San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-17
ABOUT WATER.
Something Regarding Fire Protection on
King William Street.

Editor San Antonio Light.
Under date of February l, 1886, the fol-
lowing named petition went into the
City Council. The same was referred to
the Committee on Gas and Water; said
Committee referred the same again to
the Chief OF our Fire Department to test
the hydrants on King William street.
Now it depends on our Fire Department
and especially on our worthy Chief,
Gustav Duerler, to give said by drants a
test as to the pressure in case Of fire, as
Water-works Company and the city.
In Article 6, of the NaIer-works con-
tract, the said Company binds itself as
follows:
That said works shall be capable
at any time In case Of fire OF throw
ing six (6) streams from the hydrants
at one time through 80 feet Of
two and one-half inch hose and one
inch nozzle to the height of the highest
building in the city A PETITIONER.
PETITION.
SAN ANTONIO, February l, 1856.
To His Honor the Mayor and Board of Alder
men of the City of San AntOniO:
GENTLEMEN - The undersigned petit
TONERS and property-owners on King
William street most respectfully request
your honorable body to compel the San
Antonio Water-works Company to take
up the four-inch main water-pipe on our
street and replace same with pipe Of
sufficient size.
In order to prove that our request is a
Just one. we take the liberty to give
herewith some figures. The distance
from Garden street Excluding the width
of said street, to Ewell street Excluding
the width of said street also) is 952
varas, or 2,644 feet, or four feet more
than one-half English mile, which is the
length of King William street.
The distance from Ewell street to the
watsr-works reservoir is 600 varas or
1920 feet, or not quite 81 miles in
length. Having these figures before
you, gentlemen, and considering the
friction in the pipes, there will be not
one among you who will say that one
half mile long 4-inch main will be suffi-
GENTLY large enough to give the neces-
sary fire pressure as required by con-
tract between the Water-workscompany
and the city.
the IlIu6 tuc w
pany laid the 4-inch main on said street,
it was O violation Of the contract, and
has been ever since. The promises OF
the Water-works company TO remedy
the evil, by making connections with
the pipes on Madison and Mill streets
have never been carried out, although
promised nearly year ago. Said prom
Uses were made to the Aldermen Of the
4th Ward as well as to the Chief of the
fire department.; but even II this will be
done, the evil isonly partially remedied,
and not totally.
The managers OF the San Antonio
water-wOrks were either too ignorant to
know the necessary sizes of waterpipes,
or thought the fire department of our
city so ignorant that they would not
detect the defects, and would accept the
hydrants on the line anyhow, no matter
how small pipe they would lay for
main.
That the main pipes in King William
street have to be replaced by a larger
one, there can be no doubt, as any COM
petent engineer will assist us in our
views, to whom will be given the above
named figures.
King William street will, we hope,
receive the proper grade in few
months and the replacing OF larger
mains on said street before the grading,
would be practicable.
Your petitioners pay taxes on valu-
able and well-assessed property, and
think we do not ask too much in having
good protection in case Of fire.
The Water-works Company receives
nice sum of money for the fire hydraDts
on said street, and should be compelled,
at once to give the necessary cODsidera-