Mesa free press., 1900-07-20
FIRE PROTECTION.

eve have received the following
from an old contributor, and cheer
fully give space to the same
Mesa should take warning from the
1 misfortune that has Just oyertaken
PRESCOTT and begin at once to secure
itself against the fire fend. Her
good luck in escaping destruction on a
large scale may not always abide with
her One of the resources at her
command and within her possibilities
is pumping plant. 1t has been de
termined through acual experiment
that Mesa is resting over an immense
lake of water bounded by the ranges
| of mountains that surround it in the
distance on all sides. This large body
of water is one hundred and seventy
feet deep as shown by the well now
being bored on the Murphy ranch, and
is absolutely ipexhaustahle, except its
source dry up:
The question of fire protection is
right up against US and to forego the
improvement is to invite disaster and
multiply danger, or cease to expand.
Which will you dog
There may exist ample room for the
critic to get in his work upon the for
mer city councils in their mistaken,
expenditure of the city funds upon
impracticable machinery and tbs pur-
chase of improvements that might
have been delayed at no great incon-
venience, yet no one will charge these
councils with anything other than the
best of motives, though the wisdom Of
of the measures were at fault. There
is saying in Shakespeare that brood
ing over grief makes room for an
other, or something to this effect, so
the past may as we'll be accepted as it
is, and all our energies turned to the
future needs of our thriving little city.
One thing prominent among others
can be recorded to the credit of Mesa,
and that is that she has never been
the victim of looters. No one in of
fee nor out of it has sought to work
her treasury for private gain. No
one has defaulted when in charge of
her Golfers. Mesa is unlike many
other places in that It's citizens-one
and all unite readily upon all
measures that tend to her advance
ment. There are no kickers, no fogies.
no hassaYampas to make residence
here unpleasant and undesira able.
Her citizens are law abiding as the
records will amply show, and every
mans rights have the respect Of every
other man. Why should she not
prosper. The absence of rain for so
many months, causing the almost en-
tire loss of all crops, casts wet blan-
ket upon the hopes and aspirati ions of
most of her citizens. But these times
of trial and misfortune visit all coun-
tries in one way or another, and tho
the cloud is black and lowering the
morrow will revive the sunshine of
better daye, and Mesa will stride on
as before in pursuit of better and
surer environments. A good system
of water works to protect her from
the ravishes Of the fire fend is the
demand of the hour. and the ways
and means to possess it will come to
the front when properly sought after.
With our well buckets resting upon
an ocean Of water there need be no
reason why Mesa one of these days
should be recognized by her ashes or
not at all. A force engine and a
spstem of cisterns would render de-
gree of safety to her citizens that
would enable them to repose i'll peace
aid quiet day and night. Let the
chemical apparatus be converted into
money or exchanged in part paymenr
of pumping plant suitable for the
city's needs, and system of cisterns
be constructed at favorable locations
throughout the business portion Of the
city, and with the same power take
1.-THE water from the cisterns in times