The Biggest Water Tank in the World.

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 8, 1 June 1909, Page 285

The Biggest Water Tank in the World.

Supremacy of British Engineering. Messrs. Clayton, Son & Co.. of Leeds, have, it was recently announced, secured the contract for the huge steel water tank required by the Corporation of Calcutta in connection with the water supply of that city. The fact simply stated means nothing in particular except that the firm has secured a large contract. But a little examination of the position shows that there is a great deal more than the mere fact. In the first place, the dimensions are unrivalled. Here are the figures: — The tank will contain a holding capacity of 9,000,000 gallons, weighing about 40,000 tons, and it will involve the use of. over 7,000 tons of steel work. The reservoir itself will be 321 feet square and 16 feet deep, and it will be divided by cross-frames into four equal sections.

One of the main building problems in connection with the erection of this mammoth leservoir is that in order to secure sufficient gravitational fall to supply the city it is necessary that the bottom of the reservoir should be at a height of over 90 feet above the ground level It will be supported upon 81 steel tiestles, each composed of four heavy rolled steel beams, braced together at intervals by smaller beams, and each trestle will carry eioss beams at the top to support a 40 feet section of the tank flow. The tank will thus rest upon a miniature foiest of steel columns and girders, which in turn will rest upon a concrete foundation, the contract for which has been let separately to Messrs. Martin and Co., of Calcutta. Secondly, the contract was open to the competition of the whole world. Much has been said of the supineness of the British manufacturer, of his want of adaptability, of his gradual retirement behind the leaders of the world, who

are, we are told, Germans and Americans. Now here, in the face of the whole world, led by these greatly vaunted artificers and engineers, we find a British firm winning the race easily. Even the cheap labour of the local Indian firms was unable to get them in before the British champion. One fact like this is sufficient to sweep away whole annals of rabid abuse. British eyes will therefore read with special pleasure the list of tenderers which we append. It is interesting to note that the successful tenderers have just made the 1,500,000 gallon gasometer for Miramar. Aug. Klonne, Dortmund . . . . £185,000 Thos. Piggott & Co., Birmingham . . 160,000 Whessoe Foundry Co., Darlington . . 155,000 Paul Wurth, Luxembourg . . . . 150,000 J Fraser and Son, Millwall . . . . 148,000 Motherwell Bridge Co., Motherwell . . 142,000 Ateliers Metal, Belgium . . . . 140,000 United States Steel Products Export Co., TT.S.A 131,699

Westwood & Wright. Brierly Hill . . 128 762 Mayoh and Haley, London . . . 126,445 Jessop & Co., Calcutta . . . . . . 113,071 Alex. Findlay & Co., Motherwell . . 108,500 F. A. Newman, Eschweiler . . . 108,000 Heenan and Fronde, Manchester . . 107 575 Martin & Co., Calcutta 103,333 C. and W. Walker 100.608 P. and W. McLellan, Glasgow . . 97,450 Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company, Darlington . . . . 91,880 Burns & Co., Calcutta 91,666 Clayton. Son & Co., Leeds . . . . 91,367