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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1895)
16 THE LORlslOsG OBEGOKIA3T, TUESDAY, JA3TDABY 1, 1895r WATER FRCfM BULL RUN Portland's Source of Supply for Do mestic Use. i THE WATER-WORKS PLANT A GRAVITY SYSTEM The Pipe Line ana tlic Fine System of Reservoirs-Tlie YVater Committee and the Corps of Engineers in Charge of This Work. lfes " i? HE year 1894 will long be remem bered as one of the most eventful in Portland's his tory. An abund ant supply of pure water for domes tic use has long been the dream of the city. The com pleti jn of the great Bull Run sv s tem, one of the most extensive and most complete "wa ter-works plants on the coast. Is a. realisation of tnls hope.and it Is the practical demonstration of the success of an enterprise, the final con summation of which was not looked for ward to during the present century. Primitive Portland had good watr. Modern Portland is able to avail Itself of a supply of the purest water from a source in the lofty elevations of the Cas cade mountains that v. ill never be ex hausted, and a source, too, that will never be contaminated by the settlement of the contiguous districts, which has ren dered the water from the Willamette nv-r so objectionable for the use of Portland's people. During the long intervening period from the time that Portland first at tained distinction as an important but! quired the rights to the Balch and Caruth ers creeks water supply, and also of the principal spring from which water for the city had long been taken. This spring they enlarged and dug deeper, and it was finally covered, making it for all practical purposes a protected well, furnishing a constant and large supply of the finest water. At this well the company set up a pump of a capacity of 300,000 gallons a day. At the same time the company built a small reservoir that occupied a quarter block at the northwest corner of Fourth and Market streets. The sole source of supply for this reservoir was the well, to gether with water from Balch and Caruth ers creeks, and the supply was ample to meet the demands of the city for water for a number of years. The headquarters of the Portland Water Company at that time were in a modest building of rough boards, at the foot of Market street. In 1885 the company com menced the erection of a new pumping station on the rler bank at the foot of Lincoln street. This station was com pleted the following year. It was supplied with a new pump and other machinery well adapted to the demands to be made on it In connection with forcing water from the Willamette river through the mains of the city. The pump was con structed by the old Oregon Iron Works, and it had a capacity of 800,000 gallons a ness center until the fall of 1891, a period day. In 1S71 a new Worthington pump of more than a quarter of a century, the was added to. this station, w hlch Increased supply of water for domestic purposes I the pumping capacity to 1,800,000 gallons a i3'$ sm,w""''&ssj'jZrsrrr7s1mx3isrm... --hjwtv.-sq- - w ORTLRNtf Sysyj ftm ROUTE PIPE T.IXE FROM BULL JlUX RIVER TO FORTLAXD. here has been taken from the river which day (24 hours). Fi e years later the corn flows by the city. Tl-is stream drains the pany commenced the erection of the brick whole of the Willamette valley, a section building now known as the old round thlokly settled and w hich supports on the i house station. During the same year that tanks of the river some of the most pop- this building was completed, the company tilous centers in the state. In addition to i added another Worthington pump to the the sewerage from these many different plant, and the old pump made by the Ore- were formerly tinder the municipal gov ernments of East Portland and Albino, but since the consoli dation of all these outlying districts Into a single municipality they have been a part of Portland. Prior to 1SS3 East Port land was supplied with water principally from wells. In that year H. P. McGuire and his associates formed the East Port land Water Company. This company found an available source of supply from the Hawthorne springs. These springs are located at the corner of East Twelfth street and Hawthorne avenue. This has been the source from which a considera ble part of the water has been obtained since the organization of the East Pert land Water Company, and, as the water 13 clear and cold, it has given excellent satisfaction to consumers. In 1S90 a, rival company was formed In East Portland, under the name of the East Side Water Company. After this company was organized, and before the consolidation of Portland, East Portland and Albina was effected, the old munici pality of East Portland had