THE IKEIGATION AGE. 



241 



CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS FOR IRRIGATION. 



We reproduce below a letter received recently 

 from Mr. Carl Lager, superintendent of the Morris 

 Machine Works, Baldwinsville, N. Y. This letter 

 is in reply to a request for data concerning pumps 

 of this character and we reproduce several illustra- 

 tions mentioned. 

 IRRIGATION AGE, Chicago, 111. 



Dear Sir We are sending you today under separate cover 

 copy of our pump catalogue, and we further enclosed herein 

 beg to hand you blue prints from the following drawings : 

 No. 4359-M, No. 4603-M; No. 4856-M; No. 4577-M; No. 

 4367-M. 



With reference to pumps for irrigation it will, of course, 

 depend upon the quantity desired as to what size of pump is 

 needed, to the height to which the water is to be elevated 

 for the type of pump, and the quantity and elevation together 

 as to the amount of power the pump would take. If the water 

 for irrigation can be obtained from a stream or lake in which 

 the rise and fall of the water does not amount to much, the 

 proposition is very simple ; especially if the elevation under 

 which the pump must work, that is, the height to which the 

 water must be elevated from surface of supply water up to 

 point of delivery, is not high. A plain Standard horizontal cen- 

 trifugal pump, as shown by Fig. 16, page 16, of catalogue, will 

 be the simplest pump to use, and this pump driven from a 

 separate engine by means of belting. The driving engine must 

 be either steam or gasoline. A gasoline engine for small 

 irrigation pumping plant is sometimes quite desirable owing 

 to that the motive power is all in a self-contained unit, and 

 as wood or coal is not always readily obtained for a steam 

 engine, gasoline in barrels can be handled so much easier for 

 a gasoline engine. 



If large quantities of water, that is, capacities above 10,000 

 gallons per minute, are to be handled, especially if the ele- 

 vation does not exceed twenty feet or twenty-five feet, an en- 

 gine directly connected to the pump shaft is to be preferred 

 owing to its greater economy, and also to that the outfit is 

 self-contained and takes up very little room. Where capaci- 

 ties as large as 10,000 gallons per minute are to be handled 

 it is very seldom desirable to drive the pump by means of a 

 gasoline engine. 



Examples of a pumping plant driven by belting are 

 given by blue print No. 4367-M, which quite plainly shows the 

 arrangements of pumps, boilers and engines. The print shows 

 a pumping plant consisting of two 24-inch Morris pumps with 



rise and fall as much as thirty feet or more, it is not possible 

 to place the pumps on the bank, as then when the water 

 went down there would be too great distance down to the 

 water line, and the pumps would not be capable of lifting the 

 water by suction. The only things to do then is to place 

 the pumps in a pit or excavation, some distance from the 



Improved Horizontal Right Hand Pump, Morris Machine Worki, Baldwinsville, N. Y. 



a capacity for the two pumps of about 34,000 gallons of water 

 per minute. The pumps were built for an elevation of twelve 

 feet, and each one of the engines delivers to the pump shaft 

 from 90 to 10T) horse-power. 



Drawing No. 4577-M shows a pumping plant for the same 

 purpose, but in which the engines are directly connected to the 

 pump shafts. This plant consists of two 30-inch pumps hav- 

 ing a combined capacity of 50,000 gallons of water per minute. 

 The engines are compound in order to secure highest results 

 in fuel economy. 



Where there is a very great rise and fall in the supply 

 water, as, for instance, in some rivers where the water may 



' 



Vertical Pump for Irrigation, Morris Machine Works, Baldwinsville, N.Y . 



water line, making this pit sufficiently deep so that the pump 

 can be placed with the suction pipe not to exceed twenty feet 

 above the lowest water line. An arrangement of this kind is 

 shown by blue print No. 4359-M, in which the pump is driven 

 from an engine arranged on the ground above, by means of 

 belt leading down to the pulley on the pump shaft. 



Another arrangement for small pumping plants is shown 

 by drawing No. 4856-M, giving examples of arrangement of 

 small pumps, say with 6-inch or 8-inch discharge, directly 

 connected to engines, and for elevations up to about fifty 

 feet. Owing to the high elevation compound pumps are 

 used, that is, two pumps are working together, one pump 

 taking the water from the supply and delivering into the 

 suction of the second pump, which pump in turn delivers up 

 to the full elevation. 



Where water is obtained from driven wells a special type 

 of vertical centrifugal pump is frequently used, and the ar- 

 rangements of such a pumping plant is shown by drawing 

 No. 4603-M. It depends entirely upon how high the water 

 will rise in the well pipe as to the location of the pump. If 

 the water rises very nearly up to the surface of the water, 

 and if the well pipes are of sufficient number and size so that 

 the oroper amount of water can be obtained without drawing 

 down the water level more than about twenty feet, then the 

 pump can be placed directly on the ground, in which case it 

 is best to use not the vertical pump, but the horizontal shaft 

 centrifugal pump. However, when the water stands at some 

 distance below the ground line, then a pit must be dug to 

 begin with, and the pump placed in this pit, which is the 

 arrangement shown on the print referred to. In this case 

 the pump is simply attached by means of its suction flange 

 directly to the well pipe. A wooden frame is built up from 

 the pump which carries the driving shaft, and the pump 

 is driven from an engine by means of quarter twist belt. This 

 arrangement is quite plainly shown by the drawing. 



A centrifugal pump is undoubtedly the cheapest and most 

 economical pump that can be used for raising water. The 



