The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-01-29


"
The report Of the committee OF the
Ohio Valley Trades 4 Labor Assem-
BY committee. appointed some time
Z 10 study filtration methods as In
use In nearby cities. has been made.
The committee endorses the SLOW
sand system as Is In use in Parkers-
burg. The report was not made how
ever until after the committee had
visited ParkeTsburg. Marietta. Mar.
tins Ferry and MOundsvllle. The
mechanical system in use al Marietta
Is condemned by the members. and
lhe well systems as IN use I'm Martins
Ferry and M~oundsville. were also
found 10 b. not suitable,
The committee vas OF
Walter b. Hilton. Leo La Flam. :. Il.
Lehkard T. J. Weekly and Charles u.
Ryan. Their report In brief Is as
follows.
To the Ohio Valley Trades & Labor
Assembly. Greeting
We. your committee. beg to submit
the following report OF cur investi-
Stations Into the subject Of filtration
IN actual operation I'm accordance
with the Instructions given US by your
body.
Previous TO our Investigation OF the
actual conditions in various cities. our
deliberations had been confined to
the reports Of various engineers and
promoters, The statements OF these
gentlemen varied 40 greatly. and we're
so an~tagenistic toward each other.
That We were compelled 10 conclude
mat n Vicws OF promoters were to
a great extent influenced By their sell
ilsh motives, ana that II tnis did not
operate III the case OF the engineers.
mat preludices at least did exist
nor al HLW- -
compelled TO conclude h the surest
way 10 arrive at an unbiased eonclu-
sion Tor ourselves was to make a per
sonal Investigation of the various sys-
EN- OF filtration in actual operation
under conditions similar TO those OBJ
tanning In the city OF Wheeling.
We mus reported TO your assembly
ana under instructions from your
body We made "A trip OF observation
and investigation walch Included par
kersburs, Marietta. Martins Ferry and
M|oundsNiie These four cities in
Guiding all ofthe various systems at
present offered to the people OF Wheel
ing Tor a selection as TO the means OF
purifying the present .nsuferably bad
water supply.
Slow Sand Filtration.
The committee first visited Parkers-
burg on January :. We visited the Wa
Ter works located above the city and
were shown through the plant by the
engineer from the engine room 10 the
Vel and TO the juncture where the in
take pipes go under the bed OF tho
river. We ere impressed by the few
men required TO run the plant. but
three men being employed in the day
ana Two at night. although the plant
pumps approximately three million
gallons n day, which IS drawn through
from the filter beds. which extend IN
der Tho hfn 80 HI. U#a..a L-
pipes radiatiuB over an area OF an
acre and a quarter, and being COW
cred with n foot OF gravel and four
feet OF sand.
This Is what Is known as the Smith
SLOW sand filtration system. The the
DRY is that the water is drawn slowly
through the and and gravel is thus
filtered naturally. and provision for
keeping this sand n gravel clean Is
mace by the use OF back flushing, the
pressure being supplied from a 10000
gallon tank. Each unit Is back
flushed about once a month. and the
engineer claims hat the system is
working better as it grows older. ~
OF the pumps showed the
plungers smooth and clean. the boilers
We're IN good condition. there being lit
Tie llght scale and no pittings. The
engineer said that no more compound
was required now than under the pre-
Nlous raw water condition. The res
efNoir 10 which the pumps forced the.
water is located at a distance OF about
two miles and an altitude OF about six
ton. '
We then went into the city 10 get
the opinions OF all classes oil peopIs
In reEard q the condition of The
water. The committee In This as in
other cities e~Ibdivided after the in
SpyCilOu OF tEe water plant and on
TO cover vastly more territory.
able 20 cover vostly more territory
and interview q far greater number
ol people, our idea being to learn
rom unbiased sources Of every ma
luie just what was actually thought
the water that was
The city water SUPERINTENDENT
showed analyses Of various months
ana a record Of November. 1913. taken
10y US az random from the file showed
the bacteria test or 1000 Der cubic
Centimeter in the raw river water re-
Luctd 20 300 feet after filtration as
the highest point. The highest aver.
age OF bacteria was - and the lowest
per cubic Ccntimetcr.
Marietta's Mechanical system.
Marietta we visited upo1 the fol.
lowing day. An Investigation OF the
showed the chemical or mo.
chaulcal system OF filtration I'm on.
Grafton. We found that the wafer was
ul" y rum lhe flNer by two Cenfrif.
utdl pumps OF million gallons
capaCiIy each and then put through
NE hItratiou plant. The hitter plant
requires tho services of fhras
inter men and q chemist. and chem.
lcai7 cost s. "a day Boz water consume
ton OF 2~.25u,unu gallons. In tho en-.
tlne room % was stated that the wa.
l'I had no bad effect upon the boilers
The raw water from the river b.
axe into "a fOrcbay. tho chemicals
are added. going into % Contamination
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