The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-12-06
WATER
PROBLEM
DISCUSSED
THOMAS PATTON, ESQ, SUGGESTS
THAT THE WEST FORK RIVER
BE DAMNED.
THINKS FoUR-FooR ONE IN HEIGHT
OF coNcRETE NATURE WOULD
BE SUFFICIENT.
Writes in Detail About the Water Situa-
ton and Makes Suggestions As To
Disposition Of Other Departments, If
Works Ar. Sold to Billiards Company

Nearly all the cities OF the country
are contendins for control Of public
utilities. and now 1t Is proposed to sell
the only one clanlSsburg aas-ths city
water works.
The copOrtiou proposing to buy *
poets to make good dividends out Of
the enterprise, unless At intrDds to run
tae plant for fun or philanthropy, and
liz judgment Of this oil town would
Be tha. It IS not likely to be addicted
to either OF these traits.
10 word Of complaint has been heaOi
about the management Of the water de-
partment, and, # its revenues are not
sufficient to maintain it, The people pay
ii. balarce ara get ths benefit. Tac
United Stats government runs the
post ofics department. at yearly loss
of several million dollars; the people
pay the biz fG the srvice and the good
work goes on.
Tae two Or tire exceptional conditions
that obtain this year to curtail our
supply Of water are not likely to hap
pen again IN many years to come. a
Jew hundred barrels Of cement and a
score Or 50 Of good wor5anen applied for
Il few weeks to the building of a con.
crete dam on the rock bottom Of the
lriysr that is now bare right near tae
pumping station. viii solve the water
probl,m for clarksburg for more thar
one generation and keep US from tne
rasp Of anoth.r monopoly.
The 75o.OOOdollar pipe 10 the Buck
banRon river must be a scare figure
not on the part os tue council, for TINT
body aas the confidence Of the people
IS men Of integrity. who are working
diligently for the city's b,st interests.
But, if It is wise TO sell that depart
ment Of the towns business to Judge
Blizzard and his company, why not in
cludc the other departments? The
water dspartmont Is more nearly self
sustaining than any Of the Others in
direct way. Toe rsveuues frgm the po-
Ice department would fall very far
short Of meeting its cost, but its benz
fts are supposed to be great enough to
make the cost inconsiderable
Build dam four feet high across the
river at tte pump station and You slack
tla wats- back to the old salt well,
distanoe of seyral milcs.
If the committee appointed to inves-
tigate the QUESTION will approach tar
arrangements Of the diFsrcut plants
,aat are pumping the water out Of tle
river above our supply pipes. win
proposition to share in tha building o.
the dam they win likely meet hearty
cooperation.
II We nave a right to tap the Buck.
hannon river. now are I'VE to object to
the pumps aboye Us in the West Fork?
Has tbe city council tn power 70
scn' T'hs proposition to install the
water works, at least tae funding part
z it. was submitted to the p,ople. and
It looks vsry much as If the converse
proposition would fan under the sans
provisions Of tie law VIII an ordi-
nancs cover the grcuni! Are we 60
ing to sell biraright for a century Of
litgat;on' VIII the town be glad in
ten years from now that it soH part Of
its,lf IN 1901?
BUILD THE DASL
THoS. PATTON.