The Winslow mail., 1925-03-06

Thirty-year bonds are proposed,
no principal to be paid for the first
fifteen years.
Recommendations.
(D The town should employ an
unbiased consulting gas engineer
to go over the plant and make a
complete report before any bond
Issue is voted. Such men are avail l.
able. and the $500 or SO which the
service might cost would save the
town thousands of dollars later.
(2) There is immediate need, in
my opinion, of a new and larger
low pressure gas holder. The one
proposed with $4,000 cubic feet
capacity does not appear unreason-
able, considering future growth.
CD To give adequate service to
the town, the mains should be in
creased in size or low pressure
rotary compressor (preferably
electrically operated for automatic
controD should be installed. Pos
sibly both are needed Here again
the advice of an engineer familiar
with gas manufactur and distribu-
ton is needed.
ca The present method of un-
loading oil and rehandling through
a 3-inch pipe line distance Of 500
feet to the plant, using pump op
Grated by compressed air, is ineffi-
cient.
An elevated steam line, properly
insulated, should be built to the
pump, which should be operated by
steam, the steam also 10 be used
in heating the oil in the tank car
in cold weather. This improve
ment can be deferred for the pres
ent, as it is not absolutely essential
to the operation of the plant
(5) The circulating water basins
should be concreted to prevent wa
ter waste. 1t should be realized,
however, that simply coating them
with concrete will not make them
water tight, and that proper rein
forcement of the basins with suit
able concrete mixtures must be
provided for. This Improvement,
while desirable, could be deferred
and later might be paid for out of
earnings.
CO. The building does not look
very well, but l question the advis-
ability of replacing it with better
one until the plant can be put on
better paying basis Necessary re-
pairs can be made out of earnings
for several years at least. A fire
hydrant with 4-inch supply main
is now located close to the site so
the fire risk is much less than it
was two years ago.
CD A duplicate or additional
boiler of ample capacity should be
installed at once to guarantee serv
ice. If arrangements can be made
with the Santa Fe to install one of
the boilers on hand at San Ber-
nardino or elsewhere, considerable
economy in first cost might be
made. The entire operation of the
plant is dependent on steam supply
and that can be guaranteed only
by duplicate boiler installation.
(8) The operator of the plant
claims that if the larger gas re-
ceiver is installed, it will be neces-
sary also to have an additional
purifier. This should be determined
by the consulting engineer referred
to above.
(9) To sum up my recommends
tions:
A consulting gas engineer should
be employed to investigate the en-
tire plant, including the distribut-
ing system, and make complete
report on what should be done.
Money should be voted now only
for improvements absolutely neces-
sary to make the plant safe and
guarantee service. The most essen
tial improvements are the>new low
pressure gas holder, the duplicate
boiler with housing and an electri-
cally driven booster medium COM
pressor.