142 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
H)'draulic elevators where the water is used over and over again, by being 
pumped from the discharge to elevated tanks, cut little or no figure in connec- 
tion with a city's water-supply. When fuel, first cost, attendance of an engineer, 
and the poor economy of the class of pumps usually employed to perform this work 
are considered, the cost of operating such elevators is greatly in excess of what it 
would be if power were supplied direct from water mains, at any reasonable rate. 
The following remark will then relate almost exclusively to that class of hydraulic 
elevators supplied with power directly from the water mains. 
Let us now consider whether they are a desirable source of revenue, and in 
this my knowledge does not exceed my actual experience. Few elevator users 
appreciate the great quantity of water their elevators consume ; even in Kansas 
City, where, on account of the high pressure carried, much smaller cylinders than 
ordinary are required, it is found that passenger elevators frequently consume 
500,000 to 800,000 gallons of water per month, which will make a very consider- 
able bill, at the most liberal rates. I have therefore concluded that the quantity 
of water was so large that, unless liberal concessions were made, it would be a 
hardship to consumers to pay their water-bills, and have therefore made a special 
schedule according to quantity, for elevators and motors ; these rates starting 
below our regular meter rates, and running to the lowest point at which we think 
we can afford to furnish the water. This' schedule brings the rate below what we 
would receive for almost any other legitimate use of water, and in view of our 
rapidly increasing consumption, and the probability of soon having to increase all 
our faciUties, it is an open question whether this will continue a desirable source 
of revenue. 
In Kansas City we have elevators of various manufacture : the Hale Otis, 
Ready, Smith & Beggs, O'Keefe, Kennedy, and perhaps others, each having 
their peculiarities, but alike demanding large openings in the mains for supply. 
These large openings are objectionable features with any water-works, and espec- 
ially so with direct pumping. An occurrence from this cause, about two years 
ago, is an experience I should not like repeated, but is one that might occur 
whenever the pressure in the mains is depended upon to throw fire streams. In 
this instance a large block of buildings occupied by Jobbing houses, and having 
three elevators, was burned down, and the elevator connections broken early in 
the fire, allowing the water to pour into the cellars in the volume of about twelve 
ordinary fire streams. This immense quantity of water had to be supplied from a 
six-inch main, fed only from one end, which left little pressure available for fight- 
ing the fire, and as a matter of course failure to subdue the fire promptly was attri- 
buted to the water-works. We have since had up hill work to restore confidence 
as to our ability to throw fire-streams, although we have demonstrated the fact 
hundreds of times since. From this time we have been gradually cutting down 
on the size of openings for elevator supply, but under protest of the elevator 
agents, who have always claimed they should be allowed at least a four-inch 
opening in the mains, until we have found that under eighty to ninety pounds 
pressure, two to four one-inch taps will answer the purpose, provided the water- 
