The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-07-10
Discussing Water Systems
Situation at Pierre Unsatisfactory, Also. A Plea for
Those Who Beautify the City
Something About the Compressed Air System The
Plant at Howard Model

Pierre Capital-J Ournal: The water
commissioner proposes to put in metres
at the expense OF the consumers OF
city water. After that is done it will
be in order for the grocer and the
butcher to make their customers paw
for the scales they use to weigh out
goods for their patrons. One PROPOSE
tion is just as reasonabl as the other,
for the city is in the business OF sell
ing water and the tradesman is simply
selling his wares; the city desires the
metres for the purpose Of measuring
the quantity of water they are selling
to each consumer and tie merchant re-
quires a scale to ascertain the quantity
Of each article sold to his customer.
The water works.h have been in opera
tion twenty years without the use of
metres and no serious difficulties have
disturbed the relation between con
sumers and those supplying water un-
til this late day. We are reliably in
formed by some of the city officials
competentto express an opinion from
actual knowledge of the situation, that
the engines in use at the present time
are not nearly Of the capacity Of the
old one, which fact will ceItalnly ex-
plain the cause Of part Of our present
dilemma. But the consumer is not to
blame for the ignorance Of those who
made the purchase Of the engines now
in use and consequently no blame
should be laid at the door of the con-
sumner because he simply tries, though
he fails, to get sufficient water for his
needs. For twenty years we have ha
theltse Of city water during four hours
Of each day and seven days in the week,
which is none too much time during
the months of June, July and August.
In those twenty years hundreds of
homes with beautiful lawns and trees
and shrubbery have been added to the
wealth and credit Of the city and no
one but the person who has been
through the ''mill' can estimate the
cost of such Improvements IN money,
in constant care and labor, that ever
lasting soaking this sandy soil must
have every day to make grass and trees
grow. All of the labor and cost in
money expended by the residents have
added greatly to the value OF the hun
dreds of vacant town lots and the busi-
ness property, as we'll as making it a
city Of beautiful homes and an attrac-
tion for those seeking desirable place
Ito build new homes. The Capital
Journal is anxious to have the inn
provements that represent the efforts
expended during that long expanse OF
years kept in their proper condition
and will deplore any arrangement hav.
ing the least tendency to retard future
efforts toward preserving what we now
have. We have contended and do now
that there should be one more reser.
voir for the storage Of water and that
can be had at small cost and with
the additional reservoir in use one OF
them could be kept full Of water and
held in reserve for fire protection
doing away with the constant fear of q
shortage in case of a big contlagratior
in dry windy weather. The Whole
question is serious enough and shoulc
receive careful and prompt considera
Il tiOn s}553 rsr4 3.