The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-09-03
Politics Cause
Of the Water
Famine
GREAT WATER SYSTEM PROMISED CITY HALL POLTTL
MAKE GOOD-RESIDENTS in HIGH SEE
TIONs ABOUT READY START SOMETHING

Had there been fire in the
thickly settled sections of the city
on the high service last night
whole blocks of buildings might
have burned up for there was no
water in the city pipes.
In many places citizens could
not get enough water for drink
ing purposes, while hundreds of
people were cut out of the use OF
their bathrooms. The great wat
er system which has been so much
lauded by the administration did
not seem to be producing.
Commissioner -ScGregor says
one trouble now is the city has TO
stop pumping on the peak load.
Another thing he has discovered
as that water cannot be pumped
ont of Hood street reservoir by
station B unless there is II feet
in the reservoir.
The combination of circum-
stances and excuses always seems
to be too much for the situation
and the people are getting the
worst of it on the water question.
There was a mighty howl last
night.
Councilmen are beginning to
hear some rumblings and they say
they are going to get busy quick.
1--WE are going to bring IN
Maplewood springs and Green riv-
err gravity at once" said Chair
man Brand of the special water
committee today.
Revive Maplewood Scheme.
Here goes another 100000 for
Maplewood springs and then every
gallon of the water will have 20
be pumped. A whole new pump
ing plant will have to be bought
and there will be another year IF
experimenting with pumps and
springs. When the. present adj
ministration came in the city had
already let a contract for the
building of the Maplewood
springs plant.
Where Politics Comes In.
Because the Wright administra-
tion favored 1t as the next best
thing to gravity water the present
crowd of course was against 1t
and they proceeded to spend a
couple of hundred thousand dol
lars on pumping plants and wells
and pipe lines and reservoirs
which were to fix things for all
time to come. They were going
to get great volumes of water
from Glover creek springs, which
engineers have never been able to
find there. Money was spent with
free hand and after a year and
a half the city is worse off than
when 1t started.
Now the city, according to
Brand, is going back right where
1t started a year and a half ago
to bring In Maplewood springs
and experiment with that and
with more pumps and more stand
pipes and more reservoirs.
Turnbull Wants an Expert.
And Councilman Turnbu1l wants
to block the gravity water advo-
Gates by hiring another expert"
to pass on ft. The city hired
numerous experts and they all de-
clared in favor of Green river
gravity water. TIL, councils for
years Investigated all the springs,
wells, creeks and rivers in this
section and finally all came back
to Green river gravity. Then
they hired expensive experts and
they started on plans and the city
had $4,000 In complete working
plans ready to start work, but
now Turnbull wants more experts
and more money spent.
Ready for Gravity.
The other councilmen are pretty
near ready to call It off on the
expert question, however. There
are about 12 men in the council
at present who are ready to go
ahead with the Green river grav
ity plant and unless they are side
tracked by the Maplewood- springs
project they will probably devise
ways and means to do It.
The administration insists that
the present plant will answer with
some slight additions in the way
of wells when all the reservoirs
get to running until gravity
system is built and the whole
water question promises to be
threshed over again by the coun-
ell in the next few weeks.
In the meantime the people are
up against 1t hard and the city Isl
daily IN danger of burning up.
I'VE will do Just what Seattle
did, wait until the town burns out,
then go and bring In Green river
gravity water" said a city hall
man today.