The new supply from Sudbury River was inaugurated in 1878. The drainage is 78.24 square miles. The conduit is 16 miles long, with a grade of 1.056 feet per mile. It is built of concrete and rubble masonry, lined with brick. It crosses the Charles River by granite bridge 475 feet long and 75 feet high. Its sectional area is 56.75 square feet, and capacity 70 millions daily.
There are two earth embankment reservoirs, one of 120 millions and the other of 550 millions capacity, besides four stone masonry structures of 22 millions capacity combined. One of the latter is used for high service, is 219 feet above tide, and has a capacity of 7 millions. The Roxbury High Service is supplied by two 20″ by 36″ pumps, through a stand-pipe 5 feet in diameter and 80 feet high. There is also a couple of temporary high service works. There are several cast-iron syphons of 20 and 24-inch pipes, with ball and socket points, submerged in the rivers. A crack in one of these 20-inch pipes was stopped by pine wedges, and then covered with an india-rubber band, secured by iron clamps. The work was done by a diver, and occupied three weeks. The Mystic Water-Works, of Charleston, became a part of the Boston Water System in 1873, by annexation.
The population is 412,000; miles of pipe, 500; daily average consumption, 36 millions; number of water takers is 68,334. There are 1,313 meters in use. The value of the works to December, 1880, was $18,354,716.17.
St. Louis.—The first water-works was built at foot of Bates Street in 1830, eight years after it became an incorporated city. The old works were entirely abandoned in 1872, when the new works, built after the design of Jas. P. Kirkwood, civil engineer, were put in operation. The new pumping stations is at Bissell’s Point at the northern city limit. The water is taken from Mississippi River, through a cast-iron tower (arranged to take water at any level) sunk in the river to the bed rock, and conducted by a 66-inch iron pipe to the first or low service pumps, which raises the water from 15 to 50 feet, according to the stage of the river, into settling basins (four in number, each 25 millions capacity); from thence it flows through a brick conduit 1,100 feet long, to the clear well of the high service or main works. The clear water is pumped through a stand pipe into a reservoir on Compton Hill, 870 feet by 540 feet, and 22 feet deep, and 176 feet above city directrix. The low service works has two Cornish bull and one rotative engine, and the main works has three combination beam engines with a combined capacity of 40 millions of gallons daily. The sediment in the water amounts, at times, to 1.8 per cent. of the total bulk. Nine hundred and forty-four parts in one thousand of the sediment is deposited within twenty-four hours in still water. One of the old reservoirs was abandoned entirely for twelve years, on account of the accumulation of deposit, being 30 feet in depth. It was cleaned by hydraulic mining, after a method designed by Henry Flad, civil engineer.
The population by last census is 350,522; miles of pipe, 200; daily consumption, 25 millions; number of taps, 20,000.
The cost of the new works was about five millions of dollars.
Baltimore.—In 1814 an association was formed for the purpose of introducing a copious supply of wholesome water into the city from Jones’ Falls. The works were purchased by the city in 1854 for $1,350,000, and enlarged in 1857-’62. The river water is diverted into Lake Roland, an artificial lake of 116 acres water surface. From this reservoir it is brought through an elliptical conduit, 3.62 miles, and discharged into Hampden Reservoir. This reservoir is semicircle in form, 1,000 feet diameter, with a water surface of 8 acres. It is 217 feet above tide. From this point the water flows through three lines of 30-inch cast-iron pipe, 7,100 feet in length, into Mt. Royal Reservoir, which is a circular structure 550 feet in diameter with a water surface of 5 acres, and 150 feet above tide. This reservoir supplies that portion of the city below 112 feet elevation. The Hampden Reservoir supplies the districts between 112 feet and 188 feet above tide, and the high service reservoir the district between 188 feet and 320 feet above tide. In 1867 the Druid Lake was constructed with a view of storing clear water, to be used when Lake Roland was muddy. It is made by building an earthen dam (across a natural valley in Druid Hill Park), 119 feet high in the middle with a puddled wall in the center 36 feet wide at the bottom. The greatest depth of water is 63 feet. Seven lines of cast-iron pipe were originally laid under the embankment, but broke within two years. Five lines of 30-inch pipe were then laid through a cut-in rock. Its capacity is 493,000,000 gallons, with water surface of 53 acres. The high service reservoir is circular, 500 feet diameter, 20 feet deep, and 350 feet above tide, and supplied by two Worthington pumps.
The new supply from Gunpowder River is brought through a 12-foot conduit 7 miles in length, having a capacity of 170 million gallons, to Montebello Reservoir, of 80 acres water surface, and 163 feet above tide. From here it is conveyed partly in tunnel and in open cut 5,391 feet to Lake Clifton, which has a water surface of 30¼ acres and elevation 163 feet above tide, and 31 feet deep. Provisions are made for six 40-inch mains; two now being used. The new system cost $4,704,260.83, and was formerly inaugurated in October, 1881. The statistics for 1880 are: population, 332,190; miles of pipe, 277; water takers, 49,000; meters, 524; outstanding bonds amounting to 9 million dollars.