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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1889)
THE WE8T SHORE. 2-20 improvements to the amount of $30,000.00 are now under contract. There are two bridges across Falso creek and one across Coal harbor. The city has ex. pended $23,000.00 on sewers and will expend $10,. 000.00 this year on its sewerage system. It has a tel ephone exchange of nearly two hundred subscribers. The fire department consists of two brigades, employ, ing a total of sixty men, with modern apparatus for extinguishing fires. The water works plant, jast com pleted, brings to the city an abundant supply of pure water from the headwaters of the Capilano creek, a mountain stream flowing from the northward into Burrard inlet near the first narrows. Seven miles from the city limits a reservoir with a capacity of fourteen million gallons was made by damming the creek, and from that reservoir the water is led in pipos down the mountain side and under the narrows, which is half a mile wide, to supply the system of mains in the city, and, through them, the consumers. The reservoir is two hundred feet above the highest point in the city, and over three hundred feet above the business and residence portion of the town. This gives an immense pressure without the necessity for steam pumps. The water is free from all impurities and the source of supply is in the mountains beyond possibility of contamination. The laying of the sub merged main across the narrows was an engineering feat that required great skill to perform, and it was not until eminent engineers had tried and given it up as impossible of consummation that the pipe was fin ally laid amid publio rejoicing. Though water is now being furnished consumers the system is just being perfected in the city. This water works system cost $230,000.00, and it is one of the most important im provements, both from a sanitary and a commercial point of view, that has been made there. Seventy five hydrants, judiciously placed about tho city, far nish an efficient means for qaenchiDg fires. The sys tem includes thirty miles of iron mains. Vancouver is lighted by both gas and electricity. The Electric Illuminating Company lights the streets with nearly two thousand sixteen-candle power iucan decent lamps, also furnishing lights to private con lumers, and it is now arranging to add one hundred and twenty arc lights to the street illumination, each to be of two thousand candle power. The Vancouver Qw Company is incorporated, with a capital stock d MO 000 00, and has a capacity for supplying thousand cubio feet of coal gas per day. 1 tduutn of coke and coal tar is now utilii -1, ll " xpocM soon to manufacture asphaltam an 1 auahno Vo, which will be an important addition t tho city toady considerable list of manufacture. Tho publio schools of Vancouver, like the bere iQ the province, belong to tho provincial got- eminent Tho buildings belong to tho government and all current expenses are borne, by tho province, and the school tax paid by tho citizens of Vancouver is not levied on property, but is a per capita tax. Tho local administration of school matters is vested in a school board, consisting of six members, chooen by popular suffrage, to whom is entrusted tho direct su pervision of the schools and all matters pertaining to the enforcement of regulations and their general eon trol. It is now a graded common school system, but by tho beginning of tho next school year a high school will bo organized with a suitable curriculum and an efficient corps of instructor! At tho beginning of tho present school year, nine teachers, including tho head master, were employed in tho city. Now tho corps includes twelve teachers, and fifteen must Im provid ed for the first term next full One school building has been constructed this year, and a largo central high school will bo built uext year, for which an ap propriation of $17,000.00 has already bwn mad. Tho Roman Catholic church maintains a parochial school, which is well patronized. In tho matter of publio parks, tho city is well pro vided for. All that part of tho peninsula west of Coal horbor, comprising soma nlno hundred and six ty acres, belongs to tho crown, ami is leased by tho city for a publio park. A driveway entirely around this park has been constructed of gravel and shells, and it is much patronized. Froia aomo of tho eleva tions on this road tho view is one of tho grandest im aginable. The precipitous mountains on tho north sido of tho inlet, only six or eight miles away, ralso their wagged crest lino to a height of over six thou sand feet, and carry a covering of snow a largo mr. tion of tho year. Tho spurs of tho Caaoades ap proach very near tho coaat; In fart, salt water wmLpi tho very ba of tho mountains in somo raws. Ha ward, the numerous Wands that dot tho waters of the Oolf'of 0"Tgi aro plainly in view, and all tho shore lines aro very pirtorei.U. Fouthward, I'uiul Oray juts out from tho main land l-youd Kogllab bay, and t, the eastward the main ridgo of the LWadea ex tends across tho lrix, ragged and snow-capped. Tno park iUelf-HUnley j.aik, it is called -I. out. wJ with a wild Ural, AIM with gamo o many kinds, whiehn.1 on-is rril tiki". UM iU rm und th, park, drives lravcr.bg t In various (lir,,.ti()I1, r U ii.it obtruded, making It on of tho t sharoitK -In"" rr,"rU ,0 th ' rilyLM er.,-t.,l a k Wfc-. t-w tho keeper fa. lM;.vMot.,1gia.i.ledotbet;,thocar.of tho park , . , omt- rtii g it- primeval beauty. A small (nr. : ItLU park is .-la-id- f tho athletlo club, of oity .1 "ity Ctted for them. In tho eastern Irtof thecity is tract of ono hundrrd and sixty