HALIFAX WATER WORKS. — JOHNSTON'. 79 



ed by the city council, and they euga<»ed Air. James E. Laurie, 

 C. E., of Xew York, to report on the works and increased 

 sources of supply. Air. Laurie sul)niitt-3d his report, which is 

 an exceedingly interesting and valuahlo ilocnnieiit, on the 10th 

 Alay, 1860. The population of the town at that date was 

 .'J0,000,' and there were Sd2 water tenants on the books of the 

 company. Aliowi'ng eight persons to a family, this would give 

 7,136 people using tlu^ water; hiii as the 1)arracks, nayv yard 

 and city counted as single tenants and a large nund)er were 

 using, water from free hydrants, he estimated that there were 

 about 20,000 consumers. While the mains were capable of 

 discharging 2,000,000 gallo'as jmm- day, on account of there 

 being only about two 12-inch distributin«r mains only about 

 1,500,000 gallons Avere being used by these 20,000 consimiers, 

 or at the rate of 75 gallons per capita per day. In calculating 

 for an increased supply he based his estimate on a population 

 of 60,000 using at the rate of 83^ gallons per cti]>ita per day or 

 for a total of 5,000,000 gallons ])er day. 



He discussed two plans for increasing, the supply, and two 

 for the proposed high service, and also improvements in the dis- 

 tribution system : — 



1st. Long Lake. — By raising this hike three feet and replac- 

 ing the 1'2-inch main with a 24-in(h main a daily supply of 

 5,000,000 gallons with a storage capacity for 160 days Avould be 

 obtained at an estimated cost of $70,070.00. 



•2nd. Birch Cove Tjakes. — The,S(^ lakes consist of sevei-al 

 bodies of water connected by narrow passages, having a sur- 

 face elevation of 2o9 feet above mean low tide, a'nd an area of 

 241 acres, with several other lakes emptying into them. 'Vlw 

 natural flow was small, a '.>-inch x 12-inch ])enstuck carrying the 

 greater part of the water in the dry season to a mill on the 

 .stream. Assiuning the lakes to be capable of bei'ag raised t<'n 

 feet, which was problematical, as the. eastern banks wert^ low and 

 unsuitable for dams, and eii>ht -feet of water- beino- drawn off. 



