Daily Republican., 1880-05-12
TEE WATER RIGH1s.
Ceuneii Finaily Decides, but First
Gees fnts worry Long Diseussion
and at last Consents 20 give
$4,000.

aad at last Consents 20 give
:, 8IS.oOO.
g The consideration OF the Brandywine
: Water Rights was made the subject Of
= a special meeting of City Council last
o evening. The matter was before the
: body in the shape Of report Of the
. Water Committee that the City pur-
chase them for $50, 200, an amendment
t to which report had been moved by
E Mr.. Chandler, making the amount
: $25, 900.
| President Sharpley was present, but
Mr. R. H. Taylor occupied the chair at
] his request.
Mr.. Chandler's amendment was prop
erly before the hsuse, and Mr.. Rodney
arose TO speak in favor Of the report.
The question should be considered in
, two parts first, the necessity Sec
ond the price which should be paid.
He spoke Of the present population, es-
i sima,ing it to be about $4,000 OF the
0 rate II had increased 1t would be 100,-
0o0 in the year 1900. He alluded to
the increase In the consumption Of wa.
/ ter, quoting from the Water Depart
ment's figures which showed that in
1876 the water consumed was 667, 600, :
|, 600 gallons; in 1879, 1896, 900. 900, and
, the estimated consumption in 1880 will
be 1,5Oo,O00,000. Mr.. Rodney then
, went on to give facts and figures SINH
: lar to those published in the RErUBLi-
CAN OF last Thursday, in the form Of q
, statement from Chief Engineer Meln-
tire.
He read extracts from report made
in 1872 by Chief Engineer Norris,
+. showing the vast difference in price in
, raising water by steam and by water
. power. By the rights proposed to pur-
3 chase, we would be able 10 raise in ad-
/ dition abont four million gallons per
day without the expense Of steam.
: The difference Of cost by that means
effected saving Gf $40. "a per day.
Fl Mr.. Merris Taylor thought that the
report should not Le amended. II the
Council think the rights are placed too
, thigh in that resolution 1t should be
re- jected, and their own propositions
J should be made.
Mr.. McGlinehey concurred with Mr..
Taylor, and held that the city had No
} moral right to make the purchase.
Mr.. PAynter, chairman Of the COM
, mi.tee, said that he thought it proper
to amend the resolution and afterwards
to discuss it at length. He strongly
urged the purchase Of the Water rights,
Ion the point that the city needed the
water power for pumping purposes; he
said that the WOrthingten pump was
taxed day and night to keep up the
, supply. With the increase in the con-
sumption Of water the pump would
sooH be incapable.
; He also refuted the statement that
: If the Wsrthington pump was to break
, ii could be repaired in week or two
and explained that there were parts
liable to break which could not be re-
paired inside of three, four or five
weeks. With reference to the starting
of the new water wheel, whish had just
been put in, he said that the reports
that the Department was afraid to start
it, were wholly unfounded, hut that
there was not sufficient water now to
. run it, and the water rights, the pur.
chase Of which was now in contempla-
ton, were needed to run the wheel.
Mr.. Barnhill asked il the Cornish
pump was in good condition.
mir. Payntsr replied that the pump
could not be run at all.
Mr.. Barnhill then said lie was in favor
Of purchasing new Worthington pump
if any change must be made, tor in
SIMMER two of the rights were useless.
He also favored selling the Cornish
pump for old iron.
FHE PRESIDENT SPEAKS.
President Sharpley then took the
, floor in opposition to the purchase, and
f made long address, a brief synopsis
of which is as follows.
It is now stated that we have eapa-
city Of Ii, o0e. 900 gallsns per day. By
buying the rights We would have 34,-
000, 900 per day, which converted into
power would raise 1900, 900 gallons
per day.
Suppose these rights were purchased,
in order to o.raise this water at the rate
of the increase Of consumption, in four
or Eve years the power would again be
insufficient, and We would again be
compelled to nse steam. These rights
are said to be a constant quantity of
water. This is not true Of rights
Nos. s and 7, which are not con-
slant in their supply. Allowing ten
wears for the consumption to double it.
self, at present it is 4,s00,0o gallons,
in 1890 it will be 100000. The
whole capa city Of this side of the creek
is only 5,eeo, 900 per day. and go We
will have to use steam, or buy rights
on the other side OF the creek. | have
heard men having a knowledge of the
matter say that $4,000 was a fair
price for these rights, and that $l5, 600
would leave large margin. In ISL
the mill hslding the rights Mes. 3 and
4 was sold To the city for SIS, 900, but
& and : were offered to the city, no one
thought Of buying them because they
were inconstant.
Those mills. were sold at Sheriff sale
for S24, 900, which included a mortgage
of SIS, 600. We heard nothing of these
dangers to the water supply until the
burning of these mills. The fact is, We
are placed. in such a position tha. We
will be compelled to pay more for these
rights the more We appear to need
them. Il
Mr.. Rodney stated that he would
have it understood that the Wa;er
Committee, of which he was member,
was not unduly eager to have the rights
purchased, but that the members felt it
their duty to fully impress the necessi-
J ty on the Council. He spoke strongly
, in favor Of the purchase, dealing in