arranged to purchase the franchise and the plant of the East Side Company. The bill provid ing for the consolidation of these cities also contained a clause ratifying any con tracts which had been entered into by either of the three municipalities of Port land, East Portland or Albina, Under the terms of this clause, Portland in 1S91 pur chased the entire plant and rights of the East Side Water Company. The plant thus became the property of the city, and as a public property it has since been run in direct competition with the old East Portland Water Company, which is a pri vate corporation. The water supply for that part of the East Side located within the former mu nicipal limits of East Portland and sup plied by the city from the old East Side Company's plant is pumped from wells driven to a depth of about 200 feet. This depth insures a constant supply of the purest water, as it Is obtained below the seepage area of surface drainage. These wells, however, do not furnish a sufficient supply for the territory the plant covers, especially during the summer months, when large quantities of water are used for irrigation. The standpipe of the city works on the East Side has there fore been connected with the pipes of the Albina Light & Water Company, which affords a sufficient supply at all times. Provision has been made for supplying water to the East Side districts from the Bull Run pipe line. This water will be taken out of the lower reservoir at Mount Tabor. At the present rate of consump tion on the East Side, this reservoir will hold sufficient water to furnish the East Side districts with water for an entire week should it become necessary ct any time to cut off the direct supply from Bull Run. Should the water ever be shut off from Bull Run fcr a longer period than one week, It would become necessary to obtain the supply for old East Portland from the Albina plant. Up to the present time no provision has been made for supplying the northern dis tricts of the city on the east side of the river and known as Albina with water from the Bull Run plant. Albina at the present writing, however, rias an ade quate supply of good water, and, with the mains now laid throughout that part of Portland, connection with the Bull Run system can be easily made at any time, should It be deemed advisable to supply Albina with this water. to be used for the purchase of a water plant suitable for the. demands of the city, and to extend the same if necessary. The 5700.000 in bonds sold under this act were issued on January 1, 1SS7, and the pro ceeds were used for the purchase of the complete plant of the old Portland Water Company and for extensions and repairs to the same. In 1SS3 the committee was authorized by the legislature to Issue ad ditional bonds to the extent of $2,500,000. The money receivedfrom the sale of these bonds was to be used in the construction of the Bull Run system, which has just been completed. .Of the $2,500,000 bond issue of July 1, 1SS3. $2,000,000 has been sold to date. A considerable premium was realized on the sale of some of these bonds, and a few only "were sold at a discount. The entire premium received 'from these sales has amounted to $202,950 70, and the amount of discounts $S750, making the net amount received for premiums $134,200 70. The sale of these bonds has been made only after bids have been advertised for In the coast and the Eastern papers. Xearly all of the bonds have been sold in the East, a few of the first issue only having been taken In Oregon. An effort was made in the legislature to make the second Issue of $2,500,000 nontaxable, but the act which was passed was vetoed by Governor Pen noyer. The act of the legislature appointing the Portland water committee also provided that when, in the judgment of the com mittee, the new water-works system shall be ready for use the committee shall se lect from their own number five commis sioners for the respective terms of two, four, six, eight and ten years, who shall exercise the power and authority given to the city to keep, conduct and maintain water works. When the several terms of these commissioners shall expire, their successors shall be elected by the voters of the city, each for the full term of 10 years. The act further provides that at the expiration of five years after the ap pointment of the commission, or the com pletion of the new water-works system, the rates charged for water In Portland shall be sufficient not only to meet all operating expenses of the plant and the Interest on the bon,ds, but also to furnish annually a sum of money not to excee-' 2 per cent of the par value of the bonds, which shall be Invested, under the direc tion of the commission, with