Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-09
II the City Buys a New Filter.

If mechanical system of filtration in
connection with the city waterworks
plant is deemed eXpedient, there are
some things that should be borne in
mind by the city council. One of
these is that there shall be no repeti-
ton OF the proceedings that charac-
terized the last pump purchase. There
must be no pegs put up in advance.
and no purchase made simply because
somebody who has been nursing deal
has something to SELL When in the
wisdom of the city it has been decided
to install a direct filter plant, the bid
ding must be open to all and on the
square. Let there be no more of the
phoney propositions, that came so near
resulting in physical disaster to men,
bers of the municipal government in
a late instance. In a word, if the
| city buys filter it must do SO because
the city needs it and not because some
body wants to sell it.
Another thing. Whatever move is
OF its waterworks system, should in no
sense contemplate the abandonment OF
! the filtration and storage basins on the
bluff, wisely provided in the first place
and on which the municipality has
wisely expended thousands of dollars.
| If direct filtration of the water supply
| before it enters the pumps is intelli-
| gently regarded as an additional safe
| guard to public health. the consumer
| will be doubly insured by the reten-
ton of The second process. with the
additional advantage of immense stor-
age capacity on the heights which few
cities possess.
Through the mmificence OF Hon.
Ben t. Gable, Rock Island was once
blessed with mechanical filter system,
equal at the time to all requirements.
But as time wore on and population
Increased, the city, more needless Of
the Importance OF the waterworks sys-
tenn than it has been in more recent
years, neglected the question of suf1i-
Gent filtration and one day the Cable
filter plant mysteriously disappeared.
| IL mas never Deen 1OuGQ.
The permanent system of filtration
dates from the second administration
of Mayor T. J. Medill, who installed
the plant on the bluff, and had it well
on it's way to completion when his
term of Office expired, and he was moi
permitted to see the complete execu
ton of his plans before he retired
1t was due to Mr.. Medill, and
doubtless, would have been better fol
the city, had he been allowed to carr,
forth to completion the undertaking
to which he had given much study
and for which he was so abundant,
equipped to bring to a successful con
summation.
However, it is of the present ant
future needs that the people are now
thinking. AS The Argus has hereto
fore stated, the question of pure wate
is of paramount Importance to all elst
in a well regulated city, and whateve
the city does to insure the highes
degree of perfection in the supply tina
courses through the city mains, By
s, adding to or improving the facilities i
now possesses. will it is believed
2 meet with public appreciation. TIL,
more modern the system the better
but whatever is done it should be O
! the nature of added advantage and no
the abandonment of existing advan
tages.
Finally, in whatever course it ma,
pursue, it has but to employ the ele
: ments of business prudence, common
sense and honesty, to win public ap
e proval