The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10

only reply was that one of the reservoirs
of the company had once been emptied
after many years of neglect and it was
found to be clean.
''Now | believe it is my duty as Mayor
to investigate all the matters pertaining to
the welfare of the people and to expose
such things. | don't care how much the
Spring Valley people kick, | am going to
do what | think right. The people elected
me to look out for their interests and l am
going to do So My investigation to-day at
Lake MERGED showed terrible state of
affairs The Spring Valley Water Com
pany makes a statement that its
500 600, 900 or $25,600,OOO worth of prop
erty. The company owns something like
1000 acres of land in the southwestern
part of this county about Lake MERGED
They claim the greater part of this is a
watershed about the lake and can be put to
no use There is great watershed there
More land than the company owns forms
this watershed. | do not know just what
land this company owns, but this cuts no
figure in regard to the conditions which
make the water in Lake MERGED so vile. |
went out to the lake with man whom the
Spring Valley people call crank because
he writes poetry about the filthiness of the
water | found that not only were his
reports true, but that matters were really
worse IMAM he
Surrounding Lake MERGED are milk
ranches, vegetable gardens, dwelling
houses and hog wallows. Manure and
refuse of all kinds are carried from these
places into the waters of the lake. The re-
suit is awful. To the east of the lake there
is a big milk ranch, where 200 cows are
kept. There are also houses about this
hillside where COWS, chickens, ducks and
hogs are kept. In the winter time the filth
from these places is swept down the hill to
the lake Lakeview is on the northeast of
the lake. Here there are a number of
houses, none of which are connected with
sewers. All the refuse from these houses
runs down into the lake.
''To the south of the lake is large hog
ranch. Over 100 hogs are kept here. They
have regular hog wallow in the bottom
of the creek, which empties into Lake
MERGED, only a few steps away. This hog
wallOw is in an awful state now, and it will
be in a worse condition as soon as the
warm weather comes on. The water, or
mire, in this hog-wallow is nasty-it is
horrible. Just think of the blush, green
ish and yellow mire, which nearly siicIened
me with its stencil and appearance, being
slowly washed down into Lake MERGED,
the putrid waters of which the Spring Val
ley Water Company will soon attempt to
furnish to the people OF this city for drink
ing purposes.
IheSe spring Nalley people are poison
ing us by giving us such water to drink
1t ought to make them subject to
criminal prosecution. 1t is curiosity to
me that in a civilized community such men
as belong to the Spring Valley Water Com
pany would attempt such thing or that
the citizens would permit it. The Spring
Valley people say, they are not pumping
up the Lake MERGED water now. This may
be true, but in the summer time when the
wafer will he nffan thau
will attempt to pump it up, but I will not
let them. | will enjoin them from supply
ing such disease-breeding water Next
Monday / will ask the Board of Supervisors
to go out to Lake MERGED, so as to see for
themselves what an important matter this
is with which they have to deal
1T is shame that a company which
acts as the Spring Valley does should get
81, 10000 yearly out of the people of San
Francisco. | cannot understand how the
people allow the company to act as it does
1t IS the duty of San Francisco to procure
its own water works. and to get pure water
from the melted snow of the Sierra Ne
vada. The credit of this city is good and
it could easily issue bonds by which it
could build its own water works system.
If fifty-year bonds to the amount of $40
600, 600 and bearing 4 per cent interest
were issued, they would be sold without
delay at a good premium. Il would be no
burden for the city to raise $500, 600 a year
for interest and 500, 900 a year for sink
ing fund.- or a total of 100000. Why,
the city would own its water works and
pay for the bonds before they became due
If the city would take these steps
= and l shall continue to advocate
them - there would be no more fixing
rates, the water could be sold at cost, the
city would save s500,000 a year, and it
would own its own water works. The
people now pay 81, $50, 900 to the Spring
Valley Company. If bonds were issued
81, 100000 would be all that would be
necessary to raise yearly, and the people
would be half million richer every year.
OF course the Spring Valley people would
fight the proposition. They already fear
that the people of this city will take the
step already taken by interior cities, and
they desire to sell their works to this city.
But the works of the Spring Valley Com
pany are rotten and the water impure.
They are criminals in serving poison to the
people, and the people should take steps to
secure for the city system of its own