The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-08-21

Mr.. Caswell finds fault with the
electric light company because after
it's franchise had been denied by the
people, it does not submit a demand
for another franchise to be immedi-
ately voted upon, and intimates that
end of the present franchise in order
to take advantage of the people. One
can readily understand how unselfsh
he is in the interests of the people
and how far their interests trouble
him and cause him to lose sleep Of
nights lest his property should be-
come jeopardized, when it is known
that every time the franchise is sub
mitted to vote it means $3.50 to 5000
in his pocket for making publication
in the Bulletin of the application for
the franchies.
One would imagine to hear some
people talk that the electric light
company is the cause of all the ills
of the community, and that the town
had been burned up several times
because of it's Indifference to the well
fare of the community. 1t might be
we'll for some of these critics who do
not own dollars worth of property in
the city, and are drawing salaries from
the public, to stop and think that the
owners of the electric light company
have just as many interests in the COM
munity as any other equal number of
people and that the same incentive
exists for their being interested in the
safety of the town and its protection
from fire as exists in favor of other
people.
1t might also be well to consider
that while other cities have burned
up because of the water supply be-
ing short, at the time of the fire, that
for almost twenty years Denison has
been protected from loss by fire by
this same electric light company,
which is so readily condemned. Who
knows whether the trouble complained
of was caused by want of water in
the tank or because of the defective
equipment. At the time when Mr..
Muir stood before the city council
and at the time the city council acted
so promptly, neither Mr.. Muir nor
the city council knew that the fault
was that of the electric light COM
pany. Instead of condemning unheard
those who are back of the electric
light company, it might be we'll to
exercise a degree of charity at least
to the extent of finding out whether
the fault was that of the city or the
electric light company. DenisOn has
certainly been fortunate in having
this same plant in operation for al
most twenty years since it was es-
tablished. 1t is common thing to
hear the statement made that the
water supply to fight fire is always
sufficient except when needed in case
of fire. That has not been the case in
E. Denison, because not building IN
this city has been destroyed by fire
during twenty years on account OF
the failure of the electric light COM
pany to perform it's duty in the way
of furnishing water. 1t might be we'll
to consider the facts in the case be-
fore coming to a decision. Mr.. Nc
Clellan, the nightwatchman, says that
at O'Clock in the afternoon OF the
day of the fire he visited the tank and
found Is feet of water Mr.. Gillian,
who has charge of the electric light
plant at night, says that when he
went to the plant at 6 o'clock that
evening there was los pounds OF
pressure and that the pumps were
kept working continuously until mid
night or after and that at midnight
the tank was full of water.
The ordinances of the city provide
that water shall be kept in the tank
when required and that at midnight
it shall be full of water. Mr.. Gillian
says that at midnight on the night in
question the tank was full of water,
and no one can truthfully dispute the
statement. If Mr.. Muir was i'm
pressed with the shortness of water
supply, why did he not, as soon as
the fire was over that night, go up to
the tank and ascertain the depth OF
the water? Because if there had been
a want of water it would have been
shown by a visit to the tank The
truth is that the tank was visited
that night after he fire and the depth
of the water found to be such as to
fully eXonerate the company. That
fact is not being exploited.
Our understanding is that Mr.. Nc