CHESTER, - Delaware County PA History

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CIIESTEH, PENNSYI,VANIA.
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(J)REVIOUS to the year 1867, the subject of a water supply
for the cit)' had been somewhat widely discussed, and a
proposition for the construction of water works by the
city, submitted to the people. The then North and l\'1iddle
\Vards, comprising all that section castor Chester creek, voted
against the measure; the South \Vard, on the west side, voted
in its favOl'.
The plan for cit)' works was then necessat'il}' abandoned, but
the South "'arel determined to act independently, and in 1868
thc construction of the well-known South \\Tard \Vatel' \'Vorks
was completcd, Its original incol'porators were \Villiam \Vard,
Amos Gartsidc, ,Villiall1 B. Reaney, \VilIiam A, Todd, \Villialll
C. Price, and GCOl'ge Dcrbyshire.
The supply from thesc works was subs'cqucntly extcndcd to
the North and lVIiddle \Vards, and for the twcnt)' years from
1868 to 1888 the whole city had been supplied from this source,
In 1884 it became evidcnt that the demand had already
exceeded the capacit}, of this system, and that further provision
would have to be made for thc future suppl)' of thc rapidl}' .
growing cit)'. Two courses wcre opcn, the enlargemcnt of the
old works or thc construction of new. The fonner would havc
been merely a temporar)' expedient, and, under the organization
of thc old works, therc wcre seriolls financial obstacles to
the adoption of either j the bonded indebtcdness being secUl'cd
on the pl'opert}' in the South \Vard of the City of Chcstcl', and
the old Company having already isslled bonds to the limit of it:-;
chartered powel'S.