Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-29
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Water and Meter Question.

The water and Meter Question.
Editor star: AT the hearing before the sub
committee Of the District yesterday Commission
er Twining gave as reason for applying meters
to the houses on Capitol Hill, instead Of on the
to the high grounds had TO be pumped through
the stand-pipe. and therefore cost more than on
the high grounds.
This is decidedly rich, especially in view of
the fact that not one drop Of the water supplied
to Capitol Hin comes from the stand-pipe; but.
on the contrary OF our supply is lessened by it.
the general water fund, and do NOT the clti1ens
on the high grounds contribute their pronortion
to that hat fq n T. dh nn same as all otherse
graded in price like the different grades If mo-
lasses, and one citizen Is to be Charged more
than announcer LOT tne same quantity II that
Goca1lHe =, 20 prevail then the price should be
increaSeu ia regular ratio, from the aaueduct to
the 1arthest extremity OF the mains: for il costs
more every loot as you recede from the reSer'
vo1r: That IS Certainly one of the most brilliant
or any other city. '''"'
But aside from that Capitol Hin never asked
for the stand-plncc, and don't want it. What w.
want Is, That the thirtyinch main shall be ex,
required it should be- and that # shall he Ui ,5 IL
connected from the pipes on the low gronnI
and 1t will give us all the water reGuired aS,
Is. II the commissioners don't reduce t. he a al
oy pumping 1t out of the main, or rum mo ~ o ,I
somewhere else. Common sense wo' nd Seem m IN ~
suggest that II meters are to be ,niied OF o11
they should be placed on the low. grounds. where
tioEa1 bo mds,G u.s. because OF the 20 feet ad-
high grounds ""A' 'leie 10 oh ehe
wo Comm1ssioner Phelps thought sx-inch pipe
tto op4 u not as well as larger one for Cap
the reduction Of head by friction Is immensely SEW
GREATER 10 small than in large pipe, Then.
as".., what sense is there in spending money
co 1 s.ana,p 9 pc pumps, &C., and which, of
course, Will DE continuous source of increased
expense, for wear, fuel and men to run them.
When the natural head is amply sufficient? The
nor money fooled away on these things and the
sou, 900 proposed to be expended for meters,
would go long way towards bringing an am
pie supply to our houses all over the city Carry
out Cen Me1gs' plain as fast as possible. and in
suggested, and all will be- well without meters
and Stanu-pfpes. / noticed that Commissioner
IWlning stated that Gen. MeigS figures were
dala n' and yet, as Gen Meigs stated, they
are based on the cost of work actually being
done at Baltimore One fact proven Is worth
any number OF mere assertions, without either
facts or figures.
Then again, it is not true, that the citizens
are supplied with anything near the amount of
water per capita that is represented, for the
sllnple reason that very large proportion Of
the whole is used or wasted In the several de-
partments, shops, navy yard etc In many
places. it is even used to operate machinery.
In the Patent Office there is, or was, a turbine
lnch pipe to supply it. In the forenoon after
the navy yard is under way, the head is so re-
duced that on Capitol Hill, it will not row on
Inc ground floors, when at other times it would
rise to the second floor
COMMISSIONER Phelps insisted that our supply
was not leSsened by the stand pipe, notwfth-
standing the fact that, whereas before we could
get 1t into our water closet on the second G0or.
recently we could only Use 1t by carrying water
from the kitchen up to the closet in a bucket
a pretty condition OF affairs for family surely,
commissioner Phelps says the decrease is be-
cause OF the cold weather. l suppose his idea
IS that water like other substances is contracted
ny the cold, and thereby the supply is lessened.
But he failed to explain why it Is, that now,
when the weather Is mild, the supply's head
weather now, surely.
The fact is apparent, that the Commissioners
are not competent to deal with this important
relieve them OF it entirely, by placing the whole
matter under the charge Of Gen. Meigs, and
provide means for him to go ahead and com
plete the work CAPIToI. Hill