The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-29
AT THE SOURCE OF IT.
The Mayor Delegates a Committee t.
Go Out 10 Fish Creek.
HE WANTS TO BE SATISFIED
IL Is His Desire to Know Positively
Whether Mammoth Culch Water
Is Flowing Into the City In
Sufficient Quantity.

The assistant city engineer started
out yesterday for the source of Butte.
| water supply TO ascertain whether II
Is true or not that the supply is fail.
ing. He has a man with him and they
have taken snowshoes along and will
take time enough to make a thorough
| examination. They will not be back
before tonight anyway, and may be
gone a day or two longer.
| The men were sent out by the mayor
| not in the sense of a criticism or attack
| on the water company, but in order to
ascertain the real facts regarding the
water supply and obtain figures on
which to base an estimate of whether 1t
| Will be necessary to start up the pump
station on the fiat or not. 1t is a mat
ter of very vital interest to the people
| of Butte, and the mayor considers it
| dangerous to neglect the matter.
The first intimation the mayor re-
ceived that the water supply is failing
| and that there is a possibility of a
| water famine in February was received
about 10 days ago from wood haulers.
who reported that the water at the
source of supply had frozen up and
that the water in the reservoir was
falling at the rate of about four inches
per day. About the same time the fire.
men began testing the plugs and the
pressure on some of them was lament
ably weak. The mayor then sent Mr..
MeikleJohn out to the supply. He re-
ported that the fiume was frozen up
and that the water in the reservoir had
fallen nine feet since fall. Superintend-
ent Carroll denied this. The matter
was laid before the council at the last
meeting. The council instructed the
water committee to visit the reservoir.
Two members of the committee went
out there with Mr.. Carroll They only
visited the reservoir, however. They
found a stream of water entering the
reservoir 20 inches wide and five inches
deep. As to whether the new supply of
water was frozen up or not was still
unsettled. The mayor accordingly de-
cided to settle the matter and so sent
the expedition out yesterday, which will
make a thorough examination and
travel to the source If it is possible to
get there.
The mayor does not consider that he
is interfering with the water company's
business in any respect in making this
examination. 1t is of the utmost i'm
portance to the city to know what the
situation is. If the supply in the reser-
voir is falling as rapidly as reported he
Is in favor of starting the pump sta
ton on the fiat and using that water
ag gain. as was done last fall The water
on the fiat is of better quality than the
reservoir water, and by using the wa
ter on the fiat for a few weeks the res
ervoir would become replenished. The
starting of the pump station will cost
the water company $50 per day.
February is the low month of all the
year for water The sources are usu-
ally frozen and little water is running.
As soon as the spring freshets start
there will be plenty of water once more
at least until late in the summer
1t was confidently expected that the
new supply from Mammoth gulch |
commonly known as Fish creek water |
purchased by the company last fall, |
would solve the water problem. but If |
the reports of a steady lowering of the |
supply are true then the problem is not |
yet solved. The city engineer In visit |
ing this new supply last fall expressed |
the opinion that the supply would not |
be a third as great during February. |
Inc expedition which started yesterday |
will ascertain if this opinion was cor |
rect.