Water Battle Heats Up Coshocton

August 1911--With water running dry and temperatures running high, the Coshocton Daily Age went on the attack. An impending mayoral election put Mayor Cassingham on the defensive over the mismanagement of Coshocton's water supply.

Headlines reading "Is The Mayor Wet? Not With Water" and "Campaign Promises Wet and Dry Fight" screamed from the paper's front pages. A quote from an article stated, "We have been fiddling along here for two years now and water situation is worse off than ever. I don't know who the mayor blames for it, but he is the man at fault."

The article continues, "When factories have to shut down, when gardens and lawns burn up for lack-of-it, when homes are left at the mercy of the incipient blaze--and when this happens after the city has collected in advance your hard earned cash for water service that you don't get--then it's time to make a change."

The water situation had become so dire that the city council was under constant fire from an angry citizenry. In response, the council members intiated an investigation without the mayor.

More on this ongoing battle in future posts.