the view of furnishing a sinking fund for the final re demption of the bonds. Immediately after the appointment of the water committee In 1SS3, the project of bringing water from Bull Run river, a clear mountain stream which finds its source in the Cascade range east of Port land, was carefully considered with a view of determining its feasibility. Sev eral surveys for the proposed route from Portland to Bull Run were made under the direction of Colonel Smith, the chief engineer, and It was finally determined that a gravity system could be construct ed, the water reaching the city through a conduit about 31 miles in length. This con duit would convey the water to a point at an elevation of 403 feet above the level of towns situated along the course of the Willamette, the very character of the soil of the country It cuts through furnishes gon Iron Works was discarded. The capac ity of the new pump was 3,000,000 gallons every 24 hours, thus making the combined an objection to the continuous use of its I capacity of the pumping station 4,000,000 waters for domestic purposes. The &oll of gallons a day. THE "WATER COMMITTEE. Act of the Lcg-iMlnture or 1SS5 "Which. Authorized Its Formation. JC 1885 the population of Port land was about 23,Gu0. The dally consumption of water at that time was about 4,000,000 gallons. The rates charged fcr water by the old Portland Water Company w dUM-today lio tprmprl vro2civi iTHrfcco' water for domestic use In Portland, but ' rates, together with other objectionable . as the city grew the limits of these features connected with the private owner-' streams were gradually encroached upon, i ship of a water plant for co large a tty and their flows finally became so contam- ' as Portland, finally led to an ogitationi of I . vnnov Tin;r I'nrr mni in i . - . . ,. . ... .. . - .. ... . - i i ! -m h i ttw maiea irom tne aramage or the settle- tne project oi tne citys owning cnu con- rl er, Uy WniCIl lUtter want tYiat tViov Ti-rtTi nn Trr-A minnuA r1tifMrr- n cnmnlotA nlnnf nf lts nnn PVlfe ccean't Ye CoTumbfa's' S Whilst ' ClJJtl In aJi?n.l 2 "" f lias never been actually aemonstmleit"Ti"".vn SS 7,,.":, Jt . .. ",",,.;.. J ? that the water taken from the Willnmeite the entire valley Is a disintegrated volcar- ie rock, thickly covered with the decom posed vegetation and mold of centuries. During the winter rains this soil is carried in great quantities by the many small tributaries of the Willamette into this principal open drainway of Western Ore gon, and these heavy deposits are swvpt For a number of years after the erec tion of the pumping station on the river bank, Balch and Caruthers creeks con tinued to furnish a limited supply of liver and piped through Portland for do mestic use is positively unwholesome, yet the possibility of contamination of the stream from the 150 miles or more of country it drains, and its muddy appear ance during the winter rains, have been urged as serious objections to its contin ued use by the city, and the completion of the Bull Run system, by which the people of Portland are assured an ample supply of the purest of mountain water for do mestic use for all time, is regarded In the light of a public work which they can take pride in referring to as one of the principal advantages the municipality has to offer In the way of needed reforms of the greatest practical import. TUD EARLY "WATER SUrrLY. Fallen From Well nnd Springs In the- Vicinity. HE first settlers on the site of Portland had an available source of the purest water from Balch and Caruthers creeks, sparkling brooks which poured their waters into the Willamette at tills point. In addition to those small streams, water from numerous wells and springs frra also utilised for domestic uae in Port land during the early days of Its history. Below the surface of the ground on which Portland standsand that of the surroundin country for miles, at depths nrying from 30 to 100 feet, are heavy deposits of gravel through w hlch water is constantly seeping In sufficient quantities to injure a con stant supply in any well sunk to these gravel beds. Until this water was ren dered unlit for domestic use by the drain age from the hundreds of houses of a v ell-settled town, the well water of Port land and the outlying suburbs was clear, cold, and of the most wholesome charac ter. As Portland grew, however, the old wells weie gradually rilled up or turnea into cesspools, and for many years past Hie principal source of supply of water for demostic use In that part of Portland on the west bank of the Willamette las been taken from the gicat river which Is the main artery of commerce from this city to the sea. now known as the Palatine Hill punming 1SS3, authorizing the municipality of Port station was commenced. The land occu- I land to purchase or construct and to oper- pied by this plant covers an area of 10 ate a system of water works adequate to acres. j meet every demand of the city for water. In the new station at Palatine Hill were I By this same act a committee of 15 of .