Water Works of Seneca Kansas
(Completed in 1896)
Click on picture to see
well as it appears today.
See a different view of the above Water and Electric Plant -
Click here
Picture of the Water Works sometime after 1896.This would
be
looking to the northwest from what is Pioneer street today.
From Seneca-Democrat, Feb 28 1896 comes the following headlines
“Water Works!"
"Will Be Completed This Week"
"One of the Best Systems in the West"
"The Machinery of the Very Best and Latest Improved"
"The Water Supply Abundant"
"The Exact Cost of the System Will Be About $32,000.00"
'"Much credit is due Engineer Burrell and the City Council.”
The picture below was taken from the Feb 28, 1896 Seneca
Democrat.
with the description below the picture.
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"This is an exact picture of the monster pump which does the work at the pumping house. This duplex pump which fills the Stand Pipe, is recognized to be best, most efficient, most complete efficient pump manufactured. Was manufactured by the Snow Stream Pump Works, Buffalo, New York." From the Seneca Democrat news paper.
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Following is only the highlights from nearly two columns in the paper. This had to be great day for the people of Seneca who had to get their water from wells up to this time and few had indoor pluming at this time.
The article goes on to tell how the talk of the town for the past five year had been about a water system with the mater coming to a head several times only to be dropped again. In 1893 a banker by the name of Mr. Berns from St. Joseph, Mo made proposition to the city and offered plans for a water system at a cost of $50,000.00. Talk continued and converts were added to the list of those who thought it was time and more and more people in favor of a water system.
A good citizen went
by the name of W. C. Humes, went around with a subscription paper soliciting for the purpose of raising
funds to obtain an estimate for
constructing a water system. Mr. F. L Barrel, a consulting
engineer from Freemont, Nebraska came to Seneca and after careful study there was an estimate which showed to cost
$33,785.00 should the power house and well be located in the west part of the
city or $33,000.00 if it was located in the southeast corner of town.
On October 20, 1894 the
Council received a proposition signed by 40 business and citizens of
Seneca and the council set November 15 as the date for holding an election
on a bond for $30,000.00 and the election passed 306 to 42.
On November 19 1894 the council appointed a Committee of four to make a tour of inspection of water systems in the different cities and to inform them as to the needs of a city of this size.
On December 31, 1894 the city employed Mr. Burrell to draw up plans and specification and superintend the construction of the Plant. Bids were asked for on a bonds of $30,000 to finance the project. Bids came in as follows: The First National Bank of Niles, Ohio at $30,100, State Bank of Seneca at $30,125 and Spites and company, Toledo, Ohio at $30,385.
Test wells were put down in the in the southeast and northwest part of town for the purpose of finding location a water supply and the location.
The city council was on the eve of accepting bids when they received a letter from the First National Bank of Niles, Ohio, stating an influential citizen of you city has informed us that the bond of proposed water works were not legal and that the taxpayers did not vote for the measure at all, threading to bring an injunction suit and was requesting 30 day to look into this matter. Correspondence continued until February of 1895. Other correspondence from this company showed that they were using this threat - of the influential(?) citizen - as a club to get the bond price down. Correspondence continued until February 1895 when this mater eventually was settled, some six weeks later by new bids and accepted from the State Bank of Seneca for the original bid of $30,125.00.
The item also notes the following “It may not be out of place to mention right here that the same influential citizen (we should make that a capital I by this time) wrote as late as July 1895 to parties in the east, who had purchased the bonds of the bank, attempting to injure their sale and standing in the markets. This letter and the one to Spitzer & Co. are in the city and can be produced.“
| It would be interesting to see these letters if they are still around? I am wondering if some of their relatives don't still live within our city as such thing still happen to slow or stop a project and it ends up costing the city more money. . This project did help produce the boom in the growth that Seneca experienced in the first part of the 1900s. The Gilford Hotel was built about 5 years before the city had water. The city water made Seneca a attractive place to build and start a business.. by Web page editor. |
On March 1895 - After a delay of sixty days from the above cause, the council advertised for bids for construction of the system to be opened on April 9th. There being some 15 to 20 bids in all. J. T Broughal of Kansas City, Mo was accepted with a bid of $29,200.00
In regard to the construction of the well, the Courier Democrat states: “They excavated as large amount of sand and caused the construction of a wall under the curb and leaving the well of diameter originally intended and of the average depth of 60 feet 6 inches. There were places in the curb where the wall were badly damaged which he has taken out and repaired in a good and workman-manner”
“Many will remember the so-called test made in September 95 and compare it with the insurance rate of a few weeks ago, the promptness of the response to the alarm by giving direct pressure within 10 minutes and a good stream given, were a source of congratulation to Mr. Burrell who made the response possible, though made with the work incomplete at that time and it is a tribute well earned in the face of innuendos and sneers from a few (very few we are glad to state) he has accomplished the construction of one of the finest systems in the state.”
