AMONG THE WATER WORKS MEN.

ST. HYACINTHE, QUE.

Superintendent M. A. O’Connell, of the waterworks of St. Hyacinthe, Que., in reporting on the Jewell filters installed there, states that when these first began to operate all the mechanical and organic impurities of a size larger than the thousandth part of an inch were found in the water. After a few hours’ work the filters removed forty per cent, of the coloring matter of the water. From a bacteriological standpoint the water before filtration carried 285 bacteria to the cubic centimetre. At the end of five hours there were 253; ten hours, 185; fifteen hours, 186; twenty-four hours, 148; thirty-six, 108: forty-eight, ninety-eight. Granting the minimum result to be forty-three per cent., the result was very satisfactory, no alumina having been used. When alumina was used on the seventh of the same month, the Yamaska river became rapidly swollen on account the heavy rainfall at its source and those of its various tributaries. The water was so turbid that printed letters in size a quarter of an inch were not visible at a depth of eighteen inches. The river continued in that condition for four days running, during which the work done by the filters was carefully studied. By the addition of two and a half grains of sulphate of alumina to the gallon the water, on leaving the filters, when compared with distilled water of ioo° of purity, showed a purity of ninety-eight to ninetynine per cent—was virtually pure. On September 9. the bacteriological examintion showed the following figures: Before filtration, water, with sulphate of alumina added, showed 504 bacteria; the filtered water, after having been operated on for one hour and one-half, sowed 226 bacteria; after, four hours, 161; after eight, 110; after twelve, sixty-five, or a reduction of seventy-two per cent. It was expected that a reduction of ninety-five per cent, could be attained after the engineer had become more experienced, and had acquired the knack of so manipulating the water as to avoid all mixture of the filtered with the unfiltered water during the process of washing, which was rendered absolutely necessary for twelve hours after the filters had been in use for that length of time, so great was the amount of impurities of all sorts which the filters caught and kept back. The duty of the filters, with the water carrying coagulant to the amount of two and a half grains a gallon, and with the pump making from twenty-three to twenty-five revolutions a minute showed at 10 a. m. 278,943 revolutions; at 3 p. m. 286,067: total revolutions in five hours. 7,122; every hour, 1.424.50: every minute, 23.74; gallons per minute. 23.74×31.5. 747.81: hourly. 448.68; every twenty-four hours, 1.076.846. During the test the pressure on the filters went down two pounds; the water was always clear and pure. For these reasons, therefore, it is held that the two conditions as to the operation of the filters were fully satisfied. The total pumpage of the cityaccording to the last report was 275,367,803 gallons: the average amount pumped daily was 756,504 gallons; total amount of coal used, 971.753 pounds: daily average, 2,670: average pumpage to each pound of coal, 283 gallons. The source of supply is the Yamaska river: the pumping engines arc Blake, daily capacity 650,000 gallons; hydrants (Chapman), ninety; pipe (Scotch, Canadian), ten to four-inch, over thirty-six miles; meters, forty, as follows: Buffalo, twenty; Hersey, eighteen; National, two; valves, 120: taps, 1.436; pressure, domestic, fifty to sixty pounds; fire, sixty to no pounds. The works cost $30,000 to construct, and up to date have cost $130,000; annual expenses between $4,500 and $5,000.

WHITEHALL, PA.

Away up in the hills of North Whitehall, Montour county. Pa., the Clear Springs Water company has built a large water plant. Its system reaches out widely, even as far as Allentown, and its water is of the purest. Its mileage of mains was extended twelve miles last year. The whole system includes twenty-five miles of main, sixteen to four-inch, supplying 1,800 families, with a total of 11.000 people, and nearly all the large manufacturing establishments in that region.

The supply is gathered from eight large springs in the Peach Bottom watershed drained by Spring Mill creek. It is a slate region and the water is softer than cistern water, as is shown by a comparative analysis made by Albert R. Leeds, Ph. D.. professor of Chemistry at the Stevens Institute of Technology at Hoboken, N. J. Of Clear Springs water Prof. Leeds said that it was “pure and whole some, and suitable for potable, domestic, and manufacturing uses.” The water is collected in the Spring Mill dam, which has a capacity of 75,000.000 gallons, whence it is pumped into the 3,000,000 gallon reser voir on top of the ridge to the south. This reservoir, which is constructed entirely of cement, is 320 feet above the dam. whence is derived its enormous pres sure. Because of this high pressure all the main has been made extra heavy. At the highest point in the town of Fullerton, on the test being made, the pres sure was 102 pounds, and the stream from a three quarter-inch nozzle was thrown 85 feet vertically; at a somewhat lower level, where the pressure was 122 pounds, the stream was thrown ninety feet ver tieallv. The water is sent from dam to reservoir through a Jeanesville. compound duplex, condensing pump, with a capacity of 1,500,000 gallons in twentyfour hours. Altogether the system is capable of supplying 50.000 people. The amount supplied at present is about 7.000,000 gallons a month, but four times that amount does not represent the capacity of the system. During the summer of 1900, which was exceptionally dry, it was estimated that 90,000,000 gallons a month flowed over the spill-way of the dam, and last summer, which was less dry. 150.000.000 gallons a month was not utilised. The water is aerated not only by nature, but by a special standpipe fountain of concrete blocks in the centre of the reservoir, which is the outlet of the pipe from the dam. As it is pumped from the dam the water passes through three sets of fine-mesh screens, and before it leaves the reservoir to go to the. consumer it again passes through screens. The system now supplies nine towns. Siegfried. Cementon, Northampton. Egypt. West Coplav. Hokendauqua, West Catasauqua, Fullerton, and North Catasauqua.

