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Water and Me

Tag Archives: writing

Some Favorites Before I Go

29 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by Ronald Parks in Archives, Baltimore, HISTORY, Writing

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, Dams, engineering, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Loch Raven, Public Works, Research, Warren, water history, writing

My time is winding down, working for the City of Baltimore, so I thought I would share some favorite photographs from my research and my time here…

This photograph is the one that started my writing. I guess it was sometime in the late 1970s that I started keeping journals of my life. Not sure why, but I did. Some were just in the form of letters that I later copied into an electronic file of my life, that I later turned into my auto-biography. This photo though started my writing on Baltimore’s Water Supply History, which was preceded by Building the Gunpowder Falls – Montebello Tunnel 1935 – 1940.

I have written about this photograph in an earlier blog post on October 20, 2017. Here are the introductory pages from my book that explains it:

Sometime in the late 1980s, renovations began in an old storage section of Plant II at the Montebello Filters on Hillen Road, in Baltimore City. This storage room was to be converted into an office area for the newly hired Water Treatment Engineers. Resident engineers were nothing new to the filtration plant, but somewhere in time, Plant Managers, Maintenance Supervisors and Bureau Chiefs had replaced them. Therefore, the addition of engineers to the staff became a momentous occasion, sparing no expenses to build them a new office and to make them feel welcomed.

It was just by coincidence that the storage area slated for renovation housed a majority of the records from the previous engineers, along with hundreds of glass plate negatives and photographic lanternslides. The maintenance supervisor of that time just saw boxes of junk and gave instructions to throw it all away. Thinking that the information in these boxes looked interesting, I told the laborers working on the project to take all this ‘junk’ and put in a room on the second floor. This second floor storage area actually did house a bunch of junk and a few years later, when I needed extra storage space, I went over and started cleaning out this room.

While sorting through the boxes, trying to decide what was worth keeping, I decided to keep it all, that I would just go ahead and straighten it out, putting it on shelves. It was while going through the material that I realized what a treasure trove of information was there: old blue prints, engineers’ logs, personal journals, water contracts dating back to the early 1900s, deeds to lands obtained by the city through the courts (along with the judge’s personal journal, dating back to the 1880s), early photographs and so much more. After I had sorted it all out the best I could, I left it alone for quite a few years.

In 2005, Richard Vann, one of the newly hired engineers, received instructions to put together a history of the water department; mostly just listing all the water contracts and what work was done for each one. However, Richard, being a very thorough individual, started listing everything, from who the mayor was to what the inspector’s names were on the jobs. He put this information in chronological order but found that there were gaps in his work, that years were missing from the little bit of records that he had. I then showed him the books and information that I had found years earlier and he started to enter this information into his time line.

In 2006, my boss asked me to assist Richard in what he was doing. We were having electrical problems at the time and I was to work with him to put together a diagram showing all the electrical work done over the years. In the 26 plus years that I have worked here, there has always been a construction project going on, but no one has ever put together an ‘as built’ drawing of the electrical system. So I set up shop adjacent to Richard’s office and via email, he sent me the information that he had. While reading the chronology, I remembered that I had seen additional information, even photos, of things Richard had written about, packed away in the second floor storage area. I decided to go back through all those shelves and boxes of history and see what I could match up to what he had listed.

When I came upon the glass plate negatives, I decided to have some of them processed and turned into photos. This became an expensive proposition so I decided to learn how to do this on my own. My boss gave me permission to buy the equipment I needed, which was no more than a scanner capable of scanning 8” x 10” negatives and Lantern Slides, software to invert the negatives into a positive and a good printer.

While working with one of the lanternslides, I noticed something odd, that in a tunnel, where workers were excavating, there were train tracks that came to a dead end under what looked like a giant boulder. This particular slide came from a box from around 1938, so I asked Richard if he had any information on an event of that year that was of interest. Sure enough, he showed me the Annual Report covering the year 1938 where it was reported that an explosion had occurred in the building of the Gunpowder-Montebello Tunnel.

This notation in the report was only about a half a paragraph long, nothing more than a blurb, so I decided to investigate it further. Searching through all those records that were about to be thrown away 20 years ago, stumbling across filing cabinets that had been stored at the Ashburton Filtration Plant (Home of the Water Engineers in the late 1950s), and researching the archives of the local newspapers, I was able to piece together the story below.

(Note: Upon further research, I found that the picture above was not from the tunnel explosion, but rather a progress photo from 1938 of the heading  being loaded and wired for blasting. Unfortunately, the tunnel explosion photos are missing from the collection.)

I would like to take this time to thank Richard Vann, Water Systems Engineer, for pointing me in the direction to find this information. His chronology alone could fill a book.

