Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-01-26
SAN JUAN's WATER PLANT
4 Municipal Improvement That Has
Been Four Hundred Years
In Coming.


system of San Juan, which is part of
81, 100,O 900 worth of improvements au.
torized by the Spanish home govern
ment within the past four years, will
be ready for use before the next dry
season, in February, 1899. For the
first time then in 400 years the people
here will not have to depend upon fire.
quent showers. OR country water carts,
for the supply of water. They will
get thereafter filtered product, 1,000,-
BOO gallons daily, if necessary, from
perhaps the best city plant, for pop
ulation of 10000. in the United States.
Each housetop during the rainy sea-
son now supplies the inhabitants un-
derneath with water. From the flat
roofs the rain descends through pipes
to cistern, which in most dwellings
of three or four families holds 700 gal
Ions. Many people take the water di-
rect from the cistern for washing and
ordinary household purposes. But for
drinking they all filter the water
through small bowl of sandstone two
feet across the top, which costs at the
store from two to six pesos. AS show
ers come every few days, except in the
dry season. the people get plentiful
supply of water nine months in the
year. In February, March, and some
times in April, however, the poorer
classes often suffer from the dry spell.
At this season the well-to-do residents
buy water from the country peddlers
for five cents jug, the quantity de-
pending somewhat on the quality. But
as the city maintains free cisterns in
the public squares even the poorest
need not die from thirst. Here at
the public wells Spanish policeman
armed with small sword allows the
applicants in regular turn to fill their
jugs or pals. This water the city gov
eminent brings from the Rio Piedras
at cost. during the dry season. OF
$4,000 a month. In two squares, .the
Colon Plaza, where the rainwater
comes from the roof of the theater,
and the Marina plaza, where an arte-
sian we'll bubbles up, the city also
the year.
The water of the new municipal
plant will come, not from the house
tops, but through 20-inch main from
the Rio Piedras, nine miles distant.
In January the contractors began the
construction of the water system, but
owing to the war were unable to fin
ish the work, as agreed, last August.
Nevertheless, only the power station
now remains uncompleted. At Rio
Piedras the plant includes two settling
tanks with total capacity of $500, 900
gallons, three separate filter beds, a
collecting reservoir and the accom-
panying power house. Taken from the
river, the water will be stored first in
one of the two settling tanks "a hours
before passing through the adjoining
filter beds, only two of which will be
used at time. When purified by the
finest grade of sand the water will be
pumped up $50 feet to the collecting
reservoir, half mile away, which
stands 40 feet above the highest point
in San Juan. For the present the dis
tribution will be made to the city d.
rect from the Rio Piedras basin, which
has capacity of 100000 gallons.
The appropriation of 100000 for the
water system also includes the cost of
a covered distributing reservoir with
in the city limits, on the north coast
hill. between Moro castle and San
Cristobal. The contract for this ba-
sin. which will cost $4,000, provides for
q capacity of 100000 gallons.
City Engineer Arturo Guerra, under
whose supervision the municipal inn
provements are being made. now ex-
poets to have the water system ready
for service within two months. If
the property owners are then COM
PEELED to equip their buildings with
modern sanitary arrangements, as
proposed by the new administration.
the plumbers here will reap small
harvest of gold.' For although most OF
the houses are connected with the new
sewer system, none of them has pipe
leading to the water mains, which have
been laid in all the principal streets.
IN. Y. Sun.
Troublesome Jerusalem.
People often ask how it is that the