The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-03-17
A PLEASANT
EXCURSION
INVESTIGATION OF A NEW
SUPPLY OF WATER.
OFFICIALS OF THE CITY
Accompanied by Major F. NJ. Kerr
Visit Reservoir at Twelve Mile Bayou.
Red River Water to Be Analysed.
The Water Good if Not Hard

The Water Good if Not Hard.
On Friday morning on the steamer
Advance, owned by the Chatwin Bros.
there ascended Red river a party of rep
resentatives of the city whose deStina-
ton was Twelve Mile bayou. The party
consisted of Major F. NJ Kerr. State
Engineer. DR.. Ashton Blancard. health
officer: Mayor Bernstein, City Engineer
Martin. Hon. r R. Emery. chairman OF
the sanitary committee; Hon. f. J. Con-
ger, chairman OF the water committee
Hon J. Homer Jordan. chairman of the
finance committee. Mr. keene of the
Waterworks Company. and representa-
tives of the press.
The purpose of the trip was to visit
the reservoir at Twelve Mile bayou and
to observe the conditions along the Red
river. with the view of establishing, ii
possible, new supply of water for gen
eral Use in Shreveport in the years to
come
The trip was suggested by DR., Blan-
chard, for which he is to be commended
as it gives opportunity for public dis
cusson of an all-mportaut problem, in
which all classes OF the people are vitality
concerned.
As regards the quality of the water in
Red river it may be matter Of taste.
As an old topper once said ''all whiskey
looks alike to me. but | will say that
some kind of whiskey is better favored
mellow and invigorating and is free
from snakes and jim-jams Red ricer
water may be all alike to some people,
but it is hard and can never be softened,
or melloWed and as some whiSkey has
some peculiar effects on some individu-
ais.
1t is fact which may not be discred-
tied that the raw material has corrod-
ing tendency on boilers of steamboats,,
at some seasons of the year,
when it becomes necessary to clean out
the boilers at least once if not twice a
week.
On this question of Red river water
The Caucasian most respectfully dis
sents from the Times observation: I'm
dications are that the new source will
be Red river, exclusively The mayor
is, apparently, enthusiastic over Red
river water and he is also pleased over
the prospects of having, probably, the
water station about a mile from Shreve-
port on the river.
Some of the councilmen are also
pleased with the prosTa;ts of pure and
water from Red river, and
Major Kerr is also inclined to Red
river water, which may be explained on
the hypothesis that in his years of mean
dering along the river he has been COM
PEELED to quench his thirst with the Red
river quality. or worse
1t is proverbial that when an individ-
ual has quaffed (not at the Pierian
SPRING. but at the Red river bank in its
natural state that he can never forget
which may be redeeming
feature of the water. at least in homeop-
athic doses.
1t is with regret that The Caucasian
can not agree with the advocates of Red
river as liquid element conducive to
vigor and the lengthening of years, and
If better water be obtainable from any
where within so or more miles why not
give up the Red river products, clari-
fed or otherwise?
A PURE WATER SUPPLY.
Ever since tie construction and rhe
operation of the waterworks at its ioca-
ton, where, in the contract by the city
with Samuel R. Bullock & Co., in 1896,
wherein it is stipulated that the water
supply be taken from the deep water in
Cross bayou near the point known as
Arsenal Hill," there has been more or
less agitation and contention over the
water supply, which as furnished now is
Of vastly improved quality over that of
ten and twenty years ago.
1t is accepted as an unqualified propo-
sition that pure water is one of the first
essentials to good health, and when the
waterworks plant was located where it
is now. it was deemed the best and the
most available for all purposes for gem
eral use. At that time the population
Of the city was about fifteen thousand.
Since then it has increased to thirty
thousand inhabitants and is growing
steadily.
In Shreveport today the supply of
pure water is one of the several prob
lens which must be settled in time, and
settled right, regardless of theories or