This next photo, from 1921, inspired me to start writing young adult fiction. When the City was buying up all the properties around the Gunpowder Falls, with the intent to raise the dam from an elevation 188′ to 270′ (settled on el 240′) many families and businesses were displaced. To me this is a sad photograph. The woman and her 3 children, who are renters, being displaced for a damn dam. (Not sure if this house was in the 270′ or 240′ flood lands, in either case, the City would still take to enlarge its watershed). 

Here is the opening to a book I have yet to finish. Hopefully some day. Not yet edited for correctness..

The Children of Warren
“Jennifer, wake up. We have to go.”
“No! I don’t wanna!”
“Come on, you know what today is! You don’t want them to flood us out, do you?”
With that, Jennifer sits up in her bed and looks at her mother, eyes wide open and says, “They couldn’t do that! You wouldn’t let them, would you mom?”
Her mom pulls her close, reassuringly, and tells her, “Honey, if I had my way, they wouldn’t be allowed to flood us out at all, but it ain’t up to me. So come on, get up and get yourself dressed.”
With that, Jennifer pulls herself to the side of the bed and when her feet touch the cold dirt floor she shrieks in disgust, “Mom! Why’d they take the floor out? Why couldn’t they wait until we were gone!”
“Honey, we’ve been over this a hundred times” her mother says, trying not to sound irritated at the constant questioning of ‘why’. “You know your father and me had to sell off what we could before the City took it from us.”
“But I loved our floors mommy. Daddy worked so hard making them pretty for us.”
“I know honey” her mom says, reminiscing about better days in Warren…

I showed this initial writing to a friend and explained the story (kids go back to the town before it is flooded and get caught in the flood…) and they told me there was already a movie about this kind of event, called “In Dreams” with Robert Downey Jr. Ha!

The Peale Center

13 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by Ronald Parks in HISTORY, Photography

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Tags

Baltimore, Barnum, Ghost, glass plate negatives, HISTORY, Museum, Peale Center, photography, Research, writing

The Peale Center, also once Baltimore’s City Hall and Colored School #1 and then a temporary Water Engineer’s office. Then the Municipal Museum and then a vacant…am I missing anything? It has been a lot of things since 1814 and I am really glad it is being restored to a museum. 

View from across the street, at the Municipal Building – where the water engineers are now located. Workers had to move their scaffold out of the way so we could get in.

A walk out back. I think I would have placed this lamp elsewhere instead of in front of the relief.

Another gas lamp.

Back inside to await the history talk. Here is an artist rendition of what the Peale will look like when completed. 

A nice model of the proposed renovations.

Holy H.G. Wells! A freakin’ time machine. Damn, still under construction!

Hum Bug!!

More bugs.

And the real reason for my visit – a talk by Peter Manseau on his book “The Apparitionist”. It was a really good talk. One thing that kind of stuck in my head was when he said, “There are about 50,000 deceased persons on Facebook. Still being visited by family and friends.” It is like a modern day seance in the electronic social media age. People get to see their departed loved ones, just like the photographs taken by 19th century photographers of dead people posing. But Peter’s book goes more into ghost being seen in glass plate images. I can’t wait to read his book…

200th Blog

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in water history, Writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, fluoride, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Loch Raven, Montebello, Public Works, water history, writing

My WordPress Dashboard tells me that this is my 200th blog post. So, since my blog is called Water and Me, maybe I should write something about water? Trying to think of something profound or water history worthy! I know – Don’t Drink The Water!!!

In 2006 I started writing about water history, doing research and then eventually writing a small book, mostly on one of the water tunnels that supplies water to the Montebello Filters. Here is the Lantern Slide I saved from the dumpster, that started it all:

This is what I had to say about it in my book: “While working with one of the lantern slides, I noticed something odd, that in a tunnel, where workers were excavating, there were train tracks that came to a dead end under what looked like a giant boulder. This particular slide came from a box from around 1938, so I asked Richard if he had any information on an event of that year that was of interest. Sure enough, he showed me the Annual Report covering the year 1938 where it was reported that an explosion had occurred in the building of the Gunpowder Falls Montebello Tunnel. This notation in the report was only about a half a paragraph long, nothing more than a blurb, so I decided to investigate it further.” And I have been investigating water history ever since. Ten men were killed in this explosion and it was just a blurb in a report!

After years of refining my skills at research, I came across so much more information on this explosion. It is amazing what you can find these days on the internet. I found this photo and purchased it from the Baltimore Sun.

It shows the ten dead African American miners being hauled out. My research has taken me to draw the conclusion that this was no accident. That because of the Union troubles going on back then (Fighting between Unions for membership), this was a case of murder.

