The daily gazette., 1879-01-28
For the Gazette.
The New Water Project.

For the Gazette.
The New Water Project.
MR. EDITOR - was at your Office on
Friday last and upon inquiry was told
you were absent was anxious to hear
or see what you had to say about the pro-
posed new pumping station up the Bran
dywine. Your knowledge OF city affairs
to me has always been reliable. was
much pleased with your editorial on Sat-
urday on the water question. and l will
ask with you "why disturb tine peoples
minds on that subject?" With you re-
gret 1t, and | had hoped that when the
new reservoir was completed that we
would be done spending any more money
for water purposes for at least twenty
years, with few additions such as lay
ing pipe or increasing our pumping
power where 1t is now. And for one /
say our pumping station is at the right
place to get pare water. For every one
| who has any knowledge on that subject
must know that water is made purer and
sweeter by running, and especially when
IL runs over wheels and dams and the
stony bottom of the Brandywine. And
there is one more conside ration and that
Is we will always have a supply, for we
| have all the water in the creek
| where we are and are backed up by the
tide when needed. The City Solicitor
the Board of Health-that they have
ample power to keep out of the creek all
Impurities within one mile Of the city
limits. We hope they win push the mat
ter OF impurities stronger.
Pure water Is q necessity, but what
guarantee have we that 1t will be any
purer at the Rockland dam? There are
still factories, powder and paper mills
above, with the people living all along
n r. n n a dut I, ~ 81,
| certain kind of impurity, 1t Is the very
| worst place wes could take our water
from. 1t has two miles further to run
| now over the rocks and dams before 1t
will reach the pumps where they are !;
| and wouldn't it be mistake to move our
works up to the above named place to
get pure water? The late Mr.. Moore
told the committee on Impurities in the
Brandywine that the water was better
below than 1t was above, and he obtain
| ed his information by having an analy-
sis of 1t in both places. For one, l can't
help but think that the Water Commit
tee would have made more business
like report to have said it was inexpe-
dent, at this time, to move, and that
| would have saved all this disturbing of
the people.
Mr.. Editor, is not our city debt mil
lion and quarter already, with q hun
l
it? Let us have peace on this subject.
This kockland proposition was before
the City Council some ten years ago, and
thoroughly discussed, and complete
survey made by the late Mr. Morris and
detailed account given of all the expen-
| SOS at that time by him. with his opinion
that where the pumps are now was the
right place for them and If my memory
serves me right 1t was SO decided by the
| GnInpil Wi bnuf nm inn
Things have not changed much since
as l can see except the increase of certai q
impurities which the Board of Health
eau stop If they will; and then the cry for
| moving the water works will stop. And
again, to 60 over ON the other side of the
Brandywine to me would be- very OBJ.
jectlonable. There may be streak ofpure
water over there now that looks very
nice but as soon as you start wheels on
that side and yeu make current, the
impurities that Is on this side will regu-
late themselves, and We will have a
good portion of them over there. But
the objection Is the crossing the Brandy
wine with the forcing malu. THIS Ger
1 tainly would be a very dangerous expert
ment, a high freshet with an ice gorge at
that place, would very likely sweep it
all away and then our water supply is
cut off And further, the committees
| VI tuC CoSb 10 OW. 1 HIS
thing of figuring Is very uncertain
thing with the odds always against u.s.
Ii we take the "Cool Spring" reservoir
for an example, one hundred thousand
dollars would not pay for the bad man
agement and waste of money In the con-
struetion of 1t; and we are not likely to
get alongwith this new project any better
| for there are SO many obstacles In the way
such as rocks. on the crossing of the
Inr nd ys.lr l,ax La
| bridge at an enormous expense, to carry
the water across. For l can't think it
would he safe to cross any other way.
We have had some experience with the
pipe, at Eleventh street, which was brok-
on by log or something else in the time
| Of freshet. but this was only supply
pipe and there was not much inconveni-
] ence from it. The item of water damages
is only set down at little overtwo thou
sand. This estimate here is not half
| enough and there is all the rest below to
| claim damages, if l mistake not the
water damages set down by Mr.. Morris
| was thirty thousand dollars to go to this
| very place now spoken of. They pro-
pose TO save eleven thousand dollars by
doing away with the steam pump.
This is a mistake, we would have to nave
steam at the new place the same; we
would not have TO run it as regular as
we do now, but we could not get along
without it in the dry season, for we have
now nearly half the water in dry time,
where we are,yet We have to have steam.
In conclusion, instead OF the saving of
some two thousand dollars we will have
to pay ten thousand more additional
taxes when we get through with this
project, which l hope will never be ef-
tected, If we want PURE WATER.
TUT I 1IrnnA IF
Philadelphia, had high sense ofthe dig