The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-28
WATER PRESSURE
is INADEQUATE
Committee to Consider Fire Haz~
ard in Downtown Section
This Afternoon.
JEOPARDOUS, SAYS EXPERT
Council Committee Has Had This
Information Six Months,
and Done Nothing.
JEOPARDoUs, SAYS EXPERT

After permitting the matter to rest
for more than six months the Public
Utilities Subcommittee on tho i'm.
provemcnt OF water distribution Will
meet at 6 o'clock this afternoon to
| take up again the problem of securing
! Il higher water pressure for the down
town congested value district. call
| for meeting at this hour was issued
yesterday by Chairman Morgan r.
Mills. The other members of the sub
! committee are Alderman Mitchell and
| Councilman Atkinson
The downtown fire hazard was made
the subject of sharp criticism in tho
last report of the National Board of
! Fire Underwriters, which Issued
| general warning to the effect that
certain well-deiined sections I'm the
| retail district of Broad Street and the
! wholesale districts of East Main and
Cary Streets were inadeuuately pro-
| tected against fire.
In his first message to the City Coun-
| ell. Mayor Ainslic directed attention
( to the gravity OF the situation and
recommended an inquiry looking to
| its correction. a conference of de-
partment heads called by him to con-
| slider the matter resulted finally In it's
! reference to the Council Committee on
Public Buildings. Properties and Util-
tiles. which appointed a subcommittee
to conduct an investigation and pre-
| pare n report
HEARD TESTIMONY OF
! EXPERT WITNESSES
After several preliminary meetings
| Tho subcommittee on November 2I
1919 held a public hearing on tbs
! water distribution problem. Expert
testimony was given at this meeting
| by Chief Engineer George w. Booth
of tho National Board of Fire Under
writers; Engineer j. II. Rowland. OF
! tn" underwriters corps, who made IL
survey OF Richmond water supply con-
! diti"ns in tho spring of 1913. and Da-
! wa j. Banks, consulting engineer of
/ the Baltimore Fire Commission.
| Mr. Booth told the committee that
he knew of no city that had as poor "A
wat"r supply for it's conEcsted value
! district as Richmond, and the down.
/ town sections. in particular. was IN n
J"ooardOus condition as regards con-
nasra lion. This statement was sup
ported by Engineer Rowland
T" correct this disability Mr. Booth
outlined plan which provided among
other things for the union Of the ciiy's
| n'gh an" low pressure systems and
the disreSnrdin.y OF the old Reservoir
me union OF all mains In one system
, lie" from the New Reservoir. and the
| construction OF new twcutv-fo four
| inch main from Madison along Canal
street To seventh ana thence TO BROAD
street, thought MIR Booth. would give
the congested value district adeouate
protection.
DAVIS Is OPPOSED no
PLAN OF EXPERTS
This plan OF correction was opposed
py superintendent Davis, of the Water
Morks. VINO anticipated disastrous re-
suits from the union of the high and
low-pressurc systems. The increased
pressure that would result from such
Il union, he said, would play havoc
win nNtures in households now sun
piled by low pressure The heavy
OBJECTED, would drain the connections
III the elevated portions of the city
and leave many homes in these sections
waterless
distributing system was by no means
AS ailing as the underwriters repre-
scented ii TO be. and that the construc-
ton or new twentyrfo inch main
from the New Reservoir to the down
town district would meet all fire fight
ing demands. Such main, he said.
would be much moro efficient than the
main from Madison To Seventh Streets
proposed by Mr.. Booth and Mr. How
land' which would tap its supply more
than mile from the source
TENTATIVE PLAN FOR
WORCESTERSHIRE SYSTEM
Engineer Banks presented q tcnta-
tive plan for an independent high
pressure system I'm the downtown dis
trict on the lines OF similar instoIIa
Francisco. The cost of such an in
dependent system large enough for
Rlchmond's needs, he estimated. would
be about S250,OO0 Mr. Booth expressed
his doubts az To the wisdom of sad
ding upon city OF Richmond's size
the heavy annual maintenance charge
of such a system, although he Endorsed
1t unrescrvedly as n re-iighting agent.
the committee adjourned after talk
ing this testimony. and has not held
another meeting since. 1t is probable
that steps Will be taken this after
noon looking TO the formulation of
some report to be presented to the
Council.
Within the past month Engineer
Rowland. of the National Board of
Underwriters, has again investigated
the local situation. He found condi- !
tons practically tho same, with the |
fire hazard as threatening as II was !
more than year ago, when he made |
an official survey of the city.
In his latest message to the City !
Council Mayor Ainslie again directed |
attention to tho downtown fire hazard !
and recommended that steps be taken |
to remedy the situation.