Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-31
BIC STEP TAKEN
IN IMPROVEMENT
OF WATERW0RKS
Rock Island Plant TO Be One of
Most Efficient in the
Country.
NEW PUMP WILL BE IN SOON
Saving u Fuel BY New Crates, and
Increase IN Pressure Already
Accomplished.
eY p. W. SHARP, sUPERINTENO-
EET or WATERWORKS

With the large number OF improve
uents that have been accomplished IN
Rock Island for the year 1914 the wa
te-works department has come sin for
fts share.
Al the Twenty-fourth street pump
tug station considerable difficulty was
ana has been experienced in keeping
steam pressure MP when the rate or
pumping was about six million gallons
Per day. unless a high(priced coal was
used and this was due 20 the inefi-
cient draft IN the furnaces. owing 70
small fsmokestack. and 10 overcome
this and put the boilers on a more
economical basis. a contract was en-
tered into with the Improved COmbus-
ton company ~ Chicago TO install
new CRATES in the furnaces under the
boilers. o. which there are four. and
system OF balanced draft for which
these crates are designed The engine
and fan are set on an elevated plat
form IN the5 boiler room 50 that no val
liable f9Cr space has been utilized
Before these CRATES were installed
q test vas made on the Old CRATES
with three different grades Of coal 20
determine the efficiency. and after the
Installation OF the new system. which
vas completed in February. a similar
set % tests were ynade These tests
were made BY a government engineer
IN both cases. and the saving with the
new system over the Bld was approx
matsly p per cent or a saving Of IS
rents on every million gallons OF VA
ter pumped 10 the basins on the hii
~ Reservoir park.
OLD Pump Useless.
In the engine room al ghis station F.
q had been assumed that the Holly .
. 100000 gallon pumping engine. /
which was installed IN 1892. was stil
good Tor use a. an emergency unit
until a test was made which proved
that aIc0nsiderabie amount OF MONEY
would have 20 be spent 20 put this
pump in shape so that 30 could be
used % pump the jgater In case OF the
Snow pump gave out This Holly
Jump vas desi gned and bull, for a dis
charge pressure OF SO pounds ar 10
revolutions per minute This was all
right FOR domestic service while pump
ing directly into the distribution sys- /
TEN lind before the reservoirs we're
put INFO use as they are now. but n
requires IS pounds pressure 10 force (
The water up 10 the basins for Ultra
ton. This e due 10 the small raw
water force main. and in order 70 do
this the Holly pump runs at 30 revolu- 4
tons per minute. so that with the high
speed and high pressure this puts too a,
great an overload on this pump. and
under these conditions Il was not
deemed advisable 20 spend any large
sum % money repairing the pump
when there was no assurance that II (
would hold together under the exist Z
Ing conditions. And as n was very es-
sential that there be an extra unit 10 :
relieve the present Snowipump. which I
3 badly in need Of repair and liable 10 {
break down az any moment. so that {
BIDS we're Palled for on two-stage 7
pumping unit OF 5000 900 '
;apacity per day. Preferences was a
ytven 10 the centrifugal pump over b
ne crank and ~ wheel type because a
n the latter type OF pump there are 2
large number % small valves which z
pen and close during each revolution Q
Z the pump. and the experience Of the s.
Taterworks department In past years n
rs been that when one OF these (,
alves in the crank and fy wheel T
Jump becomes dislodged II breaks the 8,
olumn q water that Is being forced b
D the reservoir during that revolution v
the Dum1and allows 80 20 start back n
own again. then with the next revo- c
ltion o, ;he pump there will be a col o
mn o. wafef started in the opposite q
irection and the impact OF these two p
'.umns sets up a water hammer 81
hich momeu,arily creates a sudden al
.gh pressure, and somewhere along n