The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-02-07
SAN JUAN's WATER PLANT.
been Four Hundred Years
In Coming.

The new 100000 municipal water
system OF San Juan, which is part of
81, 100, 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, 1s99 For the
first time then in 400 years the people
here will not have TO depend upon fire.
ouent showers. or country water carts,
for the supply of water. They will
get thereafter filtered product, 1,O00,-
600 gallons daily, if necessary, from
perhaps tte 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 nat
roofs the rain descends through pipes
10 a 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 ana
ordinary household purposes. But Tor
drinking they all filter the water
through a small bowl of sandstone two
feet across the top, which costs al 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
wear. 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 a 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 a small sword allows the
applicants in regular turn to hIi their
Jugs or pals. This water the city gov
ernment brings from the Rio Piedras
at cost, during the dry season, OF
$1,000 a month In two squares, the
Colon Plaza, where the ainwater
comes from the roof of the theater,
and the Marina plaza. where an arte-
sian well bubbles up, the city also
maintains free cisterns II months IN
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 n total capacity of 2,s0O,OO
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
ore of the two settling tanks "a hours
before passing through the adjoining
filter beds. only two of which will be
used at a 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 dl-
rect from the Rio Piedras basin. which
has capacity of 100000 gallons.
The appropriation of s6OoOoo for the
water system also includes the cost OF
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
u capacity of 2,5Oo,OOo gallons.
City Engineer Arturo Guerra, under
whose supervision the municipal i'm
provements are being made. now eN-
pects to have the water system ready
for service within two months. If
the property owners arc 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 a pipe
leading to the water mains. which have
been laid in all the principal streets
N. Y. Sun.