The record-union., 1899-08-04
LET US HAVE IMPARTIAL INVES-
TIGATION.

TIGATION.
In the city water supply investiga-
ton now going on, it should be borne
in mind constantly that there is no OPP
position to investigation fully and ex-
haustively of any of the plans of sup
ply proposed, with a single exception.
sailed and it is the only one which has
had prejudgment, and is assaulted in
the Investigating committee. It will
be seen, therefore, why friends of that
demand for it the same fair show that
they wish to see all other propositions
have.
At the meeting of the committee
Wednesday night, one Of the members
sitting in judgment, and presumably
there to hear testimony, ascertain facts
and then formulate a judgment, de-
clared that 1t is nonsense to talk of
underground channels on the east side;
that the geological formation would dis
prove any such claim; that there are no
artesian wells in the valley: that it
would take ,000-gallon pump to
test east side wells: and finally that
the water taken out would have to be
resupplied and the entire district would
be drained to furnish such supply.
The committeeman is a chemist; he
n 10 l.;
knowledge concerning the geological
formation. His explosion concerning
the east side source indicates that one
more of the jurors has made up a YER
his dogmatic statements simply prove
that he is man cast in dame natures
mold as are other men, and that an
others assertion is as good as his.
The Record Union" asserts that
there is an underground, unfailing sup
ply of pure, clear water on the east
side That it comes from a subter-
ranean stream or streams. probably
teeman the Record Union has solid
reasons to- advance, superior to those
the dogmatists employ. First, hun
dreds OF deep driven wells between this
city and Gait have supplied some thou
sands. of Sacramento County people,
and some hundreds of farms, gardens,
villages, towns, vineyards and orchards
with pure, clear, potable water for irri-
cation and domestic uses for over thir-
ty years.
Out of these wells living, we'll formed,
fuil-eyed trout of the mountain stream
type, have been taken. These wells
have not failed. Even in the driest
years they have continued to yield and
bless the husbandman and insure his
orchard, vineyard and garden. The
county itself for thirty years has drawn
its hospital supply from such wells. In
extremely dry seasons a few of the
wells have yielded less freely, but none
sunk to the proper depth have failed.
The water thus yielded is not river
water by sipage, a fact established by
analysis, common knowledge and the
absurdfty of a river Of the order Of
the Sacramento or the American press
ing. or sending down sufficient water by
percolation for the use of so large a
community as that residing between
this city and Gait.
Not enough water falls from the
heavens in any given year over the
east side area to equal the supply
drawn from the wells in that district.
The source, therefore, is undoubtedly
In higher attitudes, where rainfall,
snow and living springs never fail to
supply the thirsty earth. The chem
list committeeman says he has heard
of no artesian wells in the valley; he
should examine the report of the late
Chief Engineer of the State-Hau's
Physical Data of California. But so
far as that is concerned, "artesian" ex-
presses nothing as to quality or guam
tfty Of water. 1t defines a condition
only which was first noted in wells at
Artois in France. Artesian then in
dicates only the flowing capacity of a
well, that its source is at such an all
titude, as to enable the water in BURST
ing forth to follow natures law in seek
ing its level.
The geological formation Of the
whole east side section does prove, the
chemist committeeman to the contrary
notwithstanding, that there may be
and are subterranean streams flowing
beneath the valley in this vicinity; or
that there may be and are constantly
supplied bodies of pure, clear, potable
water deep beneath the surface. from
which domestic supplies may be and
now are drawn. The Record Union
knows of a single driven we'll within
the city limits, that has yielded stead
lily 10000 gallons an hour, which is at
the rate Of very nearly one million
gallons a day. That one fact dissi-
pates the charge that the only supply
of the east side is by percolation from
the surface or from fugitive and un-
stable underground streams.
stigate the east side proposition, let it
do SO fairly, freely, exhaustively, in
an open-handed and dispassionate way.
If it is already of mind to pass the
east side source on the dogmatic state
me1its and apparently prejudged opin-
ions of a chemist who has not tested
tho co,,reo md a phvSiciav1 whose raSi-