The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-11
LACK OF WATER,
NOT COAL GIVES
Topeka SHIVERS
Pressure Too Low for Adequate
Steam Heat Today.
COIOred Industrial School Is
Forced To Close Down.
STATE HOUSE A DRY PLACE
National Hotel Carries Water
to Guests in Buckets.
Employees at Santa Fe Offices
Cold All Day.

Cold All Day.
With Topeka's already dangerous
fire hazard further agitated by
vicious low temperature and with
Mayor House out of the city, the water
conditions here reached a crisis today
when dozens of business firms and in
stitut1ons complained of poor pressure.
The Topeka Industrial and Education
al institute, east of the city, was forced
to close because water in quantities
sufficient for heating purposes could
not be obtained from the city mains
In the face of this, F. M. Newland,
commissioner of water and lights, as
serted that the water pressure was
normal or, at least, adequate for the
needs of the firms and institutions
reporting poor pressure. He asserted
that the pressure was "a little low this
morning but was adequate again
shortly after noon" Five minutes
after Newland made his declaration,
w. R. Carter, principal of the indus
trial institute, said that pressure at hi;
place had not been increased.
Carter closed his institution at noon
today.
Carry Water to Boilers.
I'VE have no water to use in the
boilers that warm the school rooms
he said. Glasses in the trade and
shop rooms are out of the question.
We are heating the dormitories by
carrying water in buckets from two
big cisterns.
"Several families which own live
stock and one man with big dairy
has been depending upon our mains
for water and 1 don't know what they
are going to do
Among the institutions reporting
serious low pressure was the state
house. Nothing would run from the
,-trr
At the high school, A. J. Stout, prin-
cipal said that the water pressure had
been a little low for the last week but
not low enough to cause serious trou-
BILE.
For several hours this morning wa
ter-would not run from the faucets on
the second story of the State Journal
building.
No Report on New Well.
At noon today Newland asserted
that the pumping plant had developed
fifty pounds of pressure. This pres
sure is adequate to hoist water only
IFS feet. He said he had not heard
what the new well which was to be
connected at the plant today had de-
veloped. In the last few days both he
and Jesse Shaw, superintendent of the
water plant, have expressed hope that
the new well would improve condi-
tions.
This morning the pressure was alb
normally low at the Santa F'e offices.
The alarm set to go off in the engine
room when the pressure gets as low a s
/ fifteen pounds exploded twice. The
pressure went higher shortly after
noon, registering about forty pounds.
AS a result of the trouble, the atros-
phere inside the two big office build
ings was chilly all day.
Hotel Guests Inconvenienced.
Bell boys in the elevator at the Ma
tional hotel carrying buckets of hot
water to guests on upper floors was
forced upon the mana cement today
as a result of the water shortage.
Neither water for bath nor toilet was
available on upper floors after IL
! O'Clock Thursday night, according to
Horace Humphreys, manager.
This morning Humphreys was
obliged to refund ST. to guests who
had enga ged rooms with baths and
who discovered afterwards that there
were no baths available. Poor pres
sure has been noticeable for months,
according to Humphreys, but condi-
| tions were never so bad reported to
/ him by guests during the night and
this morning.
I'VE should have 40 pounds of
4 pressure on the upper floors" said
Humphreys. Instead, at IL o'clock
! last night the pressure was only two
pounds 1 wonder what we would do
I if there were a fire.
/ such conditions not only cause US
trouble but without sufficient water
/ to flush toilets it makes it unsani-
tary, to say nothing of the fire dan
GER
Commissioners Discuss Situation.
w G. Tandy, acting mayor in the
| absence of Mayor House, said this
morning that he was unable to get
water on the second story of his resi-
! donce.
/ 1--WE the commissioners, have been
! discussing this situation considerab bly,
lately he said. Something has to be
done 1t seems to me that when a
1 man has been in charge of any one
thing as long as the present manager
of the water plant has, conditions
! ought to be good and things running
I smoothly.
I'VE took up the water situation last
spring and gave lot of orders but
W don't like to buck into someone
I else's department so much. The trou-
BILE with the water department man.
agement is that it has bunch of
temporary stuff at the plant and
very few things that are permanent.
] Of course when conditions are bad it
I is hard to do anything But when
conditions are good the water depart
rnent does not do anything either.
Garter called up this morning and
kicked on the pressure at the insti-
tute 1 called up Newland and New
land said the belt was slipping at the
plant. Now, water plant is no place
for slipping belt
Tandy did not say that the commits
sion would go into the matter again.
! However he asserted that something g
would have to be done.
It'll take time he said in COM
menting on the fact that some fi.i g.
hasn't already been done by the water
department