The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-04
FACTS Is. THEORY.
Some Solid Facts In Respect to Our
WATER supply.

Water supply.
Editor Morning News In an interview,
in your issue of March 20, Mr.. Lotion,
superintendent water works, says:
THE large waste of water going on in
the city is practically all on the premises
of the water users. The water pipes are
near the surface, and a leak the size of
a pin hole would show on the surface in
side of two hours. The surface showing
that will be made by a very small leak
is remarkable, as l know by experience,
and it is this that convinces me that there
is no leakage from the mains. All that
is needed to make our water supply ample
is to decrease the waste"
So much for theory.
Sometime ago my house became all of
a sudden afflicted with a buzzing, whir-
ring sizzling sound, transmitted appar-
emily through the water pipes, that was
exceedingly annoying, and caused visions
of flooded house or premises, or burst
boiler; accompanying same was a sensi-
BILE decrease in the supply of water. /
had al various times several examinations
of my premises made-one plumber claim
ing that it was some pipe or connection
inside mI water boiler, empting the same
and examining it; another that the drip
or tTi-cock was upside down. Made some
changes in this. Others dug in the yard,
and examined all the pipes and fixtures,
but all to no effect. The noise continued,
and in the course of time, probably two
months or more, my household became ac-
customed to it, when To- one bright Sun
day morning, the opposite side of the
street from my house (where the water
main ram was flooded and some one did,
very "duufully" notify the water works,
CHI frl1a a
was digging down to the water main,
about one and a half to two feet, and
my water supply was cut off, and with 1t,
the noise stopped. had to
suffer the inconvenience of no
water until the following Monday,
when the break was repaired, and the wa
ter again turned on my premises. but with
a cessation of the noise. The break was
in one of the small pipes leading from the
tap in the main There are two taps), the
pipe being broken in two; but a portion
of the water succeeded by force in finding
its way to my premises the balance go
ing to waste.
Now, This waste continued for over two
months, the water of course taking its
natural course downward through the po-
rus soil, saturating it in all directions,
particularly downward, and not upward,
and fun ishing a royal feast TO the large
oak-trees Of my neighbors across the
street. How many such leaks, with the
water following It's natural course down
ward and particularly, where it may hap
pen TO find natural downward contin-
uous outlet, would 1t take to account for
the greater portion of the waste now COM
planned of, and which Mr. Lotion asserts
Is practically all on the premises of wa
ter users?" And will the proper steps be
taken to decrease such waste instead OF
continuing to perpetrate upon household
-, A. act md Knf
ter2
If our worthy water commission, and
superintendent of water works would stop
theorizing, look up leaks in the mains, and
make known some of the facts as to the
vagaries of the meters they have in use
the people would readily see the absurdity
and the injustice of the meter on this
score 20 say nothing of the convincing ar
guments of mo meter" IN your issue Of
March O. TO which l heartily subscribe
The antics of the meter at my friend,
Col r. +. Johnson's house, is well known
to the public. on the other hand, meter
of the mcssenger-bcy type, a the resi-
dence of a well known citizen, with a large
family keeping horses "and a dog" while
furnishing the palatial residence and
broad and handsome grounds of this citi-
zen with a bountiful supply of water, sue
ceeded in registering in one month, one
dollars worth, ana the next
month, seventy-two cents worth
the latter being below the minimum
charge OF so cents per month fixed by the
water commission for the owner or tenant
of the lowliest hut in the city. Again a
meter Is known in a test case to have
amply recorded a loss by leaks and rum
ming faucets in one month, and in the sue
ceeding month, while there was neither
leak nor running faucets TO have. in its
laudatory efforts TO do the water commits
III m recorded
ming faucets that did not exist outstrip-
ping It's work Of the month before, and
almost doubling the record. which pace
Il kept up into the hot summer months
will mean pauperism on one side. or suf-
fering and sickness on the other for want
of water, which the incorrect and out
rageous cost would make prohibitory to
the occupant of the premises
Other Vagarics OF the meters will no
doubt, find their way into print in due
course II it becomes nocc ssary, and un-
less the meters are abolished, or the va
carries of some of them corrected some
real estate owners viii surely lose good
tenants who viii not be imposed upon bv
outrageous and incorrect charges. but will
rather move away from the meter, and
out Of the meter district" an unjust de-
vice 10 cover up an unconstitutional tax
on the householdors In limited section of
the city.
The chairman Of the water commission.
] believe IL was, stated in an interview
some time since that the gas company
would be far from supplying gas without
meters. The chairman should recollect
that the gas works were not built with
money obtained by taxation on the people
of Savannah, neither Is any one compeliod
90 use gas; he has electricity on the one
side, and on the other oil lamps. or. II
needs hc. the tallow candle or lghtwood
knot ana the writer has found by more
lAan GAS s4Dsiisnee iAat ule too aiInDle