The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-08
MORE ABOUT THE WATER JOB.

MORE ABOUT THE WATER JOB.
TAconA. March GISpecial l-Yestsrday the
Tacoma Light and Water Company inverted in
the Ledger copy Of IL advertisement which
appeared in Saturdays Etes. booming its white
elephant. the light and water plant But that
fact may not have amy connection with this ex-
cssps from IN editorial In tOday's issue Of the
former:
The proposition submitted to the council yss-
terday haa tempting look. A gravity supply
daily u just what We started out year ago TO
get The proposition, however. 10 to deliver IL
only At the city iimitA That IL rather indefinite
tons. and gravity water delivered at some
points on the boundary line would stin require
pumps. aud ct Others would require gooi long
hume to get Il where IL would DO available.
Again. Il may in NO way have placed . string
on the Ne,ss, which in the following four lines
disposes Of the two proportions submitted to
the city council Saturday for the construction
Of Independent water supply systems:
The offers Of J. Vincent Brown and G. B. Tai
bot. and r L Moore, Of Portland. to construct
Weter system, were referred 70 the committee
on fire and water.
And the following may constitute coinci-
deuce IN the publication of the two sides OF the
question:
There 10 still the oldI What the people
argument loft In 1avOYlrealty lear most Is that
OF the purchase OF theinot only their repreeen.
present plant It 10 Initiatives in the city c0un-
existence: 10 suppiyinglcil. but that their home
u with the water welnewspapers aud some OF
now use: 1t II payinglt their nOminsliy leading
interest on about 8. &c., citixens have prostt-
600 bonds and the x-tuted their positions
psnses Of Q very ex-and calling, and that
tHavagaut management they VIII continue 70
Il can BE- promptly ex-Ido 20 in the interest OF
banded, its revenue iu-Itho water plant sale ua.
creased, the cost OF sup-ltii the many shoulder
ply diminished Welthe cross that the few
shall assume . debt by may beneht thereby
it, purchase, but it H. slPcsI-Ikr1LLIo : n cBh
debt We are already March &
carrying, ana No are
bearing the burden .
others see 1T 70 afjuSt
It over our shouldefa-
Ledger, 1dych6
The taxpayers arc anxious TO b relieved Of
the city council to regulate and reduce water
rates - authorised BY the city ordinance; be-
sides there Is q demand TO allow the taxpayers
and not dollars 70 decide this water purchase
bargain.
But the worst feature Of this advertising boom
the TACT that Il lies. Only incidentally u the
truth In It II Il misleading. 1t says:
The supply Il apportionsd - follows:
Gauoaa
Springs in Galiisher's sulch. dams 2. 8 49,.
Bushsiisr ana Glover creeks Iitsredl.. 100000
Total pr...n. supply 100000
daily, to b eventually changed to power for
electric light purposes.
Spring t0teT supply: Gallons.
ssrvies5. - . 100000
Maplewood or Puysiiup :pring: llow
service and wharf supply ............lS.00O 900
Total spring water. ..............s 81, 100000
Now. Rudolph Herring. of New York city, was
brought on here to look into this water supply
question. He was paid something like $50
day and his expenses. His report, covering
forty pages. cost the taxpayers OF the city at the
rate Of $3.50 page And this engineer. who was
paid ct the rate Of 10 cents minute, says:
Thomas springs. 100000 gallons. disappears
In the ground. resppeazS in Clover creek spring:
about three miles below, and 10 there measured
again By The company ct 100000
The ground between the two springs being
coarse gravel readily allows this 20 that instead
Of Is Co., 900 gallons from the Two there ID, &C.
cording 70 Mr.. Herring's report page 10. only
about 10, 100000 gallons Per day.
The Maplswood springs. It 10 stated In the I'd.
vertissmeut Of the Tacoma Land and Water
Company. now 1900, 600 gallons. These springs
were gagged July 81, 1891, about . month after
What hey would really dow ct the latter part OF
September can not b conisctured, but Mr.. Her.
ring says that the now Of these springs can only
safely b estimated ct y.5o0,0o0 gallons, ana that
portion OF these springs 10 probably the out.
dow from the disappearing Thomas springs,
which sink in the ground about one mile from
the source.
This psrcolstiou may be further strengthened
by the experience Of the water company, when
1t attempted to bring the water into the city In
an open ditch, designed by Isaac W. Smith, the
engineer and superintendent OF the city water
works at Portland, who WAS then in charge OF
the company's work. After the water was turned
In from spanaway lake and Clover creek 1t all
disappeared In q short distance In the ground.
Then the ditch was lined with boards, which
have done duty ever since, some nine years.
The company claims capacity Of 100000
gallons, but the shove figures would decrease It
to some 2O.0 900 or 100000 gallons, differ
ence which would be one-half more than the
supply the city has at present Muck creek.
which flows from some Of the springs mem
toned, in the winter 10 . stream two or three
feet deep aud thirty or forty feet wide. but in
the summer IL 10 entirely dry, having sunk In
the gravel MapleWood springs are only forty
six ieet above tide, barely elevation enough to
flow to the city front, and TO be used at all
would, have 70 b pumped These springs are
near the town Of Puysllup. and spring out of
the bluff near by.
The gravity supply proposed to be furnished
for $751;, 500 would be gravity supply in fact for
all parts Of the city and would be abundant
enough to allow q daily waste Of II, 200 900 70 b
used In flushing sewers, sprinkling lawns aud
the like.
Fred g. and George II. Plummer this after
noon filed . claim for thirty five cubic feet OF
water per second to be taken from Mashell
river, near Eatonyille and also to Clear lake a.
a source of water supply for Tacoma The
present city council has deemed the Mashell
river supply not desirable. This 10 the 0rst in
dication of a sQuabble to control the sources Of
water supply.
H. c. CLEMENT DEAD.
The Well.knOwn Real Estate Dealer Of
Tacoma Expires 0uddenly.