Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-04-23
CITY WATER WORKS.
THE GREAT NECESSITY TAKEN IN
HAND BY THE CORPORATION

xAG GAEAl NECEOCA4L XAAEN nv
HAND BY THE CORPORATION
The Purchase of the st. Paul Water Com
pany's Property--An Investment OF
Half Million and Extensive Extensions
Contemplated-A History of the Begin
ming and p rogress of the Works.
The past week has been noted for the con-
summation of a most important event-the
purchase of the st. Paul water works by the
city. This is matter which has been talked
of for years, and over year ago active meas
ures were inaugurated to make the purchase.
The necessary legislation was secured at the
session of 1SS0-S1 and the question of issuing
the bonds to make the purchase was voted on
last fall and carried. A commission appointed
to consider the question, devoted months to
securing information, making surveys etc.,
and reported upon the most feasible plan for
obtaining what was needed. With all this leg
islation and information secured, the council
took hold of the matter and after multitude
OF lcOmmitte meetings and conferences with
Hon. CD. Gilfillan, the leading stakeholder
in the water company, the terms of purchase
were agreed upon, the city to pay $4,000
and assumel$16O,000 of bonded Indebtedness,
making the cost an even half million. This
purchase was ratified by the full council Tues
day night and the purchase is now complete.
The city will Immediately proceed to extend
the works, supplying the high portion of the
city with water, where heretofore they have
been entirely dependent on wells, eisterns and
carts. AS a water tax will now be laid, and
lot owners compelled to pay for water, it will
be paying investmentfor the city, the revenue
being sufficient to pay the interest and create
a sinking fund which will meet the bonds as
they fall due. The whole city is to be con-
graduated upon the purchase.
HISTORY OF THE WORKS.
The charter to the water company was
granted in 1857, when the company went on
and made surveys during the next two or
three years. The corporators were required
by the charter to bring water into the city
and lay a mile of main within a certain time.
While attempting to get an extension of time
they had good deal of opposition in the leg
islature. The fight continued till 1868, when
The required legislation was obtained.
The surveys were proceeded with dur
ing the next four. years, and finally
in 1868 the necessary right of way and water
rights were obtained. The work was then
commenced in earnest and prosecuted SO that
the next year water was brought into the city
and about eight miles of mains were laid, and
the following year three miles more
The requirement of the law was that by the
close OF 1870 the company should have ten
miles of pipe laid. During every year since
The work on the pipes, water supply, ETC., has
been prosecuted in the city and out in the
and at the present time there are
over twenty-three miles of pipe laid land about
Of
canals are Is feet wide and feet deep and the
object of them is to drain marshes, lower
lakes, and conduct the water more readily to
the city. The company has about three miles of
mains laid in tunnels in the sand rock about
"a feet below the surface of the street. These
tunnels are about six feet high
and four feet deep. Mr.. Gilfllan,
The president of the present corporation,
was first the attorney of the company from
The organization up to 1864. In one of the
fights in the legislature, Mr.. Gilfillan gave
the legislature his word that if they would
give the needed legislation to his company
the water works would be built. This was
said in reply to the statement of some of the
members that the men represented by Mr..
Gilfillan were men of no standing. These
fights in the legislature were quite animated,
and sometimes pretty sharp, but finally ended,
after this statement by Mr.. Gilfillan, in the
obtaining the needed legisla-
ton. Afterwards the newspapers were con-
tinually calling on MIR. GilfilIan to know why
the water works were not built. Especially
was this the case after fire, and the people
were clamorous for them. In looking around
for the parties comprising his company to
pursuade them to 90 on and build the works,
he found they had been some
what scattered; some were bankrupt
anG only one or two were sound. and these
had other business operations on hand and did
not care to have anything to do with it. Z, Mr..
6ilfillan then went to work and found other
parties who aided him in constructing the
works.
For long time Mr.. Gilfillan found great
obstacle in public opinion. A majority of
people were in favor of taking the water
from the river, and generally thought the
best way was to run a canal from above the
falls to reservoirs on st. Anthony hill. This
was an absurd idea, as st. Anthony hill is $50
feet above the falls of the river.
Or, in other words, the place where
the reservoir was to be placed would be $50
feet higher than the source of supply. DIR.
Williams, who lived here then and who was a
aowery writer, wrote poetry about the reser-
vOir system and the lovers going out to the
IN the soft moonlight nights and
gazing upon their own features in
the water. Upon investigation upon the
water supply Mr.. Gilfllan had all the water
around st. Paul analysed and found the
water in the lakes north of the city to be of the
finest quality, and that an abundance could be
for large city and easily and cheap
ly controlled, and be adopted the lakes as the
source from which the water supply should
be obtained. He has never doubted yet for
the wisdom of that conclusion. If
the city should increase in population, even
to the extent of half million. the supply
could be found that would be amply sufficient,
lakes. The people of St. Paul now consume
about L 100000 gallons daily. The quantity
Of water running into Lake Phalen, if evenly
distributed, would probably be 10000 600 gal
ons caily. Mr.. Gilfillan regards our water
supply as abnndantjf properly managed, and
equal in quality to the water of any city in
he union.
MANK Alto