Morning journal and courier., 1886-11-20
THE wArER oUEsTIoN.

THE WATER QUESTION.
 Hearing Before the Committee i'm the
 Room of the Board of Public Works
 President Dawson Makes Statement
 Corporation Counsel DriseOH Sub-
 mits n Resolution.
 In the room of the Board of Public Works yesterday afternoon the Water committee, with His Honor Mayor Holcomb and Chief Engineer Hendrick, held consultation with President Dawson of the New Haven Wa ter company regarding the water supply and the necessity of laying larger mains in some sections of the city.
 President Dawson when asked to give hls views of the question said: f'Since the Water company was established we have been try ing to improve the supply and think we have done so. We have been making improve ments, laying larger mains in place of old ones and building new ones. Last year in Poplar street and in East Chapel street we laid mains because we believed the factories
 in that section needed them. We have lived
 up to the spirit of our contract and propose
 to go on making improvements as fast as we
 can reasonably be expected to-"
 MT. Driscoll-"You will admit, Mir. Daw-
 son, will you not, that it is for the benefit of
 the water company as we'll as the city to
 have sufficient water supply, because the company is liable for damages when It can be shown that the water supply was not ade- quatea"
 MT. Dawson-'Well, there are various ways of ecnstruing the contract. believe my construction of it is correct. As to the fire at Sperry & Barnes, don't believe the loss l would have been any less if there had been g | forty-inch pipe instead of six-inch pipe" Mayor Holcomb-''What position is the ! city placed in, MT. Dawson, when insurance
 companies refuse to take risks because of in- sufficient water supplies?"
 Mr. Dawson-s'I believe this city is as we'll supplied with water as other cities. l | can't say what the insurance companies
 may conceive about water mains being too l small"
 l In the course of further conversation it was shown that Long wharf has two mains, one four-inch and one six-inch, which are fed by way of Water street with six-inch main which runs from Water street to 8 point just below the railroad crossing about 600 feet in length. There is another connec-
 tion by way of Basin wharf on Brewery
 street.
 Chief Hendrick said: tAt the time the
 starch factory burned down steamer No. 2
 was on the six inch main which supplies the
 two mains on Long Wharf and three other steamers were on Water and State streets.
 No. 3 couldn't get an adequate supply of water, showing that the supply by Basin Wlarf Is not Sunc1ehG. AL tue dlE I1dfou brewery fire the supply was very much less than it should have been."
 MT. Dawson-''We see these wants and are supplying them fast as we can. We should not be asked to do more than is req soaable."
 Superintendent Granniss of the Water company said that all eight-inch main lead ing down to the two Long wharf mains would be sufficient. Chief Hendrick said it would be better, but not enough. He add ed: "The trouble at the Sperry & Barnes fire was that we had to lay about 5000 feet of hose, and this lost great deal of pres sure. If we had a ten inch main we could put hydrants in at shorter intervals"
 MT. Dawson in reply to Mr. Driscoll said that there had been no general complaint about water on Long wharf except notice from the corporation counsel that the com pany would be liable in case of fire when there was insufficient supply of water. MT. Dawson further said that complaints in streets where it was said there was no force in the upper stories was occasioped by peo pie on the lower stories drawing water at the same time that those in the upper stories wanted water. The water was in the street and if separate service pipes were intro duced into tenements there would be no trouble in this regard.
 In further reply to MT. Driscol Mir. Daw- son said there was no doubt but that the re- lay of pipes would have go on from year to year. This was the case in all growing cit ies. Continuing MT. Dawson said the water company wanted to do their whole duty. If the city wanted them to do more than they are doing, all that was necessary was to make sub contract as had been done here tofore.
 In reply to Mayor Holcomb MT. Dawson said that he did not think the company could do much more than they were doing without extra compensation. He said the company was continually making improve 1O;n nsnts and proposed ,t to 1Ssf keep on ;a the city wanted extra water and extra mains as rapidly called for, it would be necessa- " to sign new contract. Of course, he said, I am only one of board of nine direc- tors and cannot speak for the others. He said he had no doubt but that the company would consider any defects to which their was called by the chief engineer and would remedy the trouble complained of if they were obligated so to do.
 President Dawson and Superintendent GranniSs then retired.
 Corporation Counsel Driscoll submitted the following which was adopted:
 Resolved, That notice be and is hereby given to the New Haven Water company that the main water pipes of said company along the streets hereafter named are too small and in- sufficient to supply the city of New Haven and it's residents with full and adequate supply or water as required by the contract between said city and said Water company dated Decem- Der 15, 1881, and that aid Water company will be held liable for all damages resulting from it's failure to supply said city and it's residents with full and adequate supply of water as provided for in said contract; and in case said company fails to comply with the terms of said contract all the other for penalties and liabilities provided for in said contract will be enforced.
 It was voted to approve this notice and report of the corporation counsel and also to incorporate the contract with the opinion of the corporation counsel and order two hun dred copies printed.
 Chief Hendrick telephoned to the firm of Sperry & Barnes to appear before the com mittee. Shortly after MT. Barnes of the firm appeared and stated that his firm had noti- fed the Water company that they should consider the Water company responsible in case of fire on account of insu fficiency of water. He said that the company replied in substance that they should not consider themselves responsible, and if the firm want ed larger water mains they would have to lay them at their own expense. MT. Barnes said his company did not feel like doing that, hut should they have another fire they would certainly sue the Water company for damages.
 After further informal talk the committee