The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-29
THE WATER QUESTION.
Editor of The Tribune

Editor of The Tribune
Sir: My letter of November 2g to the
papers concerning the water question WAS
so unavoidably long that / could not no.
tice everything. The speech of Colonel
Boies at the board of trade meeting, how
ever, being made by man of standing,
naturally calries weight. AS his state
ments, outside of Judge Hands, were
the only specific and definite charges
against us on that occasion, everything
else being vague and general unsup-
ported by names, dates or facts, Col
onel Boies' remarks possibly deserve
comment.
In its report of the beard Of trade meet
Ing The Tribune says:
COLONEL BOIES' EXPERIENCE.
Colonel Boes told of an experience
ne mad with the water company when
he was establishing the wheel works
He had an annual rate at first and
was well satisfied, but after a short
time the company put in meter and
from that time on the water at the
wheel works cost more than the fuel"
The other dailies give substantially the
same report
Assuming, then, the reports to be cor
rect, find, by reference to our books,
that Colonel Boies' Car Wheel works
were furnished water by meter measure
ments from July !, 1883, to March l. 1885,
when the Steel Tired Wheel company
| took possession. During that period Col
| onel Boies paid us for water Si,94S.23, an
| average Of A7.5S per month, or, reckon
| ing twenty-five working DAYS to the aV-
erage month, about S1.90 per day of
| twenty-fOur hours. In other words to
| run his plant, the water, without which
| it could not be run at all, did not cost
| as much as the wages of one ordinary
| shop hand. This would not appear to be
| ruinous, even though "a fact which Col
| onel Boles forgot to nention) shortly at
| ter the new company took hold, a leak In
an inch pipe was discovered caused, no
| doubt, by the jarrng of the big ham,
| mcr, and which had evidently been rum
| ming a very long time under full city
| pressure, and which of course always ran
| industriOusly, whether the works were
| in operation or not. The amount of wa
| ter wasted under such conditions Is in
| variably astonishing to the inexperienced.
! Since the property passed from Colonel
I Boies' hands, / find by our books that
| the average amount paid monthly for
water is diminished, though l understand
| that the work done in the plant has
! greatly increased.
| Now, though che wheel works are of
| nature to require an exceptionally
small amount Of fuel, and although they
are so happily located that Colonel Boies
| had the advantage of almost the cheap
| est obtanable coal in the world for his
| steam, yet, even then, as he had to buy
| considerable soft coal for gas in his Sic
| mems furnace, used TO heat cold steel
| his public statement that his water cost
more than his total fuel, and that there
! fore 1t actually did not cost him during
| the period mentioned $1.90 a working day
| of twenty-four hours for all his coal
will, | think. strike with surprise and
admiration every steel man in Scranton
accustomed to the calculation of costs
| Indeed, entirely aside from any conneC'
| ton with the water ocmpany's charges
| / consider it such an interesting fact
that | am sure it will be a matter OF
| genuine public value as showing what
| an exceptionally desirable place Scranton
| Is for the location Of new manufactures
| If Colonel BOies would prove his state
ment to a committee of three such men
! as for instance Mr.. Theodore q. Wolf
| I'm whose word the public could feel en-
! tire confidence. Such admirable practice
as that of Colonel Boies must certainly
| be at least six to seven times better thar
the wheel works are now doing. 1t Is
| surprising that such astute people as the
men at the head of the Car Wheel trus'
should have been willing to lose the ser
vices OF a manager 50 free from extrav
agance as Colonel Boies.
w. w. Scranton,
Pres. Scranton Gas and Water co.
| Scranton, Nov. 2S.