AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION

Brief history of the organization and list of presidents.

From a very small beginning, the American Waterworks association has become a power in the country and has, moreover, given birth to two strong associations, the associations New England Waterworks and Central States Waterworks, whose main purpose is to serve interests. premises and therefore indirectly to those of the parent organization. Over these many years, the association has grown and although like all other organizations it has had its ups and downs, it has never failed to be noticed by the public and has never lost. contact with large engineering companies. , in the ranks of which it occupies a place of the first importance, not only because of the first importance, not only because of the objects it has in mind – the improvement and growth of hydraulic installations and the improvement of devices hydraulic – but, also, because of the many distinguished names that have appeared and continue to be added to its membership list. Today, reports of its work show that it has expanded even further into the realm of scientific research and can now pose itself even more impressively as an authority on science. sanitation and how best to decrease these epidemics which are clearly attributable to impurities and unhealthy water. As a body that speaks and teaches with authority on the subject of filtration, the American Water Works Association is listened to by scientists around the world, and its articles and discussions are cited by all sides and by men from all walks of life. schools. That the association has done so much to improve sanitary conditions and continues to devote its energies to discussing and prescribing the most effective means of distributing pure water to men of this generation and future generations and of preventing through legislation as well as by instruction is in itself a sufficient reason for its present and continued existence. Another is found in the association’s successful efforts to contain this lavish waste of water in this country which, in some cases, has even threatened the prosperity of towns and neighborhoods, due to the possibility of a total disruption of water supply or being so diminished that it interferes with the health of the people and their livelihoods by the failure of their manufacturing capacities. Year after year, the association has taken up this subject, and by its insistence on the installation of meters and the conservation of the water supply by the preservation of forests has opened the eyes of men to the risks that they run by neglecting these two safeguards of the water supply. All this and more can be credited to the association, and it was all more or less clearly foreseen by the twenty-five serious men led by JT Foster of St. Louis, who founded the American Waterworks association. These men built better than they knew; Alas! that so few should rejoice in the wonderful work of which they were the initiators. , in their turn, will bequeath from father to son, until their task and that of their ancestors are completed. The association has benefited as presidents from the services of twenty-six good and true men. Among these, some are still spared to share their experience, advice and encouragement with their fellow members. Some have passed to the other side, leaving behind a flavor of zeal and good service, which can only encourage the members of today to follow in their footsteps and, like them, to always be among the champions of the right and fight in the front row of the battle.

LIST OF PRESIDENTS AND CONVENTIONS.

The following list gives the dates of previous congresses, presidents and meeting places: Date. Presidents, place of meeting.

The list of past presidents shows a rapidly shrinking number, a more familiar face having faded from our midst over the course of the year. The election of good men to the post of president has certainly taken the association to a higher level. Sherrerd, Adkins and Maury, succeeding each other, were very effective chairmen, and it is to be hoped that the caliber of those who follow will be equal to that of these gentlemen. We can add that the association now has more than 700 members in its ranks, the net increase last year being 116.

OFFICERS FOR I908-I909.

Here is the list of the officers of the company elected at the twenty-seventh annual convention held in Toronto, Out. :

PRESIDENT.

George H. Félix,

President Reading Suburban Water company, Reading, Pa.

FIRST V ICEPRESIDENT.

DW French,

Superintendent Hackensack Water Company, Weehawken, NJ

SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT.

Dr WP Mason,

Professor of chemistry, Rensselaer Poly. Inst., Troy, NY

THIRD VICE-PRESIDENT.

Jerry O’Shaughnessy,

Superintendent Waterworks, Columbus, Ohio. FOURTH VICE-PRESIDENT.

Alexandre Milne,

Superintendent Waterworks, St. Catherines, Ont. FIFTH VICE-PRESIDENT.

Charles R. Henderson,

Waterloo, the.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

HE Mr. Keeler,

President Rogers Park Water Company, Chicago. I go.

