The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-03-20
MAKES REPORT
ON WATER PLANT
General Manager Presents Inter.
esting Comments

Al the meeting of the city counc
last evening General Manager Stockl,
made the following report To the conn.
Gil on the water system ana pumping
plant. AS the water question has been
II. veXing one in the past. and as his
report sheds great deal of light on
this interesting question the report is
here reprinted in full:
For more than twelve years the city
of Hancock has been depending ON one
pump, made by Edward f. AIlis. for
it's water supply. This pump has been
in practically constant use for this
long period and could not be over
hauled because there was nothing of
sufficient capacity To take its place.
Even casual examination will con-
vince anyone OF very much needed re-
pairs. The city has thus for years been
in danger of a water famine in case Of
serious accident to this pump. one
can easily imagine what would hap
pen. should "A fire occur when our wa.
ter supply was either cut off or much
diminished,
THE old Smith-Vail pump which
supplied our village years ago is not
only too small to meet the demands OF
the greatly increased consumption but
was also in very poor condition. \
little less than year ago this pump
was given thorough overhauling and
Ia, ,g.l
its original capacity, but this would
leave us many thousand gallons short
of the present daily consumption y
good condenser was added which re-
duces operating cost.
''rhe outlay for these repairs was
very small when compared with the
ordinary fire loss. To meet the de-
mands adequately it was decided To
purchase from the Carroll brother. II
Gordon pump with sufficient capacity
to take the place of the Alls pump
during the repairs To the latter ana
afterwsrd to be used as a spare pump.
This is row installed and can furnish
the needed supply of water.
The boilers, firc-boXes and CRATES
have been improved and put i'm good
condition and greater efficiency and
economy secured. \ self rcgistcrinS
steam guage has been installed which
insures better firing and much more
uniform steam pressure. The automatic
damper regulator which was also
added. has made Il very apprcCiablc
reduction in fuel consumption The
new steam separator and steam traps
give us dricr steam which I'm turn
adds to the pumps efficiency.
THE thermometer recently pur-
chased gives us the needed informa
ton regarding the temperature of the
feed water 1t is no longer necessary
ever To use cold water in the boilers
as was done when "A shortage OF waite;
from the condenser occurred.
AN coal and ashes are now weighed
and a daily record kept of each. These
changes and improvements made II
possible to reduce the help at this sta.
tion and thus to save the wages of one
runner. BY the exercise of care ah'
business methods and the use of the
mechanical devices above referred 10,
the city was enabled to get along
without purchasing the usual cargo ot
coal this past summer This was an
other step in the interests of economy
"a number of minor changes ana
improvements should be made in the
boiler room and well houses which VIII
add considerably to the efficiency oil
the plant and to the purity "f the wa
ter. The frequent overflow AT the
pump reservoir was largely due to the
very poor electrical signal upon when
the pump men had to depend for th'lr
knowledge of the depth Of water in TINS
reservoir. The same signal was gwen
for both high and low water ana was
thus very confusing This was recent
" changed so that the runners now
know how to avoid either shortage
or an overflow. Thousands OF gallons