The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-05-16
A Question: Of the Day.

One Of the advantages the fair city Of
Bozeman enjoys is easy access to pure
and cold water. The West Gallatin flows
on the south, the East Gallatin on the
north, Bozeman Creek through the heart
ofthe city, and the whole surface of the
plain is checkered by bitches Of ripping
water fresh from the spring and melting
SHOWS of the foothills and mountains
Also within two hours ride is Mystic
Lake, whose limpid waters but wait the
def hand Of man with the appliances of
genius to tap its clear cold depths for all
the aqueous element necessary to supply
the wants Of any city west Of the Missis-
sippi. Here is an inviting field for CAPT.
tai and enterprise. Under our charter
the city could not be bonded to provide
for the work ofsupplying the municipa-
lily with water from this source, 20 the
time is opportune for individual or cor
porate enterprise to take the initiative.
A company of our citizens should be
organised to take hold of this prize be-
fore it shall slip from theirgrasp into the
hands Of eastern investors who may see
father into the future than those who
have been long in this field, but have
not given the scheme second thought.
He is not a visionary who forsees that
water works will soon be q necessity, and
blind must be the business man or the
taxpayer who fails to see that if we had
a supply Of water from Mystic Lake, it
would come with such pressure as would
require no expensive engines to fight fire
in the city. With q supply of water from
this elevated source only MIGRANTS and
hose would be required to contend sue
cessfully against the fire fiend, and thus
a great expense would be saved.
The insurance rate would be greatly
reduced and no extra expense incurred
in buying expensive engines such as add
to the burden Of the taxpayers in cities
less favored by nature with an altitudin-
GUS reservoir. Since Butte secured a
water supply from above the city, the
corporation has discarded the use of en-
gines and reaped . revenue from their
sale. The report Of the Fire Marshal Of |
Helena, proves what an expensive luxu-
~ an elaborate fire organization is. It
requires page and half Of the Herald
for the marshal to tell the public how
the machinery was worked. such pres
sure as could be secured from Mystic |
Lake would reduce any fire in our city, |
simply by the application Of hose to the !
fire plugs, and to accomplish this, but
few men would be required Is compared
with cities where mechanical appliances
are used. In addition to fire facilities of
this character which the municipality
would only be too glad to pay literally
or, would be the demand for street
'prinkling in the summer, irrigating
;rees on the street line, the needs of in
consumers At their places of
business, including manufactures and
mills, and for all domestic purposes. In
act it is patent to the most casual obser-
'er that the present demand of the city
would warrant thorough investigation
# this whole subject with an eye single
o business. The exigencies of the Incl
'ient period Of corporate life in an old
and prosperous city, de-
hands that something should be done at
IN early day for fire protection. We
AVE withstood the perils of fire long h
enough. That fortune has favored us in \
he past is no guarantee that it will in
he future. Conditions are rapidly chang n
ng in this community and we should be II
to meet them. The best thing
he city can do is to investigate these
lew questions and encourage the invest
nent Of capital in enterprises for the
ublic. The question Of water works or
ome sort Of fire protection is one of the
FACTIONS Of the times and corporate
rganixation for individual investment .
,ay lead the way.