The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-25
WATER FAMINE IN ATLANTA.
FACTORIES SHUT DOWN AND BUsI-
NESS HAMPERED.

City Was without Water Twenty
four Hours and an Ice Famine Was
Threatened-DihicuI Experienced
in Getting Water for Drinking.
There Was a Small Fire hut For
tunateIy 1t Was Put Out With Dirt
and Chemical Engines.
Atlanta, July A.-Atlanta has again
been in the throes CT water famine. Be
cause of a broken valve near the pumping
station the water was cut off at o'clock
last night and not a drop was pumped
into the city until 2 o'clock This afternoon
1t was O'Clock this afternoon before the
water reached the top floors Of high build
irgs. Faucets wheezed and whislled with
dry threats mills shut down, elevators
stopped running, factories faltered in
their daily output, engines gasped and
died, bakeries went TO borrowing, BARRIERS
bolted Their doors. lsundr.es lay idle, and
hotels we're harrassed by drought
The government thermometer reg stored
81 degrees in the shade The Atlanta fire
department men stayed close to their
quarters. alert and almost trembling with
fear that the gong would strike an alarm
Of fire. They felt the danger and they were
prepared to fight it with axes and eXper-
fence
Hotels restaurants, Office buildings, fac
tories. everything up town is without
water and only with the greatest difficulty
arethe hotels ard restaurants able to get
enough water to cook with, baths and wa
ter for other uses being totally out OF the
question. Elevators in the sky scrapers
have stopped factories have shut down
and the streets have been crowded all day
with employees woh cannot return to work
until the water is turned on again.
Financial Loss is Large.
The financial loss TO the factories will
run way up into the thousands. Bottled
waters and other kinds on sale at drug
stores, soda founts and saloons would he
exhaus ed by another day of famine. Per-
sons who own wells never realized their
superiority over the remainder of mankind
until to-day and a set price of five cents
a bucket prevails In certain parts OF the
city Many wells have been kept dry by
the constant run on them.
Great financial loss has resulted to the
factories of the city, which are depend
enforced shut down for the day. For In
stance the Exposition Mil sent its en-
ployes home early this morning and up
town in big factories like the Inman
Smith Companys place on Pryor street
there has been no work done In these
two places alone there are possibly coo
employees and the consequent loss has been
extremely heavy. The same state Of af-
fairs is true of other factories the city.
tG aai cd
out for to-day because of the lack of
water. Shipping of goods is at a stand
Etill in the uptown places where elevators
are used. as it is practically impossible
TO move heavy goods from floor to floor
without elevators. This was one OF the
troubles in 1nman. Smith q Co.'S.
The railroads of the city have not by
any means, escaped the Inconvenience
consequent upon the famine In many Of
the railroad yards, however there arc
private wells, gigantic affairs like the
one in the Georgia Railroad yard, where
engines take water, and this has helped
out wonde rfully. In other yards, how
ever it has been necessary to haul water
in for the use of the locomotives.
Danger of nm Ice Famine.
One OF the dangers threatened by the
water works crisis is an ice famine. There
has been a scarcity of ice in the city to-
day, and the small consumers are the
ones who have suffered. Several Ice man
ufacturing people said this afternoon they
had been compelled to turn down num-
Der of orders during the day. This morn
ing a number of the large ice consumers
were notified that their orders would have
TO be cut. The scarcity of ice has had
it's effect on the soda fountains. Proprie-
tors of number of fountains were told
early to-day that the lack of water would
make it impossible TO have their orders
completely filled.
There was a small FIRE in the rear of the
Wall street Office of the Southern Express
company this morning. With a fair start
II would have meant great loss to Atlanta
Having no water TO fight the fire, Chief
Joiners ladies used dirt, and this new
weapon of defense, combined with the
chemical engines efforts, put an end to
the blaze.
At mass meeting tonight the citizens
elected II. H. Cabaniss chairman of a
committee to be named by him to coop
crate with the City Council to find the
causes of the waterworks' trouble and the
remedy for it.