Category Archives: HISTORY

Wooden Pipes

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Mayor Calhoun, the City’s first mayor, insisted in 1803 that something be done with the water situation. The City Council appoints a commission, made up of twelve commissioners, to “Collect the springs at the head of Carroll’s Run and to conduct the water into the community by pipes.” The ‘main’ pipes being laid were of wood (hemlock logs) construction about eight feet long with a twelve inch outside diameter and having bores ranging from one and a half inches to four inches, inside diameter. One end of the log had been tapered to a spigot, and in the other end, a bell was hollowed out. The ‘service’ pipes being laid were of cedar log construction about six feet long, of six inch outside diameter and having bore of about one inch, inside diameter. The residents, whose property these pipe were to be laid, opposed to this plan and stopped the City from doing so.

In 1804 the City started purchasing cast iron pipe from England. By 1829 13 miles of pipe were laid in the city. Half of which were wooden. This pipe, which is on display at the Montebello Filtration plant was dug up at Pratt and Paca streets some years ago. The top photo shows the build up of lime which was added to the water after the 1880 construction of the gatehouse at Montebello.

1830 Water Report

27 Thursday Jun 2013

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1830 report

January 15, 1830 Report of the Water Committee to the City Council of Baltimore. This report was the result of the joint session of 1829, to enquire “…the best mode of furnishing every part of the City, in the most ample manner with a never failing supply of pure, clear and wholesome water…” Report starts with a history on the aqueducts of Carthage, Rome, London, etc., noting the inadequate supply given by the ‘Water Company’, “Charged with the important duty of pointing out to the City Council the best method of supplying the City with [water], the committee, aided by that skilful engineer and excellent citizen, Capt. Louis Brantz, who politely and patriotically tendered his services free of compensation, proceeded to the examination of the three streams, from one of which it was evident, the desired supply must be drawn.” The Gwynn’s Falls was recommended. The report concludes with a resolution proposed to both branches of the City Council. Note inserted into report suggests that this report was sold for $2 to a commissioner in 1947 and ended up in the water department in 1952. Purchased again for $4.00

Before Baltimore

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

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             Before Baltimore started on its quest for pure and wholesome drinking water, we need to look at a brief history of water treatment itself. This, I believe, was best documented in Joseph Ellms 1917 book Water Purification. He starts off  by describing the Ancient Systems of Water Supply as such:

            Among primitive peoples the question of water supply was never of pressing importance, except in arid and semi-arid regions…springs were sought for, wells were dug, and cisterns constructed in order that a supply of water might at all times be available. Wells of great antiquity may be found in Egypt (Joseph’s well was 297 feet deep in solid rock) and India. The Chinese were familiar with the driving of artesian wells. Domestic filters of unglazed earthenware or of sandstone were known to have been used by ancient Egyptians and by the Japanese…siphoning water from one vessel to another through porous material was well known to the ancients. As populations became more dense…the need for larger volumes of water…became urgent. The ancient water tanks of Aden, in Arabia, collected surface waters from the gorges of a volcanic crater…example of an impounding reservoir…may have been built by the Persians as early as 600 B.C. Probably no more elaborate system of public water supply was provided for any ancient city than that of Rome…water conveyed by aqueducts. These were built between 321 B.C. and 305 A.D. At the time of the fall of Rome…many were destroyed or fell to disease. The Moors in Spain during the ninth century constructed some important works, also rebuilding the older Roman works. London was first supplied in small quantities with spring water conducted through lead pipes and masonry conduits. In 1582 a pump was erected on London Bridge to take water from the River Thames and to deliver it through the lead pipes. The growth and development of water works plants in reality dates from the eighteenth century…not until the latter half of the nineteenth century was very rapid progress made.

Mr Ellms then notes four epochs concerning water purification within the United States: First was James P. Kirkwood’s report on the “Filtration of River Waters” in 1866. Second was the work of the Massachusetts’s State Board of Health in 1887. Third was experimentation on turbid waters starting with Louisville, Kentucky in 1896 and the fourth being from 1908 when the disinfection of the water, on an experimental basis, with hypochlorite of lime, started in Chicago. This method became widespread over the next five years. Meanwhile, experimentation in both Europe and the US continued; using chlorine, ozone and ultra-violet light.

To Colorize or Not!