- -t 7T--s- -r-- -rf- " . v -a3L v-"'-l feated. Realizing the hopeless feature of the struggle against the committee, a fight In which the committee had the united support of all of Portland, the company finally decided to sell all its rights in the Portland water-works plant to the committee, and the transfer was effected on January 1, 1SS7, for the price of $451,076. Immediately on taking possession of the plant the committee reduced the rates for merly charged for water by the Portland Water Company one-half. After paying the interest on the bonds already issued, and meeting all operating charges of the plant, the committee was surprised to find at the end of the first j ear after the plant had passed under its control that Its in come had yielded a net revenue of $30,502. This income was earned. It must be re membered, on rates for water that were just one-half those charged by the Port land Water Company, which In Itself fur nishes the key to the strenuous opposition the committee had been forced to meet from the private corporation which for merly owned the city water-works system. The net income from the city water works system from the time, it was pur chased by the committee from the Port land Water Company in 1SS7 to November, 1894, was $792,731 GL This amount virtually represented the profit of running the plant for that time. Of this, the sum of $224, 199 50 had been expended In meeting ma tured interest on bonds sold, $273,1S7 13 had been devoted to the purchase of addi tional pumps for the Palatine Hill sta tion and for mains leading into the city, and the balance, $293,344 9S, had gone into the fund for the construction of the new water-works system and for the exten sion of the mains of the distributing sys tem. Since the ownership and control of the water-works system passed to the city the distributing mains within the municipal limits have been increased from a total length of 27 miles to over 75 miles. A new pump, with a capacity of 12,000,000 gallons a day, has been erected at the Palatine station, and two additional pumps, with a combined daily capacity of 4,000,000 gallons, have been provided for the high-service pumping station at the corner of Seventh and Lincoln streets. These are high'-duty Holly pumps, adapted either to pumping direct Into the reservoirs or Into the mains as may be desired. With these pumps there is a. direct saving of at least 40 per cent of the fuel formerly required to furnish powerto operate the old Worth ington low-duty pumps. Under the man agement of the water committee, the ca pacity and efficiency of the water-works plant has been greatly Increased, the rates formerly charged for water have been greatly reduced, and after meeting all fixed charges of operation and paying the Interest on the bonds the committee hai been enabled to divert nearly $300,000 from the profits of running this plant to the construction of the Bull Run system. The following table, as showing the In creased demands that have been made on the plant while under the control of the committee, will show how carefully the city's interests have been guarded In were designed especially to afford a suf- ! of its provisions. As a further assurance fident pressure to insure an ample pro- of good faith on the part of contractors, tectlon against fire in all the business j the committee stipulated In most of the district of the city. The act of the legis- i contracts it let that a deduction of 10 per lature authorizing the appointment of the j cent should be retained from the pay water committee empowered this commit- i ments provided for in the monthly estl tee "to establish rates for the use and ! mates until the expiration of a certain consumption of water by the city and the . length of time after the completion of inhabitants thereof." These rates were i the work. In the case of the contractors fixed with the view of affording an in- j who furnished the steel and cast-Iron come necessary to meet the running ex- j pipes and the submerged pipes, the penses of the plant, to pay interest on j committee stipulated In the contracts bonds and to afford a revenue sufficient j that the contractors were to keep to meet the extraordinary charges of these pipes In repair for a period of placing the distributing system In a con- six months after they were completed, dltlon to meet the extra demands that and then turn them over