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Mail Tribune 100, Aug. 2, 1922 By Alissa Corman Aug 02, 2022 02:01 PM A A News from 100 years ago The following news items were drawn from the archives of the Mail Tribune 100 years ago Aug. 2, 1922 MAY GET BUTTE WATER WITHOUT VOTING A BOND A solution plan of Medford’s water problem which was put before the city council last night by Earl H. Fehl, and which seems feasible as tending to insure the city an ample supply of pure mountain water from Big Butte Springs, is looked upon with much favor by the councilmen and Mayor Gates. This is in addition to the city administration’s plan of building an additional reservoir and pipe line system across Bear Creek this fall, work on which will begin in September. This addition will be built this fall independent of the plan offered by Mr. Fehl, the councilmen and mayor assured Delroy Getchell, who happened to be at the meeting on another matter when the Fehl solution came up, and who also looked with approval on the plan offered and hoped it would be adopted. But taxpayers need not be alarmed, as no bond issue to carry the Fehl solution out must be voted by the city. The water system under his plan will itself pay for the necessary bonds to be issued. Mayor Gates and the councilmen, all of whom were present at the meeting except Mr. Gaddis, who is on a vacation, told Mr. Getchell he could write A. N. Farmer, chairman of the finance committee on building a national orphans home for the Brotherhood of Yeoman fraternal order, that an additional reservoir and pipe line system would be built before winter. The vicinity of Medford is being considered as an available site for this big orphanage, with its proposed 125 bungalows and other structures to house 2,000 persons, and naturally the Yeoman order takes an ardent interest in the future water supply of the city. Mr. Farmer, who has left the city, has recently addressed the local Chamber of Commerce forum on the orphanage plan. City Water Superintendent Davis last night also reported to the council that the estimated cost of building a single system settling basin and filtration plant was $50,000. The council merely received the report and left its discussion for some future meeting, but offhand its cost was probably deemed as too much to make this improvement. — Alissa Corman; [email protected]