AMHERST, N. S.

During 1901 (report D. W. Robb, C. A. Lusby, and J. N. Page, water committee) Amherst. N. S., expended $4,207.29, of which $1,060.74 was on capital account for pipe line extensions, and the remainder for maintenance. The amount received for water rates was $5,148.71, leaving a balance of $1,813.41 to meet debentures. The total increase in revenue is nearly $700. due to the fact that fifty new services were put in during the year. The water department supplies a population of a little over 5,000. Its source is the river: the system is pumping to reservoir direct. The capacity of the reservoir is 3.000,000 gallons: pumping engines Northey & Co., daily capacity t.000.000 gallons each: hydrants (Charles Smith & Co.. Mathewson & Co.), forty-five; pipe (Londonderry Iron Co.), fifteen miles’ twelve to four-inch: first cost of construction, $80,000; cost to date. $1)2,000: annual expenses about $1,500.

NEWARK. N. J.

Morris R. Sherrerd. engineer and superintendent of the department of water of Newark, N. J., in his report for the past year adverts to the settlement of the new water supply contract, as a result of which the city now owns and controls the Pequannock plant, besides additional land and water rights bv means of which the city can now not only protect the present supply, but also possesses a valuable property to be utilised when the plant needs enlarging^ and for building additional reservoirs. The city’s gravity supply Engineer Sherrerd declares the “best of any city of its size in the world.” When the Cedar Grove reservoir is completed and is connected with the city mains and smaller reservoirs, the gravity system will be supplemented by a complete distributing system. All these water facilities have been secured at a very low cost, and today the water department is paying off present expenses from receipts as well as the water debt of thirty years ago. Since no sinking fund provision was made for the early bond issue, these bonds have to be refunded as they become due. They can now be issued at a much lower rate of interest, and the present interest and sinking fund charges about equal the old interest rate. The ordinary receipts to December 1, 1900, were $657,305.06; to December 1. 1901, $730,824.75 a gain of $73,519.69; expenditures and fixed charges to December 1, 1900, $771,076.34; to December 1, 1901, $752,619.96—a decrease of $18,456.38.

“The large increase in ordinary receipts for the year 190T (says the report), as compared with 1900. is due to the revenue from metered accounts again becoming normal. The revenues were seriously affected during the years 1899 and 1900 by the chang ing of many accounts from advance to metered col lections, occasioned by the large number of meters introduced in those years. The expenditures of 1901, include an additional payment of $120,000, being interest and sinking fund on the last $2,000,000 of new water supply bonds, not an obligation during 1900. The amount expended for meters was, however, much less than during 1900. During eleven months of 1901, the following work was done: 856 new services made; about four and one-half miles street main laid, about two miles of pipe relaid and lowered; 130 new hydrants set, and 1,450 meters sold and placed in service. The daily average consumption of water was 24.800,000 gallons. This is less than that of four years ago. The reduction is the result of redistricting waste by the use of meters. Approximately 12.500 meters are now in use in the city, on a total of nearly 35.000 taps. Until all the consumers are supplied through meters, some form of minimum meter rate should be adopted. The present method places more than a fair proportion of the burden upon assessed consumers. The duplicate thirty-six-inch high-service supply main from Belleville to the South Orange avenue reservoir was completed and placed in service in August, 1901.” For increased fire protection in the centre of the city the recommendation is made by Chief Engineer Sherrerd—that an independent fire service line of pipe be laid from the South Orange avenue reservoir down South Orange avenue and Market street to the Pennsylvania railroad, with branches north and south on Broad street, north to Central avenue and south to Marshall street. Such a line laid of twentyinch pipe to Broad street, with sixteen-inch branches, would cost about $60,000. Tt would give a serviceable pressure of about 100 pounds from eight to ten streams without the use of fire engines. Direct fire service for property within half a mile of the corner of Broad and Market streets, would be provided. Also, connections could be made with the present street mains to he opened in the event of large fires in the districts not directly reached by the suggested main. At six per cent, for interest and sinking fund the annual cost would be $5,600. In no w-ay could the fire department give an equivalent service for the expenditure of this amount.