build main drains or common sewers, to secure land for sewerage works, irrigation fields or filtration beds, and for authority to contract with the city of Providence for connection with their system of sewers."

SYSTEM OF SEWERAGE.

The greater part of the section known as the West avenue district is high above the river, but it is swampy, the subsoil being a hardpan impervious to water. A part of Cat Swamp lies in this district. The water from the brook that rises in Cat Swamp and flows through this district must be cared for. This water, with the grade available, will fill a twelve inch pipe; it often more than fills the twenty-four inch pipe now in use.

In building sewers through this district, the springs that feed the brook will gradually be drained, and the water taken off at a lower level by the sewers. If allowed to flow in the sewers with household wastes, this clean water becomes sewage and must be cared for as sewage at a price per thousand gallons. If allowed to flow through separate pipes, or through sewers used for storm water only, it can be turned into the Moshassuck river.

For this district we recommend that the main sewer be built on a double system, that is, household waste in one pipe, storm and ground water in a large sewer, the smaller sewer to be connected with the larger by storm overflow connections.

The drainage of this district by the above system, not only lowers the ground water and opens up a very valuable tract of land for building purposes, but will remove a very prolific source of malaria and typhoid fever germs.

The greater part of the section north of West avenue district is dry. The ground water, as indicated by wells, is from ten to thirty-five feet below the surface. The wet parts are close to the river, and can, by an inexpensive system of land tiles, be drained.

We recommend for the Moshassuck river water shed, excepting the West avenue district as above, the same system of sewerage as is used and has proved satisfactory in the Blackstone river water shed, i. e., a restricted combined system.

COURSE OF MAIN SEWERS.

The Moshassuck river, from Mineral Spring avenue in Pawtucket to the Philip Allen Print Works in Providence, during the summer months, is a very small river and flows through flat, swampy land, the flow being very sluggish.

Sand and silt will get into the sewers through the catch basin and thence into the river, causing injury to property owners below, unless special works be built at the out fall of the storm sewers.

Immediate relief must be had from storm water at the junction of Lonsdale avenue and Main street.

In our report of 1887 we say, "Water at this point has and will continue to cause trouble until sewers are built in this district."

Already claims to the amount of five thousand ($5,000) dollars have been made, as compensation for injury caused by storm water at this point.

* Page 17.

As soon as the necessary right of way can be secured a main sewer should be built. The sewer should be used for storm water only, until such time as the sewage can be treated or disposed of.

The main sewer for the West avenue district will be built from the Moshassuck river to Main street, through Main street and West avenue to Jefferson

avenue.

A main branch should be built through Trenton street, crossing Pawtucket avenue and continue through Trenton and other streets to Pidge avenue; from this point the further course of the main sewer will be determined somewhat by the use made in the future of the land immediately south of Pidge avenue. A second main branch will be through Moulton street to Pawtucket avenue. Whitman street should be extended to Moulton street and West avenue, and a main branch sewer laid through this extension to Wayland avenue.

Mineral Spring avenue and the main streets to the north extend direct from the divide of the water shed of the Moshassuck and Blackstone rivers to the Moshassuck river. The main sewers will follow the same course.

An intercepting sewer will be built from or near the northerly boundary line of the city of Providence, northerly, to the southerly boundary line of the town of Lincoln.

This sewer must follow the general course of the river to Mineral Spring avenue; from Mineral Spring avenue it will be built on or parallel with the road bed of the Moshassuck Valley Railroad.

This sewer need not be built all at one time, but it must keep pace with the building of main sewers in this district.

Under no consideration should the sewage from any part of this district be discharged into the Blackstone canal or the Moshassuck river.

The intercepting sewer will collect the sewage (dry weather flow) from all the sewers in Pawtucket that are in the Moshassuck river water shed, and carry it to the line of the city of Providence where it can be discharged by gravitation into the sewers of the city of Providence, or be pumped for filtration on to Seekonk Plains.

