Chapter 17 of The Water Works of the City of Philadelphia: The Story of their Development and Engineering Specifications
Compiled in 1931 by Walter A. Graf (Staff Engineer, The Budd Company, Philadelphia), with the assistance of Sidney H. Vought and Clarence E. Robson. This online version was created from an original volume at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Catalog No. WZ 23591 (4th Fl. Folio).
Walter Graf History Home Page
(With Notes on the Text, Preface, and Acknowledgements)
Reading the Preface will give a quick overview of the beginnings and expansion of the Philadelphia water system.
HIGH PRESSURE FIRE SERVICE, STATION NO. 1
A separate supply of water for fire fighting purposes was discussed during the close of the nineteenth century. On November 15, 1900, an ordinance was approved, authorizing the construction of the city’s first independent high pressure, raw water, fire service system. It was to cover the district bounded by the Delaware River, Race Street, Broad Street and Walnut Street. For the commencement of the work, councils appropriated $300,000 to be applied to the laying of mains. Until additional funds were provided to pay for the construction of an engine house and the purchase of the necessary pumping engines, the fire boats then in service on the Delaware River were to be used for forcing water directly from the river into the mains.
The work of laying the mains was started on May 20. 1901. A final test, under the supervision of a committee representing the Board of Fire Underwriters Association, was made on September 15, 1902 and was judged eminently satisfactory. The mains were constructed of cast iron flanged pipes and the branch connections as well as all gate valves and fire hydrants were of semi-cast steel.
The system was kept under a constant pressure of about 70 pounds per square inch, by means of a 12 inch connection to the main which at this time supplied City Hall with water by gravity from the George’s Hill reservoir.
The pumping station was started on November 10, 1902. October 15, 1903 marked its completion. The main pumping equipment in this station consists of seven Westinghouse triple cylinder, four cycle, 300 H.P. gas engines, each driving a Dean triplex, double acting plunger pump of 1,728,000 gallons daily capacity, and two 90 H.P. engines of the same make and type, each driving a Deane triplex double acting plunger pump of 360,000 gallons daily capacity. These pumps deliver the water to the mains and maintain it at a maximum pressure of 300 pounds per square inch. In addition to the pumps, there are two air compressors and two 220 volt dynamos. Ordinary illuminating gas is used in the engines, which are started with compressed air admitted to the first cylinder. They can develop full speed and pressure (300 pounds per square inch) in less than one minute. Current for the ignition system is supplied from three sources, the first being a primary battery; the second, the small dynamos for 220 volts; and the third, the regular 220 volt alternating current taken from the city’s regular power lines and put through a rotary transformer.
When first inaugurated, this system was under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fire, Department of Public Safety, but on March 21, 1912, it was turned over to the Bureau of Water. Together with new No. 2 high pressure station and system then nearly completed, they have continued under jurisdiction of the Bureau of Water.
STATION NO. 2
The success of No. 1 High Pressure Fire Service Station resulted in the inauguration of a similar system to serve other sections of the city. Three years after the institution of No. 1 station, a similar station was planned to operate in connection with the then remaining section of the Fairhill reservoir, a reservoir which formerly served the abandoned Delaware or Kensington pumping station. Station No. 2 was to be located on Lehigh Avenue adjacent to this reservoir, a location admirably suited to enable the station to provide protection for the extensive and valuable properties comprising the mill districts of Kensington and Richmond.
Although the idea of a second station began to develop in 1905 it was not until April 16, 1912 that the No. 2 station and its distribution system were placed in active service. The mains were laid and high pressure fire hydrants located to serve the district bound by Allegheny Avenue on the north, Girard Avenue on the south, Germantown Avenue on the west, and Front Street on the east. At specific points extensions were made to districts around this area where necessity demanded.
The pumping equipment at this station was similar to that installed in the No. 1 station. There were 10 Westinghouse triple cylinder, four cycle, 300 H.P. gas engines, each driving a Dean triplex double acting plunger pump of 1,728,000 gallons daily capacity, and one 90 H.P. engine connected to a pump of 360,000 gallons capacity. Both engine and pump were similar in makes and types to the previously mentioned equipment. The pumping station was built on the east side of Seventh Street fronting on Lehigh Avenue just south of the remaining one-quarter section of the original Fairhill reservoir, which has a capacity of nearly 5 million gallons. The pumps received filtered water from the reservoir and delivered it through the mains at a pressure of 300 pounds per square inch. Two air compressors delivered air to 10 storage tanks where an air pressure of approximately 200 pounds per square inch was maintained for use in starting the gas engines. Two generators supplied the necessary current for ignition in the engines. Means were also provided whereby current for ignition was constantly available either from storage batteries or from the lines of the Philadelphia Electric Company, to provide for any possible emergency. Although each of the two high pressure fire service stations serves a particular district, they are so connected that in case of emergency or necessity either district may be supplied by either station over two separate and distinct lines of mains.