The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-08-14
SPECIAL agent sheridan.
LOOKING INTO WATER SYSTEMS OF
VARIOUS CITIES
He CoAplinents seattle ON the Ef-
neieney Of Its Department. and
says Cedar River VIII give ~
Fine . supply a. Can he Had.

Mr.. Frank J. Sheridan. sreeis, agent OF
the bureau Of labor AT Washington city.
ha. been in the city several DAYS gathering
statistics Of the water department When
seen by q Post-Inseliieencer reporter yes
;erday 10 said thai No had been able 70
set at the figures Of the Seattle once with
iess trouble than Ia any other city ne had
yet visited.
II can always get tho information !
want" said Mr.. Sheridan. but usually
IL 10 contained in q mass OF figures that
necessitases a great amount OF digging In
order to extract Il. Here, however. every
thing seems to b footed up to data. and
al have 10 DO 10 to glance at the end
Of the columns.
'''The results Of my investis atIons will b
turned into the department at Washing
ton, and 60 toward the making up of
report Of statistical comparisons concern
!ng the workings Of water systems In tho
different cities throughout the United
Staies- The object Of this report Will he
20 decide the question Of the ACCESSIBILITY
q municipality controlling It's OWE water
works. and from that standpoint II viii
be . most valuable as well - Interesting
publication, There are many outside In.
auencea that have q direct bearing UPON
the question: making accurate statistical
comparison indispensable. Take fuel, for
Instance Where the cost Is smais you can
readily sec the economical advantage the
works would have over one where the
cost Of power In greater.
Political influences. however. probably
have more TO do with the success or fall
ure Of water system controlled by tho
city government than any other cause.
Here In Seattle this Is no; apparent, as
everything Is run on a positive civil ser
vice basis and the department is active
and thoroughly efficient; but In some cities
that have come under my obserya alton The
shole business Is given over TO political
tobberv and failure was absolutely the only
thing that could result
Tho trouble In Philadelphia over the
gas works was an illustration OF this.
They ran tho business there on a political
basis. and ran II In the ground so COM
pletely that a few months ago the whole
thing WAS declared a failure and turned
over 10 private corporation to 10
Strengthened out There Is no reason why
municipalities should not control these
things successfully. though. IL they would
regard them as business propositions and
keep politics strictly out Of them.
This Is all out OF my line OF business,
however, and quote onfy from the things
| have observed when I was on the search
for statistical informa ton.
the gravity system Of waterworks 10
probably the most satisfactory OF all when
the altitude OF the water source is great
enough to give sufficient pressure In
Portland this system IL used and proves
very satisfactory. though the cost Of opera
ton Ia probably not much less than under
the cd system, I don't know this for a
certainty As regards Portland, but Il 10
a general rule that one system costs al
much as the other to operate. The pree-
sure Is 50 great and steadily maintained
that the pipes wear out very quickly when
the water descends by gravity.
Electricity. too. has q remarkable Of
feet upon iron water pipes. have se>n
sections that had been for some time con-
tiguous to underground telephone and cleo
THO light wires SO full OF holes that thsy
were verfable sleeves. This Is well known
TO all water service men. though, and great
care Is always exercised in laying tho
pipes to protect them as much as possiblu
from contact with electrical currents''
Mr. Sheridan concluded by saying that
he thought Seattle would have as fine q
water system as any city In the West
upon the completion OF the Cedar river
works.