Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-17
Council Bluffs
WATER BOARD LET'S CONTRACT
Large Amount of Metal for South
Main Street Line.
DAY LABOR FOR TRENCH WORK
Subsidiary Reservoir at Thirty
seventh street statiOn-Re-
pair In Pipe Today.


seventh street statiOn-Re-
pair In Pipe Today.
The contract was let Saturday for the
pipe, fittings valves and hydrsnts to be
used in the new South Main street water
main, twelve inches in. diameter and one
mile long. 1t involves the immediate de-
livery OF $50 tons Of metal at net cost
of 81. 665 The contract was given to the
United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry
company of Chicago. The entire delivery
is to be completed within forty days. The
price of the pipe delivered here is $685. q
ton.
The placing OF the order by the Board OF
Water Commissioners demonstrated the
TACT that the cast iron pipe business Is in
the hands of a trust Blue prints and
copies of the specifications were sent to
fourteen different factories, foundrles and
jobbers, together with all required informa-
ton for intelligent bidding, with all bids
to be received and opened yesterday Not
a single inquiry was made and not a sin
gle bid was received until the day before
the time set for the opening. Then one
lone bid came in. very carefully prepared,
covering every detail involved. II was
from the Chicago concern. 1t was quite
evident to the commissioners that any de-
would be fruitlesS.
An examination of the market showed
that the current prices quoted we're above
rather than below the figures named in
the bid. This added to the necessity for
immediate delivery to permit the pipe to
be laid this season prompted the accept
n Of hn wa
that all manufacturers from whom bids
were asked had clear understanding with
every other one.
Large Amount of Material.
The fittings, gates. valves. etc, comprise
eleven and one-half tons. There are sixty
1.-TWO gates with their metal boxes, twenty
five fire hydrants. fourteen with six
inch feed pipes fitted for steamer use,
The iron pipe includes $3.50 feet, just all
even mile, of twelve-inch pipe, S,H2 feet
of eight-inch pipe and 1852 feet of six
inch dimensions, 1,692 feet of three-quarter-
inch lead pipe for connections, eighty-three
curb boxes and eighty-three corporation
taps.
The cost of the lead pipe, which weighs
four pounds to the foot. was 1915 per 1OC
pounds. The total cost Of the cast iron
all sizes, was $685. the fire MIGRANTS
gates and valves, s1.SS7.25. The special fit
| tings cost $575 and the lead pipe $3.50 II
will be noted that the order comprises
nearly two miles of six and eight-inch
pipe, which will be used for extensions in
other parts Of the city. The only other
material to be bought for all OF these ex-
| tensions is the pig lead to be used in calk'
ing the Joints, which will be obtained from
the Omaha smelter,
The prices for all of the material are
very satisfactory. The pipe cost sass pc
ton less than c. s. Burns paid for ma
| terial fitting the same specifications, pur
| chased on the open market two weeks ago
NO Contracts for Laying Pipe.
The commissioners have decided to lie
no contracts for pipe laying but 10 do al
the work under their own supervision A
| the greater part is common straight labo
IT is believed that the cost of laying vii
be reduced to the minimum. The worl
| will give employment to a large numbe
Of men for several months. 1t will all b
done under the supervision of Superin
tendent Etnyre and Chairman Jensen
Trenches for the new steamer hydrant
on Broadway will be begun on Monday
All but one will be laid on the south sid
of the street and will not interfere wit
paving operations.
c. s. Burns, the hydraulic engineer en-
gagged in an advisory capacity for tire
years, returned to Kansas City yesterday
after spending a couple of days examining
the plans for the new subsidiary reservol
to be erected at the Thirty-seventh stree
station. Engineer Burns fully approve
the plans, which were drawn by MI
Etnyre. The new reservoir is TO be 80
feet long and 200 feet wide Sounding
show that a thick bed of gumbo lies
few feet below the surface on the site sc
lected for the big basin. At the thinnes
place It was found to be four and one hal
feet thick It's surface approaches just I
the point where the bottom of the basil
was designed to be. The gumbo Is as i'm
perydous to water as concrete. and tn
presence Of this large bed at the exac
place wanted will greatly reduce the cos
OF the reservoir. The gumbo rests on fir
coarse gravel. and is covered by only
few feet OF sand, which will be just sui
ficient to supply the material needed 10
the reinforced concrete walls. The wall
will rise fourteen feet above the surfa c
and the water will flow with a fall of tw
feet to the Broadway pumping station
The reservoir will be divided into fou
|
them. They will be so arranged that
per cent OF the silt will be deposited in III
first compartment. which is located with
100 feet of the river bank, where it ca
be washed back into the river with n
cost
water Shut OFF Today.
For two or three hours this afternoo
water Will be shut off in the heart of II
city, not only from the Fairmount par
reservoir but from the pumping station
and the big pumps will be stopped or keI
} moving slowly TO maintain the pressuI
in the twenty-four-inch main west fro
Sixth street. Stupidity, or something wors
that permitted a water works employe
a plumber to connect a tWo-inch pipe wit
! the Broadway main to supply the serviC
= at the Dohany theater building without PR
/ viding a shut-off is responsible for II
necessity for closing one of the big valv,
4 In the main feed pipe of the whole system
!. Examination OF the water service pip,
, along Broadway I'm advance of the ne
paving disclosed the fact that the two-inC
, pipe connection for the theater buildir