Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-18
couNclLMEN SAY suPERINTEND.
EMIT MApsEN RESPONSIBLE -
MApsEN SAYS COUNCIL KNEW.
THEY TOLD NE TO KEEP
1T TO MYSELF" He SAYS
Madsen Says He Told the couneilmen
Saturday Afternoon That the River
Water Had Been Turned in-MeFar-
land Promised to Notify Public -
Madsen Says He Had to Have Water.

between and 4 o'clock Saturday aft
ernoon. The responsibility Councilman
NJ. S. Mcfarland, head of the depart
ment, said this forenoon was on Su-
perintendent Hans Madsen of the
pumping station.
L did not know until this forenoon
that the water had been turned in. "
Mcfarland said today. "Madsen had
no instructions from me or the city
council to turn in the river water.
Councilman Austin corroborated in
substance this statement.
That the entire council knew and in
structed him to keep it quiet" was the
come back Superintendent Madsen
had to make to this charge today.
keep Quiet" Instructions.
The council certainly did know"
Superintendent Madsen told the T.-R.
over the telephone. I told the whole
council that had the river water
slightly turned in when they We're here
Saturday.
They told me to keep it to myself"
MadSen fixed the time the council
was at the pumping station as about ?
o'clock in the afternoon. Councilmen
Mcfarland and Austin said today they
were at the pumping station Saturday
afternoon, but did not know the river
water had been turned in until today.
In view of the possibility Of the river
water being turned into the mains
Councilman Mcfarland promised the
T.-R. Saturday forenoon that in case
the river water was turned in or was
he. tn loYn Cot low
day he would notify the newspaper up
to o'clock Saturday afternoon, SO not
ice could be given the public.
Estimates $1,000 Gallons.
Superintendent Madsen said the sup
ply of water in the reservoir Saturday
afternoon was so low that he deemed
it necessary TO turn river water in He
called City Physician Lierle to the
pumping station Saturday forenoon
and told him that it would probably
be necessary to turn in river water
From the pumping station DIR. Lierle
went to Councilman Mcfarland and he
was present when Councilman McFar-
land agreed to notify the public thru
the newspaper if the water were turn ed
in.
As further explanation Superinten-
dent Madsen said I was afraid air
would get into the suction line and
damage the pump"
Water Low For Weeks.
But this is no new situation" Mad
sen went on. The water supply has
been low for two or three months, and
We have been living from hand to
mouth as regards water.
Last summer I called the attention
of the council to the fact that the wa
ter supply was low and that something
should be done. Nothing was done I'M
III recently
In October steps were taken by the
city to increase the water supply by
securing from c. W. Nelson an ease
ment to go upon Nelson's land, west of
the land on which the city wells are
sunk and sink wells there
A. E. Ford was employed to pull the
old wells and clean and resink them.
Delays in getting material and of Ford
being able to get TO the work DELAYED
the start until very recently.
Six Wells Resunk.
Four wells were resunk by Ford up
to Sunday. Because of the crisis his
men worked Sunday. sunk another
well, and sunk the sixth today. The
wells will be resunk at the rate of
abont one a day The condition the
we'll points are in explains, in part at
least, the water shortage. The strain :
ers pulled are corroded and clogged so
that little water can enter them.
Immediate danger from a lack of
water will not arise now, Superin-
tendent Madsen says, unless there is
a fire. The supply in the reservoir was
increased Saturday and Sunday until
today the supply was approximately
twice what it was Saturday.
Cut Of Northwestern.
With the situation acute Councilman
Mcfarland took steps late Saturday to
conserve the snnnly. He notified the
Northwestern that it must cease taking
water for its locomotives until it was
notified. He said Local Freight Agent
Bardwell agreed readily TO this and
would notify the Boone division head
quarters that the railroad was to use
no water except in cases Of emergency.
This should help the water supply very
much, as the Northwestern is prob
ably the largest single consumer. Ac-
cording to Councilman Mcfarland one
Of the reasons for the acuteness Of the
water situation was that the consump-
ton Friday was 81, 900 gallons in ex-
cess Of any daily consumption for sew
eral weegs.
Effect Of Contamination.
According to DIR. Lierle a small
quantity of impure river water if it
were impure, could cause as much con-
Examination in the whole water system
as great deal. 1t is true that the
river water may be pure. There have
been few, II any known cases Of
typhoid in the city traceable to water,
yet great many people have used
river ice. 1t is also doubtless true
that the river water is probably purer
at this time of year than any other.
It is very clear, but what its contents
are is not known, as no analysis of it
has been made.
II Is believed that by the end of the
week enough Of the old we'll points
will be pulled, cleaned and resunk to
relieve the situation from any inn
mediate danger.
In the meantime the public should
do three things:
Ffrst-Boil the water. II there is
contamination in the river water there is
ne telling how long il may remain in
the mains.
second--Be careful not to waste
water.
Third - Take extra precautions
against fires. a fire of any great size
IN the next few days will proUaoiy
make 1t necessary to turn in river
water.