The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-05-13
CORVALLIS, OREGON, MAY Ii, 1908
BUT ONE BID.
AND 1T WAS NOT ON A BASIS
OF MOUNTAIN WATER FOR
CORVALLIS.

Corvallis Water Company Pre-
sented ssit-The Albany Bid
did not Materialize but
Hogue wrote Letter
What the Bid
The Corvallis city council had a
lengthy bout with the water ques-
ton at a meeting Monday night.
The meeting was the tune for open
ing bids in. answer to- the recent
advertisement for proposals to in
stall5a system on the basis of an ex-
tended franchise. There was no
bid with mountain water ass the
source of supply. There was one
bid on a Willamette river system.
It was presented by the present
water company. The g. G. Hogue
bid did not materialize, Instead 5of
IA bid. Mr.. H 5gue wrote the coun-;
IciI a letter. t was read to the.
councI cIlmen by the police Judge.
1t proceeded toinform the Council
that mountain water system was.
impossible for Corvallis, because
too costly. It figured out that.
only about $50 families could be
relied on as consumers. 1t said
that revenue of about $4,000
would be necessary to sustain
mountain water system. 1t sug-
gested that system of the latter
character would cost $Ioo, 900, NAV
be more. It explained that no bid
was made by Mr.. Hogue for
Willamette river system because
the capitalists from whom the
money was expected would not in
vest on basis of less than six
per cent interest, and that Cor.
wallis was 80 small that sufficient
revenue to justify adequate re.
turns On the investment did not
seem to be assured.
The bid of the local water com.
pany was presented by w. B.
Chase. who appeared as engineer
for the company. He presented a
map of the proposed system of
piping in Corvallis. 1t comprised
eight and six inch mains. He de-
clared it to be a very perfect sys-
TEN, afording great fire protection,
las good, he said, as they have in
portland. He figured the cost of
this system of piping at $4,000.
His company, he SAID. would put
Ia such system with Willamette
water as the source of the supply,
provided that the city would con-
tract to take Fl fire hydrants at
$50 year. for rs years. The cost
TO the city would be $o72 per year,
or $8I per month. The city
also to pay IS per block for street
sprinkling, sewers to be flushed
twice per week without charge. No
mention was made with reference
to rates for domestic use. The bid
was not made in writing, but was
verbally stated by Mr.. Chase It
was referred to the special water
committee for further consideration.
| Mr.. Chaee presented figures with
reference to the cost of a gravity
system with mountain water as the
source of supply. He said the
computations he had made we're
for the benefit of the local water
company, and that they were taken
from report ho had made to them
He declared the system to be too
expensive for Corvallis at the pres
ent time. He said the company
would put in a mountain water
system just as soon as the income
would justify, provided contract
be now made for Willamette riv-
er sy stem.
According to the figures of Mr..
Chase mountain water system
would cost about $4,000, using
redwood pipes for the mains in
town and for bringing water from
the mountains. These pipes are
made of redwood slaves wound
around with steel wire. The MAX
ers of them claim they will last
fifty years. Mr.. Chase said he
was sure they would last thirty
years. They have only been in use
fifteen years, and nobody knows,
he said, how long they will last.
Cast iron pipe endures from forty
to sixty years. It is the best. Next
to it is steel converse, and next to
the latter, redwood. There is ais 0
a fir stave piping much in use,
which is cheaper than either.
Mr.. Chase's system proposed a
reservoir, lined with cement on
Baldy hill, west of Corvallis. Its