to the commlt- have been made on It by the Introduction of Bull Run water. The amount of $2000 a month, which the committee has charged the city for the water used for municipal purposes, has not been paid by the city for the three years past, and as a result the entire charges of keeping up this ex pensive plant have fallen on the Individ ual water consumers. The extra burden these consumers are compelled to bear by the refusal of the city to meet the charge of the water committee for water furnished. Is .shown by the statement that tee In perfect condition, before they" could draw the money due them, represented by the deferred payments of 10 per cent on the monthly estimates. In the con struction of the entire system the com mittee has accepted no work from con tractors until a sufficient time has elapsed after the completion of the work to dem onstrate that It has been properly done, a time especially provided for In the con tracts. Under the direction of the chief engineer, inspectors have carefully ex amined every piece of work connected the low e districts of Portland. From this i handling this great property. It shows RESERVOIR SO. 1, J011YT TAUOR.-Phclo. by Tcvne. THE PORTLAXD "WATER C03IIM.XY. Orsnniratloii of the Company The re-it rinnt It Built. S Portland grew, the demands of the city for a water-works system, ample to meet the de mands of a prosperous town of considerable importance, became an imperative one. In 1SS7 a number of enterprising citisens organized what for years was known as the Port land Water Company. This company ac- placed two Worthington compound con densing engines, which when lun to their full capacity w 111 pump 12,000,800 gallons of water a day. This Is one of the most complete pumping stations In the West The brick building which it occupies Is an attractive piece of architecture and is Portland's leading citizens was empow ered to exercise the authority conferred en the city regarding the purchase and operation of the water plant. The origi nal water committee was made up as fol lows: John Gates, F. C. Smith, C. H. Lewis, Henry Falling, W. S. Ladd, Frank point Colonel Smith proposed to carry the water to a reservoir to be constructed in the City Park at an elevation of 290 feet, the total fall of the water being 426 feet from the headworks to the City Park. He estimated on August 2, 1S92, the cost of a pipe line of ample carrying capacity to supply at Portland 25,000,000 gallons a day would be $2,200,000. in addition to the $461, 000 already expended for preliminary sur veys, purchase of rights of way, and the extension of the distribution system of the plant purchased from the Portland Water Company. An estimate of the cost of the line made previous to this was less than that made by Colonel Smith, but from the very thorough investigation of the chief engineer the committee was sat Ised that .his estimate was s .correct one. and tb'e 'pJansFfo'rj,Jtringlng 'Bull, Rjun j water to Po.rtUjdpWefJfjmaqp. an. thplast The water committee In considering the Proposition to brine water rom BuHtRun jo Portland uped everyi precaution in qb tainlrig the necesslyiy'rights on the stream to insure the success of the undertaking. Two men were engaged to locate on glv ernment land In two localities bordering "on Bull Run river, covering that part of the land bordering on the stream where it was proposed to locate the headworks of the new water system. After these men had settled on their respective claims the committee ordered two additional sur veys for the route to be made. They thus had one of three routes to choose from, and the present route was only finally decided on after It had been deter mined to the entire satisfaction of the committee that this was the most favor able of the three., The right of way for the new pipe line from Bull Run river at the proposed loca tion of the headworks to Portland was another serious difficulty the committee was called upon to solve. This was finally settled, however, by August, 1SS6, and the way was thus paved for the commence ment of active work on the construction of the line. v About $40,000 had been expended In sur veys and in the purchase of water rights, right of way, etc., before the committee was In condition to begin work on the line. As the estimate of the engineers provided for the expenditure of considerable more money In the construction of the proposed Bull Run system than the committee was authorized to expend. It was decided to devote the rest of the money received from the sale of the first Issue of bonds to the construction of an efficient distrib uting system. They depended onj-jhfljjeg-islature to authorize sufficient additional bonds to construct the Bull Run system, and In perfecting the distributing system of the city they kept constantly In view the demands that would be made on this system when Portland's supply should be the consumption of water in Portland, by years, from January, 1SS6, to January. 