Technikatörténeti szemle 8. (1975-76)

TANULMÁNYOK - Dóka Klára: A pesti vízvezeték tervei (1857–1868)

PROJECTS OF THE PEST WATER-SYSTEMS (1857-1866) The study presents the different designs handed in between 1857 and 1868 for building the water-system in Pest. Since the 1850-s it has been increasingly difficult to supply the city's growing population with water. The town council charged Ludwig Förster, an Austrian engineer to work out a design in 1857. However in financial means its execution was prevented. In 1860 Antal Ottmayer handed in a new project but the town council found it impracticable. In 1862 Károly Siklósy, a former chief medical officer suggested that the water of the spring on Fürdő - island should be led into the city. The appointed place, however, fell into the line of the Danubecontrol works, so this idea was also rejected. Three more projects were presented in 1863: engineer Gyula Pollák who had designed the railway's own water system was the author of the first. The second offer came from Antal Bürgermeister a well-borer by trade, who had also some experience in local hydraulic constructions. The third offer came from a London firm, Grissel and Docwra whose plans radically differed from all previous concepts. In 1866 the Pest Society for Waterworks headed by Antal Szapáry presented another project: he was ousted by Peters, a London entrepreneur whose offer of January 1867 was more favourable. With the progress of negotiations it became increasingly clear that - unless the water was not to be too expensive - the waterworks would not pay enough to ensure profits for the joint stock company. The city leadership had to realize that the water system had to be considered a public utility (service) which could not be a capitalist enterprise. In 1867 the city decided to build the the water-system by its own efforts: they asked Lindley, the designer of several European water-systems to hand in his project. The plans consisted of a three- unit system: the pumping plant, the network of water-pipes and a reservoir. Pollák and Bürgermeister had advocated natural filtration but Förster, Grissel, Docwra and Lindley preferred artificial filtration. Steam engines were to operate the pumps. With the technical facilities of the age one h.p. could pump 54.3 m

3 water per day into the network. The pumping plant was to be in the Northern part of the town and the reservoir put up on some higher point (Mount Kálvária or Kőbánya). From a technical aspect the projects were excellent and up-to-date but the estimates as to the necessary amounts of water were erroneous. The designers did not take in account the economic and social forces which stimulated the city's industrial and commercial development after the bourgeois revolution, and which increased (they did not include in their calculations the growing) number of waterconsamers in a quicker pace than ever before.