The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-16

| Ine distance Tor constructing the in
dividual lines from each reservoi
to the city it served would in man,
cases be equal to the distance sucl
town would have to build line, i
they took up water in the local can
yons or on the local creeks, and the,
would have the additional cost, Of
their share of the cost of the aque
duct besides.
City Officials Surprised
All of the delegates were very
much surprised at this theory anG
were rather inclined to discredit it
They could not understand why the
water should not flow down a pipe
line thru valley that had an aver.
age of fourteen feet grade to the
mile when it had good pressure at
the head of the valley. They rea-
soned that fire pressure at Ashton
with fourteen grade feet to the mile
from there to Pocatello should over
come the friction, and preserve such
pressure all the way down. The first
engineer in speaking on the subject
had not suggested any such difficulty
as Mr.. Anderson declared would ex-
ist. He was saked if the line could
not be made large enough and
strong enough with sufficient taper
to overcome these objections, and he
said it could not at any reasonable
cost. He said that water would not
flow thru pipe from Blackfoot to
PocatellO and have pressure enough
to flow into the tops of the buildings
at all. The two towns are nearly on
a level. The fall from Idaho Falls
to Blackfoot is 200 feet, but the fall
from Blackfoot to Pocatello is prac-
tically nothing. If Pocatello were
situated on the Snake river twenty
six miles below Blackfoot, the fall
between the two towns would be
about 200 feet, but Pocatello is eight
miles up the Portneuf.. If Pocatello
in the construction of
the aqueduct it would have to take
it's water supply and pump it up into
a reservoir above the city to give it
pressure and drop it back down
again just as it does with it's local
reservoirs In his judgment Black
foot would have to do the same, or
pump it up into stand pipes to get
pressure. All the towns up the val
ley would have more or less of this
same difficulty unless perhaps it was
and st. Anthony, and those
places near the head of the valley
where the gravity was great.
Better illustrations
Taking extreme views of this
question, the delegates asked if it
would be possible to build an aque-
luct ten or twenty feet in diameter
or any outlandish size, at the head
If the valley and give it gradual
aper to Pocatello and overcome this
riction by it's size, and overcome the
ack of grade by making it strong
enough to use the very heavy pres
ure at the head of the valley, and he |
lgain declared that the cost would
,e absolutely prohibitive and that it
vas altogether impractical.
Principle Already Proven
Mr.. Wilson finally came to the
escue with illustrations to convince |
he delegates that Mr.. Anderson's |
heory was correct. He spoke of a
'ipe line constructed by stock man |
Who lived at the foot of mountain,
md put in a pipe to connect with his
a spring 1900 feet above
lim. He used two inch pipe half |
way down and one inch pipe the rest
# the way, and the friction of the
'ipes was so great that the water /
would not flow thru with any force
nd would scarcely flow at all. 1t
upplied a mere. dribble like mo-
asses flowing out of jug. He con-
ulted an engineer about it and the
ngineer advised that the take off the
nch pipe and substitute a two inch
ipe on the lower half. This was
one and he then received dis
barge of a weak stream at the end
f the 1900 foot pipe.
Various other illustrations were
iven to show that water will flow
hru short pipe of given size and
ONE out at the lower end with a
considerable force, but as the length
+ the pipe is increased and the
eight of the intake increased the
mount Of force shown at the bottom
the pipe decreases.
Destroying Water Pressure
mother illustration made by Mr..
wilson was that if the pipe line were
lid from Big Springs to Pocatello
nd the faucets were closed and the
ressure were very heavy all that the
ipes would stand, and few faucets
ere opened in each town, the water
'ould flow from these faucets with
atisfactory force, but If each town
ad fire at the same time and all
ere drawing heavily upon the main,
lie pressure would be killed abso-
ltely. 1t would not be possible to
lsh water down the main fast
nough to keep the water supplied in
lie fire hose and keep up pressure,
r if all the towns had pressure and
verybody went to draw from their
lucets, the same condition would
zist. The pressure would be killed