Evening journal., 1905-05-15
Mr.. BANCROFT'S
GENEROUS OFFER
Will Assume Responsibility
for Payment of Some
Water Rights
PROPOSAL WAS MADE TOO LATE

William p. Bancroft has made q,
proposition to the Water Commissioners
in the interest Of establishing the pro-
posed enlarged city pumping station
at point farther up the Brandywine
than at the present location. He says
he will arrange personally for the pay
ment 20 the Joseph Bancroft and Sons
Company for water rights for all
amounts between ten million gallons
and thirty million gallons a day. He
states
Il feel so decidedly. and may say
so acutely that 1t will be much to be
regretted, in the interest of both OF
the city and Of the owners of Brandy
wine water rights above the lower dam,
IL you should fix the city pumping
station for another long series of years
at the present location, that am not
willing 10 give the matter up without
at least this further effort"
Mr. Bancroft states that he believes
arrangements can be made with the
r. ]. DUPONT Company. and Joseph
Bancroft and Sons Company by which
excepting a moderate amount to be
reserved for purposes other than water
power, you can obtain the full use of
the stream so far as needed. which ar
rangements would be more satisfactory
to you than those proposed a few
months since; and as you viii remem-
Der the rates offered by those COM
panies at that time were much lower
than referees awarded to the Jessup
and Moore Paper Company"
He further says that arrangements
could be made with the DUPONT and
Bancroft companies whereby ten million
gallons OF water could be taken from
the Brandywine every day without any
payment to them. He continues:
The objection that while the guam
tity Of water needed is not much more
than at present the expenditure for
laquoduct etc, would make the cost
to the city Of water taken from Rock
land greater than If taken from the
present station, would thus be largely
or entirely met
with my feeling of the very great
importance of this matter. and believ-
ing that I could not do a. better work
for the community than to help to in
duce the city TO take its water from a
point higher up the stream, 1 would
he willing to arrange personally for the
payment to Joseph Bancroft and & Sons
Company for all amounts between ten
million gallons day and thirty million
gallons day.
Ought you to allow such an oppor-
tunity as this to be lost? Would II not
be better. If necessary-and perhaps II
would not be necessary-to defer the
rebuilding OF the works for two years
or even four years, rather than miss
it2
PROPOSAL MADE TOO LATE
When the attention OF President Peter
j. Ford and Commissioner A. H. G.
Garrett OF the Water Department, was
to-day called to Mr. Bancroft's pro-
posal, they stated that IL had evidently
been made too late. Mr.. Garrett said
that when an attempt was made to
locate the filtration plant at Rockford,
that the water rights owners. after
first establishing a rate for their shares
of the water, had from time to time
imposed new conditions when an effort
was made to get together on the matter.
Even II arrangements should be made
with the DUPONT, Bancroft and Jessup
and Moore Companies. the Water De-
partment, Mr.. Garrett said. would have
to reckon with Governor Preston Lea,
who owns rights further down the
stream.
Another fact referred TO by Mr.. Gar
rett, and one which the members OF
the Water Department thought counted
much in the argument for the Weldin
site. is that the city has no money to
locate anywhere else than the Weldin
farm. The commissioners thought, in
view OF the difficulties which have
arisen over the matter OF water right,
AZ was better to remain farther down
the stream, inasmuch as about one
half Of the water consumed Is by manu-
featuring establishments. BY being In
position TO supply them with tide
water they would be in a position 70
supply more.
Mr.. Garrett said that after careful
consideration the Board had decided to
continue with its present plans, and to
do all in its power to guard against
the pollution OF the stream.