Daily Republican., 1880-07-09
THE TROUBLESOME TUsHiNE
Ese Elephant ON the Hands OF the
water GOmmtttee-Che Question
Now is, How TO get Enough Wa.


ter.
At the meeting of City Council one
week ago last night Mr.. Paynter intro
iuced the following resolution which
was adopted.
RESOLVED, That His Honor. the Mayor, be
and Is hereby requested to call meeting OF
The Board OF Regulators OF the water powers
on the Brandywipe, viz Lammot DUPONT
Bancroft and George H. Sellers, in
order that change in the manner Of apply
ing and regulating the quantity of water to
which the city OF Wilmington is by right en-
ttled, and no more. be submitted to their
consideration and tinal determination. And
that the CLERK OF Council be instructed TO no
ttty the owners Of water powers In south
Long race, viz Joseph Tstnall. estate OF
iiliam Lee, James T. Priceand ]. L john
stOn, or their legal representatives that such
meeting OF the hegulators has been asked
for by the city OF Wilmington.
The object of the resolution is stated
quite plainly SO far as the meeting is
concerned. What led to necessity Of
q change in the manner OF applying
the water and of regulating its quantity
does not appear. 1t has, however, late
iy transpired that the desired change
is connected with the new water wheel,
which has been in position at city mill
pumping station for some time past, but
which will not act satisfactorily. There
has been q great deal Of talk about this
wheel. Many people who should know
have shook their heads and said I
was of no account. To all these state
ments Chief Engineer McIntire has pre-
sented confident front, and has de-
clared that only little time was need.
ed.
1t appears that to run the wheel
more water is required than the city
cal at present conveniently get at, and
that it is desired to measure the water
from below, instead of above, as al
present. In other words the water is
now allowed to Aow into the wheel
from the surface, and the intention is
to take it from below, where it would
have the benefit Of great pressure. The
city 1t seems is now taking through its
aperature all the water to which it has
ever been entitled, bu. it follows as a
natural philosophical sequence that an
aperature situated at the bottom of the
race, with all the water pressing down,
would take more water through than
one placed at the surface. This, it Ii
claimed, is what the city desires to do,
and the owners of the other rights,
eager to defend their supply of water,
are preparing to resist this.
In accordance with the resolution
above given meeting Of the water
regulators. viz. Messrs. Lammot Du-
Pont, George H. Sellers and Samuel
Bancroft, was held yesterday afternoon
and the city was represented by a num-
ber of persons, who are interested in
the water wheel, either directly or in
directly. Strange to say, unlike all
previous meetings Of this kind none O
the other mill owners were present, ,ant
| in fact, none Of them had been notified
of the meeting. One Of the regulators
with some surprise, called attention II
this fact, and asked why they had no
been notified. He was informed tina
If no notices had been sent it was tn
fault of City Clerk Frazer. Just her
lit may be we'll enough to state that I
REPUBLICAN reporter this morning ask
ed Clerk Frazer about this and he sd
mitted that he had not notified th'
mill men Of yesterdays meeting bn
lhad not done 80 because it was thu
lduty of the Mayor or Water Depart
ment officials.
OF course, as only one side was repre-
sented the regulators took no actor
| iu the matter, and what looks like {
Questionable effort to steal march upor
the owners of the mill rights was
therefore frustrated. The matter viii
now be looked into fully and fairly
The mill owners appear determined II
allow no eneroachments on their priv
ileees and if the change now contemp
ated in applying the water is made
and more water is used than at pres
ent law suit is likely to be the result
Some facts are connected with tn
water wheel that are interesting. Fol
months now, almost, experiments hav'
been tried to make it run but the worl
will not meet the requirements. There
are now seemingly no faults with tn
machinery and the only thing that pre-
vents the wheel and pump from work
ine like clock work is the insuficien
supply of water. II the scheme TO ap
ply the power differently and regulate
the quantity Of water fails, bu
| two alternatives present themselves
either reject the wheel, or purchas
the water rights Of the burned Penny
packers mills. If the Pennypacke
rights were purchased the supply
water would be more than sufficient t.
run the new wheel.
The question has been lately asked
| if the wheel does not work, why do no
the Water Committee reject it at one
instead OF putting themselves to all tn
troubl of testing the wheel and o
changing the water application Ii
answer to this it has been limited tha
the Water Committee and their subor
dinates are in measure responsible
and it is alleged that they led thos
who put the machinery in to thin
they would have all the water needed
To Atlantic City on sunday.
The steamer Samuel M. FELTON,, i
connection with the Pennsylvania Rail
road, promises another trip on Sunds
to this great resort. Those who wen
Hast Sunday we understand were gene
rally pleased with the trip, and CON
mend it highly to their friends. Th
FELTON, carries passengers as usual O
Sunday, but at slightly increased rate
over week day prices. As she land
close to the Ridgeway Park ferry, thos
of our people who have not seen thi
great Sunday resort of the "stay a
ihomes" would do we'll to try the expe
rience.