The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-10-10
CITY AFFAIRs.

An adjourned meeting of the City Council
was held last evening ~ 'i't''i ''ti'i
IN BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN.
'''' '4e' WATER FOR THE CITY.
Alderman Lynch from the Joint Special
Committee to whora was referred the subject
of supplying the city with water, presented the
following report:g gllab1' 20 0oia5eIgqi5 adj
10 the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Connect ::
The Communities appointed August 9th to
investigate and report the best method of sup
plying the city with pure water, and to obtain
the necessary surveys estimates, and such in
formation as may enable the City Council to
decide what will be expedient to be done in re-
laton to the same, beg leave to report that
they have spent much time in considering this
subject entrusted to them, and at the very first
feeling the want Of scientific engineer to aid
them they engaged Mr.. McRee Swift of New
York to visit the city and survey the proposed
route from Sebago Lake to Portland, and also to
examine any other proposed plans which might
be proposed to the Committee The engineer in
connection with the City Engineer gave the
subject thorough investigation, and to his re-
port which is hereuDtO appended the Commit
tee ask the attention of the Council.
As the result ofyour Committees labor they
feel it clearly their duty to recommend that
measures should be undertaken at once to Sc
cure supply of fresh water from the pure Sc
bago Lake, and that a size of pipe equal to at
least twenty inches should be used
Iuc CudIdCOcE VI pipe lDdy Ue VI SneeC
iron, lined with and laid in CEMENT There
must be a reservoir. on Munioyi Hill Of such
size as may be Indicated in the engineers re-
port. II This your Committee deem indispensa-
BILE, and also presentit as their conclusion that
on Munjoy Hill near the Observatory is the on
ly place all things considered to locate the same.
Y our Committee find that to locate it upon
BramhalPs Hill would greatly depreciate the
present very yaluble buildings, as well as cost
very considerably larger sum to the city. ti
|-- 4Gomnittao ffrA And II in,
their province to refer to any propo-
sitions the City Government may have
had referred to them, farther than
to consider the proposed plans of supply. They
therefore cannot Recommend any action on
the subject matter proposed by Gen. Shepley,
| as President of the Portland Water Company,
other than. to say that the offer is to great
extent in harmony with your Committees
| feelings;l and embarrassed as the city is with
debt at this time, the proposal of this Compa-
ny seems to come very OPPORTUNITY. At the
same time your Committee cannot see fit to
recommend any equivalent being paid to the
Company for doing what they have voluntari-
| ly undertaken to do, by accepting their char
ter. Yet we are led to believe that there can
be found responsible parties to do precisely
what is proposed by the Portland Water Com
| pany, and to do it under one fixed contract
with the city OF Portland at price not to ex-
| coed one and hall million of dollars, and
| when completed the city will own without any
| embarrassing questions or outside interference,
| the entire works and retain the management
| of the same. Proposals of this kind might
stipulate that the contractor should receive the
| water bonds of the city in payment, and GER
| tain rate of taxation for few years would be
necessary until, after say five years, the water
rates would pay the running expense, the cost
| of repairs, the interest on the money and
| sinking fund sufficient to cancel the principal
| at maturity.
| Your Committee have rsason to believe that
| the bonds of the city SO received by RESPONSE
| BILE contractors would not be placed upon the
| market to iHjure any other loans of the city
1t is to be borne in mind that the water costs
| but little after once the pipes are laid down,
| and in almost all large cities the city under
takes its own water supply and management.
1 Should the city after all decide to part with
| their own rights in this supply it would seem
| to be the part ofprudence to give the proposal
| of any party very critical examination before
| granting any privilege to a work 20 vast and
| far reaching. Your Committee ask a careful
consideration of the report of their engineer
which accompanies this report report 1xsc. lns
hI8 sisiiB 1fle9NH VIM O. ROBINSON
The report of Mr.. Swift the Civil Engineer
| is an elaborate and interesting document IL
speaks of procuring water from three dlnefent
points, all of which originate in Sebago Lake.
Phe first is by taking water from the Cum
| berland and Oxford canal at point near the
city and forcing it up, by means of steam pow
| er to reservoir on Bramhalls Hill. This ne
objects to on account of the expense Of pur-
chasing and maintaining the canal, aud
locks, and the impossibility of conveying
the water to the city in pure state.
The second plan is to take the water from
Presumpscot river at the rapids or falls, four
miles distant, and, to raise it by means Of