Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-05
MRS PRESION'S WELL.
BaIdwIs Street People gaye Besu X BeIpiBg Themselves q IL

To use an old saying, there is great hold on the rain, and 1t looks now as If we will have to get along with what water we have and the little that will trickle into the reser- voirs from day to day for the winter or dip into the Mad River. A man
 who claims to know more about the
 weather conditions than Horace Johnson and all the rest of the pro phets We hear so much about in tho papers, told Democrat reporter that
 We will have no rain to speak of un-
 til after March 22, 1909, more than three months from now. If this be
 so people who have good wells
 should take care of them and those
 who have none should feel deeply grateful to their neighbors for being
 allowed to get nice drinking water at
 this time without any cost and very
 little labor. But very few bestow a
 thought upon this. They look at
 water no matter where they see 1t
 as common property, but in this they
 are very much mistaken, for in some
 places 1t comes high and unless the
 water situation changes in Water
 bury very soon owners of wells will
 want to turn an honest dollar out of
 them. And why not? Do you know
 anybody who Is willing to furnish
 milk, wine, beer, cider or anything
 else in that line to his neighbors for
 nothing? Just think of the recep-
 tion you would get in case a farmer found you filling your can in his
 cider mill and you had no better ex- planation to give for your conduct than that you had none of you own. Whew! but wouldn't you get call
 and probably dose of buckshot in the bargain. Some may look at this as sort of joke but it is nothing Of
 the kind. People can manage to get
 along without milk and wine, but
 they must have water or die or
 drought and filth, consequently in case it should be put on the market in Waterbury at this time it would sell at a good profit Since last sum-
 mer it is estimated that at least $20
 worth of water per day has been taken from the well on Mrs Pres tons property on Baldwin street, but of course she received nothing for It and wouldn't accept anything. Every
 body who called was met with a cheerful word and helped himself | and herself with the exception or one man who called so frequently
 and carried such large quantities or water in bottles that Mrs Preston s son surmised that there was some thing wrong and upon investigation l found that the man was selling me water and making a fat thing out Of 1t. Then there was something doing and the smart man had to get his stock some place else. Of course this was all right. Nobody would think of asking pay for drink of water. but when a man wants to sell it he ought | to be willing to come down with
 something for it. But this is not the question. What we are trying to get at is that in case water for do- nestle use becomes scarce it will be | bought and sold just the same as
 any other commodity and people whc
 have wells should think once or twice before covering them up even
 when they have city water in the 1 house. During the past year more l than dozen wells were put out o1
 commission and now the owners
 would give good deal if they had l them back. They can't use what is l in the pipes and they have no wells
 so you can easily imagine their feel ings on the water question.