Water and Fire The city owns its waterworks system, which is self sustaining-777 miles of water mains in -the city. The water supply has its source in the Gunpowder River, average daily flow 413, 338,092 gallons. The service has two impound ing reservoirs — Lock Raven on the Gunpow der River, capacity 2,270,000,000 gallons, and Lake Roland in the bed of Jones' Falls, capac ity 200,000,000 gallons. The department has two stand pipes with a maximum capacity of 530,000 gallons. It has a magnificent filtration system. The expenses of the fire department are about $1,145,114 per annum. Equipment — 40 engine companies, 19 truck companies, 2 hose companies, 2 water tower companies, and 2 fireboats. In the business district,. Baltimore has one of the best high-pressure water systems to be found in America.
The charter provides that "the executive power of the mayor and city council of Baltimore shall be vested in the Mayor, the departments, sub-departments and municipal officers not embraced in a• depart ment herein provided for, and such special commissioners or boards as may hereafter be provided for by laws, or ordinances not incon sistent with this article.' The mayor holds office for four years; he has a veto which can be overridden by a three-fourths vote of the council, which is composed of two branches; the tower of 24 members, one from each ward; the upper of nine members; each from two con tiguous wards. The bulk of the city officers are appointed by the mayor with the consent of the higher branch. The council has the right to appoint the city register and public printer; and the comptroller and surveyor are elected by popular vote. The principal city officials are the comptroller (head of depart ment of finance) ; city register; board of esti mates; commissioners of finance; city collec tor; collector of water rents and licenses. The chief departments are public safety (fire, health, buildings and street cleaning), public improvements, parks and squares,- education, charities and corrections and review and as sessments.
The city stands seventh in population among the cities of the United States the growth being as follows: (1775) 5,934; (1790, first United States census) 15,530; (1800) 26,514; (1810) 46,454; (1820) 62,738; (1830) 80,620; (1840) 102,513; (1850) 169, 054; (1860) 212,418; (1870) 262,854; (1880) 332,313; (1890) 434,439; (1900) 508,957; (1910) 558,485; (1917) 600,000. The figures would be further increased if the two cities on the eastern boundary, now separated only by a curb line, could be added. They have fully 100,000 inhabitants, but while practically part .of Baltimore, they do not add to its population.
The first settlement of land in cluded in the present site of Baltimore was made in 1662. Charles II was King of Eng land and Charles Calvert governor of the province. The English people had been mak
ing history very fast and among their most brilliant achievements was the planting of suc cessful colonies in various parts of the world, notably the Virginia colony, the Massachusetts plantations and the province of Maryland, founded in 1534. So that the first actual set tlement on land within the present city limits was made only 28 years after the landing of the first colonists at Saint Mary's. During the 17th century we find statute books bur dened with many laws creating town after town on paper, as many as 33 having been created, three of them being within the bound ary of what was then called Baltimore County. By the act of the general assembly of 1706 a town was to be established on Whetstone Neck or the Patapsco River. No name was given to the town in the act. Another town, called Baltimore, was located near the mouth of the Bush River on its eastern side. This town is shown in the map made by Augustus Herrman, the Bohemian, in 1670, and some 14 years after the actual founding of the present city the general assembly ordered another Baltimore to be laid out on Indian River in Worcester County. Nothing was ever done in regard to this last town, the county surveyor refusing to proceed with the work.
Then came the true founding of the city of Baltimore by the passage of an act entitled *An act for erecting a town on the north side of Patapsco, in Baltimore county, and for laying out in lots of 60 acres of land in and about the place where one John Flemming now lives' (1729, chap. 12). About two years after the founding of Baltimore town an act was passed entitled aAn act for erect ing a town on a creek, divided on the east from the town lately laid out in Baltimore county, called 'Baltimore Town,' on the land whereon Edward Fell keeps a store?) (1732, chap. 14). The next step for the enla ement of the original town was the passage the general assembly of the Act of 1745 chap. 9), 15 years after the founding. This act was passed on the joint petition of the inhabitants of Baltimore and Jones' Town, that the two towns be incorporated into one entire town and for the future be called and known by the name Baltimore Town and by no other name. The town was again enlarged two years later by the Act of 1747 (chap. 21), on peti tion of the inhabitants by the addition of 18 acres, which were not included in Jones' Town nor in Baltimore Town. In 1765 another the town was made on petition of Cornelius Howard and other persons, consist ing of 35 acres on the west and south sides of the town. The town was again enlarged by the Act of June 1773 by the addition of 80 acres on the east and southeast.