Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-01-19
OUR ST. LOUIS LETTER.
Tho Growth of YoRr-Ths New water
Works Conduit ComplStSd--A
MuaIoAl Qurnaaa
Musical Success.

hubiCAl Success
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Jan. 8, 1S93.--BO-
tween years Of concentrating, enc who
wants accurate information about the
population OF city can got 1t much
better from the reports of the water
tax solicitors than from tho voting
lists. People cannot dodge the pay
ment OF water tax as they can tho
taxes on real and personal property.
II the water tax is not paid the water
ia shut of promptly. Water is used
in every house, and the receipts in-
crease in a steady ratio with the
population. The water collections Of
st. Louis went over those of the year
preceding in 1902 by more than o
quarter Of million dollars, and this
is interpreted by the tatisticians to
mean that the city has gained In tho
last year about hundred thousand
people, who live in dwellings and pay
their taxes These figures, too, are
borne out by the reports for last year
from other departments whose work
increases with the population. The
building OF new houses last year put
twenty-three million dollars in the
pockets of mechanics, and demanded
the lighting of many more miles Of
streets by electricity. On the last day
OF the year the city paid bills for the
lighting of 44S miles OF streets and
alleys.
Water Commissioner Holman made
the city New Years gift by complet-
ing the million dollar conduit which
is to conduct the water from the river
to the pumping engines of the new
water-works This conduit was the
most difficult and important part of
the whole system. 1t was begun two
years ago, and work on 1t has been
going on, night and day, ever since 1t
will easily carry the one hundred and
fifty million gallons Of water a day
which the new engines are to pump.
The building Of the conduit was the
engineering feat of the work, and its
completion relieves the Commissioner
Of oil anxiety. By next fall, when the
sight-sAers begin to arrive for the fes-
tivities here, drive over the Broad
way Boul evard to the Chain of Rocks,
where the new works are, will be
part Of every tourists plan.
/ Nobody can tell whether or not the
stories are true about the attempt OF
an eastern syndicate to buy all the
street railways in St Louis, but the
dealers in the bonds of the roads, who
know their financial condition, say
that the company that gets the lines
will have to pay at least fifty million
dollars to acquire the control The
four systems of street railways in this
city cover 600 miles Of streets, and
most of the lines are run by electricity;
moreover, everyone of them is paying
good dividends. The rapidity and
cheapness of the service Is not equalled
by the roads of any city in the coun-
try, and the people feel no grievance
that might interest them In clamoring
for change So, the consolidating
movement is looked on generally with
indifference. So far as anyone can see
now, the patrons of the roads would
be largely the gamers by the change
as there would be established, almost
necessarily, a thorough system Of
transfer tickets all over the city, by
which passenger might ride twenty
or thirty miles for nickel.