The Wilmingtonian. (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?, 1884-06-28
POLITICS AND BAD WATER.

| available Tor tine pOlltlcal ncnef ana Stealer,
sufficiently accounts for the eagerness of fac
| tions to retain control of the Water Depart
ment, even if we had 10 other evidence that
the city was annually deprived of thousands
ofdollars through the gross mismanagement
and waste which the most casual investga-
tion reveals in this branch of local admins
trative government. To-day perhaps, the
evil has reached its greatest development.
The expense could hardly be greater; the
quality of the water could scarcely be worse.
But the entire history of the Water Depart
ment Of this city is one long record of blum
dering, jobberY, selfishness and disregard Of
public interests NJ like j. P. .Fairamb and
CHI. Gallagher have only too faithfully
toled for the good of their fellow
citizens, while holding the office of
Chief Engineer but it is indeed
painful TO read the records OF the struggles
they underwent in order to obtain even a
|
tions of the need for accommodating the sup
ply of water to a rapidly increasing popula-
tion. Not until each step became a nee
essity, which could mo longer be overlooked
or avoided, were money grants doled out
to meet the urgenoies of the hour. Far from
anticipating and providing for the future
development of the city, at trivial increase
on the authorized outlay,the effort seems to
have been to pander to the wishes of riparian
owners, and to ignore the growth of the
population entirely. Marrow pipes have been
over and over again laid down where
large ones would have cost but little more,
and provided for the public wants for years
to come, instead of merely satisfying the
needs of the hour. At all times the service
has been kept down to the lowest limit of
efficiency, and there has been nothing to fall
back ON in the event of failure of engines
worked to their utmost capacity.
Merely to cite an instance, the vefy sensi-
BILE and proper proposition to have the intake
of the race at Rockford, above Bancrofts
mills, was voted down, simply-as it would
} seem that owners of water rights along the
lower course of the stream might be enabled
to sell those water rights to City Council on
} their own terms. By fixing the intake at Rock
} ford the whole of the filth and impurities
, from the Augustine Mills and Rattlesnake
, Run would have been avoided; the height to
which the water had to be raised would have
. been reduced by 3S ft(with an enormous saw
inc Z Goa, and wear and tear of machinery
, a better service would have been obtained,
and lastly the water rights could have beer
$ obtained for a much smaller sum. Again
y when the Cool Spring Reservoir was con
: structed it would have involved a mere nom
inal increase of the cost to have taken il
the whole of the lot on which it stands, anC
f to have secured proper basin instead Of tn,
i present insecure and utterly faulty struc
! ture. How many thousands-aye hundred
+; of thousands of dollars have been thus filch
Y ed or wasted from the public treasury til
t politicians Of the day alone can tell. 1t i
It safe to say that the administration of th
: Water Department in the past represents
Is mismanagement which would have brough
e the affairs of any business man to cond
e dition of utter ruin.
l. In conversation with well-knOwn an
e veteran officer of the Water DepaI tment
t, representative of THE WILMINGToNIAN wa
If assured that the waste in the Departmer
y was simply enormous. He ntimatcd plaiul
1t that the salary of the Chief Engineer wa
It susceptible of almost indefinite increase frol
A. the control of contracts and the ssacqui
Is ition of perquistes. In his opinion the col
ception of the Water Commission wasa goo
ID one, as tending to take the administration
T. the Department out Of the domain of pol
re tics and to ensure the continuance of eficiel
or men in office. He considered the presel
tie Commissioners representative and able mel
n But he freely admitted that in the bands
is a man like Ii. B. McIntire there would be !
II. hope of non partisan administration Of Il
nd affairs of the Commission. If the Coz
It's missioners appointed any Republicans
n subordinate posts they would to certain
IT. be replaced, sooner or later by Mr.. r.MeIntire
ry followers.
VS. Meanwhile the city is served with filtl
en- and undrinkable water Why? Chiefly
to beyond dispute-because ofthe shortsighte
nd ness and selflshness of the politicians W
le- control the expenditure. Secondly becau
led the city is not supplied even from the co
'us paratively pure water of the race, after
la Augustine Mills, Rattlesnake Run, the Ce
Use eteIy and the Shutes have expended tn
To pollutions on it. Bad as the water of t
ais race is, the supply from the hydrants wor
by be comparatively sweet and clear if it W.
ike exclusively pumped up into the reserve
on But it is a fact which cannot be denied IL
ope much of the wafer is pumped direct ir
nat the creek itself; no matter how polluted a
,tc and turbid the water may be, up it G,
Let into the reservoir, without being received il
ing any settling tank ortltering bed, to be for
an x,;+b onnsumad nv thn nnta ,,f this citv