Fergus County Democrat., 1906-02-13
Acting City Engineer Wasmansdorft
Makes Exhaustive Report Cov-
erin9 the Subject.
The CHANGE URGENTLY NEEDED
Plans Presents No Real Difficulty
From Any Point of view.-Some
of of uhe Benefits.

Acting City Engineer o. r. Wasmans
dorf has presented to the city council
MS report on the proposed plan for 9
gravity water works system, to take
the place OF the present pumping sta.
tion, and in 1t he discusses briefly
every feature of the plan, enumeratine
the difficulties and outlining the bene.
fits that will accrue from such q
change The cost would be, approxi-
mately, $4,000, and the interest on this
sum would be saved by dispensing
with the expense of maintaining the
pumping plant. Bonds could be is
sued for this amount without exceed
ing the limit of the city's bonded in
deDtedness. The engineering difficult
Ties are comparatively slight, and the
engineer states that the whole plan is
not only feasible. but most desirable
from every point of view, as It will
provide the city with permanent sup
ply of pure water for many years to
come, and sufficient in quantity to
meet the needs OF population OF more
than 10000
The report was adopted by the coun-
ell, and the next step will be to order
an election Of the proposition. The
plan will be voted on at the April cleo
fn, ,i%
ers should vote in favor of 1t, there
will be no delay in commencing the
preliminary work
MIR. WASMANSDORFFS REPORT.
Gentlemen: Acting upon an order
from the mayor of this city, / have
begun the surveys necessary for esti-
mating the probable cost of a gravity
pipe line from the upper springs of
Big Spring creek to connect with the
present distributing system of the city
of Lewistown. l report herewith that
the proposed line is entirely feasible,
within the reach of the citys purse
and affording a quality of water fresh
from the fountain head, which is inf
nitely better than the source of supply
in present use.
The several factors which have been
considered in making the above re-
port | will review in order OF their
The first step, of course,
is to ascertain the bonding capacity
of the city; that is, the sum of money
the city is capable of borrowing on
ttr,,, q
pal improvements. The assessed valu-
ton of LewistOwn is today about ST.
100000, which is about one-half of its
actual valuation. It's present bonded
debt is 100000, and this 5000 was
raised on an assessed valuation Of
1851 ,061. Usually a city can bond itself
for three per cent Of its assessed valu-
alton, and by a favorable vote of
Of the taxpayers it can in
crease this bonded debt not to exceed
an additional ten per cent. At the
time our water works system was con-
structed, the city council availed itself
Of a portion of this additional ten per
cent. On this basis, by a vote of a
of the taxpayers, with the
present increased assessed valuation |
the city can bond itself for an addi- |
-ional sum Of more than $50,OOO with
)ut exceeding the constitutional and |
statutory limits, or in any way in |
,reasng the ratio of the bonded debt |
% the assessed valuation which ex-
sted at the time the original water
works system was put in one iota. I
ind the present tax rate to be IL per
,ent. The running expenses of the
m N I'M hn
,hase of power from Mr. J. L. Bright,
wages of pump man, oil, waste, aver
lge repairs during the year for the
plant, and the provision of a
en- per cent sinking fund for the re-
placing of the present pump in ten
ears by a new one, making a total Of
! 800 which is the interest money at
i've per cent of 1000 Thus, you see
hat the money we spend annually for
perating expenses of the pumping
liant and which can be saved if the
'ravity line is put in, is more than
nough to pay the interest on the new
onded Indebtedness hereafter men,
ioned. The proposed system will give
he city permanent supply of water
S pure as natures laboratory can
manufacture. which, being permanent,
ubject to no leas s, possible breakage
f pumps or breaking out of power
itches, should decrease in a marked
'ay the present insurance rates, not
lcrease the present rate of taxation
ne cent, and last, but not least in in-
oftance, give the city about five times
he amount of water that the pres ent
ystem supplies. This means a supply