Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-23
Plans Many Changes and Inn
provemeuts.
RATES SAME As At PRESENT
MIR. Underwood Sends Lengthy Letter
and Detailed Proposition to Mayor,
City Solicitor and Aldermen-cTers
to Increase Capacity.


bers of the council, have received to-
day, from the president of the City
Water Supply Co., w. A. Und arwood,
a printed pamphlet which contains a
letter and proposition from the com
pany, looking to the granting by the
city TO the company of a new fran
chlse upon the completion by the COM
pany OF various extensive changes and
improvements to its plant and works.
Although none of the city officials
have had the proposition under
consideration long enough to form an
opinion with regard to it, and will not
state an opinion for publication, the
mayor has seen several of the alder
men and it is probable that meet
ing of the council will be held this
evening to consider the letter and
proposition. The letter is as follows:
To the Honorable Mayor and City
Council of the City of Ottum-va: Ac-
companying this letter please find a
proposition for additions and improve
ments to the present system of water
works, to which | desire to briefly call
your attention with regard to certain
points:
There are now in the city of Ottum-
wa about twenty1seYen miles q wet
erFmailis. During the recent contro.
Versy there has been a good deal said
that the pipes were old, or that they
were worn out, or that they were USE
less or that they were too small. 1t
would be singular thing in town of
10000 people where waterworks had
existed for twenty or twenty-five
years, if there were not some pipes
which were too small because they
have been laid without the anticipa-
ton OF the growth which has come.
With regard to all such pipes we have
provided for duplicating them with
larger ones, leaving the present pipes
in the ground. But the charges that
the pipes are old that they are worn
out and that they are useless are base
less. In the first place, majority of
| the mileage and particularly of the
larger pipe, has been in the ground
but a few years, there having been
expended, largely in the laying of
mains, during the last fifteen years.
about $1S0,000 on the works, and this
has been purely upon the water
works as such and not upon the dam.
| With the exception OF a piece of
pipe on Court street, which is five
| inches in diameter and which is what
is ordinarily called kalamine pipe, all
the pipe in Ottumwa is cast-iron pipe
of standard weight and character, and
water pipe has not yet anywhere in
the world been used long enough so
that we can tell what its life is 1t
iseems to be as good for any practical
purposes at the end of forty or fifty or
/ even sixty years as when first laid
down. In the accompanying PROPOSE
tion it is proposed to entirely remove
and dispose of this kalamine pipe and
lay standard cast-iron pipe which was
! invented about eighteen or twenty
years ago to take the place of cast
iron pipe on account of cheap freight.
It is stronger naturally than cast iron
pipe but it will fill with rust holes.
Many cities have adopted it and have
been obliged to remove it. There was
at one time considerable of it in OF
tumwa, but the only remaining portion
is what is now on Court street, which
we propose to remove.
The wrought, iron was lap-welded,
and while hot was dipped in solrl-
ton of sal ammoniac and water, and
i dripping from that solution, was dip
ped in molten mass OF lead. zinc,
nickel and tin, which was supposed
to make an alloy with the outer skin
4 of the iron which would not rust, but
unfortunately there would be little
spots where appertures like pin-holes
or straw would come, and gradually
increase in size, unless they were
stopped at once.
The officers of the company are suf-
fciently we'll acquainted with the pip
ing system, that if anybody who doubts