was the
high bidder.
There were three bids, as follows:
Ajax Power Co.........$ 9,05'94
Greer Filter $4,000.
Geo Erichsen O,i3hoo
A great amount Of criticism was
heaped upon us for letting the contract
but | want to explain this matter
to you fully. The city engineer
Mr.. Sayre, planned a filtration plant
consisting of three large sedimenta-
ton basins which would hold 1,5OO,-
900 gallons of water, and two pres
sure filters of 5O0,000-gallon capacity
daily, exactly like we have in use
now. The whole plant was to be
located on the grounds below the
dam. The plant was to be located
be let run out of the lake into the
settling basins and from these to
the pumps, where it would be picked
up and pumped through the pres
sure filters to the stand-pipe. The
water commissioner recommended
this plan and it was adopted by the
/ board Bids were advertised for and
we submitted plans to our consult
| ing engineer, Mr.. Maxcy, and he dis
| approved them, saying that the plant
would cost $4,000, and that it was
too expensive for the results we
would get.
| This plan would have necessitated
I tearing down and moving pumps
and machinery; moving a mile or two
of 14-inch pipe line. And moving
water pipe line is very impractical,
since it is all put together by lead
and the pipe is usually broken so
: that it cannot be used again.
We would have had to move the
pole line and furnish new poles and
wire. Then, in addition to this, Mr..
=. Maxcy explained that our water sup
: ply was in lake which, Of course,
J was still and not in motion and that
the amount of settling planned was
not necessary. That everything that
would settle would already be set
tied before it left the axe That
t if the water came from running
: stream that the large settling basins
Q were the thing, but not so with i'm
C pounded water like ours.
Y He further explained that by put
0 ting our plant below the dam that
t we were necessarily going to greatly
v increase the cost of pumping our
s water. as We would have an addi
r tional lift of 45 feet.
0 Mr.. Foster was called upon to de-
: termine how much more power it
: would take to pump the water and
Q he sent TO st. Louis for his engi-
:. neer He secured Mr.. Keonig, one
of the best engineers in the coun-
try and when he looked over the
ground and the plans he said the
same that Mr.. Maxcy did and they
were strangers from entirely differ
ent parts of the country.
They found that the pump Mr.,
Foster has out there could not pump
the water on the other side of the
dam. 1t would have necessitated our
buying new pumps entirely. The
extra cost of pumping would have
been about $500 per year
The bids on this plant planned by
the city engineer, and adopted by the
board were opened and George Erich
sen put in a bid in which he agreed
to build us a filtration plant on an
other plan suggested by him that
would do exactly the same work
for $4,000.
On account of this a majority of
the board decided to reject all bids
and to investigate the Brchsen plan.
This action was done with Mr.. Daw-
son dissenting. The board thorough
ly Investigated and took trip to
Paris, Texas, where a plant had
been put in at little over $4,000
expense to filter lake water they
having a lake like ours.
The board then instructed the en-
gineer to draw plans on the lines
of the Erichsen plan and to call for
bids. He did so and the three bids
before mentioned were the result.
Mr.. Dashiell, who presented the bid
of $9,075.94, stated to me that he
thought We would have to have the
settling tanks later and that he want
ed to get this job so that he would
be in on the ground floor, and also
mentioned the pressure filters he pro-
posed TO use which were much cheap
er than the ones Mr.. Erichsen intend
ed using.
The other bid was put in by Mr..
Jackson. who was an insurance agent
40, In. h,