CHAPTER VIII. Liverpool and Harrington Works. Abundance of Water: peculiar Method of procuring it. Steam Engines. Reservoirs. Mode of supplying the Town and Docks. Extent of Mains. Bootle Works: Source of their Supply of Water. Reservoir, &c. Project for Water Works at Manchester, under the Direction of Mr. Rennie. Stone Pipes: their failure. Change of Plan: Property transferred to a new Company. Improvements. Great Reservoir at Gorton. Mains. Fountains. Quantity of Water supplied, &c. Edinburgh: Project in 1810, for improving the defective supply of Water. Act of Parliament to realize the Plan. Crawley Springs: their great Altitude. Reservoirs. Extent and Inclination of Mains. Mode of supplying the City: its peculiar natural advantages for the purpose. Glasgow Works. Mr. James Watt's Flexible Main across the Clyde. Establishment at Dalmarnock. Reservoirs, &c. Cranston Hill Company: failure of their first attempts. Reservoirs. Filters their Construction. Messrs. Brown and Co.'s Filter. Washing Establishment. Greenock; its Localities ; mode of collecting and supplying it with Water. Reservoirs : Plan of Filtering, &c. : HAVING given an account of the extensive and effective means by which water is abundantly supplied to London and its suburbs, we shall endeavour to detail the different plans adopted for supplying several of the largest cities and towns in other parts of Great Britain. The distribution of water to the opulent commercial town of Liverpool, is effected by two large establishments, denominated The Liverpool and Harrington Works, and The Liverpool Bootle Water Works' Company. The arrangements and operations of both are considerable; but the mode of procuring the water supplied is rather peculiar, The Love at Bang Company succit water suleset inm gag i te room of de eri y neas if ever chase unes irmed in a atura ex if xi má-ame, ma neng dragi ber vicle ega a gate test vris inre vas, from Fica de vues pumpet by gem-engines. The be company nay le maciet u zagr 1 I every part of the tovi dey have meted, ie ferat veris adicted to BIZTĒT THE TROOus ästets; ad the respective situations of these are-Soto Street Berngan Bast, Barry Screet, Coperas Hill. and Harngan Park: the latter being a part of the town which, by an Act of Parliament, the company have the exclusive privilege of supplying. Though the quantity of water, obtained from the tunnel first constructed for the Harrington district, was considerable, yet experience proved it to be insufficient for its purpose, and therefore it was afterwards formed lower in the earth, in order to augment its productive power. As this is the most important of all the aqueducts belonging to the company, an account of it will convey an intelligible notion of the peculiar method employed. The tunnel is placed about 150 feet below the level of the ground, on which the buildings of the establishment are erected; and it consists of one principal trench, nearly 250 feet long, with five or six others much less in length, but the whole have similar dimensions, with an inclination occasioning their respective streams to unite, and be confluent to the place where the water is finally received. The magnitude of these different tunnels is very considerable. In general they have a height of twenty feet by a breadth of twelve; but when that for supplying the Harrington district was placed lower, its perpendicular dimension was increased to about twenty-eight feet. The principal aqueduct, being constructed in the middle of the others, is not only more extensive, but lies lower in the earth, so that the water produced by the whole series of tunnels, flows together into the wells connected with the steam-engines, which are employed to elevate it to the various reservoirs for distribution. At each of the several stations, the company have one or more steam-engines; but these greatly vary in their capacity, some of them having thirty, others twenty-four, and even only six horses' power. The whole of the engines are, however, of the high pressure kind, and usually work at about seventy-five pounds on the square inch. Indeed, the situations of many of the houses supplied, as well as the magnitude, arrangement, and extent of the mains employed to conduct the water to the several districts, necessarily require great impelling force. To convey the water from the reservoirs, the company employ three principal mains, consisting of iron pipes, having the respective diameters of ten, nine, and eight inches; and also extending altogether to the length of more than 20,000 yards. From these large conduits proceed pipes of six, four, and three inches in diameter, the whole of which form an addition to the length of the others of about 90,000 yards. At each end of the streets there are plugs for the purpose of affording a supply in cases of fires; and it is customary to open these plugs every day to cleanse the pipes, before the water is conveyed to the houses. Notwithstanding the very large demand for the constant and regular population of Liverpool, as well as the numerous vessels that frequent its port, the supply of water is abundant for all purposes. Moreover, its distri bution is so effective and complete, that whatever may be the elevation of the houses in the town, it can be conveyed into every apartment. Hence, in addition to the other domestic conveniences, many of the wealthy residents, are enabled to have either cold or warm baths in different parts of their houses. This company supply the docks and the harbour, and have two reservoirs adapted for that particular service,one being situate in Prussia Street, the other in Newhall Street. Both reservoirs have been formed with thick cast-iron plates, and the dimensions of the largest consist of a length of sixty feet, by a breadth of fifteen, with a depth of ten. The other has a length of thirty-three feet, by a width of seventeen, and a depth of seven. The level of water which both contain, is generally about fourteen feet above that of high water in the docks, and several persons are employed to attend to this particular service. The water is distributed by means of leather pipes, with brass boxes fixed at one end, and having also a screw adapted to a corresponding brass screw, formed at the top of the apertures of upright iron pipes, that are connected with the mains. A great number of these upright pipes are fixed along the docks and round the buildings, so that a plentiful supply is readily and quickly afforded for all purposes, and on any emergency. The quantity supplied is very large, and its average weekly amount has been estimated at about 4,000,000 of imperial gallons. The operations of the Liverpool Bootle Works, probably equal those of the other company, and a similarity pervades their mode of supplying the town, as well as in the arrangement of their mains, with other provisions for the purpose, but the means of procuring the water is altogether different. They obtain their supply near to the sea shore, from a number of springs which rise in a place resembling a bay in its form; and the exuberance continually produced by them, suggested the idea of rendering them useful for the service of Liverpool, many years before any water-works were constructed to realize the plan. Frequently as this productive source had been noticed, the first attempt to convert it to an advantageous use was in the year 1801, when a massive dam being formed across the lower part of the great cavity in which the water ascends so abundantly, the space was transformed into a capacious reservoir. In furtherance of the object contemplated of conveying the water to Liverpool, in 1802, Mr. Samuel Clegg,* the engineer, was employed to erect a steam-engine with two horses' power, having a pump ten inches in diameter, and a stroke of eighteen inches. The engine forced the water to the top of a tower fifty feet high, this building being sectionally divided, so that the water ascended on one side and descended on the other,† resembling in its operation that of syphon with the curved part uppermost; hence, the elevation of the water, by this contrivance, occasioned it to flow along tunnels to the reservoirs, constructed for supplying the inhabitants, and different commercial establishments of Liverpool. The small steam-engine continued in use for several years, but its power eventually proved very inadequate to its original object; and afterwards the means were greatly augmented by the erection of two other engines, one of thirty, and • The ingenious inventor of the Gas Meter, Hydraulic Main, and various other useful machinery employed in the operations of gas establishments. History of Gas Lighting, p. 71, &c. + Buildings similar to this, called Souterazi, are employed for conveying water to Constantinople. |