The San Francisco call., 1897-03-13

Lakes Water Company, was next sworn.
He could not tell, he said, why the Super
visors formerly refused to entertain his
company's offer to supply the City. The
company now supplied the mines in the
Blue Lakes neigh borhood and was con-
sidering proposition to supply Stockton.
He corroborated Colonel Mendelrs evil
dence, that water could be supplied more
cneaply to-day than formerly. His COM
pany would have no difficulty in supply
ing the City of San Francisco with
5O,OOO,O 900 gallons a day if necessary. He
could not say how the Blue Lakes water
compared with that OF the Spring Valley
Wafer Works. His company's main source
OF supply was melted snow.
Mayor Phelan referred to the fact that
the city of Manchester, England, was sup
piled by an aqueduct ninety-tive miles
long, CARRYING water from Thirlmere at q
cost OF $17,000,000.
The witness said that there was no
trou BILE in carrying water more than 100
miles.
The Mayor asked if the witness would
care to make the board an offer to supply
the City with water, and Colonel Mendell
replied that he could not do so without
consulting the directors. Continuing he
stated that the diminution in the cost of
material since 1877 was almost so per cent.
DR.. Clinton-Then if the cost of con-
similar work could be done to-day for
$l4. 900, 600?
The witness said he could not under
take to answer such question without
studying the relative cost of each class of
material.
Mr.. Schussler resumed his familiar seat
and was asked if he knew anything about
the sources OF supply below San Jose.
Replying 10 this question he affirmed
that the utilization of those sources
would necessitate pumping and the con-
structlon OF reservoirs at different eleva-
tions.
Before the committee rose he made a
voluntary statement apropos of Mr..
Emery's testimony. The members, he
said, had contrived to create an impress
sion during their examination of Mr..
Emery that the lower price of steel twenty
years ago had enormously reduced the
cost of construction of these mountain
schemes. But in the first place the price
OF labor had not gone down since then,
nor was the price of metal the greatest
part OF the cost of pipe line.
1t was only one OF the many items.
There were the metal, rivets, the con-
struction, transportation, digging of
trenches and the covering of the same.
The cost of rights of way had increased
considerably. Twenty years ago the cost
of the completed metal construction
would be between 81 and cents pound
on the ground; now it was bstween 6 and
81 cents. These mountain schemes were
all right, when needed, but there was
plenty of good water near the City. and
why not utilize it, especially when. as
Colonel Mendell had stated, the utilization
of the Sierra sources would necessitate
reservoirs to tide over the dry seasons.
The committee then rose and reported
progress.
DR.. Clinton said he believed that another
session would complete the investigation.
The committee will meet again on Friday
evening next.
An error In the last report of the water
rates investigation made the advert isIng
expenses of the water company read SOL 900
instead OF $1,000, which is, of course, the
correct amount.