Wadsworth semi-weekly dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1899-08-05
HARK TO THIS HOWL.

should be so exceedingly low just at a
time more water would stimulate east
ern capital to invest in manufacturing
and smelling works An eastern syn
dicate, headed by George Burton,
bought the old reduction works on the
first Of May. The company have paid
out good deal of money remodeling
the plant and have given employment
to from fifteen to twenty-five men all
summer. They started up a short
time ago and were intending to put on
large force Of men and run day and
night, but as usual in July and August
of late years, the water gave out and
Mr.. Burton has been obliged to close
down for want of power. 1t is a burning
shame that a town and county that has
such facilities for an abundant water
supply for every purpose, should find
the river bed dry for two months In
the year when 1t is needed for power
and agricultural purposes more than at
other season.
Comparatively little meney expended
in a storage reservoir somewhere in
the mountains would make the supply
abundant for all purposes the year
round. 1t would seem but ordinary
business foresight on the part Of the
town people to take hold of the ques-
ton and see what can be done. There
certainly must be wisdom enough In
the community to settle question that
seems so easy of solution if 1t would
cooperate. Every company Of ditch
owners does not seem to be satisfied
unless ther ditch is running bank full
day and night, no matter whether they
use it or not, leaving the bed Of the
natural channel almost dry and covered
with "frog spawn an unsightly, dis
ease-breeding mess, endangering the
health and lives Of the people.
Each succeeding year, too, makes
the situation worse. The farmers and
ditch owners begin to grow about the
scarcity Of water during the last days
of June, and by the middle Of July they
get together, each jealous Of the other,
and regarding every suggestion made
with suspicion, and If any one dares to
suggest or advocate storage, they wink
and say to themselves "there is mig
ger in the fence, who is at the bottom
Of the scheme to unload a storage site
on the people of Washoe county The
conference usually ends in the water
associations sending a committee to
Truckee to ascertain the cause Of the
shortage. This has been the case every
year since 1890, that we know Of, and
how much longer ldeponent sayeth not.
The committee usually reports that the
water has been shut off for day or two
to allow some mill company up the river
to get in drive oflogs, or that some-
body is building bridge across the
river and cannot work if the water is
allowed to run down the channel pro-
vided by nature, or that somebody is
building dam and has shut the water
off temporarily, or that John Doe has
lot Of fence posts to haul across the river
and shut off the water so that he would
not get his tires wet, or the Lord only
knows what. Users of water tume
round and curse the people living on the
stream at some point above them. and
spend more time, money and labor run
ming to the head Of the bitches, putting
in temporary wing dams, sacks of dirt
and piling up little rock dams to catch
what little moisture trickles from the
crevices than 1t would take to settle the
question for all time If they would 60
about 1t intelligently says the Reno
Gazette.
Now Mr.. Burton you are rather un-