Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-04-14


"" W.; can oe reduced with perfect safety.
With but one steamer tho toan, y.
ue WILL OF course, be sent hack m The
oor Farm from which it was takan 80
lars ago. As this will save hiring At tho
",n'' ana leave the team at liberty to work
~, Jn 'ne arm and the streets on both sides Of
'er Tue entire time, saving lust so much
annn GUNS annual saving cannot be less than
$500 800 Iossioiy, you may dispense with this
team altogether. The saving would then he
Inc foregoing suggestions are
9ased wholly upon opinions given to me bv
oincers OF fire department. Conservative
esimdte places them at an annual saving of
Two thousand dollars. As the civ now navs
'he water company annually some 5000 il
o e aHord to pay for hydrant fire service
oLooo rental, without increasing taxation. No
''i~c" VIII OBJECT to some increase, however.
OUR Reservoirs INEFFICIENT.
we have twenty. one reservoirs their canac.
tiles running from 5000 to 80, 600 gallons
n,uouh'ihg IN all TO about 100000 gallons.
us Is out seven and one half per cent of the
capacity OF the reservoir to be built To Sc
cure tne same protection by reservoirs, the CITY
'nouiu Dulid ITO reservoirs of 80, 900 gallons
each. This would cost $4,000. Cushnoc
helgats, rapidly increasing in value. has two
reservolrs-total capacity 42,5OO gallons.
july 3, 1879, five dwelling houses were burnt
solely from want of water. With hydrant
service the fire would have been checked in
nrst mouse. The east side has but four res
erVolrs, total capacity 10000 gallons, all
small. Often these reservoirs are empty, when
= ost needed. Their inefficiency is well known.
10 continue the old system, it is conceded that
'nere must be large number of new reser-
wits. with the scarcity of water in Angus
Ia, we have escaped destructive confiagra.
uohs since the great fire more by good luck
than by prudence.
SANITARY ADVANTAGES.
The analysis shows that the water is of the
very best quality for drinking purposes. We
propose bv thorough filtration and large stor-
age to supply water that will at all times be
healthy and palatable. The city can never
nave good sewerage, until there comes with
II plentiful supply of water. With con-
slant and plentiful supply of water, the city
and every house in it will become cleaner.
healthier and more attractive.
EFFECT UPON REAL Estate.
With such a system as the company pro-
poses, building lots become more available,
and houses more easily rented. In some
parts of the citv, it would seem that it mus.
stimulate building. thorough distribution
of plentiful supply of water will enable q
great many small industries to start I'D in
parts of the city. not now available. The
small increase in taxation, if any, will soon
be repaid.
HOME LABOR TO BE EMPLOYED.
| am authorized BY the company to say
that i'll building the works, aborers IN Au-
gusta will be given the preference. next, men
from the surrounding towns, then from our
own State. The company expects to pay the
going rate of wages. This will set at rest
the idle talk that the works will be built by
Italian or other contract labor. The large
amount to be disbursed will be circulated in
our own city.
Besides the labor necessary in building
reservoir and laying twelve miles of pipe for
hydrant service, service pipes and domestic
street pipes must be laid, pumping station
erected, conduitbuit, and other miscellane-
Gus work done. So far as possible the pref
erence will be given TO home labor.
REDUCTION OF Insurance.
The Introduction of effective water systems
in other cities has been followed by reduc-
ton Of insurance rates. Undoubtedly that
will be our experience. In Gardiner, upon
the opening of the works, the reduction aver
aged twenty per cent, or for the whole city
an annual saving Of $500.
WHY THE COMPANY ASKS THE CRY TO RENT
HYDaANTs
To furnish simply domestic supply, our
investment would include a small pump,
small cheap pipes, and no increase of head.
To furnish fire service, we must use power
hnil1 oh
tain somewhere head of $40 feet, use large
pipes tested to high pressure, buy, set and
the hydrants. The fire service Gov
erng the same territory costs three times that
of simple domestic service. The running
expenses are also much increased.
Before building such a fire system, we in
vite the city to agree to use our fire appara-
tus, and pay US such annual rental therefor
as can be agreed on as fair and just. This
rental, at the most, will be but a fractional
part of the interest on the increased expense
of the works because of elements essential to
a fire service.
PAID BY OTHER CITIES.
For similar service the following sums
are paid Calais SO hydrants at $50 each
Gardiner, so hydrants. $50 each; Rockland,
80 hydrants at $50 EACH Pressure Isle, at
S75 each; Watervile has agreed to pay $50
each for 40 hydrants.
The ANNUAL RENTAL ASKED.
The Company will lease the city such number
of hydrants as the city may need probably
eighty) for an annual rental Of $4,000, and to
also furnish water for sprinkling streets,
engine houses and other purposes now covered
by contract. The contract to run for twenty
wears, and at the end of the term the hvdrant
rental for the next ten Cor twenty years to
be $500 per year
No EXEMPTION FROM TAXATION.
The company asks no exemption from tax
alton, ii expects to bear its just share of the
public burdens, it only asks such generous
treatment at the hands of future boards of
assessore as should be accorded to all public
Mr.. WEsCoTT's REMARKS.
Geo p. Wescott of Portland, manager of
the company land also of the Portland Water
Company, said his attention was fir-t called
RI our inefficient fire service, when As men,
her of the last Senate the project of enlarg-
inc the State House was discussed he COM
mittee voted against it because the present
State House if it caught fire would burn down
onv buiIding that might be added to it. Mr..
was questioned at length as to the
taken by Mr.. Heath, and demon
strated the efficiency of the system. The
would furnish enough fire streams
70 RIM for dav At the highest figures the
reservoir would hold more than weeks
supply for domestic use. if 1000 people were