Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1906-04-03
FACTS ABOUT WATER PLANT,
Democrat Drags False Issue into City
Campaign.

other franchises, one of which was nj
most identical with his, and was Faith
cred by several of the leading Demo
Gratis of the city, who were Willing
and anxious to accept a franchise
without a vote of the people. The
franchise was secured in fair anC
open competition. The works were
built rs good as men and money coulc
build them, and they have been pro.
nounccd by the Insurance Undcrwrlt
ers as the best system in the two
territories. The city is now paying
$1,000 a year for sixty (60) fire plugs
The ncighboring city Of Wagner is
paying $1,000 per year for the same
number Of fire plugs, and Joplin, Mo.
is now paying $500 for her first
sixty (GO) fire plugs. The Supreme
court of Illinois has recently said that
5000 per annm was a reasonable
price for fire plugs, With a few more
plugs added, Tulsa will be paying less
than $4,000 per annum for her fire
plugs. The water supply Is the same
that is in use in all towns and cities
in the Arkansas valley, being n well
system in the bottom land Of the AZ
kansas river, drawing the water from
gravel beds underlying same. The
wells at the Frisco tank across the
river are from twenty-siX to tnlrty
feet deep, and reach exactly the same
level as those at the water plant, and
furnish identically the same quality
of water that is being furnished to
the citizens Of Tulsa, and the Water
Company now has Il ten year con
tract with the Frisco railway to fur
nish Il very large amount of water at
this station; abandoning the tank
across the river, the equipment for
which will be installed as soon as the
location for their contemplated I'M
provements at Tulsa is settled, and
which Improvements would have been
well under way but for the timely
knock Of the Democrat.
The bed rock under the Arkansas
bottom lands will vary less than a foot
over the entire bottom. Any oil well
driller will verify the statement that
after the shale bed is entered nothing
but salt water can be found. The
water company has an emergency con-
n~ection to the river which was called
for in It's contract, which would be
used in case of a heavy fire, and is
one Of the precautions taken largely
in consideration with the fire insur-
NEE companies. Twice during one
week about three weeks since our
fire department made a III to a fire
and in their anxiety neglected to no
tify the pump station of the fire, and
in each ease happened to find the
pump idle, allowing them to quickly
lower the water in the stand pipe.
As soon as discovered by the engineer
and in order to fill the stand pipe
quickly, river water was used. The
fire company is not to be censured fol
this, as it is one Of the duties of
the department that comes only with
experience. The Water Company can,
if notified when there is a fire, retain
the pressure from four to six hours
for any ordinary fire without using
river water. At the Rea-Read fire the
alarm did not reach the pump station.
yet at that time it happened to catch
the pump working and 10 river water
was used.
The Daily Democrat, falsely and
maliciously, for political purposes,
stated that the Water Company is
furnishing river water to the citizens.
but even though the Water Company
had been furnishing river water, 1t
was good enough to furnish power to
the Daily Democrat when it was strug-
Cling for existence and for which the
Water Company has eve asked any
remuneration, the same being used by
them, and was their only means of
power until April of last year.
1t has been said that wells can be
found in Tulsa that will furnish suf-
fcient water at a depth of 100 feet.
This is true in some cases, in some
parts of Tulsa, but few citizens real
ize that at times during the day the
Water company pumps more water IN
two minutes han any one of these
wells will supply in twenty-four
hours. w have evidence of this at
the Cherokee Brick Plant, and also
at the Ice Plant, whore it is impossible