Tag Archives: water history

Street Sweepers

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, Sewage History

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In considering Baltimore’s drainage system, for both sewerage and storm-water, recommendations were made to have them as separate. One reason being:

“A considerable portion of the dirt which finds its way into the sewers goes in through the un-trapped inlets, and it is a matter of common knowledge that the street cleaners, in order to lighten somewhat their labors, are accustomed to pushing the street sweepings into the inlets, thus allowing large quantities of dirt to be washed into the sewers. It must be borne in mind, however, that it is much more expensive to remove deposits of dirt from the sewers by hand than it is to remove them from the surfaces of the streets by carts. If this system of drains had been maintained in a perfectly clean condition at all times, it is undoubtedly true that the capacity of the drains during “maximum” storms, when flooding has occurred in this territory, would have been greatly increased and much less damage would have resulted.”

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Drift-Catcher

11 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY, Sewage History, water history

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When I first saw the structure below, in the color photographs, I thought it was some sort of old pedestrian bridge. After some research, and a look through the DPW Archives, I found the following information:

On June 9 and 10, 1911, Messrs. Hering, Gray and Stearns again visited Baltimore for the purpose of inspecting Jones’ Falls above North Avenue Bridge, also to examine the plans for a drift-catcher, and on July 27 reported to the Commission approving the plans, etc., of the Chief Engineer. The drift-catcher, or interceptor, will be constructed at a point south of the Cedar Avenue Bridge, most available from an engineering and practical standpoint, rights having been obtained, without cost, from the Northern Central Railway, which owns the property on the west side of the Falls, and from Mrs. Fannie A. Timanus, on the east side

Appendix A: Report of the Consultant Engineers. Concerning a drift catcher and Jones Falls conduits. We have considered Mr. Hendrick’s suggestion of the possible obstruction of these conduits by trees, bridges, small buildings or other things which might be washed away by a phenomenal flood, such as is provided for in this case, and while it seems probable that with conduits of such magnitude nearly all large objects would pass through without obstructing them, some large objects, if not intercepted elsewhere, might lodge on the dividing walls at the head of the triple conduit and cause an obstruction. We, therefore, approve the adoption of some plan which will provide at a suitable place above the head of the conduits means for intercepting large floating objects.

The arch and pier type of structure, which we approve, is shown in part upon the preliminary plan furnished by Mr. Hendrick, entitled “Studies for Drift-Catcher,” and in part upon a plan, dated July 12, 1911, giving alternate designs of the drift-catcher. The general design consists of narrow piers about 20 feet high, spaced 8 feet apart from center to center, held at the bottom by being concreted into pits excavated in the rock, and at the top by a horizontal concrete arch extending from one side of the valley to the other and abutting against the ledge.

Completed in 1912.

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1910 Annual Report

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY, water history

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From Calvin Hendricks, Engineer, to the Mayor:

“It all comes down to the fact that we are getting nearer to the laws of God than ever before, which laws man cannot improve on, but can only strive to follow. For instance: The pumps lifting the sewage from the low level to the Outfall Sewer, is the sun drawing the salt water from the sea to the cloud; the flow of the sewage through the Outfall Sewer to the Disposal Plant, is the cloud drifting through the air; the spraying of the sewage over the stone beds, is the rain falling from the cloud to the earth; the trickling of the sewage down through the stones is the rain sinking into the earth; the purified sewage coming out into the settling basins, is the spring water bubbling out of the ground, and the electric light produced by the flow of the sewage is the sunshine after the clouds have passed.”

The sewers completed and under contract, about 160 miles, if placed end to end, would almost reach from Baltimore to New York, and a portion of them are large enough to drive through in automobiles. I feel safe in stating that the entire built-up portion of the City will be completely sewered and in operation in 1914, the time originally stated, provided we are allowed to continue in the rapid manner in which we have so far prosecuted the work.

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A System of Sewerage 1906

04 Thursday Feb 2016

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Baltimore starts construction for a system of sewerage, officially, on October 22, 1906, with a groundbreaking by Mayor Clay Timanus at Ensor and Lanvale streets. Behind Greenmount Cemetery.

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As was typical for the times, a plaque was created and placed on the cemetery wall

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In the 1906 Annual Report of the Sewerage Commission are listed some interesting facts about Baltimore:

The population, according to a police census was 555,000. The city being 31-1/2 square miles consists of, approximately, the following buildings:

Asylums, Homes and Hospitals; Jail, Penitentiary and House of Refuge 77. Apartment Houses 26. Banks and Libraries 47. Breweries and Distilleries 21. Car Barns and Railroad Stations 45. Churches and Missions 364. Coal, Wood, Stone and Lumber Yards (Sheds) 130. Clubs and Office Buildings 57. Department Stores 10. Engine Houses and Police Stations 46. Hotels 32. Livery Stables 55. Industrial Plants 266. Manufacturing Plants 367. Markets 10. Residences 108,340 (of which, 15,000 dumped household waste directly into the Jones Falls/harbor). Schools, public and private; Colleges, Convents 169. Stables, small 1461. Theatres and Halls 38.

