Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1880-12-23
THE WATER COMMISSION.

THE WATER COMMISSION.
THE STATE TO CONTROL ITS OWN wArE1
D SUPPLY.
The Board of Capitol Commissioner
have made the following report on the pur
chase of water supply for the State:
OFFICE CT JOINT WATER COMMISSION,
CARSON CRY, New, Dec. IA, 1880.
To His Excellency, John II Kinkead, Gov
ernor of Nevada:
We, the members of the Board of STATE
Capitol Commissioners and of the Board Of
Directors of the State Orphans Home, con
stituting joint commission, under an Act
of the last Legislature, entitled Gan Act te
lprovide a supply of water for the Capitol
grounds and State Orphans Home," have
the honor to report our acts under said law,
as follows: -s.s... ...ss.....s
Realizing the necessity of an abundant
and certain supply of water for the uses in
dicated in the law, we went to work active
ly. trying to find purchasable stream of
pure water adequate for the purposes in
tended. After many fruitless efforts to Sc
cure the desired water supply, we succeed
ed, June II, 1879, in purchasing from w.
NJ. Little his right and title to the stream
that issues from Riddle, or Rose Canyon,
for the sum of So, 900. We paid him for the
same two thousand $4,000 dollars in cash,
and agreed to recommend the payment to
him, by the Legislature, of three thousand
| $1,000 dollars more still due him on the
contract, in gold coin, with legal interest
from date of purchase.
We proceeded at once to purchase the
necessary material for the construction of
works for the Introduction of the water.
The balance of the fund at our disposal,
three thousand (3OO0) dollars, of the APP
preparation, was not sufficient. and we APP
pealed for aid, in the enterprise, to the
managers of three other appropriations, to
wit: of Current Expense, Orphans Home,
and Care of Capitol Grounds. From these
funds, respectively the following contribu-
tons were made:
Capitol Grounds ............S 96l 80
Current Expense. ........... VS. ~
Orphans Home. ............. 2,l2| 10
$4,017 90
This amount, taken with the 5000 ap-
propriated. and the $4,000 still due Mr..
Little, makes the total outlay for water and
works 81, OH Sc, exclusive of interest on
the 1000 from June II, 1879 at 10 per cent
until payment. Rigid economy has been
observed in the management of this affair
and we do not believe that the enterprise
could have been carried forward to a sue
cessful completion with any smaller expen-
diture of funds. In excavating for the res
ervoir and in digging bitches for the pipe,
and otherwise, as far as practicable, the
labor of the State Prison convicts was util-
lied.
The water is conducted, mile and
quarter, from the mouth of the canyon to
the reservoir in wooden boxes, and thence
two miles and half through the Capitol
grounds, to the Orphans Home, in 4-inch
No. 16 iron pipe. The reservoir is about
IS X 80 feet and 6 feet deep hence has
appro1imating 100000 gallons.
The fall from the reservoir to the Capitol
is 10 feet and to the Orphans Home about
% feet more.
We are not unaware that we have over
stepped the boundaries of the law in the
conduct of this enterprise, but we took a I
view of the situation, and act I,
I'd, as we think, any discreet manager of his t
,wn personal Affairs would have acted under 6
he same circumstances. We have, no I
loubt, made a valuable Investment for the t
State The water works and water right t
n question, if put on the market now,
ould be sold readily for more than they
ost, and their value, for evident reasons,
Till increase from year to year hereafter.
hat this was a timely investment and that =.
will result in a saving to the State will >,
ppear from the consideration of the follow
ng items: Until this purchase was made
he State paid the Carson Water Co. fifty
SOY dollars per month for water used in
ne State House, aggregating 5000 per year; "
,r water for the Capitol grounds about b
$50 per year, and for the Orphans Home d
uildings about $3.50 per year. Thus about p
l ,61O at least was the yearly cost of water ri
, the State, to say nothing of the impor- q,
mt fact that late in the summer season,
hen water was most needed for the Capitol
it could not be had in sufficient NJ
Quantities to keep the grass and young trees bl