The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-23
several Of Them Fell Wide Of Mark
purlns Spectacular Water Pres.
sure Test This Al
ternoon
MAYOR ELDER SATISFIED
says Same Pressure During Fire
Would be Much Better Than
That ReeeIved-chles An
derson skeptIcal.

While at no time did six streams OF
water carried through FIVE hundred
feet Of hose wet the target that flap
ped one hundred feet above Main
street in the public water pressure
test this afternoon, the showing made
by the Keokuk Water Works company
was generally satisfactory, according
to members of the city commission.
Not only did the six fail to strike the
target simultaneously, but several of
them failed to wet the bunting at any
time.
Two thousand people witnessed the
demonstration which began shortly
before 2 o'clock. For thirty minutes
traffic on Main street was blocked and
the intersections and both Fifth and
Sixth streets we're choked with peo-
Pile. The throngs of interested per-
sons were lightly sprayed by the wat
er, while innumerable others who
sought to make their way from one
street to the other were drenched by
the heavy downpour.
Three OF the nozzles used were furn-
ished by the city and three by the
water works company. The three
which the city provided gave very
poor satisfaction, being constructed
along lines to throw a volume of wat
er instead of stream for distance.
OF these three only one reached the
desired mark. On the other hand the
three which the water works company
furnished the firemen were for long
range work, shooting smaller stream
that in many instances played lightly
upon the suspended banner At no
time during the demonstration did
more than two streams of hose strike
the mark. In these instances the
water barely reached the 100-foot
height and would have done little to-
ward extinguishing fire at that dis
lance.
During the demonstration Fire Chief
John Anderson, who was inclined to
be skeptical regarding the showing
which the water works company was
making, said to reporter: IF that
piece of bunting could, be saturated
with kerosene and match touched to
1t, 1t would be still be burning and
would burn ten times over for all the
water that is reaching it. The same
streams turned on the Estes house in
case Of fire would do little to putting
out tiny blaze on a corner OF the
roof simply because the water is not
getting up there
I consider the test satisfactory
one,'' said Mayor ]. F. Elder, when
approached for statement IF we had
that pressure at fire We would be
satisfied under the conditions While
the six streams did not reach the
mark the pressure was good and the
showing much better than anything
We have had at recent fires"
The highest pressure shows at the
city office during the demonstration
was 140 pounds. This is much higher
than the company generally gives, 100
pounds being high mark during a
fire. However, most of the time during
the thirty minute test, the apparatus
In the city office recorded only 120
pounds, and when this was on good
satisfaction was given.
1t was one of the peculiar incidents
In noting the pressure and watching
the streams of water, that when a
pressure of only 100 pounds was re-
corded three of the streams were play
Ing gently upon the aerial target
The wind had much to do with the
poor showing made by several Of the
lines. The MOBILES held by firemen to.
word Sixth street had little luck, es
pecially the two farthest away for
the reason that they were shooting
into the teeth of strong wind. The
most successful line on this side was
the one on which the nozzle was held
by firemen close to the rope and the
water was shot almost straight up
ward. One nozzle was held about fifty
feet back with the wind aiding the
stream. In this case the water reached
the mark in a spray.
The firemen, two manning each nor
zie, were clothed in rubber boots
coats and hats, and stood in the mids
OF rainfall all of the time
Vice President Adams, members o.
the appraising board and members
OF the city commission witnessed the
test.