The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-09-04
WATER COMPANY'S SIDE.
Why There Was Shortage Of Water at Sunday
Nights Fire.

Nights Fire.
Editor of the Silver State: In your
issue of September LIST, under the heading
"A Crying Shame in which you blame
the Winnemucca Water Company for
delay in getting water to the schoolhouse
fire, you do the company great injustice.
! am sure you would not have done so
had you been acquainted with the facts.
To correct all false Impressions that your
editorial may have caused in the minds
of the public, I desire to state the facts,
and ask that you give them the same
publicity as you gave your charges:
First | was at my residence near the
power-house when the switch engine
sounded the fire alarm, and in less than
two minutes the water was turned into
the mains from the reservoir, in which
the water stood five feet deep. Immedi-
ately afterwards Mr.. Ed. Reinhart, the
secretary of the asked me
through the phone from his Office If the
water was turned on. / answered that
it was. He inquired if he should start
the pump. / replied that there was plenty
of water in the reservoir. / had the
water turned into the mains before the
bell at the hosehouse rang and before I
received any message from the hose
house. You say an alarm was sent In
from the hosehouse and it was not
answered. / answered at once. Mr..
Rose, foreman of the hose company, says
that the fire bell and other noises in the
hncahn1tco nrax-antad him f,rop, haavino
distinctly the words of the answer. |
learn from Mr.. Reinhart that immedi-
ately on the first alarm given Mr.. Zahren
FASTENED to turn the water from Second,
Third and Fourth streets. That he CMr.
Reinhart) went Immediately after phon-
ing to the power-house up to the hose
house to inquire for the location of the
fire; that he met Chris Wolf, who told
him the water had not come. After
phoning me at the power-house he left
to start the pump, and in five minutes
had it started.
~Second-The water is shut off the mains
at 10 O'Clock at night SO as to keep the
reservoir supplied. On the night of the
fire the water was five feet deep in the
reservoir and there was IT'S, 600 gallons in
the pipe above the reservoir. The main
pipes leading through the several streets
are tapped all along the line to supply
the different residences and business
houses with water. A great many, if
not all. leave their hose and private hy-
turned into the mains it flows out in
more than a hundred places, perhaps.
and this materially retards the filling
of the mains. This accounts for land
was the sole cause of the great delay in
getting the water to the fire Sunday
night. Those who so ~negligently leave
their hose and faucets open are to blame
for the delay.
The company is prepared to supply the
mains to their full capacity, either from
the reservoir or artesian well at any
time; but if the consumers of water per-
sist in its waste l do not know what
remedy the company has, if any. 1t has
been suggested that the County Com
m%issioners have the power to prevent this
waste; if so, they should act at once.
The company has spared neither time
nor money in getting a supply of water
for all purposes. 1t has doubled the
quantity supplied by the old company
and made many improvements in the
water system at great cost, but it can
not control the acts of others. If all
who are vitality interested would unite
and do their part to prevent the waste of
water. there wouid be no occasion for
complaint or lack of water or any occa-
sion, nor any necessity even to shut the
the water off from the mains at night.
w. l.. AKIN,
Supt. w. w. & l.. Co.
W~innemucca, Sept. 3, 1902