The Portland daily press., 1864-07-27
Fresh Water for the City.

Fresh Water for the City.
How long shall Portland be deprived Of
plentiful supply of fresh water? This Is
question ia which the present generation has
deep Interest," question Of vital interest TO
the prosperity of our city. 1t would be work
of supererogation to enter into an elaborate
argument to show how closely this matter
comes home to every family, for those who
need convincing on this point, when fresh wa
ter is being sold for forty or fifty cents bar
rel, and when many families cannot command
sufficient supply Tor the ordinary purposes OF
cleanliness, would not be convinced by any
powers of argument or by any facts at our
command.
II is well known that in some portions of
the city-many portions, we apprehend-the
wells afford a quality Of water Of very doubt
full utility for family use when incidentally
considered. The water is hard, impregnated
with lime, and while unpalatable to the taste,
it Is scarcely more available for purposes of
cleanliness than the salt water In the harbor.
To say nothing, then, Of the need OF more wa
ter for prudential reasons-in case Of flre-it
Is enough for our present purpose that Port
land is shamefully deficient of supply of soft
water for family use, and for many kinds of
manufacturing which cannot be carried on
without liberal supply of pure fresh water
such as cannot now be secured in sufficient
and steady supply to justify the OUTLAWS need
ed TO put them ia operation.
Where and holc shall the water SO much
needed be obtained? The question hor can
be answered in two ways. The city in its cor
porate capacity may obtain the needful grant
ofpower from the legislature, and then lay
pipes, build the reservoirs, make tue distribu-
ton and collect the water rents, the same as
1t would erect the works for the manufacture
Of gas, and collect the bills growing out of its
consumption.
In our Judgment this is precisely what should
be done. So important an enterprise, one need
ed for the general benefit of the place, had bet
ter be owned and managed by the city, so as
to protect the customers against exorbitant
charges, than to be under the control of pri-
vate corporation.
But If the city has not enterprise sufficient
to undertake the work, or II its caution is so
inordinately developed that 1t is afraid of be-
Ing ruined in credit by water-loan for the
benefit Of its inhabitants, then the only remain
ing alternative is for individuals to form a
jointstock company and do the work. To our
mind there is no doubt of the success Of the
thing IL once taken hold of in earnest, so great
being the wants Of the place in this regard,
and so poor the quality of the water obtaina-
BILE, that the people would cheerfully pay even
heavy rates rather than be deprived of good
article; and we will not doubt for moment,
that so great would be the demand of the peo-
pie for pure fresh water. that the enterprise
would prove TO be no mean speculation.
But trhere shall the water supply be found?
Probably nine-tenths of our readers, without
moments hesitancy, in answer to this ques-
ton, will say, "Sebago Lake, No doubt am
pie supply of excellent water might be obtain
ed from that source, and We are not sufficient
ly well informed to say that 1t is not the only
source ofsupply suitable and available for the
purposes wanted. limo other source is at hand,
then Sebago Lake should be the point for the
water Is public necessity, aud another year
should not be allowed to pass without seeing
progress made towards the contamination OF
so important work.
Butt by no means follows, because Sebago
alone affords a head sufficiently high to carry
the water to the top Of our church spires,
that no other place may be made available for
the supply OF our wants. The Presumpscot
river may be reached In one half or one third
the distance OF Sebago, and the water of that
river, except as II Is affected by side streams,
must be essentially OF the same quality as the
lake of which it is the outlet. We do not see
why the water of that river, taken from above
Saccarappa Falls, may not be available for all
purposes. The only objections 10 ,oater from
thai source, ,vould be The quality Of the ,catss
Itself II that is good, it can be obtained from
there at much less expense than from Sebago
Lake.
Philadelphia is supplied with water forced
from the Schaylkill up TO the reservoir on
Paramount. The water at Montreal is taken
from the St. Lawrence some nine miles above
the city, aud carried into the reservoir on the
side OF the mountain by force pumps. The
village Of Niagara Falls, on the Canada side
is supplied with water from just above the
cataract, force pumps being used that are driv-
en- BY wheel supplied with power from
small side canal.
Now we have an impression that the Pre-
sumscot river, above Ssecarappa Falls, is suf
aciently high to bring the water to this city
and supply a receiving reservoir, say on the
low ground near Bramhall hill. From that it
could be forced into distributing reservoir
on the hill, the cost OF engines, pumps, &c,
being mere fraction compared with the cost
OF laying pipes from Saccarappa to Sebago
and the expense of keeping them running be-
ing very much less than the interest on the
investment required TO extend the pipes.
But 1t is no part of our purpose to settle the
best mode Of securing water supply for the
city, or TO decide where it shall be found our
object is to call attention to a pressing need OF
the city, and simply to hint at some of the
l.