DESCRIPTION OF THE FRESH AND SALT WATER SUPPLY AND PUMPING 



PLANTS USED FOR THE AQUARIUM. 



BY I. S. K. REEVES, 

 Passed Assistant Engineer U. S. Navy. 



Fresh-water supply. — The water for the fresh-water aquaria was supplied from one 

 of the water mains under the aquarium building at an average pressure of about (30 

 pounds per square inch, and before passing into the supply pipes erected over the 

 aquarium this water was filtered by two pressure filters of the Jewell patent, having 

 a rated guaranteed capacity for filtering 125,000 gallons of water each in twenty-four 

 hours. After the water had been filtered it passed through the galvanized iron supply 

 pipes which were erected above the aquaria and into which were screwed brass jet 

 cocks, through which the delivery of the water for the aquaria was regulated. 



Each aquarium had an overflow or waste pipe that was so arranged that the 

 surplus water was allowed to discharge into a waste pipe which emptied into the lake, 

 and by this method the water was being constantly changed in the aquaria. The 

 piping, valves, fittings, etc., in connection with this system were either of galvanized 

 iron or brass. 



Pumps and electric motors. — There were two independent reciprocating direct-acting 

 geared force pumps with water ends of hard rubber, having a capacity of about 4,000 

 gallons of water per hour each at 90 strokes per minute. 



They were driven by belts from a counter shaft that was driven by two electric 

 motors of about horse-power each, at a speed of about 1,500 revolutions per minute. 

 The current for these electric motors was about 500 volts. 



The pumps were so arranged that one or both could, if necessary, deliver their 

 water direct into the main supply pipe for the aquaria. 



The pumps and electric motors were located in a separate room under the floor of 

 the main building of the Fisheries Exhibit near the salt-water reservoir from which 

 they obtained their water. 



Salt-water reservoir. — There was located under the floor of the main building of the 

 Fisheries Exhibit a reservoir constructed of brick and Portland cement, with a 

 capacity of about 68,000 gallons. The bottom of the reservoir was of concrete and 

 the surface of asphalt. 



Distributing tank. — There was located in the top, under the roof of the main building 

 of the Fisheries Exhibit, about 54 feet above the aquaria, a cylindrical wooden distrib- 

 uting tank having a capacity of about 2,500 gallons, into which the pumps delivered 

 their water through hard-rubber piping. 



The distributing tank was connected to the salt-water reservoir by an overflow 



pipe of hard rubber. 



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