Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1890-05-18
"The Citizens Water Com
pany" a Misnomer.
Citizens Think the Company is
Not for Their Good.
A Herald" Reporter Goes to the
Source of the Contention.
A Committee Visits the President and Gets
No Satisfaction, Whereupon Purse
is Started to Fight the Matter.

Sisters hospital and made personal
inspection of all the reservoirs OF the
Citizens Water Company, for the pur-
pose OF learning why the supply of the
aqueous fluid is so short these hot days
along the crests of the hills west of the
city. There were three of these supply
reservoirs found-twp just above the
pumping station of the company, and
one on the highest apex. The reservoir
out OF which the pumping is done was
found nearly empty, and the water
therein was anything but Of that limpid
and sparkling quality which makes
Adams ale SO delightful to the mind of
the prohibition politician. 1t was of a
milky hue indicative of coming over
long stretches of the white clay that
abounds in the hills from Ivanhoe to the
city. OF the reservoirs about the pump
ing station, a small one, with a cement
half full. This is covered with
be determined by a mere in
bottom or not. 1t is probably not, as
done is of a common clay bottom. The
reservoir before the hospital was fairly
well filled Yesterday, but had been nearly
empty for days before.
1t was in no respect any surprise to
find so little water in these supply reser-
voirs, nor was it any to find it not
of that sparkling purity so desirable in
water used for domestic purposes, in
Guiding that of inhibition. For ten
days there has been loud cry of COM
plant all over the hills that there was
ve.y little water in the mains, and that
what was there was impure. On the
crests of the hills householders have
been unable to get water on their lawns
in sufficient quantity, and the milky APP
pearance of that furnished has made
the average stomach long for
something more pure. Nor was this a
new experience to the hillites. For
several summers things have been I'M
satisfactory in these respects, and as
now the kickers have been numerous
and the kicks vigorous. All goes well
in the rainy season when no one wants
water, but when the mercury begins to
climb the tube, and the roses droop on
the stem then goes up the agonizing cry
for water. Then the water is not to be
had.
What Mr.. WicIxs Says.
From the locus of the plant to the
Office of the president on Court street is
a weary tramp. But by going as the
dog in Mother Goose's rhyme went to
London, the scribe got to Mr.. Wicks's
office. The gentleman was just going
out for few minutes, and while he was
gone, the reporter put in his time dis
cussing the matter with Mr.. Conner, the
secretary OF the company. The muddy
condition of the water he accounted for
by saying that the company had a little
more than week ago given the system
thorough cleaning to put it
in order for the summer.
The old ditch used by the city had been
abandoned and the water turned in
through a new ditch, which nat
urally has good deal Of loose dirt in
it, and this fouls the water passing
through it. To further complicate
last Monday shut off the water from the
across from the gravity reservoir at Ivan
hoe. This pipe comes over very uneven
country and goes up hill and down dale.
w
remains in the lower part of the pipes,
the upper portion filling with air. when
the water is turned ON again, it requires
many days to force this air out of the
pipes through the water, before the
heavier fluid can run at will. This is
the cause of the short supply of water.
The reporter asked Mr.. Conner why the
company did not put in a proper
filter to cleanse the water as it
leaves the reservoir, and the secretary
stated that such an appliance would
cost from $4,000 to $20, 900, an expense
the present condition of the company
did not justify mourning.
By this time Mr.. Wicks had returned
and proceeded to discuss the matter.
He said that some time ago the resi-
dents of the hills clamored for meters,
as they thought the rates were too high.
The company put in meters on the
large consumers, and now these same
people do not want the meters because
the use of them has raised the cost of
keeping up their lawns.
The reporter had already seen j. M.
Wilmer in regard to the rates and
learned that he and his brother had been
paying $14 per month heretofore, and
that with the meters their water will
probably cost them not less than $40
hereafter. For those using water by
meter, the old rates established by the
council were 10 cents per 1000 gallons,
running down to 10 cents for those using
large amount of water. The new rates
made by the council are 35 cents per
100 cubic feet, graduated down
to 35, 25 and 20 cents for those using
more water. The general charge in this
city would be 80 cents per 100 cubic
feet, which would be about 35 cents for
$50 gallons. The reporter called Mr..
Wicks's attention to this terrific in
crease in rates. For 35 cents under the
old rates a man would get 2,33315 gal
Ions, and under the new rate he would
get 750, or about one-third as much.
Mr.. Wicks replied that the company
had never pretended to sell water by
meter measure under the old rates and
could not sell it at these rates. He
turned to printed lists and pointed out
that in San Francisco the lowest meter
rate is So and in Los Angeles 81, and
that in the bay city charges are much
higher than here. The reporter suggested
that the Spring Valley Company was
a bad thing to make comparisons by.
So Mr.. Wicks referred to Falls River,
Mass, where the consumption of water
is q gallons per capita a day, and