1S94: Tear. 1SS6"..., 18S7.... r;i i 1SSS..., i&9.... 1890. . ' a 3 " T : to : - 3 - a- : S U O n - - 1,431,000.000 1,728,000,000 2,153,000,000 2,576,COO,O0Oj 3:431,000,000 1 ) 1821.il3,663,000,000 10,031,000 1S92.... 1S93.... 1S94. 3,116,000,000 3,G4l,000,C00 4,042,000,000 3,920,000 4,716,000 5,900,000 i 7,056.000 9,415,000 8,537,000 9,900,000 ll.lOo.OOO1 6,230.000 8,579,000, 9.706.000J 11,200,000 13,500,000 14,S00,000j 4,670.000 5,200,000 6.730.0C0 8,390,000 10,653,000 12,000,000 10,632,00) "K.CMjmr k 555- Vk TRESCll FOR PIPE USE, KEAR I1ED WORKF. Photo, by Toume. the committee stands pledged to reduce the family rate for water one-third below the rates now charged at any time the city may agree to pay for the water the municipality Is regularly consuming. THE HILL ROT bYSTEH. The copying the btll after its pas sage, In which the amount of bonds to be issued was printed In one part of the sheet containing the provis ions of the act as $2,500,000, and through the complications which arose from the 17,000,00010,793,000 passage of the act by the same legisla ture, Incorporating the cities or i.'orianu, 16.000.00013.300.000 V,ct Portion.) -ir.fi MWnj. tho W.'ttPr .1 i committee was compelled to delay the with the construction of the new water works plant, both In the field and in the shops where the material for this work was being turned out. These inspectors made regular monthly reports to the en gineer In charge, who promptly ordered the condemnation of any material that was found In the least defective. The Bull Run system consists of the headworks, a system of gates and con duits where the Bull Run river Is tapped, a conduit of a total length of 30 miles which conveys this water to the city, and four reservoirs of a combined capacity of GS.OOO.OOO gallons. In addition to the pipe line and reservoirs, the committee In the construction of this system nas built nu- Most Complete Water - "Worlcs PItmt in the Xorthv est. HE act of the legislature of 3S91,authorizlngthe bond issue by the city of Portland for the construction of a suitable water-works plant, contem plated an issue of bonds to thp amount of S2.SOO.000. m,,v. i.riMi o,-,. in-tmerous roads, a number of good bridges. .LlllUUcl titm-c. V...V.. -f . " . - .- - " . anu naTtmaae&ome very neavy tock cms to expedite the" work of construction. The following table was prepared by I commencement of the work of construct ornamented with castellated towers at the Dekum. L. Flelschner, H. W. Corbett, W. ( taken from the Bull Run river. corners. The chimney of the station is of brick,, an'd rises to a height of 90 feet. Xear the works Is an elegant two-story residence, built for the use of the engi neers and surrounded with green lawns and well-kept flower-beds. This station and Its surrounding grounds form one of iv. smun, j. ivoewenuerg, a. ti. Keed. it. I B. Knapp, L. Therkelcen, T. M. Richard- I son and A. H. Johnson. John Gates died April 27. 1SS8. His place was immediately filled by the appointment of C. A. Dolph. The vacancy made by the resignation of F. C. Smith, on October 8 following, was Willamette. The Palatine Hill station was first used on October a, 1SS4, and from that date until Bull Run water was turned Into the city mains the entire water supply of Portland was pumped from this station. THE EAST MDE DISTRICTS. Two Complete Water Plant The Ex tent of the Mains. The districts on the east side of the Willamette river opposite the principal business districts of Portland have never been supplied with water from the Wil lamette river. The East Side districts SIEVE)!. 1H; rEEEQIE J.VD ;, CJ1Y PJRJZ-DTivr. by X. Etc the principal landmarks along the Wll- j filled by the appointment of C. F. SItton, lamette river between Portland and Ore- w ho was succeeded on his death, in May. gon city, ana the beautiful location is 1S90, by C. H. Raffety. Mr. Ladd, one of favorably commented on by tourists, who the original members, died in February, often take the river ride from Oregon's 1S9G. The act authorizing the appointment metropolis to tne city Dy tne laus or the i or this committee was amended by the legislature in the same year, and H. W. Scott and C. H. Carey were appointed in place of W. K. Smith and T. M. Richard son. Two members of the water commit tee. A. H. Johnson and Frank Dekum, died during 1SS1. The committee today Is composed of the following members: Henry Failing. C. H. Lewis, L. Flelsch