The record-union., 1899-08-03
THE WATER QUESTION AGAIN.

An objection constantly raised to tbs
use of driven we'll water from the east
side is, I'VE do not know if it is suffi
clent in quantity. 1t may give out u
Which is very true; it may give out. So
too, may the river supply. Greater
streams than the Sacramento or the
American have been diverted from
their courses by natures commissions
supply must be tested. It is only by
trial that we can ascertain the full ca
pacity Of the source.
While it is true that some of these
high as a million gallons. day with
out showing the slightest decline in
capacity, it is possible that they might
fail under the subtraction of seven or
ten million gallons per day. But while
this is true it is no reason whatever
for not testing the wells as to capacity.
The City Trustees declare that an
other power pump is necessary for the
useless. 1t has been worn out by the
grit of the river water and the fearful
call made upon it in the earlier years
when it was new. It is now counted
Holly gang Of pumps is in need Of ex-
tensive repairs, and they too are show
Ing the decline Of age. Thus the chief
burden, say the Trustees, is cast upon
the 'Allis pump. This amounts to car
rying all our eggs in one basket. That
is the argument advanced to support
the demand for a new pump of, say
ten million gallons capacity.
Assuming for arguments sake that
the claims are sound, that new pump
is needed and add to that assumption
the fact that the citizens resident in the
east of the town are i'll supplied with
water. and at certain hours can get
none at all from the city pipes. and the
further fact that a test of the east
side supply is fair, and in common JUS
tice should be made, and we come to
the proposition of Trustee Tebbets,
namely, that a large section of the city,
say. above Fifteenth street. should be
cut off from the river supply, the new
pumps TO be bought set up over gang
of wells and clear water be pumped
in to supply the east side people until
a full and exhaustive test is made of
the capacity of the source.
Thus we will have the lower part OF
the city supplied as at present, but the
strain upon the Allis pump reduced by
half or more, while the east side Will
receive it's supply from the driven wells
until ,the test of. them is complete. Ii
the fest succeeds then the gates can
be fopened, and the whole city have
clear, pure water. II the test fails,
what then? Simply removal OF the
new pump and it's boilers. But that
will cost money. OF course it will.
But whatever the cost it will pay. If
it costs twenty or thirty thousand dol
lars or something more. it will be
worth It to develop an east side supply
of sufficient capacity. For if the ca
pacity is there it is conceded that the
east side will be the most economic OF
any possible pumping systems. But
II the capacity to supply is inadequate
for the city needs, then We will have
settled the east side question once and
for alL It never will be settled until
there is a working test, and nothing
short Of that will satisfy all the people.
It will satisfy the friends Of the sys-
tenn, and equally the opponents of it.
Tn short the city of Sacramento is
dealing with such a momentous ques-
ton that it can afford to expend con-
siderable sums to make demonstrations
and without demonstrations there will
remain dissa tisfaction. The Record
Union" wants every suggested plan
tried, and exhaustively tested, and 1t
makes no distinction in this expression
between any systems. We know what
a gravity system will do: we know
what the river supply is; we do not
know what filtering bed or mechanical
ffltering schemes will cost as yet; we
do know what it will cost to lift and
deliver, any given number of gallons
from any source where lift and delivery
are necessary.
The two things that the people join
issue on are the feasibility of filter
scheme, and the quantitative capacity
of the subterranean source. Both must
be. established, whatever the facts re-
garding them. The one way best OF all
others to test the east side supply is to
put up a sufficient power pump, sink
the necessary gang Of wells If those in
existence are not sufficient in number.
and pump in to say one-third of the
city for a period sufficiently long to
demonstrate the truth, whatever it may
be.
The Cleveland boycott was the other
day reported as in decadence. Later
reports indicate that it has received
new life, and that the infamous thing
is being pushed beyond the limits of
patience on the part Of the public 1t
has been extended to other cities and