Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-19

vassx OF tnsls ss--s 80 rsas tns
psevslsns belief being that thsss vstsrs
we're xrcegtsoaally good. Least Of al
could ta~y believe that there wAs any
danger OF contamination from their
csss-pools or psivy vauita In Goa
<s1uctlnx 9 sever tnrouxa The nness
s<s.asnes pofsloa u Me cay u 49,
foaad necessary ~ 20 . lev fest
deeper tnan these ussls sish this sewer
srsaca. La very few dAvs every sell
WITHIN two csoeks-7so feet-ef
.1.s sewer sxen-h MA drained
dry. Alter tais IL vac not
4 tsicuit tor tnsss people 10 ses aud
believe that wnen the water OF ihslr
sells could 90 quick y hud 10 vsy 10
s1is sever dlteA. throaga 40 fsst Of
u tsryeniDg earth, certainly the nnid
contents Of taer ccss- pools. seldom
nifty feet away. could very easily reach
their wetis. Had these private velIs
penetrated the water stratum ten feet
deeper, ana With lmpersious sites. Only
admitting water ~ the bottom. Al
dagger wocld have been escaped. IL
vii dlsmlss the subject of private wells
With this observation IL tie iasiruc-
tons outlined sooye are followed,
every private we'll may be made per-
tsctly safe
\ Public Water sappiy-
To 70 hack 10 the main subject,
"Publlc Water supply" While We Ind
nothing involved very different III priu-
cipie. yet We md sne ques,i' a far more
difficult Of trextnenL In . private
supply We usually nave only the Inn
ted requirements of individual cases
to provide tor. In pubic supply Ne
have the collective wnols Ga our
hands.
Ia aimos. al localities We can very
easily finc water enough in the ground
10 supply = private family OF nvs or
ten persons; but when Ne come TO :
pubic supply involving the needs oil
5000 or 500. 900 people. u seems very
different problem. and yet i 70 differ
ent only in relative proporti IN. and II
10 rarely that We ind the obstacles 10
success insurmountable.
Many of our cisies are today poison
| ing their people through the agency OF
corrupt public water supplies. devel.
oped Ia partial or total disregard OF ell
natural law and principle. Many other
cities with water supplies ample IN
quantity and perfect in quality often
vantoniy corrupt these perfect supplies
with VIGOROUSLY bad water upoa every
little fAncled emergency and thus keep
the health and lives Of their people IN
constant danger. The city Of Jacksou,
with . most excellent public supply Of
three million gallons OF water per day,
while ner average consumption 10 only
half this amount. yet turns the water
| OF foul disease germ laden stream
into the water mains and service pipei
of all her people. perhaps hfty or one
hundred times year. or az often AZ
they have FIRE. The only neccss, y
Tor thls terrible and inexcusable mis-
management is entirely due to the low
grade OF mechanics and engineering
as exhibited in the development and
arrangement Of the jackson watel
works system.
Honest Public oniciaIs
It 10 doubtless true that the grea
majority Of our officials on boards o.
public works are honest m en-, and AIN
10 serve the people faithfully. Ths
chief trouble arises from the peopi,
themselves electing persons to serv,
upon such boards who have had M
experience whatever In life TO qualif,
them for the work they are called upo
to perform. A man may be . goot
shoemaker. merchant, lawyer, docto
or minister, but the chances are tina
none OF these arc in the slightest de
gree acquainted with the mechanic
and engineering involved in "publi
works" development. OCCASIONAL,
some Of the least Competent Of thce
classes are put in positions of authorit,
upon such boards, and assuming Il
know more than the best and most ex
perienced. will work worlds of mischief
leaving the poor. dear, foolish peopl,
TO bear the burden and foot the bills
Doubtless the most striking instanc'
OF inetficiency, gross mlsmaaazemen
and reckless waste of almost matches
natural advantages Is afforded by IN,
home city-kalAmazoo-in the man
agsment OF her public water works sys
tenn. / should prefer not TO use tai
case IN illustration, could the sam
end be accomplished AID tho cam
good be done otherwise, because every
thing connected with the Kalamazoo
case 10 IN some degree personal TO my
self. But II is only the public goo
that i desire 10 promote, anc TIL
means the kalama ZOO public good q
we'll as the general public goo1. In
case like this the plain, unvarnishe
truth constitutes what may
called "herulc treatment an
such treatment 10 the only possib.
way TO reach sucn cases. and do an
good.
kslams ZOO has one Of tho finest pull
lie water supplies in the known world
and yet this water supply is 60 mar
| aged a. TO be oft-tmes we!l-nle
worthless.
kaiamasoo's water system.
Twenty-Five years ago dsveiope
this water supply for the, then villay,
of Kalamazoo. TINS supply 10 take
from the ground. By means of a larg
well 20 feet In diameter and 80 fee
deep. This 10 the fret large publ
supply ever developed IN this manner
Neither the engineering profession q
the public had any faith In the feas
} hllity ofthe work At that time, and II va
only after guaranteed its engineerin
success aud advanced half its cost fror
my own pocket, that the village ~
thorities permitted me TO 70 forwar
with the enterprise. The result Of IN
experiment far exceeded our mo,
ssnguine expectations. When ou
work vas completed We had q Ne
that would furnish 3. 800. 900 gallons G
water per day. and the quality OF ID
! water vas perfect. This marveloy
we'll will stsll, after twenty-five hour
constant use. furnish three an
ore half million gallons per dsv II N
same hn- quality Of water. and ret q
; msnsrem-at Of this splendid vsts