St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1913-05-09
That LinntOn Contract

St. johns, April 20. ne lOl-
lowing article appeared in the
st. Johns Review April 18:
The city of Linnton has let the
contract for installing a water
works system to connect with
Bull Run pipes at the southern
limit of Portland, the contract
price being 1000 odd dollars.
The natural query is: If it costs
Linnton this large sum to to
construct a pipe line about seven
miles long and running along its
very few streets, without the
expense Of a pumping station,
how much would it cost the city
of st. Johns TO construct thirty
miles of pipe, some of it through
hard surface streets. and nearly
all of It through improved streets,
were such a contingency to-
arise? Respectfully referred to
Chas. Anderson, the Socialist,
for an approximate estimate.
The writer did not sign his
name, but | have an idea who it
is, and do not blame him for not
wanting to sign such a crude
proposition and comparison as he
puts up.
Replying, ! wish to say that
he does not give me or the read
ers the sizes of any pipes to be
used in the Binnton system;
whether /, 2, 3, or 4 inch, but il
seems to me that he is trying to
impress on the water users of
our city that 500, 900, the
amount previously proposed by
me as a sufficient sum 30 install
Bull Run water in st. Johns, is
entirely an inadequate amount to
install 80 miles of pipe line, such
as our sister city across the river
is constructing. Also that the
offer of the ST. Johns Water com
pany TO sell their plant TO
the city is "A snap offer the city
should jump at, for $3.50, 900.
The fact is, we have no 30I
miles ~ pipe line TO construct. |
Remember the Bull Run main |
pipe line is already at East st. !
Johns. and the amount of water
il carries is sufficient TO supply |
st. Johns for the next 10 or 20 |
years. based on It's present rate |
of growth. This will bear rigid |
investigation.
My capitalistic-minded friend, |
don't you think that we should |
at least be as modern as our sis
ter city, Linnton, and install a
frst-class system?
When we have done that, we
can buy the system now in
use here and pay for the same
proportionately with what Linn
ton pays for a similar system
now in use mt wildwood Court,
and you know il is not one pen
NY.
| will now give a clear and ac-
curate inventory of the system
Linnton will get for her 90, 600
odd thousand dollars: Meters
installed. l75; fire hyrants. 45;
miles of II inch pipe. 2; miles
Of 3 inch pipe. g; also several
miles of 2 inch and smaller pipe.
Four reservoirs, each with a ca
pacity of l20. 900 gallons; two au-
lomatically operated electric
pumping stations with a deliv-
cry of 20 gallons per minute
each.
You must also remember that
Linnton has extended her north |
limit TO the Portland city limits,
taking in Fairmount. wildwood |
Court, Glen Harbor. All these
places will be supplied with wa
Ter by the new system. Instead |
IF a few streets. as mentioned
BY the writer of the Review ar
.icle. they will have nearly as
many miles of streets TO cover as
St. Johns, but you evidently de- ,
'ire TO deceive and mislead the
public. ann surprised that the |
writer opposes my theory of
putting in Sl00, 600 plant. and
ret refers TO me for an estimate I
# approximate cost, yet gives
ne no plans or specifications To @
lase an estimate ON. | am sur c
'rised that he is having so much G
onhdence in me and my ability,
nd not a civil engineer, to d
SIX me 10 give appreciate esti- h
nate. ! guess that you heard t
t the Socialists victory in Bel /
'ium. Germany and Denmark O
nd the other countries where 5
he Socialists make the empire i
nd king come TO their terms. a
md also in st. Johns a Socialist l
lade a council come TO his terms, d
Notwithstanding their advisor
tated that he wanted TO take il .
lto the cosrts. have reference "
D the sewer. c. j. Anderson,
he Socialist, 4O4 Philadelphia a