St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-23
The Water Works Association
Takes Up a Live
Topic.
MINNEAPOLIS INTERESTED,
For the Question Deals With
a Project OF Import
anee.
YESTERDAYS DISCUSSIONS.
Some Technical Papers That
Contained Valuable In
formation.

Liz SECOND QayS SESSION OF lHe
American Waterworks association
struck topic which interests Mime
apolis-the topic was the reservoir sys-
TEN. and as it Will be taken up this
morning again. it can be anticipated
that some information of value will be
gained. The association will take
vote on the question. which will give
consensus of expert opinion upon a
subject that is of vital Importance to
Minneapolis just now when 1t is pro-
posed to introduce the reservoir system.
The association listeued yesterday to
some valuable technical papers and dis
cussed them at length. The ladies Of
the visiting party were OH the 60 all
Walkers art gallery in the forenoon
and falls of Minnehaha in the afternoon.
while In the evening they joined the
| rest of the party and visited Lake Har-
riet, driving out over some OF the finer
residence streets and returning via the
street cars.
The First Paper
was read by d. d. Warner. of Reading,
Pa, upon Damage for Appropriation
! of Streams" He said water works
everywhere appear to be looked upon
| as suitable subjects for extortion, and
are fleeced and robbed by the public
when brought into court. This has
| been the case Tor years, and appears TO
, be OH the increase rather than the de-
| cline.
The majority of our people are. for
want of sufficient Intelligence, radically
wrong upon this subject, and, there
| fore. more universal education would
be to the interest of corporations, for
| the reason that in damage cases, as a
rule, the attorney for the plaintiff ex-
cludeS from the jury, so far as possible,
! all Intelligent and educated men,
! and then talks long and loud ABOUT
| the soulleSs. grasping and greedy cor
J porations. and thereby plays upon their
| preJudices for an excessive verdict.
/ This is so we'll known to corporations
that they never hesitate to Offer even
more than fair compensation for the
taking or approprlating of such prop
erty, and it is only when they cannot do
| otherwise thatthey resist payment until
| finally adjudicated by the courts.
This prejudice shows only how unjust
| the public is to itself in thus harassing
! and Gripping corporations, and thereby
! preventing very many public improve
ments often greatly needed. We want
! a higher degree of Intelligence, fairness
! and liberahty among the people upon
| this subject; and, in the election of
| judges, men should be chosen not only
| of integrity. but of undoubted courage,
| because judge, in this country, has
the right 10 reduce or set aside, at his
| discretion, verdict when the damages
! assessed appear excessive.
w. ID. w. Washington, civil en-
gineer of New York city, discussed the
wells and water supply of New Utrecht,
n. Y. He said he believed that engineers
were more or less prejudiced against
the well system. The water works man
wanted to see the source of his water
supply, 80 that he could know that it
! was all right. But while there had been
failures of we'll plants here and there,
Mr.. Washington declared that there
had been many failures, or shortages, in
loug-tried surface supplies. As mat
ter of fact the we'll system was in Its
infancy. The drive we'll was a product
Of the last thirty yerrS. and the system
of connected or gang" wells, had come
/ up within twenty. He believed that It's
future promised much better results
, than its past, and in certain soils and
certain water sheds the we'll system was
preferable TO other sources of supply.
Secretary Milne read a paper by
htuTy LOlIuau, cHeInlSG OF Cne H6nll-
| sylvania state board of health, favoring
a uniformity of reports on water analy-
ses. Among the sources of confusion he
referred to were the different bases of
| quantity selected for stating the results,
ranging from one gallon to 100000 gal
Ions. Another was in the want OF uni
! tormity in the chemical terms used
carbonates, nitrates, sulphates, phos-
| pilates, etc.
DR.. Lehman favored the uniform
basis OF SO many parts per million for
stating the analysis. Free nitrogen was
| OF little significance and its compounds
| under the new work of DR.. Wanklyn
had received some misnomers. The
| nitrogen existing as ammonium COM
pounds he calls free ammonia. which it
| is not, and the nitrogen obtained by his
| method from the organic matter, he
calls albuminoid ammonia, an equally
inaccurate term. Finally DIR. Lehman
| protested against the bacillus. counting
| analysis. The stateu.ent of the number
| of bacilli found in certain amount of
water is not worth anything unless the
| analysis carries with it the statement of
| the exact character of these bacilli and
the means by which they were identl-
fed.
At the opening of