Ray's Plumbing & Water Facts
The Importance of Water
Water is the major
constituent of living matter. From 50 to 90 percent of the
weight of living organisms is water.
It is one of the best-known ionizing agents. Because most
substances are somewhat soluble in water, it is frequently
called the universal solvent. Water combines with certain
salts to form hydrates. It reacts with metal oxides to form
acids. It acts as a catalyst in many important chemical
reactions.
In addition, it covers three-quarters of the surface of the
earth in the form of swamps, lakes, rivers and oceans. As
gas, or water vapor, it occurs as fog, steam and clouds.
Because of its capacity to dissolve numerous substances in
large amounts, pure water rarely occurs in nature.
Did U Know
Buckingham Fountain
Buckingham Fountain ranks as
one of Chicago's oldest and favorite attractions. The
world's largest fountain was dedicated in August of 1927,
and has a capacity of 1.5 million gallons. The water is
forced through 133 jets and is lit by 653 lamps. At top
speed, some 14,000 gallons of water fly upward each minute
to a height of 100 feet
Boxcar Water
It took 160 railroad cars to
bring the first million gallons of salt water to the Shedd
Aquarium in 1930. The water came from Key West, Florida. It
cost $50,000 to get it here.
Straightening the River
In the 1920's, the south
branch of the Chicago River, which at one point ran as far
east as Clark Street, was straightened between Harrison and
Eighteenth streets. This allowed streets such as Wells and
Franklin to run straight through north and south without
being blocked by the river.
The Loop
The "Loop" is almost
synonymous with downtown Chicago. The definition of it is
understood as coming from the boundaries created by the
elevated tracks that run for two miles as a "loop" around
the heart of Chicago's business district bordered by Lake
Street on the north, Van Buren on the south, Wells on the
west and Wabash on the east. The system was built by transit
magnate Charles Yerkes in the 1890's.
The Importance of Water
Water is the major
constituent of living matter. From 50 to 90 percent of the
weight of living organisms is water.
It is one of the best-known ionizing agents. Because most
substances are somewhat soluble in water, it is frequently
called the universal solvent. Water combines with certain
salts to form hydrates. It reacts with metal oxides to form
acids. It acts as a catalyst in many important chemical
reactions.
In addition, it covers three-quarters of the surface of the
earth in the form of swamps, lakes, rivers and oceans. As
gas, or water vapor, it occurs as fog, steam and clouds.
Because of its capacity to dissolve numerous substances in
large amounts, pure water rarely occurs in nature. |