Total 111,561

Jones Falls Flooding 1868

02 Tuesday Feb 2016

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The Jones Falls flooded on many occasions, bringing with it all the sewage, manure, street sweepings, etc. and dumping it into the Inner Harbor. The flood of July 24, 1868 was another wake up call to the City, that something needed to be done.

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Many engineers were asked to come up with a game plan on what to do. Benjamin Latrobe and two others suggested to channel the Falls away from downtown, diverting it to Herring Run, at the mouth of Back River.

Plan and Profile of Proposed Diversion

Throughout the years, other plans were also devised.

Montebello 100

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Baltimore, filtration, HISTORY, water

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So the Montebello 100th anniversary has come and gone. It was a pretty nice affair. I will start doing some more Water History on here, but it will probably be more Baltimore Sewage history. I have been doing some extensive research on the subject and will share some of it here. I will most likely put it in book form, to go with my water history book.

The first photo is inside the gate house, of which I talked earlier about. The second is a State Historical marker that was placed outside the gate house.

Debate: Gatehouse vs Valvehouse

08 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY

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Since starting my research in a museum archives, I’ve found quite a few discrepancies in the labelling of photographs and negatives. Some archival boxes were marked as Loch Raven Construction – 1909 (Which didn’t start until late 1912. These photos were actually the building of Lake Ashburton). Then there are the glass plate negatives marked as Loch Raven 1875-1881. A few of these are of Lake Montebello and Clifton. This is ok only because I know they are from a group known as the “permanent supply”, they belong together. But my problem is that somewhere along the timeline known as “History” someone decided to call the gatehouses ‘valve houses’ Why?? I do not understand the intent of changing the engineer’s designation of a structure from gatehouse to valve house? The drawings I have along with engineer’s reports all call these structures Gatehouses. Who changed it? Would it be alright to call one of Baltimore’s Little Tavern Restaurants – Small Bar Restaurants? Hell no! Words mean the same but they aren’t. You go to a small bar to get drunk – you go to the Little Tavern for their bags of hamburgers!!

I recently found a photograph of one I already have, that was mislabeled. Below is the photo from a glass plate , the other is from a framed photo that hung in the engineer’s office (Bottom Photo from 1894). The framed one clearly calls the Clifton Gatehouse a gatehouse, not a valve house – Stop the insanity and call it what it is!!!

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From a mislabeled GPN saying this is Loch Raven

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Framed photograph clearly marked as Gate House at Lake Clifton

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Engineer Kenley’s office, 1894 with framed photographs hanging on the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MFH 3

01 Sunday Mar 2015

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In 1881 the Permanent Supply started delivering water to Baltimore City, to help supplement the failing Jones Falls. Over the next few years, the Jones Falls would become so bad that  larger reservoirs would be needed. Especially after the annexation of 1888. Plans started to take shape in 1904, after the Big Fire, to increase Loch Raven. And because of pollution, Baltimore started testing various forms of filtration.

These photos epitomize the sanitation conditions of our rivers and streams, and why water sources were failing:

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Testing forms of filtration at both Montebello and Loch Raven gatehouses:

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New pumping stations and reservoirs were built and/or their water redirected. Mt Royal no longer was receiving water from the Jones Falls, but from the Gunpowder Falls, via pumping stations.  Below is the Mount Royal Reservoir, followed by the High Service Reservoir at Pimlico and below that the Eastern Pumping Station, which pumped water from Clifton to Guilford.

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MFH 2

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY

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The Gunpowder Temporary Supply was in use between 1873 and 1881, as the City required it. Work on the Permanent Supply started in 1875. This new supply would consist of a dam at Loch Raven, a 6-1/2 mile tunnel to Montebello, where a lake would be built with a gatehouse, to connect to another lake at Clifton. The properties at Montebello and Clifton belonged to Garrett and Hopkins.

On September 29, 1881, Lake Montebello reached its full height elevation of 163′. Lake Clifton would not be completed until late 1887. The water from Montebello flowed thru pipes, to the site of the lake and connected to pipes, to supply the City. Until the lake and gatehouse were completed at Clifton, a temporary shed was built over the pits that housed the gate valves. There was a house built on the property for the Gatekeeper. There was recent talk of leasing the Clifton Gatehouse for a Farmers Market, if the person would restore the building.