The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-16
Nan Who Won Light Plant
Superintendcncy Undecided.
Has His Eye on Superintend-
ency of City WaterWOrks.
ABOUT PLANT.
Well Defined Ideas About Its
improvement.
Water Company Would Make
Topeka Sick of Bargain.

H. K. Goodrich may not take the SUI
perintendency of the city electric light
plant, after all. He says he is not at
all certain that he wants the job.
I am going to watt he said today.
Il am in no hurry to take the office.
The supreme court has not given out
its full opinion IN the case After it
does so. the city has twenty days to
ask for a rehearing. There is no hurry.
Something may happen within that
time. I may want to do some figuring
with the city on some other work"
Mr.. Goodrich has in mind the
changes and improvements which are
likely to be made at the city water
works as soon as the city gets possess
sion. He thinks the city will need an
expert mechanical superintendent in
charge of these improvements, and he
would like to get in on the job.
of course. if it seems that there is
likely to be some delay before the city
gets the plant, then 1 will probably
take the job. I suppose Mayor Ber-
gundthal will permit me to resign, if 1
see fit to do SO a little later on
Mr.. Goodrich has been frequently
superintendent of the waterworks I'M
der city control. When asked today
whether he would take such an office,
he said:
Il wouldn't take the position which
Jesse Shaw has for anything. He is
trying to run the financial and me-
chanical end of the plant both at the
same time. and he has bit off more
than he, or anybody else, can chew. 1
wouldn't have anything to do with the
financial management of the concern.
1t might be inferred from Mr.. Good
rieh's remarks that he is figuring on
the possibility of the creation of a new
job in the waterworks management
that of mechanical superintendent, in
which case he might become a candi-
date. But he would run no show if
Mayor BergundthaI was the man who
did the appointing.
Mr.. Goodrich was asked today wheth-
er not he would try to recover his back
Mitchell, the present incumbent.
THAT hasn't been decided said Mr..
Goodrich, Il say there is plenty of
time TO decide such things. 1t is in
the hands of my attorneys
MR.. GOODRICH'S PLAN.
Mr.. Goodrich has some well defined
ideas about the present condition of
the waterworks, derived from long ex-
perience in the business. He installed
and operated the Harrison street pump
ing station, operated the Edison power
house for five years, and for many
years was employed in building water
works plants and reconstructing them
in all parts of the country. He has
built about a dozen different plants in
the state of Kansas. He says of the
Topeka plant:
Il am oppressed to the open well sys-
tenn. 1t has been proven a failure in
Topeka. There is an immediate neces-
sity for two things at the pumping
station; first, more water supply, and
second more delivery capacity. A new
boiler for emergencies is also needed.
The pumps are all right.
More water should be obtained eth
er by putting in two large settling
reservoirs, or else by putting in driven
wells. They use the Morris we'll out
there now, which is no good. 1T clogs
up. 1 favor the Cook well. which never
clogs. The Topeka water company has
not changed it's Morris wells because it
knew it was likely to sell to the city,
and did not intend to make any more
expense than it could help
"A new 1S-inch main should be laid
to the city, in order to avoid the choke
in the mains between Potwin and To-
peka avenue. They always have good
water pressure in Potwin; the reason
it falls off so much between Potwin
and fire department headquarters is
because of this choke in the mains
The extra main should tap the present
system somewhere down in the city. |
consider that the system of mains
down in the city is large enough ior
the present needs. If additional mains
are laid to the dry districts, it should
be done by tapping one of the 1S-incn
mains, and laying a direct system.
1T would not be an expensive matter
to put down 20 new wells, of the pro-
per kind, and they would supply all the
water Topeka could possibly use
what the water company is trying
to do now is to make Topeka Disguised
with its bargain, so that it will give up
buying the plant. and give the COM
pany another franchise. We are pay
ing an awful big price for the plant.
But we are paying the price to get rid
of the system, rather than TO get pos
session of it. We need to have it out
of the way, and this seems about the
only way to get rid of it. If we could
take that $500 600 and build ourselves a
new plant, then We would have dan