The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-26
TEN M|LESOF NEW
WATER MAINS LAID
Annual Report Shows Prosper
Gus Condition OF De
partmcnt.
CLEANING OUT RESERVOIRS
Richmond's Water System Now
Has Duplicate Reserve Ma
chinery Throughout.

Moro than ten miles OF new water
mains were laid during the past year
according TO the annual report OF Su-
perintendent Eugene e. Davis and
Assistant Superintendent William Law
ton. Jr.. completed yesterday. This is
ever completed by the department in
any one year In the city streets.
The settling basins. cut Into use on
Christmas Day OF 1902 have now been
operating full year without Interrupt
ton, and have furnished the city with
an unfailing supply of pure and clear
water The attention of the depart
ment during the year has been largely
directed to enlarEing its system OF dis
tribution, so as 10 reach out for Gus
toners In the growing sections OF the
city
The report shows total OF 54,4so6
lineal feet OF water mains laid. the
pipes varying in size according to loca-
ton all the way from four to twenty
inches in diameter. Elghty-six cato
valves were set. and eighty IRE nv
drants installed. A total OF 1913 new
Connections wore made. indicating
large Increase In the receipts from the
sale OF water during the coming year
"A total of 1883 new meters were in.
stalled. OF which thirty-f1ve were on
old connections. Nearly two-ttirdg Of
on meter basis. and the department.
recommends that all be placed on tina,
footing as rapidly as possible, as the
result has been great saving In
waste water. with consequent economy
al the punlp-houses and settling basins
Better Fire Protection.
Iwenty-nine private meters on two
to six Inch connections. were set for
largo water takers. The department
has installed during the year a large
number OF six-inch meters on pipe
lines used for hre protection, OF a typo
known as detecter water meter. The
construction is such that when the
draft on the pipe IL so large that the
three-inch bypass meter which is
connected to the six-inch line, will not
furnish enough water. check valve
opens automatically. and the meter al
lows full siN-inch stream to pass
through for supply OF fro engines. The
method Of construction Is highly rec.
commended by fire insurance companies
The Water Department follows tho
sewer construction in tho annexed ter
ritory, as provided for in the bond Issue
Tor sewers. when p total of 100000
was set apart for water mains and
house connections. The house connec-
ton is made as soon as the sewer con-
nection is accomplished. thereby fur
ntshing at tho Same time water and
sewerage to citizens of large outlying
section, and protecting the health OF
tho city. AS all OF the large trunk
sewers provided for are now under
contract. and will be In course or erec-
tion this spring, 1t IS expected that
there Will be q large development In
this regard during the year, and that
many houses not hitherto supplied
with either water sewerage will be
reached. to the great bettarment OF
public health conditions
Cleaning Mud From Reservoirs.
In the past year the department
thoroughly cleaned the old Marshall
Reservoir. at q cost Of S4.9e5, removing
10000 cubic yards Of sediment pumped
from the James River In the old days
OF muddy water. before the settling
basins were completed It Is antici-
pated that there will be little or no sed-
inentation In the reservoirs now that
only clear water IS being pumped, as
with the clear water plant in opera
ton, the abundant supply of clear wa
ter does not vary. whatever the condi-
ton Of the river.
The New Reservoir Is now being sim
ilarly cleaned, one basin at a time,
work having been begun ON the east
basin. in which the body of a suicide
was found some months ago, necessl-