The Portland daily press., 1885-05-09

Last February the company believed that
an accident had occurred to the mains, be-
tween the lake and the city, thus accounting
for the low pressure for knowing the amount
of water delivered, it was hard to realizs that
it was all being run to waste. Accordingly, on
the forenoon of Monday, February 231, the
sewers of the city were examined and the flow
OF water measured Estimating the Atlantic
Wharf sewer, which could not well be mea-
sured, it was found that 8,079,000 gallons were
discharged into tide water through the follow
ng outlets daily, viz:
Atlantic wharf, 1000, 600 gallons; Franklin
street, 800 600; Long Wharf. 100000; Maple
900; Forest, 75.0U0; Deering Bridge, S64 900;
Brattle street. $4,000; Paris, 5o,00o; Hanover,
15o,0ooi Preble. $4,000; Elm. 10000; Cedar
Pearl, $4,000; Wimot, 100000; Boyd, 100000
Mayo $50 600; smith, $4,000; Anderson, 13o,
900; Quebec, 70, 900; total, s S,079,0Oo.
From the above it will be seen that on this day
when the residents OIL! thiBramhall aud Nun
Joy hills were short OF water, allowing to each
man, woman and child in the city of Portland,
whether water taker or NOT, so per cent. more
water than the average in the city of Worees-
ter, the largest consumer OF either of the eight
cities herein referred to, or S4 gallons
per day, Portland should have used (33. .8l0x84)
2 $4,000 gallons per day. The sewers dis.
charged 5000 gallons or 5,243,0 600 gallons
more than this amount. This shows that, tax
ing ont a liberal quantity to supply the city,
there was enough surplus which was wasted
to supply city three times the size OF Port
land. Since ascertaining these facts, the COM
pany have been inspecting and locating, as
nearly as possible, the places where the waste
is. and We find that in the public baildings,
stores, offices, and dwelling houses the water Is
left running, so that the waste is general
throughout the city. In order to show that
our school buildings are using water 10 lib
eral manner, the following comparison is made
with the school buildings in Boston. Accord
ing to the report for 1883, the 21 school build
ings enumerated used 8 95l ,915 gallons for the
year, or an average OF 26, 1856 gallons per day.
In Portland the Centre aud Braehett street
school buildings are using at the rate of II, =
9S1, ,125 gallons per year, or % ,S25 gallons per
day. From this, il will be seen that these two
buildings use more water than the tweDty-one
ia Boston. The Butler and Monument street
buildings use S273,090 gallons per. year, or a
daily average of 22666 gallons. Your m
mittee will naturally ask:
First. Can this great waste be stopped7
Second-What remedy does the Company propose
to apply to stop ii?
1. We believe that the waste can be stopped or
reduced to minimum, but in order to do it the
Company must have the active cooperation and aid
of the City Government and each department. us
using water. We believe that If The city will
put its own houses in order the water takers will
cheerfuly do the same. This will insure plenty of
water under sufficient head for all purposes.
If the waste is not stopped, there is remedy in
the rules of the Company bat il has never been en-
forced. The time has now come when it is the im-
perative duty of the Company, both for its protect
ion and for the protection of the city and its ct
zens, to apply this remedy, and from this time the
water will be shut off when found running to waste
from any cause whatever.
The rules of the Company are as follows:
1-All persons taking water shall keep the ser.
vice pipes 10 the main in good repair and protected
from FROST at their own expense, and they will be
held liable for all damage which may result from
their failure to do They shall prevent the waste
of water in any way it must not be kept running to
prevent freezing, or kept running any time long.
er than is necessary in the proper Of it. Water
will not be supplied 10 premises whose hopper clos
cts are used unless the same shall be fitted with
sef-acting double cock.
2-Any officer OF The Company shall have the pow-
er to decide what shall be considered waste or i'm
proper use of waer and to restrict the thereof
when deemed necessay y; and ii the water taker re-
fuses or negects 10 comply with the directions Civ
en- by them. the water shall be shut Oft and let
on except by consent of the Directors Officers aud
their assistants may enter the premises of any
water aker. to examine the fixtures, the quantity
Of water used, aud the manner of use.
Very respectfully,
PORTLAND WATER COMPANY,
BY Geo. Z. Wescott, Treas
Portland, April ID, 1885.