The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-08-26
WATER
SITUATION
Brought Forcibly to the Atten-
tion of Council Last Tues
day Evening.
Another Squeeze of Celina Gas
Consumers Planned and
Well Under Way.

The fact that resid ents on North Su.
gar street wanted city water for FIRE
protection and commercial use started
ball rolling at the regular meeting
of Council last Tuesday night that can
hardly be stopped until il gathers
some moss, or until 1t strikes stick
of dynamite that will explode the ac-
tion of Council in the matter and blow
the destiny of the local water works
plant into the hands of some body more
competent TO look after IL and the well
fare of the citizens of the town than the
city dads now holding the purse
strings and handling its interests:
All members of Council with the ex-
ception of Messrs. Schunck and Le-
Blond were present at the awakening
which took place last Tuesday evening
in the council chamber, when Presi-
dent l.. ID. Brumm, of the Board of
Public Affairs, told Council what the
Board wanted, and presented Engineer
Chas. Howard, who furnished infor-
nation in regard to the condition of the
local water works plant that would
cause much uneasiness in the minds of
many residents of the town who can
recall the havoc wrought by the big
fire of 1895.
Mayor Kenney presided at the meet
ing, and following the usual opening
routine, f. NJ. Gordon, a resident Of
North Sugar street, addressed the dads
on behalf of the residents along that
street, asking that council take some
action in regard to furnishing the
Board of Public Affairs money to give
them water for fire protection and for
commercial use. He stated that there
were fourteen houses on the street,
eight of which were occupied by fami-
lies, and that they were without ade-
quate fl re protection. This was vouch-
ed for by Fire Chief Weisman, who
said that there were three blocks of
street without a hydrant, and that it
would be impossible to cope with any
kind of blaze. Mr.. Gordon also
stated that the people along the street
were anxious to secure water for COM
mercial purposes; that the cisterns
were dry and there was no place in the
neighborhood to get water. He said he
thought they were entitled to the use
of the city water. Mayor Kenney told
him coHncil could do nothing
with the matter and referred him to
the Board of Public Affairs. 1t was
the same old move. For the past year
these and other people of the town
have been asking for water extensions.
They would apply to council, the proper
place to place their grievances, but the
dads never wanted to shoulder the
kicks and sent the complaintants to
the Board of Public Affairs instead of
taking the matter upon themselves to
look after the wants of the people who
elected them for that duty. The Board
of Public Affairs did not have the mo-
ney to make the improvements de-
manded withou the aid of council and
directed the poor fellow asking relief
back to the council. What did he get?
Soaked the following year for higher
rate of tax. But Mr.. Gordon had ap-
piled at the right moment, for the
Board of Public Affairs was meeting
in their offices down stairs and he i'm
mediately went before them and asked
that they help him out of his dilemma
by going to the council chamber. And
they went.
Clerk Had II Pgeon>HoIed
Mr.. Gordon stated to Council that
the Board had informed him that some
time since an estimate of the cost of
extending the water line on North Su-
gar and West Market streets had been
presented to the board but that no ac-
tion had been taken on the matter.
Some members of Council couldn't re-
call the matter and Clerk Winter said
he had no record of it. Councilman
Winkeljohan, however, came to the
assistance of Mr.. Gordon and said he
knew the estimate had been presented
and believed the clerk could find it if
he would look the matter up. And he
did. The estimate was $4,000.
President Brumm, of the B. p. A.,
then stated that he here wanted their
engineer to give Council figures and
estimates on the cost of fixing up mat
ters at the plant that needed prompt
consideration. Mr.. Howard then
spoke about the conditions existing at
the plant that should be attended to at
once. He said they were very serious,
but that the seriousness would not be
noted until it would be too late to rem
edy the cause and much damage might
be done.
Needs of the Department
He said the most important of the
needed improvements was new air
compressor. There is only one COM
pressor at the plant, and this, which
was put in at the installation of the
plant fourteen years ago, is not now
suffi cient to pump the amount of water
from the wells that is used during the
dry season now upon us. He said that
the most discharge from the wells that
could be secured with this pump was
1000 gallons per hour and that the
consumption was greater than this.
That despite the fact that this COM
pressor had been kept going from 20 to
"a hours day, last week the water
supply in the tanks fell 80 feet in four
hours, and if a fire had hit the town at
this time couple hours use of the hy-
drants would have drained the tanks.
He further stated that should any cast
ing of the compressor become broken,
it would take from to 8 weeks to get
them here. He, therefore, urged that
no delay be had in buying new COM
pressor, the cost of which he estimated
at between ten ana twelve hundred
dollars.
Engineer Howard stated the water
supply was hardly sufficient for the
growth the town was making, and sug-
gested that two new wells be put in.
The probable cost was estimated at
about 81, 400, making the whole cost of
the improvement at the plant about
AZ OOD