The record-union., 1893-08-17
TIE WATER War.
Some Samples of Arguments for a
River Supply.
How the Considerate Sacramento Does
Not Force Itself on Us-Non-
sensical Bosh.

Crowds of people gathered yesterday at
the corner of Fifth and J streets, where a
small boy dealt out glasses of pure and
sparkling water from the Oak Park well
east of the city, as a sample of what the
city will enjoy if the Trustees should
contract with Mr.. Fish for a supply from
subterranean sources.
While not man who tasted the water
had the hardihood to claim that it was
not equal to the finest mountain water
that ever crossed the lips of mortal, still
there were those who denounced the
proposition now before the people to
have the city supplied with an abundance
of water of like quality and to cost no
more to consumers than they now pay.
Not one of these opponents of the pure
water proposition had solitary reason
to give for his opposition, except that
''river water is good enough" or that ne
'never heard of Fish," or that 'th ere is
job in it,"
Scarcely man of this class knew what
the specifications calls for, and not one
in twenty knew that these include the
laying of an $4,000 water-main from one
end OF the city to the other, for which the
city will not have to pay for fifteen or
twenty years, without interest.
One man was heard to assert that the
main was only to be brought down to
Sixteenth street, and this he persisted in
until copy of the specifications was
shown him and his assertion fatty dis
proven.
Up on street storekeeper who has
reputation for being 'fOrninst' every
thing that smacks OF progress or advance
ment, had a bucket of filtered river water
on the sidewalk and harangued the
passers-by with the statement that This
is Sacramento straight, the finest water
in the worldn'
This intelligent gentleman, however,
was not very consistent, for when bluff
old "Tule" johnson came along and said
he had seen the bodies of hogs floating
down the Sacramento that had died OF
hog cholera and been thrown into the
stream, the advocate of Sacramento
straight" promptly changed his tune.
He then declared that the people of this
city did not drink Sacramento River,
but American River water-that the for
mer flowed past on the Y Yolo side of the
river, while that of the American Rugged
the Sacramento shore!
You can stand on the Yolo bridge,'
he said, land see the two waters divided
in the stream-the muddy Sacramento
on the Iolo side, and the clear American
river water on this side ~
L uS lhlG1llSGul SSilbl0Ildl1 Ul1 IlOl seem
to be aware of the fact that but for the
American rivers pollution the Sacra-
mento would be almost clear. He also
asserted that sewage from cities above US
on the river could not injure the water
that running water purities itself-a de-
luslon that was dissipated many scores Of
years ago and which any high school
pupil can demonstrate is an absurdity
Dir. Parkinson was asked last evening
if he had not Investigated the river water
question quite thoroughly from sani-
tary standpoint.
YES" replied the doctor, "years ago
| Investigated it until found myself so
appalled, at the results that l tied up my
memorandum5 and put them away. |
never dared make public all that | dis
covered, out of consideration for the city.
why, made discoveries at Folsom
when they had several hundred convicts
working on the dam that would turn the
stoutest stomachs in the land. | need
not go into details, but | am simply
amazed that any number of persons Nv
ing here, who have to drink water from
the polluted American River, can be
found to oppose the proposition to give
the city supply of the best water obtain
able in the State. l supposed the people
would be for it as a unit"
That there are some men opposing the
pure water scheme for fear it may affect
their soft goods" trade there is no doubt,
but the majority of those who are against
it are so because-because they don't
know why.
These soft-andfrothy goods people,
however, seem to overlook the fact that
good supply of pure water would swell
the city's population by thousands in
few years and greatly increase the con-
sumption of their goods"
1t is well-known fact that Sacramento
beer is tabooed in some places because the
people believe the river slickens-water is
used in its manufacture. Let the fact
once be known all over the coast that
Sacramento has the best water of any
city in the State, and the result will soon
be manifest,