Buckingham Fountain

One of the sure signs of spring in Chicago is when Buckingham Fountain is up and running. The fountain, one of the largest in the world, has been a part of Chicago since 1927 when Kate Buckingham dedicated it to the residents of Chicago in memory of her brother, Clarence.

The Chicago Park District site lists all of the particulars about the fountain. From that site, the following:

• The water displays are powered by three pumps:
  
  - Pump 3: 75 horsepowers for 1,600 gallons of water a minute.
  - Pump 2: 190 horsepowers for 5,500 gallons of water a minute.
  - Pump 1: 250 horsepowers for 7,000 gallons of water a minute.
  
  
• The fountain has 134 jets in the following configurations:
  
  - 36 jets point upwards from the top basin, including a central jet to produce a 150-foot geyser.
  - 34 jets at the consoles.
  - 12 jets in the upper trough that arc into the top bowl.
  - 12 jets in the inner trough that arc into the upper trough.
  - 12 jets in the lower trough that arc into the inner trough.
  - 8 jets spout from the sea horses' mouths.
  - 20 isolated jets.
  
  
• The fountain's water capacity is 1.5 million gallons. Depending on wind conditions, major displays use approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute conveyed through 134 jets. Water is re-circulated from the base pool after the basins are filled and not drawn from the outside except to replace losses from wind and evaporation.