The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-19
FISH CREEK WATER
Mr.. Carroll Denies a Report That 1t
Is Frozen Up.
THE FLUME Is A SUCCESS
He Also Says the Graveyard Source
Is Not Emptied Into the City
Mains-Plans for Next
Summer.
THE FLUME IS A SUCCESS

1t was stated yesterday by an alder
man who claimed to have reliable in
formation in the matter that the new
Fish creek fiume had frozen UP solid
and with that supply shut off the
water in the reservoir was getting
dangerously low. 1t was also stated
that as the Fish creek fiume Is un-
derground for a considerable distance
and away up in the mountains there
was little prospect of its thawing out
even in the summer months. and the
belief is expressed that Butte had had
its first and last taste of diluted Fish
creek water and that the water would
be as bad next summer as IT has In
years past Mayor Thompson was in
formed of the alleged condition of
things, and after official cognizance
had been taken of the reports, Super
intendent Carroll of the water COM
pany was interviewed in regard to
them by a Standard reporter. He gave
the report a sweeping and emphatic
denial and produced his official reports
in support of his statements and also
told incidentally of the work that the
company Is doing to secure a large
supply of the Fish creek water.
THE Fish creek fiume has never
given us a bit of trouble" said Mr..
Carroll, land 1T is not frozen and there
is no chance for It to freeze. The
water In II is running five and a half
inches deep, and as the fume Is 1Sh
inches wide it gives us a daily supply
of million and a half of gallons from
that source. The present daily con-
sumption is between two and two and
a half million gallons, and with the
added supply from Basin creek we are
losing less than five hundred thousand
gallons daily from the reservoir. The
reservoir now contains about sixty
million gallons and the water in II Is
As feet deep. which is eight feet deeper
than 1t has ever been. The extreme
depth of the water in the reservoir last
year was only 40 feet. There is no
danger of the reservoir running dry
or even getting anywhere near dan
gerously low. The graveyard pump
has not been started, as has also been
reported, and there is no likelihood
that II will be. After the pump was
used the last time 1t was dismantled.
I'VE did not expect to get enough
water from Fish creek this winter to
supply the city, as the Fish creek sys-
TEN Is not yet completed, as / ex-
planned when the water was first
turned into the reservoir. a couple of
months ago. We are now driving a
tunnel at the head of the new fiume to
reach bedrock under Fish creek. We
are In about so feet and / am hoping
to strike bedrock very soon. As soon
as we strike 1T we will cross-cut at the
head of Fish creek so as to catch all
of the underground water. There is a.
slate formation around Fish creek and
just above our fiume is an immense
basin from which a great deal of the
water disappears and goes down to
bedrock. / think there is as much
water on the bedrock as in the creek
itself. The end of the tunnel is now
about 10 feet below the bed of the
creek and is getting deeper as it goes
in. Next summer our minimum supply
from Fish creek will be 5000, 900 gallons
a day and it will probably run up to
100000 We will continue to use the
reservoir unless the water shows signs
of becoming stagnant, as it acts as a
settling basin"
Mr.. Carroll showed the reporter a.
demijohn of water taken from the res
ervoir which he is sending to Chicago 10
have analysed for the purpose of see
ing whether it contains anything dele
FERROUS. He stated that he will have II
analysed from time to time for the
same purposes.