Year: 1872

Lockport Cor. n. 7. Times.


the great manufacturing feature of
Lockport is the Holly Waterworks Com
pany. This system of supplying cities
with water has several peculiar features
about it, and appears to me to be very
far superior to any other system in
vogue. AS far as l can judge, it seems
to avoid every short coming that water
consumers have hitherto suffered from.
Its main characteristics are the aboli-
ton of reservoirs and re-engines, the
sustentation of regular supply of wa
sure, and a vastly increased protection
against fire.


Mr.. Holly's plan is to place one or
moro, according to the amount of water
to be supplied, of his powerful elliptical
rotary pumps within frost-proof and
fire-proof building, Immediately at the
source of supply, no matter how far it
may be from the city to be supplied.
This effectually does away with reser-
voirs. He is now constructing works
for Atlanta, Ga. but the pumps are
four miles from the city. He tells me
that he could easily force water from
Lockport to Buffalo that it would only
depend on the size of the pipes. The
great loss of velocity in water occurs
through the friction of water against the
pipe. The larger the pipes, of course,
the less the friction. The rotatory
pump, too, is constantly revolving in
one direction and keeps up an even
and ceaseless pressure in the pipes. Not
SO the suction pump, which must of ne
cessity force the water into the pipes in
shoots. This again impairs the velocity.
But the most interesting part of the
system is that part of it which regulates
the supply to the demand, and at the
same time entirely does away with the
necessity of fire-engines. The rotary
pump is constructed of a suficient
power to force twice the ordinary sup
ply of water through the pipes, if needs
be; and the pump is governed in its ac
ton by very ingenious piece of ma
chinery-the hydrostatic water supply
regula. or-which regulates tbs supply
of water to varying amount on the
same principle that a steam governor
regulates the supply of steam to an un-
varying amount. A sudden and rapid
increase IN the consumption of water,
as, for instance, in case of fire, is in
stantly communicated to the governor,
as surely s the nerves momentarily
communicate the event of injury to the
bodily extremities to the brain.


Mr.. Holly places double fire. -hydrant
to every block, the hose throwing a
stream 100 feet high. The moment the
hose is alta he'd and the stream is
turned on, the governor feels it and in
stantly calls on the engine to make ten
| more revolutions per minute, so as to
keep up the regular supply. The engine
obeys automatically. Should another
| fire occur at the same time the provi
| dent governor calls for another ter
revolutions: and so on for half dozer
fires blazing at once in different parts o
| the city. But look at the loss of time
and thereby the probable destruction O
property and life, which this arrange
ment saves! Most large warehouse
have their own hose. In the event o
fire, the hose has only to be attached
and the fire is out before the fre-engint
has got well started on its way to tht
scene of confagration. The hydrant!
are provided with a simple apparatus
which drains all the water from them
SO that they shall not freeze. Here il
basketful of advantages at once-put
ting aside the great question of protec
ton from fire! No outlay for engine.
engine-houses, and horses; fewer fire
men to be paid; no chance of waite
giving out, or decreasing in volume il
the extinguishing of large fires and NJ
chance of an accident to a fire-engine
which is of necessity very lightly built
from something giving way, or the run
ming against an omnibus or the lamp
post in turning corner. cannot bu
think that Chicago would still be stand
ing had she been furnished with tht
Holly system of water works. | under
stand that the City Fathers of Chicago
did once discuss the propriety and ad
visibility of adopting it; but they un
wisely resolved to be content with wha
they had, though fully recognizing h,
superiority of the Holly system. Th'
Chicago works cost many millions, ant
entail a working expenditure of $39O,00
a year. Mr.. Holly says he will construc
works which shall render another Chi
cago fire impossible for $l,000,0 900, AM
of which the working expenses shall b'
only $4,000 year.