At Des Moines, Ia., the pumping station is located near the river and about 1 mile from the centre of the congested value district. The original station, built in 1871. was enlarged in 1879 and 1900. The supply is syphoned from the collecting galleries to a suction well, built in 1882, which is 34 ft. deep and 48 ft. in diameter: from this well it is delivered to the distribution system by direct pumping. Average suction lift, about 16 ft.; maximum. 21 ft. The average pressure pumped against is from 100 lbs. fro domestic use to between 120 and 140 for domestic and fire supply combined. The fuel is bituminous coal, bought under contract with no bond provision; delivered by rail and from one week to a month’s supply kept on hand. A mine is located within 2 miles of the station, and, in case of emergency, coal could be hauled from it by teams. In 1902 and 1903 the river rose to about 2 ft. below the level of the boilerroom floor, but was kept outside the station. Since then, a concrete wall has been built along the west side of the grounds and drains have been laid, which empty into a cistern, from which the water is removed by a centrifugal pump. The equipment consists of a Gaskill, a Worthington and a Holly-Gaskill engine. The first, manufactured in 1882, is of the horizontal, compound, condensing, crank and flywheel, duplex, double-acting type; steam cylinders, 21-in. and 42 1/2-in.; water-plunger, 19j4-in.; stroke, 38in. ; revolutions per minute, 22½; pressure— steam, 105 lb. water. 10() lb.; pipe connection (diameter), suction 20-in.; disk, 16 in.; rated capacity—per day, 6,000,000 gal.. No. 2, which was built in 1884, is of the horizontal, compound, condensing, duplex, double-acting type; steam cylinders. 25-in. and 42-in.; stroke, 24-in.; revolutions per minute, 22½ ; stroke, 36; pressure, steam, 15 lb., water, 100 lb.; pipe connections (diameter), suction, 24-in.; disk, 20-in.; daily rated capacity, 6,000,000 gal. No. 3. which was built in 1902, is of the same type as the other two; steam cylinder, 25-in. and 42 in.; water plunger, 22-in.; stroke. 36-in.; revolutions per minute, 23; pressure, steam, 105 lb., water, 100; pipe-connections (diameter), suction, 20 in.; disk, 16-in.; daily rated capacity, 6.000,000 gal. The condition of all is good. The boilers are 6 in number, all of the horizontal tubular type, of the Oil City make. Murray; made in 1879. 1901, and 1907. respectively; grate surface of all. 27.5 sq ft.: heating surface of all, 1,375 sq. ft., rated horsepower of all. 110; steam pressure, max. ail’d of all, 140; average, 105; fuel used, bituminous coal: condition of all. good. The total daily rated power of the three pumps is 20,000.000 gal. The Gaskill pump was rebuilt in 1903, thereby increasing its capacity about 1,000, 000 gal. Except when necessary repairs are being made, the new Holly-Gaskill pump is in regular use. The two older pumps, which are also connected up with the emergency well, are kept in good condition and turned ova r daily. The elevation of the pump plungers is about 13. The 8.000,000-gal. pump is so arranged that either side may be run separately, although dependent on a common shaft and flywheel Steam is furnished by the six horizontal tubular boilers. For a period of one month, two arc used at a time, with the fire is banked under a third. The steam piping is not in duplicate. The pumping station is a high, 1-story, brick building, subdivided into pump-room, boilerroom, coalshed, dynamo-room and workshop, all adjoining and communicating; the only one opening is protected by a fire door. The pump-room has a gambrel roof of wood, supported on wooden joists on steel trusses; the sides are covered with state and the top with composition roofing. The boilerroom and coalshed are covered with composition roofing and the dynamoroom and workshop with slate laid on boards. The pump-room is 48x100 ft. in plan and 25 ft. in height, with a wooden ceiling supported from iron trusses. The boilerroom is 61x32 ft. and the coalshed 28x70 ft. The dynamoroom and shop are together about 30x33 ft. All the floors arc either of concrete or tile, with no basements.

At Nashville, Tenn., the waterworks department now controls one of the most modern and adequate pumping plants in the entire South, with a total capacity of 50,000,000 gal. in twentyfour hours. The capacity of this plant has been doubled within the past year by the installation, just completed, of a new 20,000,000-gal. AllisChalmers engine at a cost of $147,000. Contracts have also been made for two new 800-horsepower boilers at a cost of $14,415. and. when these have been added to the plant, the efficiency thereof will be still further increased.

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