The land at this point is well adapted for a pumping station and settling tanks.

In view of the resolutions passed by the City Council and the expressed views of citizens, residents of this district, we believe the time is at hand when some action must be taken in building sewers and disposing of the household and manufacturers' waste of this district.

We therefore recommend that, as soon as the necessary authority is obtained from the General Assembly, the Board of Sewer Commissioners be empowered to contract with the city of Providence (if satisfactory arrangements can be made) to care for the sewage of the city of Pawtucket; also, that they be empowered to procure, by purchase or otherwise, land on Seekonk Plains for filter beds and irrigation fields.

If a contract is made with the city of Providence to care for the sewage of the city of Pawtucket, it will be from four to five years before their system of sewerage and sewage disposal is so far completed that they can take and care for the sewage of Pawtucket.

In the meantime, a portion of the land purchased (fifty-five acres) by the old town of North Providence of Asa Pike, can be used for filter beds to filter the sewage. This use of the land will not cause a nuisance, or in any way injure the land for future use. If the land is to be used for a park after the filter beds are abandoned, it will be decidedly benefited by the sewage.

If a contract is not made with the city of Providence, and it is decided to care for the sewage by filtration, the sewage can be disposed of on the Pike land, as above, until the necessary land is secured on Seekonk Plains, and the filter beds built.

It will be advisable, however, to secure the land for the permanent filter beds as soon as possible, as this land can be used to dispose of the sewage by broadcast irrigation as soon as the pipe is laid to convey the sewage to it, even before the filter beds are built, thus saving the expense of temporary filter beds.

FLUSH TANKS.

Ten automatic flush tanks (Rogers Field new pattern) have been built during the past year, making the total number forty-two (42). Thirty-four (34) are in operation, the other eight have been put in lately and are not connected with the water works. The tanks in use continue to work perfectly; they keep the sewers to which they are attached clean, and have cost nothing for repairs.

We are more fully convinced the longer we use flush tanks, that they are a necessity in a system of sewerage like that in use in Pawtucket; also, that it is the cheapest, and, in fact, the only way of keeping sewers clean.

CATCH BASINS.

There have been built and connected with the sewers twenty-three (23) catch basins, making the total number two hundred and sixty-four, and with gutter grates, two hundred and seventy-nine. After the catch basins are built, they are cleaned and cared for by the Highway Department. The work is paid for by the Sewer Department.

The whole principle of allowing one department to do work, and requiring another department to approve and pay the bills for work which they did not order, over which they have no control and know not whether it has been done or not, is entirely wrong.

If the Highway Department is to clean the basins the expense should be charged to the regular appropriation for maintenance of highways, or a special appropriation for cleaning catch basins should be made and placed in the hands of the Commissioner of Highways.

The appropriation for cleaning catch basins should be one thousand ($1,000) dollars.

Sewers have been constructed through 18 streets during 1889.

From December 1, 1888, to December 1, 1889, there has been built 10,713 feet

of pipe sewers and 1,444 feet of brick sewers, a total of 12,157 feet miles.

The total length of brick sewers 2 miles, of salt glazed pipe sewers 10% miles. There are 397 feet of iron pipe sewer and 1,289 feet of cement pipe overflow. A total of 13 miles.

Since December 1, 1888, there have been 140 connections made with the sewers, connecting 148 houses, 3 manufactories and one public park.

The total number of connections with the sewers, is 604. Number of buildings, 684.

There will be needed for maintenance and care of sewers, including cleaning catch basins, seven thousand ($7,000) dollars.

ISAAC SHOVE,

Board of

FRED. W. EASTON. Sicer ners.

A. R. SWEET, Engineer and Superintendent.

EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF WATER WORKS.

No material change has been made on the works except the placing of two 90 horse power water wheels in Station No. 2, where we had two smaller wheels aggregating 125 horse power. The increased amount of water pumped by them shows the advantage of having suitable wheels. The cost of replacing them was $1,465.08. The amount of water pumped was 297,829,006 gallons, almost one-fourth of all the water used, by the wheels alone. It will be seen by the engineer's report that the engine at this station has run only forty days during the whole year, pumping 57,204,850 gallons.

