Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-08

the source Of supply to consumers. The
firm lost no opportunity to impress upon
the public mind the necessity for water
works and the imperative need OF the
Holly system. N the preliminary discus
sion this company and what It had to offer
had its foes and its friends. There were
loud cries Of an attempted steal" and the
like. AS In all public movements, where a
big question is involved. the city did not
know which way to turn. The Holly fight
got into local politics and It is worth while
mentioning that former Governor Boyd,
now chairman of the Water board, was first
projected into local politics by this struggle,
he being elected to the council from the Sixth
ward on a platform that opposed the Holly
plans. He spoke OF this the other night
when the Water board organized. The
council which was produced as a result
Of the discussion set about the water busi-
ness by hiring expert hydraulic en-
gineer, ]. d. Cook of Toledo, o.. to in
vestigate the conditions and to tell in
detail just what was wanted.
Report of Engineer Cook.
All Of this Engineer Cook did. submitting
a long report in May 1880. with very
slight variations the council and the mayor,
Mr.. Champion S. Chase, indorsed and
adopted the findings of the engineer and
used them as a base for establishing a
water works system for the city.
Engineer Cooks plan distinctly did not
favor direct pressure. He inclined toward
a supply forced through the pipes by grav-
ity pressure, and he prepared two estimates
for this kind of water works. One OF them
was for a reservoir on the heights near
Hanscom park and costing $319 100, while
the other contemplated the reservoir loca-
tion at Farnam street and Fairview avenue
at a total cost of S2SS,0OO. Neither site
was chosen, the location of the present
reservoir at Fortieth and Hamilton streets,
then the Baker farm, being found to pos
sess higher altitude and other advantages
For the three locations the height above
low water in the Missouri respectively is
305, 260 and $40 feet Mr.. Cook contem-
plated some twenty-eight miles OF pipe line
and about $50 water hydrants, fire protec-
tion as then contemplated being by hydrant
pressure alone without the help of steam
pump fire engines. For both his estimates
the engineer chose as a site for his pump
ing station the land at the foot of lizard
street, or rather on the river front between
lizard and Burt streets. AS to the sent-
ment regarding public ownership at that
time, section Of his report no doubt
gauges the majority Of the views of think
ing people He said:
1 deem Il unmportant whether the works
are to be constructed and owned by the city
or by private. company under a fran.
chise contemplating stipulated annuity to
be fixed by the city. The same considera-
ton such as safety efficiency and capacity
are equally pertinent in either case: With
equal benefits, public and private, it mat
ters little to the taxpayer whether the city
pays interest on bonded Indebtedness or
an equivalent amount annually to private
interested in having such works as will
adequately meet all ordinary public ex-
from unreliable machinery, from frequent
and excessive repairs, from inefficiency in
pipe and hydrant distribution and from
avoidable Interruptions of every nature.
Knowledge of the Missouri.
Engineer Cook in his report recognized
extra cost because of unusual width of
streets and the problem presented by a
scattered population over a large territory.
AS a matter Of fact he omitted few of the
questions that troubled the water works
people at a later day. He erred in his. To-
cation of a pumping station, but that is
about all. AS to purifying the water he
the use of elevated reservoirs
that can be used for the double purpose
Of storage and subsidence," and, inasmuch
as Omaha was to be a pioneer in drawing
on the Missouri he continued: THE
treatment of Missouri river water being
question for which we have little or no
precedent, we are left almost wholly to the
dictates of theory. Actual experience may
render necessary a more elaborate clean
Ing device, and the influent arrangements
should accordingly contemplate the addl-
tion thereafter OF preliminary settling
basins near the river II found necessary"
These preliminary basins we're found very
necessary, indeed they did not clean the
water we'll at all, and II remained for Cap
tain Frank Reynolds to invent a new sys-
TEN Of purifying water. in order to subdue
the public clamor In the year 1880 to use
the water Of the Missouri to supply a big
city for drinking and other purposes was
considered quite daring, and Mr. Cook found
1t necessary to explain in his report how
much better really 1t is than we'll or els
tern water. He sought to inspire confidence
In the following language: "On the other
hand. the Missouri river water, although
at times unsightly, almost beyond COM
parison, carries nothing really harmful
either in suspension or solution. It is un-
equaled anywhere in the rapidity with
which its heavy sediments precipitate, and
chemistry finds 1t almost unsurpassed in
purity and fitness for all uses, public and
private. These considerations vastly out
weigh all the expense and trouble incident
to its clarihcation, and in this regard 1t |
may Justly be esteemed in the light OF
blessing to all the cities along its shores"
There is no doubt but Engineer Cook |
thought he was looking we'll ahead into the |
future, for he said:
The foregoing estimates and recommenda- |
tions are intended TO describe and contem- |
plate throughout frst-class system of |
works, A less elaborate system might fur |
nish you reasonably well for time but |
with your present corporate Importance |
and inevitably great prospective increase |
DO not feel justified in recommending with |
the single view of barely meeting your |
the cost as low as possible consistent with |
utility, realizing that the works IL con- |
structed will have to be done hY a nrIva fa |