15 Tuesday Jun 2010

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When I first started scanning Lantern slides and glass plate negatives, I played around with my new scanner software and saw that I could add color to old photos. As I’ve been going through and cleaning out some old files, I came across the above pictures. When I first colored them I thought it was pretty neat that this could be done, now I’m not too sure if it should be? I really like the old B&W movies from when I was a child. When they started to colorize them, I thought, How odd is that? What do you think? The colors that I used were based on the old lithograph colors used in reports, to match those and not so much as what the colors should really be.

When the Borg first arrived

10 Monday May 2010

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April 16, 1957 – Letter: Very unusual letter written to the Bureau of Water Supply from a John M. Noon:

            Without [asservity] possibly ‘asperity’, animosity or acrimony, or reservation, I am writing you again about the Prudence and Elmtree site of reservoir…the work of the world is governed by cold hard facts…these men worked in very bad weather…curtailment of work now…I am of the belief the work will continue, not because of the Governor or the Mayor’s efforts to keep Maryland beautiful, but in spite of this fact.

            I would be in your office now…in my 70th year…unmarried and pensioned.

            Also I believe with Tolstoy, the Russian socialist and writer, that time rectifies evil and resistance is useless, because truth is inexorable and governed by laws of nature and conditions create problems that men must solve for his survival, not to mention, salvation. Christianity may have helped but it is not too much in evidence, as all the old evils still persist. If this work is finished, I must point out the four open holes…filled with water from the rains…children 3-16 roam this area and are endangered by this fact, be it accident or design, they are a menace…never ending brush fires. Fire apparatus are denied access…an accident could be disastrous, as all these war housing units have not the usual rubber insulation on the wiring.

            I am firmly convinced all the travail in this region stems from the same source, the attitude of the officials toward the area as being the jungles populated by backward hill people and “dumb pollocks”. They have their faults but neither makes it a practice to deny their children the right to a happy childhood, to fortified against the vicissitudes of existence when they must be self sustaining. These hill people are not particularly friendly to anyone, even their benefactors, or themselves…the parents are not at the moment, the concern, but to practically disenfranchise the youngsters to the point they will eventually become public charges or inmates of mental hospitals because of harassment, and neglect makes bad economics, if nothing else.

            Of course it is the law of the pack rat to rag the stranger. All the foreign born coming here at the turn of the century suffered this ignominy – – and one “bloody blooming Finny” son of a bitch who was with Kipling in Sudan in the 80s as linguist-interpreter, who had an American born son in 1888, who can get up on his one good leg and “give them hell” and it wasn’t Harrigan, it was me.

WATER POEM

26 Tuesday Jan 2010

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A poem which appeared, under the signature of “Old Fashioned,”

in the Federalsburg “Times” 1956:

 This Business of our Water surely makes me think

Of “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.”

So said the Ancient Mariner; let’s do as he would do:

Let’s keep our water undefiled or what he says come true.

Our Water Works for many years provided fine, pure bubbles,

Then they put the chlorine in to give us stomach troubles.

Now Sodium Fluoride is good for teeth, they say,

They would put it in the water to stop our tooth decay,

But I have a  suggestion and my logic is correct;

Why not Citrate of Magnesia for medicinal effect?

Why Not Scotch or Bourbon  piped to every house and home

And in the heat of summer, nice cool beer with lots of foam ?

The danger, Friend, of puttin’ in is not knowing where to stop,

And I, an Ancient Mariner, would forget it, drop by drop.

For with water, water everywhere,  I  have  a  right  to think

What once was fine, pure wa­ter is no longer fit to drink.

Please Mister, make me happy; leave what I drink alone,

And when decay has got my teeth I’ll buy dentures of my own.

BRIBES OR GIFTS???

13 Tuesday Jan 2009

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Here is another history folder that I recently documented that goes with the times:

 