Sometimes historical research is not pleasant. Just as much as present day research can be unsettling. Like my comment above to not drink the water. I don’t drink it because of the research I have done concerning the fluoridation of the water system. But, I will save that for another post…

Thanks

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in water history, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Lake Montebello, Loch Raven, Montebello, photography, Public Works, Research, water history, writing

Just want to thank the person(s) that bought 6 copies of my book yesterday. I receive a sales report, but there are no names attached. Thank You!

Pre-Black Friday Sale

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, water history, Writing

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Tags

Baltimore, engineering, FILTRATION, fluoride, Gunpowder Falls, Health, HISTORY, Lake Montebello, Montebello, POLITICS, Public Works, Research, water, water history, writing

Ok, time to order now for Christmas! Nothing like a little self promoting during the Holiday Season. (Thanks to the person(s) that bought 3 copies this month! My sales report does not list the buyers so I have no way to know who to thank)

These books are cheaper on Amazon than they are on the publisher’s pages. ALL proceeds from the sale of these books goes to Water For People.

This first book is a crazy story about Chuck and Gary and the misadventures that happen because of the fluoride in their toothpaste! I think this may have been an LSD induced novel. But more likely comes from all the research I did concerning the subject that I didn’t know what else to do with!bookcoverimage-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next one is about, well, it’s about what the title says it’s about. Taken from the journals of the building inspectors. Ten miners killed in an explosion – called an accident, but I don’t think so…

bookcoverimage-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last one is also about what the title implies. Over 400 pages of more information you will probably ever need concerning water history. Plus a bunch of tidbits thrown in.bookcoverimage

 

 

 

 

Herring Run or Tiffany Run

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY, water history

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Tags

Baltimore, engineering, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Lake Montebello, Montebello, Public Works, Research, water history, writing

I was recently asked to do a brief history for the Friends of Herring Run Park, concerning the history of DPW activity in the park. More specifically – What is up with those concrete structures in the park that have pipes sticking out of them? They are air relief vaults for the Susquehanna pipeline. So, instead of a brief, one line answer, I decided to give them a Readers Digest version for the building of the Susquehanna pipeline.
As in most cases, when doing basic research, I always get distracted with other history facts I find. The story of my life (Well, the story of my life is another book I wrote, which is out of print. Too many people disagree with what I wrote about MY life and MY memories. I did however see a copy on Amazon for $354.00! Ha!)(See what I mean about getting distracted!!)
Anyway, I came across the below 1854 report that mentions Herring Run as a possible source of water for the City of Baltimore. If not a source, then possibly build a reservoir there. The author of the report, Alfred Duvall, who signs the report as a ‘Practical Engineer’ also suggests a reservoir on Tiffany Run, which is a stone’s throw away from Herring Run. By 1875 they decided on Tiffany Run for the new reservoir, that would be filled via tunnel from Loch Raven.

1854

Duvall’s 1854 report. Interesting read.

2bw

Tiffany Run, prior to the 1875-1881 construction of Lake Montebello

montgatehouse1u

Lake Montebello soon after construction. Gatehouse to the left received water from Loch Raven, where a dam was built during the same years.

Vacation

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Hiking, kayaking, vacation, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

boating, fishing, Health, Hiking, kayaking, photography, writing

Best vacation in a long time!

Ocean City for a couple days: Sun, dolphins, 11th floor balcony door opened – listening to the pounding of the surf on the beach, watching the sunrise and sunset, Thrasher Fries, junk food, good food, 9/11 memorial, biker week …

Snow Hill for kayaking at Goat Island, saw no goats but was a great adventure…

Assateague Island for more kayaking and hiking through water onto beaches…

Fishing off Deal Island (caught a lot of variety including crabs and a skate), boat around other islands…Princess Anne for dinner and historic tour…

Crisfield then to Smith Island…

Home. Great vacation except for two unpleasantries – daughter needs brain surgery and “service engine soon” light came on in truck.

Photos later..

 

Research and Sources

23 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY

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Tags

Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY, Monuments, Public Works, Research, Statues, writing