It affords me great pleasure to refer to the trial of the fire hydrants on September 19, 1889, when the Chief Engineer of the Fire Department was invited to play seventy fire streams at once, and which was successfully accomplished, holding eighty pounds pressure during the time the test was made. The test was made on the twenty-inch force main, three and one-half miles long, leading from the pumps through the centre of the city to the storage reservoir on the heights, at an elevation of 301 feet above tide-water. Four thousand and forty feet of this main was used, and the streams were taken from nine six-wayed and eight two-wayed hydrants. Six Edison recording gauges were placed on the line, located so as to give the best results of the loss of pressure. The cards are to be seen at the office, showing with what nicety and precision they exemplify and verify the pressure. By the use of these gauges we were enabled to state facts which we should have been unable to do without them. I desire to say that they not only verify the pressure on the mains, but detect leaks and the opening of hydrants, or any heavy draught of water for legitimate or illegiti mate purposes.

No well conducted water works can afford to be without recording gauges, and, when properly located, they will in my opinion pay for themselves within one year. We challenge any water works in the United States to play seventy one inch fire streams through fifty feet of hose, and maintain eighty pounds pressure during the trial, the pressure to be verified by recording gauges placed in suitable position on the line of pipe.

The future extension of the works will be governed by the growth of the city, and, as is well known, the growth of our city is equal to any in New England of similar population.

It will be seen that appropriations will be required to accommodate the necessities demanded, and I may say that the larger the works the greater the demand

for extensions. The demand for extensions of mains and new services during the past year has been fully up to our anticipations, and can be seen by perusing the statements further along in this report. I know of no reason why the same demand will not exist for the year to come.

It is also very gratifying to note the increase in revenue during the year. The practical working of the meters still maintain the good results which have heretofore been stated, and the confidence in them is fully verified by the constant and increasing demand to have the benefits they produce over the faucet rates. This is shown by the unusual large number which have been called for the past year, being 266 meters out of 299 services.

It is gratifying to know that consumers are becoming satisfied that the meter cannot register against them. It is only now and then an exceptional case where we have complaint made, and that is universally where they neglect to keep their fixtures in proper repair, and allow leaks to exist in water closets or tanks where the overflow into the sewer or cesspool cannot readily be seen.

It will be observed that the duty of the No. 1 engine is very much less than during previous years, owing to the fact that having reinforced our pumping capacity by the introduction last year of the six million pump it has not been required to run so continuously to produce the needed supply of water. It has pumped 290,927,553 gallons.

We have also during the past year been experimenting with soft coal, coal dust, also washed pea and other kinds of coal at less cost, to compare the relative results, and the conclusion we have come to is to let well enough alone and to use the same kind of coal we have used in former years, as the loss on duty more than equals the cost of coal. It is very gratifying to know that during the past year Professor J. E. Denton of Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, has made an exhaustive test of the duty of No. 1, or better known as the Corliss High Duty Pump, and he fully verifies all previous statements made by this department, even to last year when the engine made the unprecedented duty of 124,512,184 foot pounds for the whole year, pumping 899,052,732 gallons of water, or working 338 days of 22 hours and 22 minutes per day. An appendix containing Prof. Denton's test will accompany this report.

The new engine at No. 3 Station has performed its work during the year to the satisfaction of all concerned, and bids fair with age to be a successful competitor for honors with the No. 1, as anticipated by its designer and builder, the late lamented George H. Corliss.

This engine has run 249 days, pumping 651,260,659 gallons, or about one-half of the needed supply.

During the year the works have been extended. Total length of mains, 106+ miles.

HYDRANTS SET AS FOLLOWS:

Total, 12 for year, added to 795 as per last year's report, making a total of 807 on the works.

APPLICATIONS.

Applications for water have been made as follows: