The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1880-02-26
WHAT 1 KNOW OF WATER
WORKS.

To tAs Editor Of tie Eagle:
Perhaps few thoughts from one in
terested in the welfare of your town
and people may NOT be amiss. The Hol'
~ system is what you need and must
have sooner or later, to your very great
cost in property aud hoalih. Suppose u
fire should get fairly underway. such q
you have had recently, with strong
wind blowing, what would be the use
Of hand engines. or even q steamer
half of your city would burn IN spite
Of all your efforts. A good steamer,
with trained team and paid men would
be very costly affair. The water you
have now is polluted by privies and cess
pools, and will become more so as time
passes and your population becomes
greater
AT a depth of ten or more feet under
this valley soil is flowing river of wa
ter. The rains pass easily through the
porous soil, carrying the polutions il
comes in contact with down to the flow
ing river below. You use this polluted
wafer. Here is my experience:
had stock well (pipe) Is feet down.
100 hundred feet distant north and west
was large manure heap, aud hog pens
near it. During we, periods the water
became SO polluted that the stock re-
fused it. | removed the manure heap
and hog pens to the south aud east, and
added ten feet to the pipe and have had
no farther trouble. Water may be to-
tally unsafe Tor nse, and yet the senses
not detect it. l have detected it in
your wafer by both taste and smell.
Now, about water-works. In my ma
tive town in OhiO-now about 5000 in
habitants-fen or more years ago. they
had three fine hand engines, and fine
fire department for parade occasions. a
fire occurred on a cold windy night and
DESTROYED fourth Of the business part
Of town. They sold their hand engines
aud paid fifteen thousand dollars for
steamer; had trained horses and sala
ried men. The expense WAS more than
they could stand, they wanted Holly wa
Ter. But where was it to be had? hey
knew there was quirk-sand and waller
on the fat below the buff on which the
Town stands. The town council order
ed II large well dug AT the foot of the
bluff saw il this winter-l6 feet in
diameter inside the wall. When they
got to the sand the water came and the
sand caved; they made ring Of stout
oak plank and placed it where they want
cd the wall and built portion Of wall
upon it. and started Il steam scoop on
the sand: aS the well settled they bull
upon it until it reacheda depth Of about
Is feet. Then they tried the steamer
upon it. They coald make no impress
sion. a charter was given company.
re-erving the right TO purchase tn" prop
eriy within ten wears at cost. The en-
gines and buildings. ready for work the
engineer toll inc. cost $25,000. The.
then tried thei. well and ran the mt
chine to full capacity million gal
Ions for twenty-four hours and lower
ed the well three feet, with eight feet of
water remaining, which they could not
reduce. They have four pI,,uDs which
can at tach at a moments notice, but or
insrily use but one very slowly AZ the
ordinary consumption is but 10000 gall
Ions daily.
Go and do likewise, AMI set your
works TO the north and west Of your
city, and prevent all nuisance beyond
YOU in that direction, and be healthy,
wealthy and wise.
J.B MINrURN. NJ. D.
Eu.ppyS