Tuesday evening I attended a class “Explore Baltimore Heritage 101” and during the class it was talked about ‘sources’ used for writing about historic people, places and things. My main interest in this (other than the history of sewers) are the displaced and missing monuments. My most recent research of just one, the Monument to Columbus, shows how various people looked at things and more importantly, are their perceptions true historical facts?
From the Monument City Blog:
History
To commemorate the three-hundred year anniversary of Columbus discovering America, a forty-four foot obelisk was erected in Charm City. Made of brick with a stucco finish, the monument to Columbus is the oldest in the country, and world, that is still standing. Originally it was placed on the estate of French Consul to Baltimore, Charles Francois Adrian De Paulmier, Chevalier d’Anmour, and was moved to its current location in 1964. Rumor has it that one evening De Paulmier was entertaining guests, which he did frequently, and they started discussing the great men of the western world. It was mentioned that there was not a single monument to Christopher Columbus in America. De Paulmier promised to change this fact, placing the monolith on his property shortly thereafter.
Another Monument City Blog:
History
The first monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus in the United States is the 44 foot tall obelisk on Hartford [Harford] Road, just east of Lake Montebello. The structure was erected, in 1792, to commemorate the three-hundred year anniversary of the explorer’s discovery of America. During the 19th century a local legend developed stating that the obelisk was actually a monument to a horse of the same name, not the explorer.
The Italian community refused to recognize the obelisk, eventually collecting funds and erecting their own statue on the shore of Druid Lake. On Columbus Day in 1892 the monument was unveiled. The sculpture, carved by Albert Weinert, is a reproduction of artist Achille Canessa’s original. In 1950, Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. placed a wreath on the neglected Hartford Road monument, finally putting an end to misconception, and giving equal worth to both memorials.
A third monument to Chris Columbus stands in the Inner Harbor near the Katyn Memorial and the Public Works Museum. Professor Wayne Schaumburg of Johns Hopkins University states that Mayor William Schaefer planned to move the Weinert Columbus to the Harbor East location but the Druid Hill neighborhood committees protested strongly. Instead, a new statue was created and dedicated, in 1984, with President Reagan attending the ceremony.
1992 Sunpaper: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-05-21/news/1992142117_1_columbus-monuments-baltimore-county-columbus-day
Because the monument was on private property, it remained unknown to the public for decades. As the estate passed through several hands and lapsed into ruin, the obelisk eventually was forgotten. North Avenue became a public thoroughfare in 1876. Sometime later, a group of Johns Hopkins students exploring the woods stumbled across the obelisk. Its last previous known sighting had occurred in 1863 when Union soldiers at Belmont found it while cutting trees for firewood and fortifications. Woods reclaimed the area after the Civil War. In 1887, Belmont became the Samuel B. Ready School. It moved to West Baltimore in 1938 to make way for Sears Roebuck’s huge store, which is now the Eastside District Court. The obelisk, considered too fragile to be moved, was left behind on what became a Sears parking lot. In 1963, however, the city moved it to its present location in a grove of maples, pines and arbor vitae on Harford Road at Parkside Drive. It was the focus of traditional Columbus Day ceremonies until 1977, when the festivities were moved to East Baltimore and then to the Inner Harbor. The old monument drifted farther from public consciousness after October 1984, when President Ronald Reagan dedicated a new statue of the Great Explorer in a plaza at the edge of Little Italy. But the obelisk has refused to be ignored throughout its history. Now, it has bobbed up again during the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ achievements, say Mr. D’Alesandro and Mr. Culotta. And very appropriately, they add. After all, they say, the monument was North America’s first recognition of Columbus’ voyage, and another two centuries have elapsed since then.

Columbus001

The monument behind Sears.

Columbus009

Making way for a new parking lot.

Columbus018

After a short move, placing at its new location.

Columbus019

Right down the street from my house.

Columbus020

The Little Italy version.

More Pics of Outfall

16 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, Sewage History

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, bricks, engineering, HISTORY, photography, Public Works, sewage, Sewage History, writing

While on a break from Facebook, I have been working on my new sewer history book, completing so far, 159 pages with 101,232 words. Now I need a break from writing! So I will just post some photographs with mini-captions!

006-139

Section #6 Showing David Peoples, contractor, in concrete invert, ready for brick work. 1907

010-134Section #6 Laying brick and completed section near Back River Road. 1907

012-183

Section #9 Showing inside of completed sewer at manhole Daylight exposure for this shot. 1907

035-303

Section #9 Showing bridge at Eastern Ave. over sewer trench. Danger sign in driveway where a teamster drove into bridge and threw a mule into the trench (Go slow danger) 1908

038-519

Section #10 South of Eastern Ave, section of sewer on 7 degree curve. 1908

Where to Start?

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in HISTORY, Sewage History

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Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY, Jones Falls, Museum, Public Works, sewage, writing

My original intention, to post on here, was to do so in chronological order, the building of Baltimore’s Sewage and Storm-Water systems. But, as can be seen in the tables below, a lot was going on all at one time. So the photographs and comments will be scattered. My new book will not be, hopefully!

The information that I present here comes from a wide variety of reports that I have read and sorted out. A couple years ago I was asked to document the archives from the Public Works Museum in Baltimore. I also was asked to move these archives to another location, which I have done. The artifacts, files, photographs, etc were stored in a fairly haphazard way. Scanning, photographing, reading, inventory, documenting….well, this is what I do.

So much information and so little time!

From the 1908 Annual Report: It is reported that the City has saved upwards of $1 million on construction cost due to breaking the work up into smaller portions so the competition for bidding would be greater. List of contracts and contractors.

chart

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