The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-01
HELENA'S WATER SUPPLY.
The City Now Furnished With Water by
New Gravity SYSTEM.

The City Now Furnished with Water by q
New Gravity System.
There are probably not twenty-five people
in Helena who know that the city has to-
day an entire gravity system Of water
works. It has been, however, only within
the last two weeks that the new system wal
perfected. This carries = great deal more
Significance with it than appears from this
simple announcements. By it the pumping
station 10 done away with and no more
water from the we'll in the fiat below town
is conducted to the mains. A new source
of supply has been tapped from IN immense
watershed Astounding in living springs and
in many places having perpetual snow
This new source has doubled the former
water supply of the city and only about
half the new supply is necessary for pres
ent requirements. During the months OF
summer and fall the Helena Consolidated
Water company accomplished a great deal
and has put at rest for years to come the
question Of an ample supply of pure and
wholesome water for fire and domestic pur-
poses. Under the present improved system
west is better supplied with water thar
Helena. and the people at large will be
gratifed to know that this, at times, VEGA
tious question of q water supply is now per
manently settled.
The water company has fully carried out
every promise made by it in this respect
and accomplished more than was expected.
During the year the company has expended
the sum of $685. 600 in extending its system
Early in the season, Mr.. Frank j. Stever,
the c%ompany's construction engineer and
general superintendent was placed in the
field to investigate the mountains and locate
a water shed. Nine miles from the city, on
%La nnrAnp,N c1~>c ~E thn Do0inr IN ~ nf fh1
Rockies in the.vicinity of the Mullan tunnel,
Mr.. Stever put a force of about lOo
men at work and built q reservoir Just
south of the Mullan tunnel which is seventy
feet higher than either the Hale or Wools-
ton reservoirs in ths city. 1t has a capacity
Of 100000 gallons and at the present time
100000 gallons flow into the reservoir
every twenty-four hours, obtained entirely
from springs and melting snow. The water
shed embraces an area of twenty-five square
miles.
During the past four months an average
of ITO men were employed daily on this
work. From the reservoir eight and one.
half miles of conduit pipes have been laid
to conduct this new supply to the city. An
idea of the extent of the work may be
cleaned from the fact that 1874 carloads OF
pipe we're used. A remarkable feature OF
the work, and one which rebounds to Mr.
Steers ability as a constructing engineer
du0 bp0dhN VIGIL 1OI tuc IuuAbuApS IL
that after a five days test was made, not q
leak was discovered the entire distance.
Besides this big undertaking the company
laid during the summer thirteen miles OF
extensions in the city limits and n and
one-quarter miles in new additions, and
one and one-hnlf miles of pipe was received
just recently and would have been laid only
frost prevented. 1t will be seen that in a
quiet way the company has done a great
deal of work during the year. The doing
away with the necessity of pumping has
saved a large item of expense, but in case
of emergency the old supply will be brought
into requisition. In the matter of fire
tighting-alone, the new system will be OF
vast Importance, thus assuring a never
failing supply of water.
As president of the Helena Consolidated
Water company Mr.. w. A. Chessman hal
been using his utmost endeavors to no
only give a plentiful water supply, and tt
fulfill the promises made by the company
but wherever demands require 1t th'
water service is extended. With such mel
as Mr.. Chessman, MIR. A. j. Davinson and
j. b. Clayberg as the head of such an in
stitution. the people of Helena may fee
assured that they will never permit the cit.
to be short of water, and in Mr.. Stever the
company has an energetic, painstaking and
industrious official.