ner, H. W. Corbett, J. Loewenberg, S. G. Reed, R. B. Knapp, L. Therkelsen, C. A. Dolph, C. H. Raffety, H. W. Scott, G. P. Frank and C. H. Carey. Mr. Falling has been chairman of the committee since it was first organized, and the office of treasurer has been filled by C. H. Lewis. Philip C. Schuyler was clerk of the committee until his death, in October, 1889, when Frank T. Dodge was appointed to succeed him, an office the latter gentleman has filled successfully since that time. The members of the sub committee on the construction of the Bull Run line are: George P. Frank (chair man), Henry Falling, J. ioewenberg, C. A. Dolph and L. Therkelsen. Colonel Isaac W. Smith was appointed chief engineer of the city water works In December, 1SS3. The entire Bull Run pipe line has been constructed under the direc tion of Colonel Smith as chief engineer, and evidence of his great ability is seen in the completion of one of the most com plete water-works systems of the West. James D. Schuyler, consulting engineer, has had direct charge of construction of the reservoirs. By an act of the legislature of 1SS, the water committee was given authority to issue and sell nontaxable bonds, for the payment of which the credit of the clty of Portlaad was to be pledged. The amount of these bonds was not to exceed $700.00, pnd they were to run for 30 years and draw 5 per cent interest. The pro ceeds from the sale cf these bonds were 11511 THEY BOUGHT THE I'LAAT. The Committee Pnlil ?4G1,G7C to the Old Company. HE purchase of the plant of the old Portland Water Com pany by the city water works committee wa3 only consum mated after long delay and considerable haggling regard ing the price that should be paid for the plant. The Port land Water Company claimed that its investment in the plant was somewhere beween $500,000 and $900,000. The company, how ever, realized the necessity of making every reasonable concession to the city, and expressed a willingness to sell at the lowest named figure, viz., $S00,000, the stockholders agreeing to stand the loss of the uncertain number of dollars repre sented by their Investment In the plant in excess of that amount. The committee, however, before finally deciding to spend nearly $1,000,000 of the city's money for the purchase of a plant built by a private cor poration, decided to take an inventory of the property in the Portland Water Com pany's possessions. They were surprised to discover that a plant, equally as com plete and as serviceable as the one which was offered them for $800,000, could be duplicated for $320,000. It was this dis crepancy between the figures of the water company and those of the committee that threatened to block the committee In its attempt to purchase the complete water works plant already in successful opera tion here, and this seemed a difficulty at the time for which It did not seem possi ble to find a happy solution. The committee, after carefully consid ering tho franchises of the Portland Water Company and the completeness of that corporation's plant, covering as it did the entire district Included within the city limits, finally decided to make the. offer of $450,000 for the entire property of the com pany. This offer was rejected. The Port land Water Company had been the foe of the water committee from the time that its organization was first authorized by the legislature, and it was through the Influence of this company that the meas ure before the legislature authorizing the Issue of additional bonds for the construc tion cf the Bull Run system was twice de- Wife Jy X M RESERVOIR JSO. S, CITY PARK. Ph'Ao. by Tovne. Mr. Frank T. Dodge, the efficient clerk of Ing the Bull Run system until the con the" water committee. It shows not only venlng of the legislature in 1S93. At this the gross earnings of the plant from the f session the legislature made the necessary time the committee took charge of it up correction in the former water bill, and to the present time, but it also gives the early in that year the active work of con operating expenses and net earnings dur- struction en the Bull Run line was com ing this time. The rapid increase of cash receipts and net revenue, In sharp con trast to the slight increase in the operat ing expenses, is especially w orthy of note: O O 2 p -(-. A S3 rn n- - 33 " So s Year. g- Qn 2 5" EL S rr Fa " ? ? y " 2 : j 1 . : o - 1SS7 $97,503 $47,001 $50,502 1SSS 113,692 34,792 5S.900 1SS9 14S.106 51,407 96,699 1890 181,310 71,497 109.813 1S91 214,218 63,994 130,224 1SS2 237,301 58.S32 178,463 1853 227,301 63,337 164,141 Xhe headworks are located on Bull Run river about 35 miles below "the lake, and 24 miles distant from the reservoirs at Mount Tabor. The elevation of the head works is 710 feet above low-water mark of the