A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1, Part 60

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 826

USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 60

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a. Acts, 1903, p. 391.

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

advanced. and onr town has become indeed a city beautiful.

IV. CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

Many of the most important improvements of the city have already been noted in treating of the public improvements of the county ;a among these, the mill dam and mill raees on the St. Joseph, the bridges over the river, the railroads, street and interurban railways, the electric plant and the telegraph and telephone lines. Other public improvements will now be referred to:

Sec. 1 .- STREETS AND SIDEWALKS .- The first systematic grades of the streets of Sonth Bend were established on surveys made in 1865, by Rufus Rose, city engineer. The grades so established are usually referred to as the "Rose Grade." The street improve- ments were at first a simple working or grad- ing of the streets to the grade so established. Afterwards, the streets were graveled, there being an abundance of good road gravel easy of access just northwest of the city.b The next improvement made was to pave the gut- ters on each side of the roadway with cobble stones, the stones being from three to seven inches in diameter. These cobble stones were also used in paving the alley crossings on the sidewalks; the remainder of the sidewalks being at first paved with boards or planks, and afterwards with briek. The work to this point may be called primitive street improve- ment.

The manner of doing this primitive work is well illustrated by the following ordinance for paving the sidewalk on the north side of Washington street, along what is now the south front of the Oliver hotel :

"Section 1. Be it ordained by the common council of the city of South Bend. That the sidewalk on the north side of Washington street, between Main street and the first alley west, be graded to the grade established by the city engineer, and that the same be paved with brick fourteen feet wide.

a. See Chap. 7, Subds. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

b. See Chap. 1, Subd. 7.

"Sec. 2 .- Unless said sidewalk is graded and paved by each land owner in front of his property by the tenth day of November, 1866, the street commissioner will immediately ad- vertise the work to be done by the best bidder by the twenty-fifth day of November, and the cost thereof will be assessed upon the property in front of which the grading and paving is done, to be collected according to law.

"Passed October 15, 1866.

"W. G. GEORGE, Mayor. "JOHN HAGERTY, City Clerk."

The first steps towards the paving of the streets were taken in 1865, the year in which the city was incorporated. On December 5, 1865, an ordinance was passed by the common council for the paving with cobble stone of a part of Michigan street and a part of Wash- ington street. Section four of this ordinance reads as follows :

"See. 4. That Michigan street, from Mar- ket street,a to the south side of Washington street, and Washington street to the west side of Main street, shall be graded as provided in the first and second sections of this ordinance,b and paved with small boulder stone of not less than three nor more than five inches in diameter. The center of the street when paved to be one inch below the top of the eurbstone. The gutter at the bottom, to be one foot below the center of the street, and the street to have a regular curve from the bottom of one gutter over to the other. The gutters to be shaped according to the direc- tion of the street commissioner."

This cobble stone pavement was but little, if indeed it was any, improvement over the graveled street ; but the people endured it for over twenty years. They endured the cobble stone gutters and alley crossings for even a longer time.

In 1888, a new departure was taken. The people determined to try cedar block pave- ment. On April 9, 1888, the cobble stone laid down on Michigan and Washington streets

a. Now La Salle Avenue.

b. That is, according to the Rose grade.

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.HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

was ordered replaced with cedar blocks. This pavement won many encomiums for two or three years; but, in the end, it proved even rougher than the cobble stone.

In 1889, a further advance was made. On July 22, 1889, an experiment in brick pave- ment was determined upon. Jefferson street, from Michigan to Lafayette, was ordered paved with "two courses of hard burned briek." This was the first modern pavement laid on the streets of South Bend. William M. Whitten. then the efficient city engineer, drew up the specifications with great care. The block from Main to Lafayette was an ex- cellent pavement. The brick for the experi- ment was ordinary building brick, made in the Leeper brick yard in South Bend. This brick pavement was laid down by Martin Hoban, contractor, and remained in good con- dition until its removal in 1907.

By an act approved March 8, 1889," the leg- islature provided for the payment of the cost of street and sewer improvements in install- ments of ten per cent a year for ten years. This act, known as the Barrett law, is one of the excellent series of laws enacted by the reform legislatures of 1889 and 1891. The law has proved a boon to the cities and towns or Indiana. It came just in time for South Bend. The brick pavement on Jefferson street was so decided a success that the only ques- tion left for consideration was the matter of payment for the work. The city was then up to the contitutional two per cent limit of indebtedness, and the treasury could not be resorted to in order to lighten the burden of the property owner. But by making the pay- ments in ten annual installments, as was done by the Barrett law, the problem was solved. Street and sidewalk pavements, as well as sewers, were at once projected in every busi- ness and populous residence section of the city.

In 1898, an asphalt pavement was laid down on Washington street, and two years afterwards one was laid on Lafayette street, a. Acts, 1889, pp. 237-246.

and since that time on several other streets. It was said at the time, and has since proved to be true, that the asphalt on Washington street was too dry, had too large a proportion of gravel, and that it would soon "grind out" in spots by the action of the wheels of vehicles passing over it. The complaint on the part of the people on Lafayette street, on the con- trary, was that the pavement was too soft, that the wheels would sink into it in warm weather. The Lafayette pavement has grown harder and better with years; but that on Washington street has "ground out" in num- erous places, as predicted.

Street paving has gone on in South Bend since 1889, until at the end of the year 1906 there were forty-two miles of pavement. Of this, about thirty-six and a half miles are of brick. The chief part of the remainder is of asphalt : there being a little creosote block and other experimental pavements.

