The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-08-24
THE WATER QUESTION.
FIGHTING WRONG IMPRESSIONS
The Efforts and Success of the City Au-
thorities to Meet the Emergency
Explanation Regarding the
New Bond to be Issued.

DALLAS, Aug o. Editor HERALD. T.
Several recent paragraphs in both the
HERALD and Times, are calculated to
mislead in regard to the action of the
city authorities in relation to water sup
ply. The alarm in the first days of July
about the failure of water supply at
Browder Springs, is well remembered.
The Council was promptly called to-
gether July 18th, and the facts presented
by the acting Mayor and the water com
mittee then present, Messrs. Carter and
Keller, with the confident assurance, in
which they all three agreed, that
by cleaning out the obstruc-
tions to the inflow of water
to the springs, caused by the flood
in May, the supply would be as great as
it ever had been. This work was at
once ordered, and when completed ten
days later, their opinions were fully
vindicated. They, at the same time,
urged the sinking OF receiving boxes
opposite the water works on the south
side of the creek, because they knew
there was large supply of subterranean
water there flowing, not from the
the south under the park, which could
be thrown directly into the pumping
reservoir mt the works. This work was
at the same time ordered ana common
ced the same day. From the first Il
fine flow of pure water was found, but
the work has been slow, because of the
deep excavations required, the rush of
the water as reached in the gravel and
the fact that but few men could work at
the same time. But it is now practically
finished and the receiving box over two
hundred feet in length at right angles
across the subterranean flow, is now
pouring fine stream OF the purest wa
ter into the reservoir, large
and entirely new supply over
and above all received here
tOfore by the springs. BE it remembered
that this water flows from the south
through the, great gravel beds under
and south of the park, and has no con-
nection with that flowing through the
eastern part of Dallas into Browder
Springs. II Is also soft water and is a
near approximation TO freestone. Both
in quality an supply it more than fulflls
the promises of the gentlemen Mt whose
instance the work was ordered by the
Council on the 18th of July. The grea
point was to meet present wants
but far more has been ACCOMPLISHED
and will, ii Is hoped meet the demand
Tor considerable time to come. But in
doing this work much more is being ac-
complished. Mill creek, for some two
hundred yards around bend, only a
hundred feet across mt the heel, has been
eilectually damned up and the creek
turned across the heel over the sunken
receiving box. Around this bend are
numerous springs, heretofore sub
merged in mud and never utilized. The
creek is being deopened and widened
in order to receive and hold this spring
water in the lake thus formed and so
tapped by n pipe that its water may be
either held in reserve or thrown into the
pumping reservoir at pleasure and is
quite an item in tho source of future
supply.
when necessary, is understood by the
public.
1t was heralded deprccatinglv last
week that the council had passed an or
dinance providing for issuing $05, GOO wa
ter supply bonds. This measure was
pending when the present council came
into power In April, pending the final re
| ports of the engineers from abroad wht
had been employed to make survey and
| report upon our sources of water sup
! ply. When the report came the council
| preferred the plan offered by other par
| ties for system of gang wells to be
| located south of the park, as more
economical aud without financial risk il
failure ensued. Delay interviewed il
pcriecting the contract, and in the
meantime the work In the park satisfied
those in charge that we would get M
ample supply for all present purposes
and thus save the annual outlay oi
$4,000 to he paid for the gang wells.
| But behind all this there is I'M impera
tive need for u considerable sum o.
money to extend water pipes through
out the city, in obedience to the urgent
calls of the people now at the mercy o
the ilameS. No matter whence come,
the water, the people demand protec
ton, and the council would he recrcan
to its trust to fail to meet II, II in it,
power This is the chief and controllin.
idea IN issuing these bonds.
While upon this subject, as q cit
zen whose all is in Dallas, | ven
ture to assert that there is with
In convenient reach OF this city
available without extraordinary cost
needing neither acqueducts nor iilterin,
appliances, an ample supply of tcI
purest water in North Texas for a tow
OF lOOUO inhabitants. 10 needs ncithe
miles of acqueducts over the river anC
I overflow bottoms, nor the damming O
creeks or branches to catch and hol,
IN the burning sun tanks of water col
lected from rainialls on the surface, witt
Its ever accumulating amount of trash
sediment and filth; but is perpetual
snbtcuanean flow ofpure,crystal water
? hltering through miles of clean SAINT
and gravel, and easily utilized in tina
condition, as IL undoubtedly will b
whom our population demands il. Sci
ence Is all right in its place, |. c., when
N tho diScoverer of truth. When specu
lative, rs applicable TO the water suppl
of Dallas, IL tips the beam rs against Tn
positive knowledgede of common sens
mon, based ON Il generation ofexperienc
ana observation, CITIZEN.