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