"A brief description of the system may be of interest to our readers. The house is of brick of neat and tasty design, being commodious and and roomy, containing two large boilers, heater feed pump and pumping machinery as well as a large coal room. The well is thirty feet inside diameter and is sixty feet six inches deep. The first or top being rock and the lower part of brick: these walls are three feet in thickness requiring up-ward of 130,000 bricks, 100 cord of stone, 570 barrels of cement and over 20,000 feet of lumber. That there is a good supply of water is shown from the fact that it was necessary to pump night and day from November 8th to February 1st. to enable the men to work in the well."
| The article goes on to describe the
mechanics of the operation and the boilers (steam engines), stating there are two boilers
which are 40 horse power and can be brought to steam in 40 minutes with
freezing water and 10 minutes with 70 degree water. The Stand
Pipe is 12 feet by 100 feet. also tell of the benefit to the city in fire
protection and fire insurance and is the best in the west. |
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This picture above was taken in 2004 when the well house was open during the Car Show.. The picture show the inside of the well house with the catwalk over the top of the well so one can view down 60 feet or more into the well. The screened catwalk was no doubt added as a observation platform in later years, date unknown. It is difficult to take a picture down into the well without some reflection from the water . You should take a look into this old well sometime when it is open.
The picture below was taken from the catwalk inside of the well house shows the rings which are about eight feet apart.. The dark rings are groves where lumber was in the wall when the well was created. This lumber was built into the walls to strengthen and hold the scaffolding at each ring to make a deck like platforms along the inside of the well. This lumber likely penetrated the wall only six inches to a foot. The rock or brick walls are three foot thick. The lumber was cut off and some of it still remains in the walls. This lumber also created a scuffling for those that plastered the inside walls. The plastering would have been done after the well and set down on the bottom. The scaffolding served as frame to keep the wall in shape protect the workers in the bottom of the well from any thing falling objects. As stated above there was twenty thousand feet of lumber used and this would likely be heavy lumber to help hold the rings in shape as well as protecting those below.
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CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE PLANKING Click on picture to see a drawing of what the planking in well likely looked like when it was built. I would think this would be similar to what the scaling would have looked like on each layer only with all the holes covered so no rocks could fall on the men working below. Each layer of decking was placed on the top of rocks as they built wal or curb as it was called. the. The sand, rocks and soil would been raised through the center with a clamshell or dump bucket of some kind. The sandhogs (people doing the digging) below would have dug the sand and soil from under the three foot walls and placed it in the clamshell to be raised to the top and dumped. The sand and dirt had to be raised in large bucket to the top and carried away. This would have taken a large crew to complete this operation. There would have had to be rock brought to the site. There were likely some local people employed to help complete this operation therefore some of the money stayed in the community as well items purchase here such as lumber, concrete and other material.. Then there were those who dug soil from under the wall and carried dirt away. They were busy from before November 8th to February 1st as the pumps were used from this time. Originally we had no idea how the sand dirt and rocks were raised from the bottom of the well however in search though news papers a short item was found where the horses raising the sand bucket were spoofed and caused a run-away. From that time no spectators were allowed around the operation. This article stated that the safety of the people in the well were at risk that day. It may be that some one may have photos of the operation that may show up some time in the future. If so perhaps they would permit me put them on the web page. Should any one have better information on this operation let me know. What was in this article was likely enough explanation for the people of 1900s however it leaves some questions for us today. |
An article in the April 13, 1911 Courier Democrat places the time of piping the water from Maxwell Springs to the well. It reads as follows
"Ralph Hybskmann of Axtel1. and W. A. Wiley of this city were given the contract for the construction of the extension pipe line to Maxwell Springs at the Saturday night adjourning meeting of the city council, at a figure of $2659.06
Their estimate is $190 below that of their nearest competitor. The American Cast Iron '. Company of Kansas City was given the contract for the piping and accessories at. the. price of $4913.60. The length of the pipe line from the springs to the well is 10,700 feet, and the trench at its greatest depth at the well will be 12 feet deep. It will be necessary to conduct the piping under the Nemaha river. The Courier-Democrat is glad to see the contract for the work go to local enterprise. . Wiley & Hyskmann wi1l probably begin work in the course. of ten days and as soon as working material arrives.
Should any one know the date the reservoir was added to the water System, please let me know. This was added to the water system and is located at east of First street north of Pioneer Street.
last updated 01/21/2007