CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1901-10-10
THE RIVER WATER.
COMMITTEES from Canon City and Pu-
ebio Visit Granite 10 Inspect the
Placer Mining Grounds.

On Thursday morning last Mayor
James H. Peabody and Attorney jeff
rey, of this city, and Mayor West. Of
Pueblo, accompanied by Capt. H. N.
Mingay. of the RECORD, paid visit
to the placer mining grounds at Gran
ite. and these are the same that have
been occupied for SO many years con-
tinuously and it is through these
workings that the waters in the Ar
kansas river have been made practi-
cally unfit for use for domestic pur-
poses.
The committee carefully examined
the river both above and below the
point where the waters used in placer
mining is emptied into the river. Up
the river, or above granite, the water
is practically clear, SO much SO that
rocks in the bottom of the river are
clearly seen, while all the little
streams flowing into the river are
clear and sparkling streams that needs
no filtering. Down the river and be-
low the emptying nume the water is
the same thick yellow mass such as
flows through this city and from
which our supply Of water for domes-
tic purposes is obtained. At Granite
the river banks and bottom seem to
be coated with this yellow substance.
This never fully settles, and that held
in suspension it seems quite impossi-
Bile to filter out. On the contrary it
fills the filter and practically destroys
the body Of sand through which the
water passes and WHICH is supposed
to hold out all impu iti.-r
This is the condi ION which s;ares
the people in the face. Naturally the
waters Of the Arkansas river are clear
and adapted for use in domestic pur
poses. Every inlet shows q good flow
of pure water. Cache creek and Clear
creek are beautiful streams and fur
nish the waters used in the two by
drsulic flows witnessed by the com
mittee. The flow most closely in
spected was that from Clear creek.
This water is taken from the creek
and carried through a long tunnel.
thence by fume to the hydraulic pipe
. distance OF several miles. The
boiler iron pipe is fifteen inches in di.
ameter with an outlet nozzle Of FIVE
inches. The pressure is l30 pounds
to the square inch, and this volume
of water is hurled a distance Of from
10 to 225 feet with = velocity that
will roll hurl rock half as large
as ones body down the gulch. To
the committee 1t seemed most unfor-
tunste that water SO clear and cold
should be transformed in an instant
into muddy and unpalatable water.
Into the Arkansas river this mass
goes with sweeping rush. There is
as at present arranged no other place
to throw the water. If it could be
run over the ground some of the i'm
purities and mud might he deposited,
but as it comes nearly all the way
through fumes there is no other end
to be obtained. These things the
committee witnessed, the gulch was
looked over, suggestions we're dis
cussed and 1t seemed there was only
one recourse, thst by injunction. This
last step would mean the suspension
Of operations on the part of the pla-
Ger mining company.
The committee was fortunate in
meeting Mr.. Fred o. Harvey, the
company's superintendent, and to him
the object Of the visit was fairly
and FRANKLY stated and was hv