1959 thru 1962 – File Folder No. 1497: Christmas gift letters. It is unbelievable what the water engineers received as Christmas gifts during their employment. This list only covers three years. There are business cards attached along with notes and delivery receipts. Received were: chocolates (Wright Contracting Co. and Newton Co.), diary (Consolidated Engineers), pencil holder (Ruth Engineering), liquor and hot dish holder (Brooklyn Engineering), ‘wet goods’ and ham (Frank Angelozzi), gift basket (Matricciani Co.), cooler (Arundel Corp.), fluid remembrance and flowers (RK&K), whiskey (San Joe Construction Co., Spiniello Constr., Forest Co., Lock Joint Pipe Co., Masonry Resurfacing and Constr. Co., RKK, Alpine Constr., Cohen and Ass., and Square Constr. Co.), liquor and cigars (Peters Co. twice, Iacoboni and Sons 2x), lighter and cigarette box (Gill-Simpson Electric), diary and travel guide (Woody of Kahn Electric Co.), good cheer “…it will do much to add to my enjoyment during the holidays.” (Woody), delicacies (Atherholt, Brinton and Glover 2x), subscription to Coronet magazine (Wilson and Sons), ham (Wright Contracting and Matz, Childs and associates 2x), coffee maker and liquor (Gill-Simpson Electric), pears (WRA 3x), executive record and travel guide (Woody), clock (Arundel Corp.), desk diary (AP Smith Mfgr.), pitcher (Panitz), ham and champagne (Matricciani 2x), pen (Ruth Engr.), basket of whiskey (Lock Joint 2x), desk caddy (Leopold), ham and liquor (Regester consultants), turkey (Matricciani and Forest Co.), book (Arundel Corp.), desk calendar (Smith Mfgr.), Fruit cake!! (Gray Concrete Pipe 2x!!), candy (Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust 2x and RKK), subscription to the ‘Saturday Evening Post’ (Herman Born and Sons), atlas (Atherholt), carving set (Arundel Corp.), turkey and whiskey (Wright Contr.), Rancho Lynn apples (Smith-Blair Inc.), traveling clock (Arundel Corp.), ham and fluid remembrances (Wright Co.), monetary contribution to Bucknell University (Atherholt), monetary contribution to Catholic Charities, Community Chest, Red Cross and the Associated Jewish Charities (Kahn), floral centerpiece (RK&K), Franciscan dinnerware (Lock Joint Pipe), subscription to ‘Look’ magazine (Wilson and Sons), smoking set (Panitz), cocktail shaker (Foley), barometer (Arundel Corp.), Bodine book, ‘The Face of Maryland’ (Arundel), tray of hors d’vours (Panitz), cheese (Foley), Christmas decorations and spirits (Forest Co.), oranges and grapefruits (Breesee and Gray), guest for dinner and spirits (Masonry Resurfacing Const. Co.).

            December 21, 1962 letter from Schuerholz to Langenfelder and Son, Inc. returning a gift certificate in the amount of $100 to be used at Hamburger’s (Men’s clothing store). He writes, “…I do not feel justified in accepting a gift certificate of this magnitude. I am retaining the money clip in which it was delivered; this will serve as a remembrance of your thoughtfulness.” It was returned via registered mail.

            Side note: In January 2009, both Mayor Sheila Dixon and Councilwoman Holton were indicted on bribery charges stemming from them receiving gifts from a contractor.

BALTIMORE COLTS

07 Tuesday Oct 2008

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May 20, 1947 to May 20, 1948 – Book: City of Baltimore Maryland Report to the Citizens of Baltimore by Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., Mayor. Paper bound pamphlet on shelf. This is the mayors’ first report to the public after his first year in office. He lists all the department heads, such as: Leon Small, Water Engineer. The mayor notes various projects that are underway. Note of interest (Not about water though):

 

Late last year after the Colts had completed their first season, it became evident that the club would have to be refinanced if Baltimore was to retain its franchise in the All American Conference. The situation presented a challenge to civic and sports-minded citizens and we are happy to report that the response to that challenge was satisfactory. Some thirty business men were invited to my office to discuss the situation. After long discussion there and several committee meetings this group of public spirited men obtained promises from the league for strengthening the local team. On that basis they then produced the necessary financing to put the club on stable footing and assure a successful future. Out of this crisis and its solution came something rather unique in the sports world – a professional football club owned and operated entirely by local interests. 

 

A gentleman by the name of Howard Crook was on the Pension board. C. Markland Kelly was the president of the City Council at that time. Paul Holland was the Director of Public Works. He oversaw the work of 11 bureaus. Book contains before and after photos of street resurfacing. Old and new type trash trucks. 

FREE WATER MOVEMENT

29 Thursday May 2008

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   While researching some early water history, I came across some information on a Free Water Movement in the United States. People thought at the time (1897), since we had such an abundance of pure drinking water, it should be given to the citizens for free. What caught my attention about this particular piece of history is the fact that the cost of water for the citizens of Baltimore just increased by 4%. Starting today (5/29/2008). This will be an increase of about $32/year per household. The surrounding counties who get their water from Baltimore, will in turn increase their cost. This will be between 4 and 7%. A brief summary of this movement can be found on my History page.