The Pensacola journal., 1905-01-22
WATER WORKS
WANTED FIRST
GOOD STREETS ARE NEEDED But
FOLLY TO PAVE THEM BE-
FORE WATER AND SEW
ER PIPES ARE LAID.

Editor Pensacola journal:
There is one point in regard to a
new waterworks TO which l wish to
direct the attention of every citizen
Cur city is sadly in need of public i'm
provements and we had just as well
settle down to the fact that we Will
drag along at the tail end of the pro-
cession until we get them.
Our magnificent harbor and unsur-
passed natural advantages make us
aspire to become a great commercial
city and to desire to attain the COM
forts and cOnveniences and advantag-
eS that belong to a great city. But
all our aspirations and desires will be
as ashes until we DO something.
Oldest and sIowest.
We justly boast of being the oldest
city in the United States, but we
might also say that our city is the
slOwest. Our harbor has been an i'm
rOrtant one for generations and
enough good material has been dump
ed into our water front to pave every
road in the county and every street in
the city, and yet We are hobbling alonE z
as a. lOng-haired town with only a
piece of one street paved. This is
rather tough comment but it is the
truth.
Good management on the part of
the authorities. would have secured 10
the city every ton of ballast that came
to the city and the ships could have
been made to place it upon the street 5
where it was desired. If such had
been done Pensacola to-day may have
had the prettiest and most substantial
paved streets OF any city on the Gulf
coast. That it has not been done is
nothing toathe credit of past admins
trationS.
Streets Disgrace.
Here we are to-day organizing big
land companies and endeavoring TO
get people to invest in property and
settle down among us and yet the
streets abutting against our little
piece of a paved street would be a
disgrace to any fouTth-class village
For instance, look at Intendencia from
PalafoX down to Baylen. Is it any
wonder that people abroad ask the
question: 'Ts Pensacola still down
on PalafoX street?" When anyone
suggests better improvements the
gentry can flare up and re-
tort by saying eff one does not like
the town he can get out of it; no one
asked him to come here This has
been done and may be done again,
but it is mighty powerful way to
NOT build city.
/ take it for granted that ninety per
cent of our people are in favor of bet
ter streets, and we are looking for
ward to the legislature to amend our
bond bill so that the bonds will be
marketable, so that We can sell them
and build streets.
Waterworks First.
Now l come to the point that wish
to impress on the people. What is
the use of spending two or three hum
dred thousand dollars to pave the
streets and then proceed at once to
tear them up to lay water pipes ana
then tear them UP again to lay sewer
pipes? This is precisely what would
have to be done. We need a sewer
system very much and must have it in
the near future, but before we can
nave JAldG We uluSJ nave du duCQudlG
water system.
Now it seems to me that it would
be good common sense for the city to
first get good waterworks; one with
large pipes and modern machinery,
capable of delivering plenty of water
at all times. Then the city should
install system of sewerage that
would be ample and up-to-date. With
these two systems installed then il
would be the proper time to pave the
streets.
Therefore, the very first thing that
Pensacola needs and must have be-
fore it can be classed as an up-to-date
city is a new waterworks system.
The people of Pensacola would do
much better to recognize this fact
now and act upon it than to drag
along at the tail end of the procession
for fifteen or twenty years and then
act upon it. CHAS. H. BLISS.
DTATUl nE AL