Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-05-22
DOWN IN TIE RESERVOIR
WATCHING THE WATER SUP
Ply COME I%.
ICayOr Patton and Advisor MIL
lard spend COnsiderabIe THINE
Noting The way Things work
1m The CttY's storage Basin.


EDITOR THE CITIZEN Millard and
considered the necessity such as to
justify us in dcvoting most of yesterday
Sunday to the water system. A con-
siderable part of the time we were inside
the reservoir, where we could best note
the effect produced by the new pump. If
you will please state our observations
and conclusions, they may both interest
and prove advantageous to the non
water using public.
Early yesterday the reservoir was
opened, and as much water admitted to
the city as we deemed safe, rcserying a
small amount in case of fire. This
reserve is indicated by a depth of four
feet at the lowest portion of the reser-
voir floor. Please remember that the
floor of the reservoir is not level, the
perpendicular wall being twenty-five feet
high on one side and only eleven feet on
the other. The valve Admitting water
to the city was closed about 9 a. m, and
at $50 p. m. the maximum depth was
ten feet. the sloping floor being not
quite covered.
We then decided to turn it on again to
the city, and although the new pump
continued working at nineteen revO1u-
tions per minute Cits maximum being
26), and also fairly good stream was
coming in from the gravitation line, the
water in the reservoir rapidly reccded,
SO that by $50, i.e., in two hours, it had
reachedsthe lowest point we dared to
permit.
Now considering that this was on
Sunday, and all stores closed, including
many OF the largest consumers, it is very
evident that an excessive waste is being
permitted, and conscious of this the
committee recommended last week the
utmost economy in use OF water, which,
of course, involved stopping unnecessary
waste.
1 am sure when citizens appreciate
the great necessity of observing the rec
ommendation of the committee, they
will do gladly. And therefore i beg
you to give space to this com IN unicat tion
this evening, explaining the reason of
this recommendation, at "a time WI hlch
seemed eSn. to you and probably TO many any
Ject your committee and their well con-
Very respectfully, 4. ~ Patton.
p. S.-Please beg all persons having
fountains or lawn sprinklers to refrain
from using them until this great trouble
is relieved. know of at least two of
these being used yesterday afternoon,
while hundreds of people were suffering
serious Inconvenience for want of water.
1.-THE CITIZENS purpose is to uphold
| the Mayor and the Board in it's desire to
so bring this water question before the
citizens of Asheville that there shall be
the least possible waste. In some COM
ments made by THE CITIZEN last week
in which nothing of ridicule was at all
intended-it was presumed that nearly
all parts of the city were being as in
sufficiently served with water as most, if
not all. of the residents of the western
part of the city, in which case waste was
next to impossible, for the reason that
very little water was given them at all.
But it is learned that water users on the
west side of North and South Main
streets have been in the predica ment
described largely because some at least
of those nearer the reservoir have used
the water wastcfully. This waste the
Mayor is determined to stop, and all
thoughtful citizens will give him every
assistance in their power in this emcr-
Pency.-ED. THE CITIZEN.