Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-19
SUGGESTIONS FOR WATER WORKS
The CLEAR ronS NOT THE PLACE
ron DAMS.
y view Plan for saving n Great sup-
ply OF winter Win Dam peiow
she Junction OF tie Two branches
Of tho Trinity.

The following communication In ref
rrcnce TO water supply viii be found
interesting. Mr.. King, the writer 70 an
old citizen Of Fort Worth and Is wen
Informed in regard to he mntser.
1cdltor Gazette:
Fort Worth. Nov. ls.--In the issue
OF your paper of the l>th instant no
Alec that the water WORKS committee
ana other officials OF Fort worth have
selected sites for dams on the Clear
Fork some distance west OF the city
AS an old citizen OF forty years resi-
dencc in Fort Worth. and feeling a
deep Interest in her prosperity. ] beg
20 submit through the columns OF your
valuable paper some suggestions upon
the subject OF water supply sufficient
Tor our needs. No doubt those gentle
nen who are to decide the location OF
these dams are actuatod by their best
Judgments and conscientious pur-
pose to procure the largest supply OF
water at the least cost. but do not
think their proposed plan practicable,
for the following reasons. to-wit;
I. ! don't think tho Clear Fork Will
furnish sufficient quantity OF water
TO supply the demand; and
2. | think the soil where these pro-
posed dams are to be constructed con-
tainH too much gravel and rock to hold
water.
Common sense out-weishs all nrgu-
ments OF science where those argu-
ments are not based on II, ana common
sense dictates that the nearer you ap-
preach the source OF a stream the less
water you lind, IL also teaches US that
two streams will furnish more water
than one. Neither can It ~ denied
that the further you 80 up the Clear
Fork the more gravel and rock the
soil contains. ] believe II Ii also now
generally conceded that u would have
been wiser TO have located the water
works at the confluence OF the two
rivers than at the present location.
Notwithstanding It wa. scientifically
demonstrated 70 the satisfaction Of
majority OF the city council at the time
the present location was selected that
II was better than the old one.
respectfully suggest the following
na a plan for obtaining 4 water supply.
ko-wii:
Construct one dam, hereinafter deslg-
mated as the malu dam, twenty or
fN'ahfA NV A'NA Allkllf tEfWlA lIlt lIll-
ity river say thrce-fourtha Of mile
below the confluence OF the Cieur Fork
md West Fork. and another dam
across the West Fork near the new
cemetery, where the aluugh, or what
W known aa the old river bed, breaks
pr from the present river bed. The
htter dam could be built sufficiently
high that the course Of hat stream
p9uld be entirely changed az VIII This
would make q large reservoir OF water
fnd would turn the mud and fifth, com
mon In this stream after ralna through
the slough or old river bed to q point
below the main dam The water IN
this West Fork reservoir could be kept
rs q reserve supply md used only after
tt had settled and when the water In
the main reservoir was exhauated II
could be let out by meana OF q gnte I'm
the dam. then run through q filter TO
purify It. ! am Informed that the fall
from Tie present water works site to
The forks OF tho two rivera IN about
ilvc and half feet; add 10 this 1--WE
ana g half foot more fall TO tho pro-
posed main dam above mentioned
would mako total fan or about eleven
feet from the water works. to the main
dam. Ihis dam, being twenty or
twenty-five feet high would give a
depth OF water at the wnter worlta OF
uiine 70 fourteen feet. with the course
OF the WeBt Fork changed as above
described, and q leyee thrown up GA
the south side OF the slough, tho entire
bottom north OF the ely would be snfe
from overiluwg and could be utilized
for railroad depota, machine ahops. fac
tories. etc. The rescryolra formed by
the construction 90 theso dams would
IN the main be the channels OF the
streams themselves, In black loamy
soil. practically free " gravel. and al
ready prepared by natural agencies for
holding water
This ~ submitted rs general out
line only OF plan, AGAINST which
doubtleas many objections could be
urged, but In my humble Judgment Il In
more practicable than the one now
contemplated by the water works com
snittee. ] VIII add further. that IN the
main reservoir above mentioned the
mud and sediment would be deposited
at or near the dam, while at tho water
works ,he water would be clear, and
tlia with the Uttered water from tho
West Fork reservoir would furnish a
copious supply u wholesome water
II. II. KING.