The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-09-09
WILL FURNISH WATER FREE.
Something for the Fire Company n The
City Council to Consider.

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City C0uncil to Consider.
Messrs. John Noyes g. Co. who are just
now engaged in bringing in a stream of thirty
inches, miners measure, Of pure spring water
from The head of Bull Run gulch, offer to
furnish free water for fire purposes on the
following terms. From the head Of Bull
Run they will bring the water in wooden
pipes a distance of seven miles, more or less,
to suitable sites for ~cisterns on the hillside
back of Butte. The pipes will be laid a suf-
ficient depth under ground to prevent the
possibility of freezing and the site for the
~cisterns will be at least. $50 feet higher than
the level of Granite street. The owners of
the water propose that much. What they
ask the tiremcn or the City Council to do is
to build the ~cisterns, Of any size whatever,
provided they be not 100 small, and to lay a
siX-inch iron pipe from the ~cisterns down.
through Main and Montana streets. Those
main pipes the Waite: Company will have the
privilege Of tapping with as many minor pipes
as they may require to supply the demand
for water; the tiremen or the City Couucil
having also the right to tap them with any
number whatever of pipes leading to hydran,s
to be deroted- exclusively to fire purposes.
The water for said hydrants to be tOrerer
furnished free. The Water Company also
agree to keep constantly full any cisteln the
people. may SO construct, even if its capacity
be a million gallons. They also agree to
allow branch pipes to connect the mains with
fire hydrants in any portion OF the town,
placing no restriction whatever OH the num-
Der Of hydlants SO furnished, provided only
that they be in no case employed except as
above stated, in extinguishing fire.
This is the proposition, and it seems to lis
that a more advantageous one for the people
of Butte could not be made. 1t is the plan
suggested by the MINER over two years ago
but which until now has had faint prospect
Of being carried into effect. Consider the
advantages OF this system. With the pipes
once laid, hydrants and hose supplied, the
system operates itself by virtue Of lydrostatic
pressure, no further care or expense further
than the occasional renewing Of the hose.
Then how q1ick in application is the pro-
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same size, one key would unlock any or all
of them. A sufficient number Of keys could
be distributed among responsible citizens to
guard against the possibility Of any embar-
rassment from inability to get at the water.
Then in case Of fire it would only he neces-
the flames could be played on at once, with
out more ado about it. Furthermore, a
main six inches in diameter would furnish
water for twelve strings of hose each having
a Il inch nozzle. If the hydlants were
placed close together, or if a liberal length OF
hose were supplied, several streams could
almost instantly be brought to bear on the
same building. The danger OF the hydrants
freezing up in winter is sometimes ulget
against this plan, but this danger can easil,
be obviated in several different ways which
will be mentioned if the Water Company,
suggestion is brought definitely before the
people for action thereon.
The above are some of the advantages O.
the hydrant system. On the other hand con
slider the trouble and expense attendant upo,
the management of a steamer When needle.
for service the steamer must be ready. Ii
engineer cannot devote half a day to the tasl
Of preparing it for service. 1t must be read,
to work, and to work well at the drop of
hat. To keep it constantly in this state o
readiness will require daily care and attend
ance which must be well paid for. Beside
this, a considerable amount of discipline i
necessary among those who manage a steam
er, and from the apathy manifested at Butt,
in fire company matters, this discipline i
what we may least expect. For Il while afte
its arrival. as long as it would possess TIN
attractiveness of a new toy, steamer drill
would be popular: but after a time the recle
alton Of dragging it up hill under the burnin.
sun of summer, or OH the slippery footing o
winter would become an old story, when on
I" tremen" would relax into the state O
efficiency that has distinguished them in tn,
past.