The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-18
other valuable property to remain un-
touched.
MINOT PROUD OF
FILTRATION PLANT
CITIZEN OF THAT CITY EXPLAINS
ABOUT kENNEDYS WORK
THERE.

Minot, N. d., Aug. 16.-To The Fo-
rum: MY attention has been called
to a letter in a recent issue of The
Forum written by w, J. Price in which
he states: MIR. Kennedy refers to
M1not filtration plant as living up to
the guarantee and better. 1t is pos
sible that the statements of one of
Minot's most prominent citizens, to the
writer, and threEsother men. at Minot,
the evening Of Aug. s, that Minot is
holding UP $1,000, is untrue, if Mr..
Kennedy's declaration that his plant at
Minot is giving such great satisfaction
is true statement
First let me make the broad state
ment that there is no better water
system in the United States than that
constructed at Minot by James Ken
nedy. 1t is more than living up to
the guarantee. The water is tested
twice in each twenty four hours by
an employe from the office of the state
bacteriologist, located here, and the
water is always above 98 per cent
pure. In the tests given the Minot
waters in connection with the normal
school controversy the city water was
far and away the best, being much
purer than the famous Granite spring
water.
Every patriotic citizen in Minot is
proud of our water system, given us
by Contractor Kennedy.
When it's considered that our filtra-
ton plant takes this water from the
Mouse river, an extremely foul stream,
and makes it the purest drinking wa
ter, you win understand that our fill
iteration is the best. The statement by
Mr.. Price that $1,000 of the contract
price of the Minot waterworlxs is yet
held back is misleading and seems to
have been made with a knowledge of
that fact. The specifications for the
Minot pipe system called for a ball and
socket joint crossing the Mouse river.
Mr.. Kennedy tried in vain to get the
city officials to change this, as he
maintained that that kind Of a joint
would not stand the pressure.
The officials directed Mr.. Kennedy
to go ahead with the kind of joint
called for and he did, Ia was laid ex-
actly according to specifications.
When the power was. turned on land
it took some power to push the wa
ter 142 feet higher than the rive-)
the ball and socket joints were quickly
1oosened and dislodged. just as Nj.
Kennedy said they would be.
When 1t was found that the kind
Of joint ordered by the city would not
hold Mr.. Kennedy was requested to
put in the sort Of joint he had ad-
vised using in the first place.
This was about the time the water
was to be turned on, according to
contract--around about Dec. 1.
1t was then found that in order to
do the work, Golfer dams had to be
across the river piers
joints-as well as the doing of a lot
of other things that should have been
done originally and during the warm
weather. Then, too, there was part
Of the dynamo furnished Mr.. Kennedy
by some sub contractor that was
found cracked or broken, and while
1t was temporarily repaired by the
1t was not acceptable
to the city. All this took much time
and lot of labor and the opening OF
the plant for general use was. in con-
sequence, delayed for several months. |
In the meantime the city had the
use Of the plant for fire purposes and
1t was SO used on several occasions.
Mr. Kennedy's contract provided a
time limit for completion, and every
day over this limit fine Of $50,
think, was to be exacted.
The delay In opening the plant, or
turning on the water for general use,
was not the fault OF Mr.. Kennedy, as
explained, and be did not propose
standing for the penalty.
In trying to exact the penalty, the
little politicians gocialistic and other
wise who were running the city were
not representing the intelligent tax
payers of the community
Tn the meantime I repeat, we are
proud OF our water works and Ultra
ton plant--the plant Ii the thing we
show strangers when we want to con-