Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-09-27
"DoN,T HAVE to- SO SAID.
The Wooden Water Mains Put Down to Stay,
No Matter What Goes on Top
Position of Water Company.

The water works company expect to
commence work in a few days on remov-
ing the wooden mains on Market street
on Second to Douglass The company
has also decided to move the wood mains
from Douglas avenue from Waco to Wash
ington The cause of removal does not
seem to be the fact that paving is threat
ened to appear. AS far as paving is con-
cerned, according to Superintendent Ans
bury, that has nothing to do with the case.
The removal is, as he claims, based on the
size of the pipes and the demand, or IN
other words, on supply and demand.
Where the mains are not able to supply
the district assigned, the size is to be in
creased, and putting in new mains the
company will put down iron. so the cause
of changes on Market and Douglas come
from the fact that larger mains are re-
quired to give the service, and not because
paving is booked for Market and threat
ened for Douglas.
Concerning the question as to whether
the company is compelled TO remove the
wooden MAINS the company itself has taken
the position that they are by no means
compelled to remove for paving or any
thing else. According to their version the
ordinance requires a certain domestic and
fire pressure and as long as that is fur
nished and the water is pure and OF good
quality they have rig ht to use whatever
they please for mains. On Main street are
wooden mains and large enough to meet
the demand for some time, as estimated
BY the company So as far as Main street
is concerned the water mains ''cut no par
ticular figure in the paving question as
estimated by the water company's caIcu-
| lation.
The company has twenty-three miles OF
! iron main and eight miles of wooden. 1t
| is thought two or three miles of wooden
main is not large enough to meet the de-
mands required and as a result will be re-
moved. This will leave five or six miles
| to be covered by pavement should the
| streets on which they are placed be paved.
/ AS far as giving way is concerned, under
/ high pressure the water company claim
the wooden main is quite able TO stand the
service required and can be depended on
with as much assurance as the iron main.
| They claim the per cent of difficulty from
mains giving way comes from the iron.
The recent action of the council
ordering wooden mains off streets to be
paved, it is said, will not cause the com
pany to hurry matters in the least or III
fact will pay no attention to 1T. Should
! the matter be pressed upon the company
by the council it is observed that the fran
chise of the company will be flashed at the
council with instructions to ''please read. .
A gentleman acquainted with the ques-
ton having investigated relative to the
matter under consideration, said yester
day in his opinion the original franchise
is one of the many common mistakes made
by city councils. In his judgment The
wooden main in few more years would
commence to give way more frequently
than in the past and some time when fir
pressure is on and property in danger ther'
would be a blow up and the fire department
with its apparatus, including engines
would be powerless and the admission
of wooden mains regretted very much
How to relieve the situation as he saw i
was question the answer of which n
had ro5 reached.