Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-03
WATER AT LAST.
THE CITIZENS COMPANY FINALLY
ARoUSES ITSELF.
High Service" Reservoir-Fire Chief
Moore Satisfied the Trouble Is Over.

At last-water. Last night there was
three feet OF water in the ''high service"
reservoir as the result of the first days
work of the pump, which, all Saturday
night, was pumping water out of the
pipes of the City Water company at
Buena Vista and College streets at the
rate of 600 gallons minute.
Chief Moore of the fire department, in
an interview with a HERALD reporter
last evening, spoke to the following
effect
''For the past three months l have
been urging upon the city council the
necessity OF some action that would en-
able us to control the fires in the hills.
1t was for that reason that wanted to
have chemical engines purchased,
but at the FIRE at DR.. Halls
the other night even chemical
engine would have been useless, for a
little water is necessary for charging
them, even, and they were actually
fighting the fire there with tin cups of
water. That is, the house next door was
in danger and they covered it with bed
quilts and one thing and another and
kept wetting them out of pals of water
which were brought from houses near
by, which, being lower than the mains,
had little water not drawn off in the
pipes.
~ have taken more interest in the
matter than others. perhaps, because it
is bad to have a helpless fire department
standing around, even if it is not the
fault of the boys themselves. The pub
lie see them standing around, and they
are not likely to jump on the proper
persons to complain of.
Lately there have been complaints
made that the water company
shut off the water nights,
and that there was plenty
of water in the reservoir. 1 thought
this might be true, and that the COM
pany, from motives of economy, did
shut off the water at night. Accord
ingly, thought last night that l would
70 up and see how the water was and
then see the water men and find out if
we couldn't arrange to telephone them
in case of fire and have the water
turned on. / went up to the high SER
vice reservoir, and walking around l
found gauge marked off in feet stand
ing by the fence. The gauge looked as
though it registered twelve feet, and l
said to the man with me:
"'It looks as though there is water
there. Climb up and see if the thing
hasn't got jammed so that it doesn't
register He climbed up and pulled
and couldn't stir the thing. When we
came to look at the fence we found that
the gauge was boited fast to the fence
and couldn't move. If the citizens on the
hills ever go up to look at the reservoir
it is no wonder they think there is wa
ter there. Well, the reservoir is sur
rounded by high fence, there is a
corrugated iron roof over it, and no way
of seeing how the water stands. We
hunted about until we found a door,
broke the lock and went inside. There
we found that the water in the reservoir
was down below the service pipe, and if
it wasn't for the disagreeable look of the
stuff we could have waded across any,
where. The reservoir really was empty.
"They told me that the new pump
was to be ready yesterday, but we tried
a number of hydrants last night and
couldn't get drop of water" d
In company with Mr.. Moore tine
HERALD reporter went down to Yale
and College streets, where the new
pump was at work, shaking the ground
with its vigorous throbbing. The en-
gineer stated that the pump had been
set to work at O'Clock Saturday after
noon, but that the hills did not receive
any benefit until yesterday. as the
water was only pumped up into the first
reservoir, and the pump there only
works in the daytime. The pump
worked all night Saturday, and COM
menced again at o'clock last night. 1t
has capacity OF 600 gallons per minute,
and it is estimsted that the company
will gain a foot day upon the con-
sumption, 80 that in the daytime the
reservoirs will be full, and from now on
there will be water enough for con-
sumers, and more particularly for fires.
The pump at Yale street will run
nights only, SO as not to inconvenience
the city company or its patrons.
Fiom the pump the reporter and Mr..
Moore proceeded to the lower reservoir,
where they found the water running in
rapidly and considerable depth al
ready attained in the reservoir. Next
they went to the scene of the burglari-
GUS entrance of the night previous. The
door was still open and the water in the
reservoir was three feet above the SER
vice pipe. The deceptive gauge was still
in position, and on close inspection
proved to have been originally intended
for use with an indicator and float ar
rangement, which had disappeared,
leaving it in it's present condition to
deceive the casual inspector.
On the return trip several hydrants
belonging to that system were tried, and
all developed gratifying force of water,
80 that Chief Moore went home satisfied
that should fire occur in the hills last
night the fire department would be able
to cope with it.
1t was learned that Ex-Sheriff Kays,
who is now in charge OF the Citizens's
Water company, was in town yesterday
to see that everything was running
properly, and finding that no bitch had
yet occurred, he returned last evening
to his present residence in Santa Monica,
He says that the difficulty over the price
to be paid the City Water company has
been amicably settled, and that there
will be no difficulty about the water in
future.