The Blaisdell Slow Sand Filter Washing Machine - Yuma, AZ
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 32° 43.636 W 114° 36.977
11S E 723386 N 3623565
A sign in a parking lot in Yuma.
Waymark Code: WMCAKR
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 08/16/2011
Views: 31
"A revolution in water treatment. The Blaisdell Slow Sand Filter Washing Machine was an early breakthrough in the development of American machinery used in the purification of domestic drinking water.
How it works.
Improved water quality was possible only through filtration. As a 5 foot washer box traveled across the surface of the sand filter beds, the hollow of the washing unit revolved slowly, stirring the surface if the sand mechanically while injecting water under pressure of 20 pounds per square inch. Two suctions pumps carried away the dirty water.
The Yuma Water Works.
The construction of the water works at Yuma provided the backdrop for the machines development. Construction of the Yuma water works began in August 1892 and consisted of a water pumping plant near the river, a system of mains and a water storage reservoir. The pump has a 17 inch plunger with a 42 inch stroke which was connected directly to a Fitchberg-Corliss steam engine. The engine was powered by a Whitney 72 inch horizontal boiler fueled by Mesquite wood. water was pumped from the river to a 36 inch main and then to a 24 inch redwood slave main that ran about two miles to a reservoir.
Marker Name: The Blaisdell Slow Sand Filter Washing Machine
Type of history commemorated: Other
County: Yuma
Name of any agency/ agencies setting marker:
Riverfront District
Year placed: N/A
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