The Portland daily press., 1888-01-25
a CRY FOR WATER.
The High Levels without a Sufficient
Supply.

There is, at present, at either end of the
city on the high levels a great scarcity of
water and for the past four days families re-
siding on the highest levels have been who'll
ly deprived of their water supply. The
Shailer and Monument street schools are
without a supply and for this reason it has
become necessary to dismiss the Shailer
school. Families residing on the hills have
been put to great inconvenience in obtaining
sufficient water for domestic purposes. Some
hav e been obliged to melt snow and others
have brought their supply from long dis
tances.
The situation is fast becoming serious
Closets and sewers that are not at all, or
only partially, flushed are becoming often
sive and dangerous. 1t is with difficulty and
much expense that sufficient water is OBJ
tanned for the boilers in schools and private
houses where steam is used, and if fire
should break out it is doubtful if water
could be obtained with which to extinguish
the flames, and it would be impossible to
prevent very destructive and widespread
confagration,
A protest against the present condition of
the water supply has been made end signed
by number of citizens of Munjoy Hill. In
their protest they say:
All of this alarming and dangerous state
of affairs in face of the fact that the Water
Company has been appealed to time and
again to supply sufficient water for the peo,,
pie of the city. Moreover, the Mayor and
other officials have been appealed to to pro-
tect the people of Ward One against the
neglect and impositions of he Water Com
pany, but all in vain.
The charter and ordinances of the Water
Company both say. said corporation shall
furnish at all times to the City of Portland,
without expense to the city, for use in the
public buildings, school houses of the city,
and for the extinguishment of fires, such
foI." This has not been DONE 1t is most
common thing for dearth of water to occur
during both summer and winter.
There is also an ordinance which says, "a
reservoir or reservoirs shall be constructed
on Bramhalps or Munjoy Hills, of the ca
pacity of 100000 gallons, and the higher
elevations on Bramhall and Munjoy shall be
supplied by stand-pipe or by grayitation
directly from the mains, in manner salts
factory to the engineer Of the CITY," There
has never been a reservoir or stand-pipe on
Munjoy Hill. The present arrangement
may be satisfactory to the engineer but it is
not SO to the citizens of Munjoy Hill
Section % of the charter of the Water
Company says: "The mayor and aldermen
of said city Portland may, and are hereby
authorized and empowered to appoint q
board Of commissioners, consisting OF three
citizens of Portland, whose duty it shall be
to see that the regulations made by virtue Of
said act, and the terms and conditions
agreed upon between the city and said COM
pany, are punctually observed and per-
formed"
The mayor and aldermen have not appoint
ed said commission, but have left the people
to the mercy of the Water Company.
The cry for water is becoming general. Al
day yesterday inquiries were being made at
the Office of the Water Company by both men
and women, who are axious to know if there
is no remedy for the present state of affairs.
Many complained bitterly, and others used
forcible arguments and refused to be paci-
fed by the explanations of the Water Com
pany. Many resorted to the telephone as a
means by which to convey to the company
their opinion in regard to the matter or to
enquire il supply of water could not be
had.
Mr.. E. G. Jordan, the civil engineer said
In my opinion the scarcity of water upon
the higher levels during the late cold days is
due to waste at faucets. On very cold day
in February, 1885, with view to determine
what the capacity of sewer in Back Cove
showed me. measure the amount flowing
out 0fthe mouths of the various sewers and
found that the city was using water at the
rate of 300 gallons in "a hours to each inhab-
liant, which, of course, showed great
waste.
The amount of water now brought to the
city is much greater than it was in 1885, and
the waste must be very much more than it
was then. If the non-supply Of water on the
hills is owing to extravagant and unnecessary
waste in the lower levels it seems that some
action should be taken to prevent this
waste.
In an interview. one of the officials of the
Water Company said:
Water takers on the high levels have good
cause to complain at the supply, or mo sup
ply" Of Sebago for the past ten days. There
Is only one reason for this, and that is the
enormous quantity that is allowed to run to
waste to prevent freezing. In most other
cities the consumption is less in winter than
in summer, but in Portland, as soon as a cold
wave comes ON, 1t is impossible to keep up
the pressure on the high levels. This is not
owing to an inadequate supply, because the
two main pipes of the company can bring,
when required, over 5000, 900 gallons per day
and this large amount is actually being deliv-
cred by them at this time, and yet there has
been no water on the Hill for one or two
days, and not pressure enough to reach the
second story of the houses for ten successive
days. The following table gives compari-.
son of the population and daily supply Of
water for Portland and other New England
cities: