The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-06
Report from the Water Board.

The following Is the report OF L. Ia.
Mitchell, President of the Water Board,
submitted to the Council Monday evening,
which was read and referred to the Com
mittee on Finance:
To the Honorable Mayor, and City Council of Rock /
Island:
The undersigned, President of your
Boardlof Water Commissioners respectful |
" begs leave make the following report
The enclosed bills have been examined |
by the committee and found correct, they
being with few exceptions of small bills,
for set of plumbing tools, oil, coal, nc,
the regular monthly payment of employees
salaries as fixed.
We have this spring made 80 new con-
nections and confidently expect to add at
least $50 to our consumers this year. The
collection for water rent since January lst
is So, 3S0.0T and there is now past due and
uncollected $536.75. The works are now
in complete working order and running
satisfactorily.
He would also report that at the time
the mains we're laid nearly every portion of
the city was provided with reasonable fire
protection, but since that time many new
buildings have been erected and in some
cases valuable buildings and other proper
ty have been placed at points not reached
by the mains. Referring to former re-
port of the Board of Water Commissioners
in which it was recommended that the wa
ter mains be extended as fast as the f.
nances of the city would justify it, the un-
dersigned would further report that re-
peated applications have been made to ex-
tend the pipes as follows, viz On Orleans
street, from Carroll to Exchange, from
Buffalo to Madison, and from Arsenal
street to Anawalt, Denkman Il Co. s mill
Il blocks; on keokuk street from Moline
!, avenue to Second avenue: on Union street,
and on Adams street between Illinois and
Orleans. Upon a careful estimate it ap
pears that each OF these sections would yield,
In water rent, a fair interest on the cost, as
pipe can now be bought very low $3.50 per
tom. In relation to the extension to Ana
walt, Denkman Il Co. s mill | will state
that they have large amount of valuable
property to DE taxed and are entitled to
, fire protection. This extension will require
LOCO feet of 4-inch pipe and the total cost
including fire hydrant, valve, rs &c,
would be nearly 81 900. Anawalt, Denk-
man Il Go. propose to pay 800 per an
, mum for the water for their office and mill
not using it in their boilers) and in addi-
ton carry the water to their eight dwell
ings, paying therefor the regular price
. Besides this there are Is dwellings on the
line and it is fair to presume that at least
half OF them will become consumers. All
together the revenue of the city would be
at least $500 per annum, 20 per cent of the
4 cost. AS to the amount of revenue which
D can be derived from the other sections
am not prepared to say at present.
The undersigned would recommend that
on account of the present low price of wa
ter pipe, steps be taken as soon as prac-
: ticable to lay the pipe in part, if not all
these districts.
Your honorable body is aware that in
compliance with the law, an amount of tax
is levied and collected annually sufficient to
5 pay the interest and principal of the water
bonds as they mature, Heretofore only a
portion of this fund has been used for that
purpose.
In cities where the water works are own
D ed and run by private companies, these
+ cities pay, annually, for each fire hydrant,
from 500 to $3.50, according 10 circum-
stances. We have, say, 20 fire hydrants,
which, at $75 each, would amount to So
$50. Four thousand dollars per annum judi
ciously handled will, with the accumula-
tlOns, pay OH the principal OF the bonds
long before they become due.
Now l would respectfully recommend
r that your honorable body provide that there
q shall be annually placed to the credit OF
the water works account sum equal to
s75 for each fire hydrant used, and that
the amount be sacredly held to buy up the
bonds or to create sinking fund which,
as above stated, will extinguish the debt be-
fore it becomes due The credit of the
city will thus be raised to a high
standard, and we shall have a val
liable tangable property paying a rea-
{ sonable income, and which has already paid
for itself twice over in saving property
which without its efficient aid must have
been lost.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
p L. MITCHELL,
President of Board of Water Commission
erS