The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-30
Ne WWATERMAINS
City Preparing to Make Many
Extensions.
Nearly 200 Tons of Pipe Has
Been Ordered.
CITY is GROWING.
New Mains, New Meters, New
Users Tell Story.
New Well Will Be Dug at Water
works Plant.

Extensive Improvements in the city
water service costing many thousand
dollars and giving the outlying dis
tr1cts more water mains, is the plan of
H. P. Miller, city commissioner, and
Jesse Shaw, superintendent of the
waterworks. With these plans. orders
have been given for nearly 200 tons of
six-inch water mains. These will be
laid upon their arrival
AT this time Topeka has ga miles of
water mains. In the last three years
the water commissioners have laid
nearly Is miles of mains to the grow
ing territory in the outskirts Plans
have been made for more than three
miles of new water services this year
and before the season ends the big
average of five miles a year probably
will be eQualed
The recent growth of Topeka is
shown in every line of business With
the city administration it is shown in
the water department more than in
any other city department. Here are
requests for new mains and new serv-
ices, new meters and new service
pipes.
1.-THE growth of Topeka in new
| houses is marvellous" said Commits
sioner Miller this afternoon. Super
| intendent Shaw tells me that We are
continually serving more people and
putting out more meters. And the de-
mands for additional water service
comes from newly settled districts, as
we'll as from the older suburban sec
tions.''
From the present plans, the follow
ing streets will be given new mains:
Woodward and Grand avenues, Low
man Hill. six blocks.
Morris and Topeka avenues to West
ern avenue over to Locust street. in
North Topeka, five and one-han
blocks.
Lane street. Fifth to Sixth. one
block.
Polk street, Second to Third, one
block
Lincoln street, Twenty-third to city
limits, four blocks.
East Sixth. Laurent to Division, five
blocks.
Then there is talk of laying mains
! in the following streets:
Monroe, Second to Third.
| Euclid, Monroe to Jefferson.
Seventeenth, Madison to Adams.
Lane, King to Huntoon.
| Fillmore, Seventeenth to limits.
Clay, Nineteenth to limits.
| If the amendment to the commits
| sion law had not ben killed in the leg
islature bv one of the present city
commissioners, the people of Topeka
would have been able to get al the
water mains they wanted without go
ing through red tape,' signing con-
tracts and paying more money than
necessary
| Here is the law the way 1t now
| stands:
'The board of commissioners shall
| make no extensions of water mains
| unless persons, firms or corporations
along the line of the proposed extern
sion shall have first executed and de-
livered to such city a sufficient num-
Der of written contracts, the perform
! ance of which is secured by a cash de-
post or a good and sufficient bond
STIMULATING for a supply of water for a
period of two years to insure such city
! an additional income therefrom equiv
alent to a profit of 10 per cent pei
annum on the cost of such extension;
all renewals and extensions of the
waterW orks system shall be paid fol
in cash out of the current revenues OF
such department, and not otherwise.
This law keeps us from making al
the necessary extensions" said Com
i missioner Miller. 81 want the people
to understand this-we would be more
than glad to put in sufficient water
service but on account of the above
law we can't do it,
If the commissioners had not beer
hampered by the lobbying of one mar
at the legislature. the law would have
been amended and the city would have
profited.
Among the other improvements tc
the water department, is a new well
This will make we'll No. 8, and will be
situated near the other wells at the
main waterworks station. The city
| clerk will advertise for bids soon.