Howard A. Dill,

Superintendent Waterworks, Richmond, Ind. AA Tucker,

Chief Superintendent, Water Department, Memphis, Tennessee SECRETARY-TREASURER.

JM Diven,

Charleston, South Carolina

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES.

The standing and special committees are as follows:

PUBLICATION.

HE Mr. Keeler,

633 The Rookery, Chicago, Illinois.

Teacher. Erastus G. Smitn.

University of Wisconsin, Beloit, Wisconsin Dabney H. Maury.

Consulting engineer, Peoria, 111.

John W. Alvord, CE,

1207 Hartford Bldg., Chicago, Illinois

JM Diven,

Secretary, Charleston, SC ELECTROLYSIS.

Dabney IT. Maury.

WF. Foss.

J. Waldo Smith.

PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE.

FW Shepperd,

New York, New York State

EF Frailey.

Chas. A. The Hague.

Mortis R. Sherrerd.

RJ Thomas.

FC Kimball.

WATER STANDARDS.

Chas. A. The Hague.

Theodore A. Leisen.

French DW.

UNIFORM ANNUAL REPORT.

Dow R. Gwinn.

John Caulfield.

Dexter support.

Emil E. Neubling.

Alfred M. Quick.

WS Kuhn.

WATER SUPPLY SURVEY.

Dr WP Mason.

Morris R. Sherrerd.

J. Waldo Smith.

Emil Kuichling.

Charles E. Bolling.

Dabney IT. Maury.

Ben. C. Adkins.

Teacher. Erastus G. Smith.

Robert Spurr Weston, CE

JM torn. DOCUMENTS TO READ.

Among the promised papers are the following:

Inspection of cast iron pipes, William R. Conard.

Meter Testing, Nicholas S. Hill.

Detectors, RJ Thomas.

Historical sketch of Washington Waterworks, Francis F. Longley.

Action of water on galvanized iron, Wilson 1 Monfort.

US Geological Survey, Artesian Waters of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Myron L. Fuller.

Gas Producer Pumping Plant Test Results in St. Stephens, NB, FA Barbour.

US Geological Survey, Geological basis for artesian forecasts. NH Darton.

The problems of the private water company. JT Sawyer.

Ownership of utilities. CW Wiles.

Repair 72 in. Steel pipe underwater, AW Cudeback.

Heavy-duty or light-duty pump motors from an operator’s point of view, JN Chester.

The first meter, Arthur S. Tuttle.

Need to lay water pipes for future cleaning, George F. Whitney.

The articles will also be read by:

Dr WP Mason,

James M. Caird, and

George H. Félix.

This twenty-eighth annual convention will gather a large turnout, not only because of the meeting taking place in the nation’s capital, but also, because of the growing interest that is now being taken by both watermen and those which are connected in any way with hydraulic engineering, the conservation of our water supplies, and the preservation of watersheds, streams and lakes from pollution and contamination, whether through the fouling of the watershed or the discharge of water. ‘sewage and waste in supply sources. In all these fields, a large minority of the community is now so deeply interested that the daily press has found it in its interest to devote considerable space to such subjects, so that even the smallest towns and villages have become interested in the issue of providing water systems, not only for home consumption, but. also, for fire protection. Naturally, these communities are therefore anxious to acquire all possible knowledge on the subject, before installing or extending a water supply system, and also eager to learn how to install the most efficient and effective plant. the most economical, how to prevent waste and how to ensure the purity of the water. All of these topics and others related to them fall within the purview of the American Water Works association and in one form or another are fully discussed, directly or indirectly, at its conventions, to which many municipalities and private companies d The water supply now makes a point of sending their superintendents at the expense of either the taxpayer or the company (which should be done in any case), so that they can take advantage of the papers that are read and the discussions that follow one another during the sessions. The benefits thus reaped and the knowledge acquired through this exchange of experiences are too obvious for space to be devoted to them. That so much interest has been developed and so many improvements have taken place in the distribution, pumping, metering and filtration line can be safely attributed to the credit of the American Water Works Association.