The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-10-08
present CRISIS
I FAULT Of MAYOR
5 AVS CARTER
Useless Test of Pipe Line
Cheats City of 100000
Gallons of Good Pure
n Water
CITIZENS NOW SUFFER
JF COMMON HORSE SENSE HAD
PREVAILED PEOPLE WOULD
NOT BE FACING DEPLOR-
ABLE CONDITIONS.

"If Mayor Freeman and the commits
sioners, and i might add, the city at
torney, had paid u little attention to
what / had TO say while serving the
city as water commissioner, the city
would not be without water today, and
the water commissioner would not be
shutting off he supply from the city.
just at the season OF the year when
1T is most needed TO operate gins. mills
nnd other Industries" remarked eX-wa-
Ter Commissioner Tom Carter this
morning. relative to the present crisis
NOW confronting the people.
Five Weeks Lost.
Continuing Mr.. Carter stated, "Whor
the pipe line was finished and turned
'ovcr to tho city by the Ardmore Con-
-struction Company, the creek was
flowing normal. and was sending 1900
600 gallons Of water through the pipe
line daily. The city was using then.
as IL could use now if it could get it,,
approximately 1.O00, 900 gallons daily,
that was giving us 100000 gallons to
divert to tho lake, which was gradual
ly giving a reserve supply that would
Instead Mayor Freeman and the other
commissioners. began to test tho pipe,
giving test after test, when there was
no apparent reason on earth for do
ing 50. that s valuable weeks were lost
in this manner. the pipe line practical
ly doing nothing. when it should have
been working to fun capacity.
Takes Keys From Engineer.
"'rhc mayor and commissioners voted
10 tcst the pipe line when Il was furn-
ishing a 500. 600 gallons more water
than The original contract contemplate
ed. with the result that the tests blew
up the line.
Applvng n test. tracing up the
break. and repairing the line so that
81 could flow normal again, consumed
mone week during which time the city
was being supplied from the reserve
supply in the lake. This occurred five
separate times, and finally ] went to
the pump station, took the key away
.Lfrom the city engineer and announced
lilo the mayor and commissioners tina;
there would be no further tests of the
line so long as l remained on the
job.
Public Pays the Price.
about the time tho pipe line was
blown M the last time, the supply
ai Hickory creek began to dwlndle
and everybody knows the subsequent
result The city IS without the l7.5oO,'
900 Gallons Of water that It would have
had II Mayor Freeman and tho com
missloners had Nt the pipc line alone
whom i, was doing more than was
over expected OF Il. and now the pub
lie has To suffer for their acts.
Common Horse Sense Needed.
81 am sorry TO sec such conditions
confront the city, but those conditions
would not prevail today II common
horse sense had been used by Mayor
Freeman and other commissioners by
letting the pipe line alone when It Wa
moro than doing the duty expected
lof IT,"
Carter Wanted Pipe Line.
Mr.. Carter who recently resigned
from the ci:y ofcial family fought ev
erv attempt to test the line, but wo'
oycrruled by the mayor and his othol
fellow commissioners This and othoi
matters. in which considerable friction
was ongendcrod, caused him to tender
his resignation and Roy Shores, th'
present incumbent was appointed II
his stead.
Asked what he thought about th'
present movement for n recall, Mt
Carter sald tha, he had nothing t
say at present on the proposition