Willamette river. These works consist of an in-take canal, 15 feet wide, . I fall of four inches along its entire length of 400 feet. This canal terminates In a square tank from which the water flows through the great steel pipe to the city, of Portland. Mr. Schuyler, the consulting engineer, in his report of June, 1893, said: "If the canal is plastered or smoothly pointed, It will carry over 100,000,000 gallons dally." This is an index of the magnitude on which the entire Bull Run system has been constructed. The entire absence of sand, mud or sediment of any kind in the Bull Run river, as well as the freedom from drift, has greatly facilitated the work of constructing the headworks, and this has insured an easy control of the water taken from the stream for the use of Portland, which will always be an im portant factor In the economical running of the plant." During the dryest season of the year. Bull Run river at the headworks carries an average volume of water of about 75,000,000 gallons a day. The average dis charge of the river at this point Is about 150,000,000 gallons a day. The capacity of the pipe discharging Into the high-service reservoir at Mount Tabor Is from 23,000,000 to 26,000,000 gallons a day. The bridges and rock cuts for the pipe line are of ample dimensions to allow an additional parallel pipe to be laid over the present right of way at any future time from the headworks to Portland, thus doubling the present available source of supply, and this work can be done. too. without Inter fering in any way with the regular flow of water through the pipe line now con structed. It Is estimated that the single menccd. Before this w ork was inaugu rated, however, the committee had taken Bfons in ewiir n. rpsprvnlr sltft for East Portland. It had built good roads along j PPe "ne now laid will furnish sufficient the proposed route of the pipe line, and all the specifications had been prepared with the view of beginning work in "ear nest on the line just as soon as the neces sary authority to sell bonds could be se cured from the legislature. It was hoped to have the entire system completed and In working order by December 31, 1891. The specifications for the construction 1 of the Bull Run pipe line and reservoirs fully described the work to be done and the methods of payments on contracts. These were furnished to all persons and I firms who expressed a desire to bid on 1 taken to insure the best results from con tractors on this work, and each bidder For 1891 the total cash receipts up to December 1 were $193,196. Estimated re ceipts for the month of December brings this amount up to $210,196 for the year. The disbursements during 1S94 up to De cember 1 were $49,588, and the estimated expenditure for the month of December brings the total amount of disbursements up to $54,3SS for the year. The above table does not include the sum of $69,757 due from the city for wate used during the years of 1891, 1892 and 1S53 (water used principally for fire service, the parks, and for streetsprinkllngj. The water committee claims that the city council should pay for this water out of the general fund, as Is done by nearly all cities owning their water-works systems. Nearly every prominent building in Port land today pumps its own supply of water which is obtained from depths 100 feet or more below the surface through driven pipes. The buildings which are thus sup plied, however, pay nothing for the addi tional fire protection afforded by the great extension of the distributing sy&tem of the city water works. The committee has expended at least $14000 In laving largr pipes throughout the city. These mains water to meet every demand of a city of 200,000 population. PIPE LINE AXD RESERVOIRS. Care Exercised In the Selection of Materials!. HE diameter of the steel pipe which conducts the water from the head works to the high-service reservoir at Mount Tabor Is 42 inches on light grades and 33 inches on heavy ones. Its total length is 21 miles. This pipe line crosses the Bull Run river twice In Its course down the canyon of the stream, and also crosses the was required to furnish with his bid a. cer- I Sandy river at one point by a bridge with titled check for a stipulated amount as assurance to the committee that he would accept the contract if it was awarded to him, and that he could furnish the neces sary bonds for the faithful performance a span 300 feet long. The grades and di ameters of the pipe along Its course from the head worlds to Mount Tabor have been so adjusted as to insure as nearly as pos sible a uniform flow through its entire iL 3"2f2 iS:V"Vi-'' rJlZ 7 ki -- ..'-'- i . 6r- -LI. -" 5 ii Jb& 1 JMzAAi?M&$ R1EUY01R .A0.4. CITY PARK.-Photo. by Toune rf