The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-25
PUMP BREAK
THROWS CITY
IN DARKNESS
Operations Suspended Until
Repairs Are Made. Power
and Light Off Two Hours
Sunday Night.
REPAIRS ARE NEEDED

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For almost two hours Sunday even
ing not an leectric light burned on
the streets of Richmond, nor in the
residences and public meeting places
of the city.
This condition resulted from the
blowing out of a gasket in the pump
of the one water feed line the Rich.
mond municipal electric plant has in
operation. 1t was necessary to suspend
all operations at the plant until re-
pairs could be made to the feed line
pump.
Tose familiar with conditions at
the municipal plant were not surpris-
ed that an accident had caused a SUI
spension of operations. Three years
ago the city administration and the
city council were notified, officially,
that the municipal plant required con-
siderable repairs to much of it's pres
ent condition ard that If the constant
ly increasing demands made upon the
plant were to be assumed that addi-
tional equipment would be necessary.
Sunday evening when the plants
feed line pump collapsed the plant
was in practically the same condition
as it was three years ago.
Experts Recommend Repairs.
Several months ago an engineering
firm at Pittsburgh was employed by
the city to make an investigation of
conditions at the municipal plant and
to report on what improvements and
additional equipment were required.
These engineers submitted their re-
port last May. One excerpt from this
report reads:
The present installation of boiler
feed pumps has insufficient capacity
and should be replaced by larger units
in more accessible location. In ad-
dition to the new boiler feed pump
now under contract a second unit
should be provided to insure a relia-
BILE installation. The present feed wa
ter heater is not suitable for opera
tion and should be replaced by new
equipment of sufficient capacity to
heat all boiler feed water to 210 de-
grees fahrenheit"
The new boiler feed pump referred
to in the report is under construction
but the date of its completion is not
known. The plant has been depend
ing entirely upon an old feed pump
which Is entirely unserviceable and as
long as it continues in operation fire.
quent break downs can be anticipated.
Some Work Done
Work on the new feed line has been
done by employees of the local plant.
Monday, however, arrangements were
made with a Pittsburg concern to send
workmen here for the purpose of COM
pleting the line. James e. Dillon, sup
erintendent of the plant, states that
he has been attempting to make me-
cessary repairs by using plant work
men but declares that administration
officials have frequently complained
over the expense incurred.
II wish to notify the board now, Dill
Ion said Monday, that l intend to
have repair work done at the plant
without further delay"
Another excerpt from the engineers
report of last May reads:
1.-THE flow of the Whitewater river
during the dry season is barely suffi-
cient to furnish condensing water for
present loads. 1t will, therefore, be
necessary to conserve this water by
1t for further use. Spray ponds may
readily be enlarged and the initial in
stallation should, therefore, be con-
structed for requirements of the i'm
mediate future"
IL 49, Pei npo, lCCulCoS " Sdy ludl
no provision has been made for the
carrying out Of the requirement re-
ferred to.
The engineers refer to the boiler
feed pump as being in poor condi-
ton" However, five months after the
filing of the engineers report, the oper-
elton of the plant still depends upon
this one pump.
Important Institution.
The Richmond Municipal Electric
Plant is an institution around which
the industries of the city are built
Practically every manufacturing con-
Germ depends upon the plant for its
power. The plant furnishes illumina.
tion for the entire city. 1t is
100000 enterprise, but for months it
has been permitted to slowly "go to
seed" while the board of public works
and the mayor, on the one hand, and
the city council, on the other, have
quarreled over the method to be pur.
sued in the installation of the proposed
5000 k. w. turbine unit. The present
superintendent recommended the III
stallation of this unit three years ago.
A similar recommendation was made
by his predecessor The consulting
engineers reported last spring that if
present business, not to mention future
business. such unit was an absolute
necessity.
The board of public works in asking
for an appropriation to install the pro-
posed 5000 k. W. unit insisted upon
fund sufficient to have the unit put up
by experts employed by the company
which secured the contract for the
unit The council has insisted that the
work could be done more cheaply If
the installation work was done under
the supervision of a former chief erg:-
neer of the local plant. For mouths
this quarrel over installation methods
has progressed, and, in fact. no agree
ment has yet been reached. 1t is
understood that the board, despairing
of obtaining the appropriation it de-
sires, will this week advertise for bids
Under the appropriation council is
willing to give, and is doubtful if any
bids will be re ceived
Rates Increased.
Last July an increase in rates for
the municipal plant was authorized by
the state public service commission,
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