The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-04-16
TEE WAFER WORKS.
SOME PLANS foa IMPROVEMENT
And rnsr...Ius Their Capacity Ia the Failure.
Why Water Rents Cannot be Lowered at
Prt~nt-Plsus for a system Of Wells
usdsr Con.idsratiOn-Othsr PoIntI.

Last Tuesday evening the City Water Board
presented to Council detailed statement OF
is receipts and expenditures for the fiscal
year ending March 81. This statement was
one required by the law and ordinance
creating the Board, and had To be made ct
that time, although the Board had been in
existence only about nine months. The
IsrELuoEScER published the main points OF
the report, which made remarkably good
showing, considering all the circumstances,
and one that MeSsrs. Hastings, 0eIterling and
Hoffman, the Commissioners, felt well sat
isiied with.
That statement showed that the total re-
ceipts had been Sc, 405 10, and the expendi-
lures 81, O6s %. having a balance Of 50 3i3 81.
But, OF that 81, 05S 2S. $iG,30S OF had been
expended for purposes that would not require
o like expenditure again, and on an order Of
Council for the reduction OF the List &
Davenport loan.' :,
The statement as published was generally
read, and the citiZeus as q rule were well
satisfied. Taking the figures given above as
q basis, the Board estimates that the re- eipts
for the next few years will be between $50 0OC
and $55 900 per annum, and the annual run
ming expenses between SCI, 600 and $50, 600
leaving yearly balance in their hands oil
about SIS 900. Out OF this balance, until the
List & Davenport loan Is wiped out, The
Board must pay 81 600 per annum tOwardE
It's reduction; the Board will have to pay
this amount for four or i've years
since the report was published, Il
has been suggested that there should
at once follow reduction OF water
rents. This suggestion, the Board look,
upon as utter nonsense at present
tItisa we'll known fact that for year.
past and at the present time, the Water
Works OF this city have not been, and are
not what they should be-. BY any
means. The coffee colored liquid that
| Wheeiingites drink whenever the river h
on a rise; the bad smelling water that they
drink in the summer time when the river Il
very low, and the trouble residents living on
high ground have In procuring water durinR
the same season. ali attest the truth OF The
statement that the Works are not what they
should be. II Is another fact equally true
that they are now in as good condition a.
they possibly can be, until teveral importan'
Improvement are made. The Board proposes
10 make improvements that will be lasting
and beneficial, 10 make these improvement!
will OF course require money and time
Under the law, the Water Board cannot rur
Ia debt, aud 1t therefore does not we'll SEE
hos It can, at tue present time, reduce III
water rents The rents OF this ely compare
favurabiy with those OF other cities. II Il
should reduce them 1t could not make The
Improvements, which should be made tonc'
The Board proposes Oh the other hand Il
husband It's resources, which after paying
$l1 600 IN Messrs. List & Davenport and th,
actual expenses per annum, will probably
amount Ia round numbers 10 $50 600 pei
aanum and make Improvements. AS 10 TIT
nature OF these improvements the Board doeI
not yet feel ready to speak definitely; II Il
composed OF careful conservative gen llemen
who do not speak until they know fully wha
they want. They some time ago visited
| Wellsyille, where they have very nice
works, and there. met Captain Chisholm, Z
practical man and experienced well builder
ThelCaptain has prepared plans, gratuitously
for sinking wells In the river 30 Us to procure
pure water, and as soon as the river get.
down to permanent low stage, the Board
will probably take some steps. His plan, 81
tar as the wells are concerned, is 10 sink
three wells, lined with brick, with curbings
20 feet deep and 20 feet 10 diameter, the tops
OF them level with the river bsd; IN the bot.
tom OF these drive six.inch iron pipes with
5 or 9 feet OF the lower end perforated. The
wells would also be connected with each
other by pipes. Up through the perforated
pipes would come pure water into the wells
| from which the suction pipe would feed.
Additional reservoir capacity has also beer
urged. AT the last meeting OF Council Mr..
Stanley offered resolution instructipg the
+ Board to report on this important subjent
The present basin Is hardly large enough
nor isit high enough to properly supply res
idents living on high ground, at ali times
The question arises, though, where would
the other basin be built? The Board has ex-
amined the bill on which the present one
stands, aud does not believe It would be safe
to put another one there. for the reason that
the hill Is honeycombed with old aud desert,
ed coal mines. A large number would like
10 see two basins, one tiltering basin, from
which the water could run to the other after
the sediment had settled.
The question OF power Is also one that the
Board mas paid some attention TO. Any one
that knows anything about machinery knows
that, like human being, 1t wears out fast II
| II has not rest. The Board has purchased the
lot north OF the new boiler house at reason
able figure, and In the future 1t will undoubt-
eddy be fousd very handy thing to have.
At present, the Worthington and the two old
pumps are doing good work.