The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-02-24
7he question Of water works.

Ihe Question OF Water works.
Editors Journal:
There is no question touching the
permanent growth and prosperity of
our city which should at this time
have precedence of that involving the
"ho1o" and the "a0hea" of our water
supply.
This. like the hotel question, has
given rise TO very much talk, without,
however, assusing any definite form
of action. The time has certainly come
in our history when the further post
ponemept of such action becomes to US
"ectra hazardous" in more than the
one sense Of fire risk. 1t is true our
business district is being rapidly and
compactly built up, and with class
| Of buildings, too, which each year are
| becoming more costly; and SO, With
this growth, grows the danger of an
| expensive confagTation. This inereas-
ing hazard is made apparent by the
/ onerous rates which we are compelled
and Justly, no dclbt-to pay to our
! underwriters Al i, dprOp0S, 1t may
/ be a matter of surprise to some to
learn that that the excess OF insurance
paid, for the want Of suitable water
supply in our city, would In two years
perhaps less time-build for US wa
| ter works which would supply three
times our population with an abund'
anee Of water and secure US almost
against the possibility of wide spread
and disastrous fire.
But we have other risks, as L have
intimated, involved In this absence O.
water. which it would be well for u;
not to lose sight of.
Nothing can more certainly develop
a healthy growth, and add to our per.
manent wealth, than the proper en-
couragement of our manufacturing de
partments; aud while we have mucl
in this direction to be proud of, w
can not reasonably expect a mucl
further progress as long as the waite
question remains as it is. How often
during the last FIVE years, have pros
pectinq capitalists turned away tron
us discouraged not more by the indif
erenee and supineness of our owl
n,Oneged men, than by our meager ia
cilities for water? Just think of 1t
, a great city rushing on to the mani
} fest destiny of an early hundred thOuS
I and! aud yet depending upon bTok
en- cisterns," and SQUIRT gun perford
tions IN quick sand to quench II
thirst, cleanse its filth. extinguish il
ircs, and furnish its throbbing furnace
t with the vital force of indus
q trial growth! Even the unpretenC
! ing tolons of the North an
Northwest have done, and are doin
= the work which we have only begu
: to talk of Peoria, Minneapolis, Al
J burn, Dayton, Kalamazoo, and man
other places of less Importance al
in possession of this palladium
strength and prosperity, while v
stand idly sucking our thumb OF ~
t-u.r-a-L q de- an ia 9 es hopir
= to become great and powerful thoug
simple commissions on Groceries, ID
Goods. Produce, &c. This must n
longer be so. We must to the VOL
at once! Let natural resources cia'
a hands with human energy, and bul
: right upon this spot the great maa
featuring city of the Southwest
h While the writer IS neither proph
I. nor son of a prophet, nor In anywl
- related thereto, nevertheless he "
a fearlessly, though modestly, ventu
e, the prediction that within five yea
IS after the completion Of our talked
: Water Works, and the life givii
4 power throbs through our city Mdtl
e: the manufacturing investments
OF Evansville will be more than double
(. and whether the city or individU
capital assumes the work, its stock W
yield richer returns than any equ
+. investment within our corporation.
e It was my privilege three years az
re to read letter written to one of o
= citizens. from a distinguished hot
man, of New York, enquiring abo
the conditions In our city necessa
to sustain a first class hotel, will
view, evidently, of doing the work
-eI have so long needed; but upon bel
informed that our water works" CO
sisted of the filthy remains of
extinct cInaL, he abruptly, thou
politely, dropped the subject. So
seems that our water facilities ha
DS some bearing upon the questit
whose long delayed settlement |
of been so much source of shame
Id every intelligent man In the oi
Indeed. it has been fully demonsc