The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-07
Weather Forecast.
A NEW SOLOMON.


VIM Muir is interested with Trustee
Devine in advocacy of scheme to
supply Sacramento with water from
the American River, taken out just be-
low the drainage outfall of the town
of Folsom.
Muir was recently appointed by the
Trustees, on motion Of Mr.. Devine, to
consult with a committee Of the board
concerning construction of the S-street
sewage stump, and for no other purpose
whatever.
: But Mr.. Muir now develops as an ad-
visor on about every matter of public
improvement that is before the people.
The wonder is that he omits even the
question of City Hall, a new High
School building, and the proposed new
water main. He has worried from his
troubled brain on the strength of the
S-street stump treatise on our sewers.
system for relieving them of ''obnox-
1ous gases garbage crematory, an
purposes, and a new water system.
He has submitted to the committee
a paper: which the Record Union" has
printed in full that the people may
know just what sort of an impractical
BILE Muir is It cannot be discussed in
detail, since access to the plans and
drawingss' was prevented Wednesday
night hy inadvertent failure to notify
the City. Clerk that q meeting of the
iconiInfttee was to be held and the pa
pers Were consequently obtain
able, they being in the custody Of that
official.
But the paper was read just the
same, and if it does not serve to in
struct it does not fail to amuse. Muir
informs us that there are five plans
for water supply, and that the best
should be adopted. Assuredly. While
appointed to advise concerning stump,
he says he must interpose "a word OF
warning concerning wells
In this word of warning" Mr.. Muir
tells US that there is "a valley under
lying Sacramento which has been
filled up by water wash 1000 feet"
Every foot of the way to the bottom
he assumes to know all about without
an inch of boring. We are told that
this I'LL has different qualifications
carrying water''-at least he says 1--WE
have" these different qualifications;
presumably in the "fill' is meant; that
all these have their origin from the
surface" That this brilliant may not
be dimmed we quote literally: 1.-THE sur
mated pools.''
Where these pools are. what they are,
why they form, why they stagnate. and
how they affect water lying in strait
these important matters we are vouch-
safed no information by this new
efiedeed authority. We are told that
I. the lower strata is full of foul cases.
Does he mean stratum? It is import
ant to know whether he intends the
singular or the plural form. If the
singular is meant, then these foul
gases" are 1000 feet out of the way.
Nor are we informed how a water
wash" making a 1.9OO-foot fill came to
be stratihed; through what countless
ages the process wenNon, nor what the
composition Of the strata, clay, hard
pan, granite sands. sediment, washed
gravel, boulders or what not-all i'm
portant factors of which Mr.. Muir
should have told us.
+ OF course 1t will be useless to consult
Dana or LIE Conte or Rising or any
other authority, for does not Mr. Muir
tell US that between these ''stratifica-
tons" or between the foul cases. or
between the stagnated pools (whichever
IS neant) there is filtered water" that
lis moderately pure" We may no,
consider that water is either pure or it
is not. and that moderately pure" is a
very indefinite and not an understand
able term; hence we pass on to the
declaration that in his (Muir's) 5udg-
ment water drawn from this filtered
supply in such quantities as are need
ed for city uses would become foul, Ii
coming from the same fountain head, =
i. e., the "stagnated pools"
1t seems to. make very little difference
to Muir that he thus knocks the under
pinning from his after advocacy Of
Mr.. Devine's Folsom filtering scheme
by proving to his own satisfaction that
through 1900 feet of filtration the pro-
cess Of nature does not rescue the
waters Of the bowels of the earth from
impurity.
We are given a breathing spell while
Mr.. Muir proceeds to descant of city
ownership Of an electric power plant,
needed to operate his pumps, which are
/, to suck gases and things out of the
S city; but he adds that it is to be used
also to pump water, run crematins
plant and light the city, the outlay for
all which is to run up to 100000.
It is to be. kept in mind constantly
that Muir was not appointed to wade
Into these matters; that he was given
no warrant to trespass upon the sub
{ Grunsky, the competent and practiced
engineer having charge of the whole
question of drainage. sewer system
and Of water supply. as municipal adj
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