The Cairo bulletin., 1914-06-18
Cairo Electric Will Then Have
Pumping Station Unexcel' ed
by ANY.
CAPACITY OF PUMP WILL
BE 2 600 GALLONS A MINUTE
Water Used to Supply the Immense
Boilers at the Electric Power
House.

within thirty days the new in
take towor of the Cairo Electric and
Traction Co. at the foot of Thirty
eighth street will be complete and
the company will have a power
plant and pumping station which
will be perfectly adequate to care
for any growth cc population which
may occur within the next twenty
years.
About year ago the plant de-
rived its water supply form two
wells, each 90 feet deep, situated
Just west of the plant. These cavcd
in during the high water ncccssii-
tating the erection of temporary
well at the river, near the one now
undergoing construction,
After the cavc-in, tho company
fitted up the temporary plant at the
foot of Thirty-cighth street and ran
an 1S-inch main oyc" the lcvce tc
the power plant, All the ground
water which had soaped into the
earth from the floods had to be
pumred out as the work proceeded.
The cost of this structure including
the machinery was $4,000. The
machinery consisted of a 125-horse
power induction motor belted to
10-inch Worthiugton centrifugal
pump In addition there are two
auxiliary units to be used in case
the other equipment should break
These units consist of 50-ho"sc POW
er induction motors bclted to Sincl
vertical volutc pumps.
The impracticabiity Of pacin
the pumps at the same level is sec
in the frequent changes in tn
stage Of the river, so all thre
pumps are set at different levels.
It is imperative, of course, tina
the one pump which is now bein
used constantly filled with waite.
This pump is now giving 2,2oo gal
Ions per minute. The pipe line e>
tends 1000 feet to the power plan
which Is a modern plant with
steam turbine. Sterling boilers an
two recip~ocating engines.
A steady and permanent flow e
water is serious problem becau>
of the 50-foot variation in tn
river stage. But one of the obstacle
encountered in building the nov
structure is to make it secure fro
high water. The other is to sccnr
supply of water during the 10
stage.
To overcome the first difficulty
the building is being constrEote'
Of brick on ponderous concre'
base. BY extending the intake pipe
far out and down into the river
supply of water can be obtained 2
all stages An omen wei was sun
As feet below the river hank, an
n Golfer dam was built to Withho'
the dirt. Great difficulty was e'
countered in Combattinr tic ort
sand at this stage of the work,
soon as the well was finished, t
concrete base, triangular in sAap'
was Put in It has a maximum
length of 90 feet and a maXimu'
width Of Is feet It was then tor
ped with the brick structure whic
will house the motors Two 24-inc
pipes we're extended from the bas
, of the concrete through the banl
and were then connected with a pir
line which extended far out int
the stream by means Of a diver an
derrick. Some idea of the weight c
the pipes and the resistance otfere
by the water can be CLEANED frOr
the fact that it required 10000
pounds pressure behind each of I'll
two pipes to drive them out in tb
river.
The pumps were placed in til
we'll in such \ position that the
will be dry all the time, as we'll a
easily accessible. A screen cham
her shields the pump chamber. Th
present installation consists of tw
t0-inch numps hooked MP to Vertica
motors. with the provision that
third will be installed If the deman
makes It necessary. Tho intak
pipes extend out into the river fo
$50 feet.