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REPORT OF ALEXANDER GEORGE, SAN FRANCISCO FIRE
DEPARTMENT, TO THE GENERAL RELIEF COMMITTEE.
MAY 4, 1906

I beg to submit to you a supplementary report on the condition of the water system. The water supply of the city is now derived from two sources, viz: From Lake San Andreas to College Hill reservoir, and from Lake Merced, from which 7,000,000 gallons are being pumped daily through the Lake Honda pipe line. Lake Honda itself is empty, as the earthquake cracked the bottom and sides, but it is now being repaired and will shortly be in condition again to hold water.

The University Mound Reservoir is about empty, having received no water since the earthquake on account of extensive breaks in the Crystal Springs pipe line, between San Bruno and the county line; however a large force of men is now engaged in repairing this pipeline, as well as the trestle supporting it, and may, if progress continues as up to the present time, be expected to complete the work in about three weeks' time, after which about 20,000,000 gallons more will be brought into the city daily.

As the Pilarcitos pipe line, which formerly supplied water to Lake Honda, is wrecked beyond repair, a pump is being erected in Garfield Square, at Twenty-Sixth and Harrison streets, and a large force of men is now engaged in laying a sixteen-inch line main on Twenty-Sixth street from Harrison to Sanchez, through which water will be pumped from the twenty-four-inch main on Harrison street which is supplied from the University Mound Reservoir, to the twenty-inch main on Sanchez street, which is part of the Lake Honda supply.

As to the city distributing system, the Clarendon Heights tank is now supplying the Ashbury Heights districts as well as the district west of Douglass street, and the Black Point pumps are supplying the district between California street and Pacific avenue, west of Franklin street, that was previously without water. The Lake Honda supply is still deficient, the pressure being very low during the day, but increasing during the early morning and late in the evening. The Richmond District, accordingly, has water only during the early morning and late in the evening, except what is received from the Park water system by means of a hose attached to one end of the hydrant at the Park Museum, and at the other end to the hydrant at Fulton street and Ninth avenue, thus keeping the Spring Valley mains filled, but furnishing little or no pressure, except at the lowest points. The pump at the Chutes also forces some water into the spring Valley mains, which may be of assistance in case of a small fire.

The section of the city north of Union street and west of Polk street is still without any water whatever, although the lower Russian Hill reservoir is now partly filled. I am informed that this is due to breaks in the pipes of the district referred to which have not been repaired. The district south of Townsend street to Sixteenth street, and west of Kentucky [now Third St.] to Potrero, is still without any water, and it does not appear to me that water will be secured there for several weeks to come. The section between Potrero avenue and Howard street and Division and Nineteenth streets, comprising the factory district of the Mission, has no water except along Seventeenth street from Potrero avenue to Harrison, thence to Sixteenth, thence to Folsom. The hydrants along this route, seven in number, all derive their supply from a single six-inch main on Potrero avenue, which is sufficient to supply but one hydrant. The Potrero Heights district has water as far south as Eighteenth street only, all of which is supplied through the same six-inch pipe on Potrero avenue. In south San Francisco, Fourteenth avenue South is still the highest point to which the water reaches on Railroad avenue and on Q [Quesada] street south the water does not pass Sixteenth avenue South.

The Ocean View district is still without water on account of the break on Capitol avenue and Sagamore streets, which has not yet been repaired. The portion of the Western Addition from Van Ness avenue to Baker street, except the section north of Union street before referred to, is well supplied with water. The portion of the Mission west of Valencia street is also well supplied, but the supply in the section of Valencia street is poor.


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