Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-01-08
Tho water,worhs- Proposed Expend

municipal Legislators, or of those upon
whom they are accustomed to rely for need
ful additions to their stock of ideas. There
is no want of water; the engines answer the
purpose for which they were constructed /;
and the reservoir stands aud performs the
duty assigned to it with commendable
regularity: still, once in about so often,
some person or persons gifted with an
unusual liveliness of fancy, deem it their
duty to imagine a complication Of possible
events under which the people may be de-
prived of The proper supply of an article so
necessary to their comforts and straitway a
variety of costly plans are devised to escape
the impending calamity.
| As the case stands, in these times when
The utmost economy in matters of expendi-
ture is thing Of imperative duty, the peo-
pie seem to be called upon to decide between
an outlay Of $l5O,OOO, for an additional en-
gine, and one of s25OOOO, for a supplement-
ary reservoir. One or the other appears to
loom up in the prospect in such a manner
that it can hardly be avoided. The Council
has already resolved in favor of the engine !;
but there seems adisposition to give promin-
encc to the alternative reservoir; and al
though it may be thought rather late in the
day, we propose to offer few suggestions
upon the question whether, for the present
at least, it is not advisable to dispense with
| both.
The facts of our condition are: /. A
reservoir capable to hold, under present ar
| raDgements, water for one days consump-
ton. 2. Engines able to throw into the
reservoir during each twenty-four hours, a
two days supply. 1t is obvious that so long
as these continue servieeable, we have all
that is desirable: the danger will be in un-
foIeseen accidents, by which the one or the
other will be unavailable. The reservoir is,
to all appearance, safe. 1t is well situated
and well constructed, and with the engines
in working order, is sufficient to meet all
reasonable and proper demands. Steam
engines, in the present state of mechanical
progress, are as reliable rs any kind of ma
chinery with which we are couversant; nor
is it going very far to assume that with Or
dinary care, two out of the three engines
can always be kept in prime condition.
The error to be lamented in the con-
struction of the works consisted in placing
the engines where they may be reached by
the water of an occasional freshet; and the
danger growing. out of this can not be
avoided by putting another engine upon the
same level. Such an arrangement would not
remove any of the existing necessities for the
new reservoir-for it is to escape the risks
from high water that more capacity of reser-
voir is equired-While TO fix thenew engine
upon a foundation out of reach of the water,
would involve other heavy expenditures-as
a building, and, perhaps, the land TO contain
it; to cover which, probably, another $780,
600 would not be too high an estimate. In
fact, the new engine would seem almost TO
necessitate the new reservoir; for the iron
monster, when built, must be kept Employed
the rust of idleuess being more injurious to
him than the wear of activity-and to stir
his mettle for no other task than to fill the
present basin, would be placing means and
ends in almost ridiculous disparity.
This vast and costly machinery will be
very imposing, and when described in those
rhetorical paragraphs in which Journalists
who follow travelling municipal councils and
committees, after free blow at one of our
principal hotels, delgn, for home delectation,
to indulge, viii testify loudly to the liberal
| ity of our citizens and the wisdom of our city
legislature; but there is another point from
which to view this matter. 1t costs; and so
long as we have SO, 600 per annum interest
to pay on present indebtedness, and are des-
tined to triennial monetary revulsion, there
is no money to spare, and as little eneour-
agement TO go in debt. 1t will not, there
fore, be out of order to take a look at the
economies of the case from another observa-
tory-that of saving. We remark, therefore:
l. This city probably uses or expends
nearly twice as much water as is necessary.
Arrangements by which each citizen would
be required to pay for what he takes and no
more, would not only be greatly more just
! than the present plan, but would make
very material reduction of the draft upon
| the reservoir. Such arrangements can
easily be made; for it is as easy to measure
the flow of water as that of gas; and men
would become economical when they hsa
learned that every gallon they consume was
matter of record, for which they would be
obliged to respond,
In New York, the whole Croton war, and
the huge pipes of their aqueduct were found
inadequate to supply the city, until the au-
thorities bethought themselves to try the
effect of measurement; when, all at once,
the consumption came down TO fraction Of
what ii was before. So long as every man
who has hydrant can draw at pleasure we
may turn the whole Ohio into the iron arte-
ries, and yet not have enough. Here, there
fore, is the place to begin; the only point
from which it can nationally be determined
whether any thing more than we have is
desirable; and until the test has been ap-
piled, the only eafe course is to resist any
further expenditure.
We shall continue our remarks upon this
4 subject on future occasion.
A NEW work upon coins and medals, pub
lished by the Messrs. Harper, calls TO mind