Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-07-19
A RADICAL CHANGE
NECESSARY IN THE PLANS OF THE CITY
WATER BOARD.
Holders Of Land up the River Have Rather Start
ling Ideas as to the Value Of Small Acre
LOtS-What the Board Will Probably Do.

There is very strong probability
that the City Water Board will have to
make very radical change in its plans
regarding the procuring of a supply OF
water from a point up the river.
Whether this will become necessary
or not, very considerable delay seems
to be nevtable-enough, perhaps, to
make it impossible toget the new pump
ing plant in operation within the time
first suggested by the members OF the
Board.
This throuble arises from the elevated
ideas of the owners of the land up along
the liver, north of the city When the
Board conce lived the idea OF moving the
o jumping station TO point above the
city-or ra Their of erecting the new ma
chinery up there, keeping tn present
station as sort of reserve-it was sup
posed that the acre and a half or two
acres of land necessary would not cost
more than eight hundred or thousand
dollars, as it does not appear to be par
ticularly valuable. Upon the arrival OF
Mr.. Decrow, however, and close in
spection of the prices asked
for territory in the locality
named, il was found that
the Board would have TO put up several
thousand dollars for the comparatively
small section of earth required by them.
Not being inclined to waste the city's
money or allow the corporation to be
impos ed upon, as they felt would be the
case If they made the purchase at the
figures named TO them, the Board has
about concluded TO do one OF two
things: Either condemn the land nee
essary, II it is found the city has the
authority TO take that legal step; or, II
1t has not the power to thus acquire the
necessary land, TO abandon altogether
the idea of erecting the works above
the city, and 90 ahead and put up the
new machinery at the present station at
the foot of Eighth street, running a
thirty-inch intake pipe up the east
shore OF the river to some indefinite
point above the Top mill.
A member of the Board said yester-
day
"lf we can't got our machine nv up
where we think there is good water, we
will try TO bring the water down 10 our
machinery, without danger Of the fluid
being contaminated by the sewage Of
the northern portion of the city. can
see no present obstacle to prevent our
laying d thirty-inch pipe along the shore
of the river, close down TO low water
mark, or even in the bed OF TIA 6 river,
carrying il up as far as we de sire to go,
and leaving its upper end, properly pro-
tected, in deep water. The incline OF the
rivers bed would bring the water down
without trouble, aud we could throw
il into the high service reservoir. The
prices asked by the owners Of the land
we desired to purchase seem to us TO be
extortionate, and we are not inclined TO
pay it. The City Solicitor is looking up
the law as to the city'S power 10 con-
denim, and until we get a report from
him, we cannot say definitely just what
we will do. | think we can lay the
pipes In the river, "a proposed, and
save ten thousand dollars in the frst
outlay, as compared with the cost Of
building new plant, but OF co~rse,
we would lose the advantages in the
way OF economical operation we eX-
pected to get at the location abo Ut the
city"