The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-07-15
THE WAITE 0Us.1Ios.

There Is an old saying, .7TeI the
truth and shame the deyiLn Yet we
bethink US that st. Paul says. or said
somewhere. that il Is not always expe-
Client to tell the truth. or words to that
effect. That is the situation in Chey-
enne at present, with respect to our
water facilities. We are living sham
Ike. Things are not what they seem.
The outward forms and appearances
are kept up. but all is hollowness. A
pretense is made Of supplying the city
with water for drinking and culinary
purposes, but the stuff that passes
through the pipes is offensive to the
nostrils, nauseous to the taste, and alb
soiuteiy injurious to the system. Yet
a large proportion of our population
have no recourse.
The pleasing fiction of keeping up a
water supply for fire purposes is also
INDUCED in. We have good fremen,
abundant apparatus, hydrants, pipes,
and pumping engines, but no water;
that is to say, no adequate supply of
water. A big fire would soon demon
strate this in a very costly lesson.
And yet no n Is to blame. The
folks at the pump can't send water of
better quality or greater quantity than
they can get In the creek. The supply
In the creek is low, and no one can in
crease the same. Here the matter
ends. Responsibility hovers about in
vain for shoulders to rest upon.
1t seems strange. however, that there
should be a scarcity of water this early
In the summer when there was such a
good snowfall late last winter and the
rains OF spring came down so copiously.
Most people imagined, in the innocence
of their hearts, that the water supply
would not fail this season. But they
were deluded, and they now realize
their mistake. The water supply is
failing now, and heaven only knows
where the supply is to come from for
the next two months, unless heaven
concludes to send down a few sample
deluges on our just and unjust people.
Those Of us who are just, and that in
cludes you, reader, would tolerate, If
not commend, a little rain on tho un-
just, 30 that we also might get some,
and thus equalize the supply. Anything
to get water.
But 1t is not to be supposed that
everybody is to sit down with folded
arms and wait for the celestial water
works to start up and send water down.
There are certainly other methods of
obtaining the necessary water. There Is
water In plenty, If the right plan is
adopted Of getting it. God made only
one place without water, and that isn't
In this world. We have plenty of water
in our city and county, but it is under
the soil. We must accommodate our
selves to the conditions of nature. Il
the snow and rain supply is insufficient,
we must tap those vast reservoirs I'M
derneath, with the faith of Aaron's
rod, and we a get water in plenty.
Wells must sunk, artesian wells, If pos
sible; but wells by all means. There
are vast manufacturing establishments
and likewise large villages. that are
supplied by a single well each. Whk
couldn't Cheyenne be similarly sup
piled? II n well be not sufficient,
sink two, four or six wells, then the
people will obtain water At for domes-
tic use while a never-failing supply
will be assured for fire purposes.
The suggestion is certainly worthy of
though, and we hope that our city gov
eminent and citizens generally will dis
cuss the matter among themselves.