The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-09
Water com'r Eggleston Explains.

water Com'r Eggieston likes to help
edit newspapers, but he generally puts his
foot in it. He appears In the Union, this
with "piece" explaining his
minority report" and throwing in a
few personal remarks by way of spice.
With his personalities THE ARGUS has
nothing to do. 1t is only as public Off
Ger that The ARGUS alludes to him.
Water Com'r Eggleston says that the
patent steam squirt did not originate with
him, but he adopts it and thinks it a good
idea. 1t is of no sort of consequence to
the people of this city what he thinks
and it is rather cheeky on his part, after
his failure as public officer in every capa-
city in which he has been tried.to offer his
opinion to the people of Rock Island about
anything. He was once elected mayor of
this city, but proved so utterly unfit for
the place that he resigned before his year
had half expired, and nobody has ever pro-
posed to elect him to anything since then.
Water Com'r Eggleston now says that
his squirt raised the temperature Of the
water from 80 to As, His minority report
as first published in the Gazette, said from
% to 46. Corrections are still in ORDER
but no explanation has yet been made as to
how he arrived at his fgures-no evidence
that the squirt changed the temperature
at all.
Water Com'r Eggleston now says that
when he used the word I'VE" in his minor
ity report, he meant the people Of Rock
Island. He meant, therefore, to have it
read as follows:
1--WE 1.-THE people of Rock island supposed two
years ago that il impossible for the frost 10 ~
any deeper Gany deeper than whatyl but tnls year
| is much worse and some future year may be worse
still. would therefore respectfully Suggest tna'
| the pipes be left as they are"
Does Water Com'r Eggleston expect
anybody to believe that statement? A
great many of our old residents say they
told him, when he was having the pipes
laid, that they had known the ground to
freeze six feet; that the water would moi
be safe from frost, in our coolest winters
unless there was six feet of earth top Of the
pipes. And he would, in his spiteful and
insulting way, reply: what the h
have you got to do with that? Didn't
build the Erie canal, by -" That is
his style, as public servant.
j The people are not and never have beer
satisfied with the manner in which the wa
ter works were foisted upon them, no
with the manner in which the work wa
done. 1t was an outrage upon the right
of the people to saddle big debt upol
them without their consent. And tn
manner in which the work was done wa
equally outrageous. Would any compe
tent man have commenced a foundation
for the engines on sand? Didn't the
: have to remove all the machinery and re
build the foundation on rock2 All thi
heavy expense came in consequence of in
, capacity. The location, too, at the lower en-
) of the city, was wrong. To say that tn
people are dissatisfied with the managmer
E of the original water commissioners is pu
D ting it very mild. They are enraged {
G being saddlsd with the debt without hay
ing voice in the matter; and they ar
: enraged at the manner in which the wor
:, was done.
d THE ARGUS has no personal ill-will t
n wards any member of the board, but
y proposes to speak with freedom as to tt
official character of all the members. NJ
Eggleston is not suitable man, either
temperament or practical intelligence, If
e a public officer, He was decided failul
as a mayor, bringing humiliation and di
q grace upon the council and the peopl
Is He is still greater failure as water COL
missioner, and the people would be gil
y to see him resign. IF We were one of Il
!. original water board who constructed OF
n water works we should consider the rest
! of last weeks election loud invitation
=, 'step down and OUT
~ This outside board for the manageme
- of the water works is unnecessary, al
IA only complexities matters. The boa
should be composed wholly of membe
of the council, who are elected by Il
people and are directly responsible to 4
w people. The council hold the pur
re strings and might as we'll do all the bu
lie ness. At any rate whoever is mayor shou
ne be, by virtue of his Office, president of t
ID water board.