Originally the sidewalks, like the roadways of the streets, were principally of gravel; but plank and boards were also used, and in time briek also. Early in the eighties, the common council prohibited the putting down of any more wooden sidewalks: for the reason that so many accidents had occurred from rotten and broken planks that there were almost constant suits for damages against the city. As early as 1867, John R. Foster laid a cement side- walk on the north side of West Washington street at the corner of North Taylor street. This cement sidewalk is still in good condition. notwithstand its age. Soon afterwards cement walks began to come into general use ; although for a while there was trouble with persons who claimed to have patents on the proper mixing of the cement. This was but a temporary check, and it was not long until the cement sidewalk was a favorite all over the city. Brick, however, continued to be used for walks until 1907, when its further use for this purpose was forbidden, for reasons simi- lar to those which had caused the disuse of plank sidewalks.

Sec. 2 .- SEWERS .- The first sewer in South

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

Bend was constructed in 1861, long before the incorporation of the city. After several pre- liminary steps were taken, the board of town trustees, on December 24, 1860, entered into contract with William Mack to construct a eir- cular brick sewer on Washington street, four feet in diameter and twelve hundred feet long, extending from the west line of Lafayette street to the river. It was to be finished by May 1, 1862, the cost to be twelve hundred and forty-three dollars. But one fault has been found with this first and most noted of our sewers. The sewer was not laid low enough. It was provided that, at the com- mencement of the work, at Lafayette street, the bottom of the sewer, on the inside, should be eight feet and a half below the street grade, and should fall at the rate of three inches to each one hundred feet to the east line of Mich- igan street, after which the rate of fall should be as required by the board of town trustees. This depth proved quite insufficient to drain the basements of business houses afterwards constructed along Washington street; and it was necessary to correct the defect by the con- struction of other sewers.

Under the eity government all the principal streets have been supplied with sewers, and others are being constructed every year, and paid for by property assessments under the Barrett law. At the close of the year 1906, there were fifty-four miles of sewers in the city of South Bend.

One of the sewers of the city has a peculiar history. On October 8, 1875, the city pro- vided for the construction of what has been called the Lafayette street sewer. This was built, primarily, for the accommodation of the South Bend Iron Works, now known as the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, which had then been recently located in the south- west part of the city, on the Kankakee side of the "divide." The sewer was paid for out of the city treasury; but the owners of lots along Ford, Scott, Railroad, South and Lafay- ctte streets, fronting on the sewer, were allow- ed to tap the same by paying into the city

treasury sixty-two and one-half cents per front foot.

Sec. 3 .- WATER WORKS .- In Turner's South Bend Directory for 1871-2, is the fol- lowing, entitled, "Water-Fire":

"A company has recently been formed for the purpose of erecting Holly Water Works and furnishing the city with pure water from the St. Joseph river. Action has, however, been deferred for the year 1871, it being eon- sidered too late in the season to commence operations. Another year will, doubtless, see this important work completed. A good sys- tem of water works would be highly advanta- geous to South Bend, although we have at present an abundance of most excellent water for domestie use, furnished by wells; while thirty public cisterns, entirely self-supplying, are distributed throughout the city for fire purposes. These cisterns are six feet in diameter, with a minimum depth of six feet of water. No steam fire engine ean make any perceptible diminution in the depth. These cisterns form an extraordinary means of pro- tection against fires, and, in connection with a well organized and efficient fire department, serve greatly to reduce the premium on insur- ance. We have one first-class steam fire engine, which will soon be duplicated. Few cities have so good protection against the ravages of fire as South Bend, and few during the past five years, have suffered so little."

The foregoing paragraph by Judge Turner shows the condition of the city in regard to the subject of water works at the close of the year 1871. The people were becoming restless on the question of adequate fire protection. The actual means then provided for this pur- pose are disclosed in the statement quoted ; while the proposed action to form a Holly Water Works Company shows that the situa- tion was not altogether satisfactory. The Holly system had very earnest advocates. In- deed, the majority of the common council was at first in favor of the Holly system, to such an extent that a contraet was entered into for

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

the erection of Holly Water Works. This system provided for pumping water directly from the river into the mains and water pipes, as it should be required. Two other systems were talked of, the Reservoir and the Stand Pipe systems. It was praetieally agreed by all parties that the reservoir system, that is, the drawing of water by pipes from a large body of water located on a height above the city, would be most desirable, provided we had such a high location, and the water upon it ; but we had neither. The stand pipe advocates said that next in excellence to the reservoir came the stand pipe, or water tower, as Professor Wilcox preferred to call it; that when the stand pipe was pumped full of water the pres- sure on the water mains throughout the city would be of that equable and uniform charae- ter which marked the reservoir system. The Holly advocates replied that if it were neees- sary to pump water into the stand pipe, why not pump it directly into the mains? The answer to this was that an equable pressure was preferable. besides the stand pipe would be ready at the instant, while the Holly en- gines might not be in order to do their work at the moment of danger. And so the argu- ment raged for two years.

The leader of the Holly advocates was William HI. Beach, one of the proprietors of the first paper mill established in South Bend. The leader for the stand pipe party was Leigh- ton Pine, the superintendent of the Singer Sewing Machine factory, then recently located in this city. Mr. Pine was one of the most able, enterprising and public spirited citizens that ever resided in South Bend. The war between him and Mr. Beach, for it was a war without quarter given or taken, was carried on in the newspapers, on street corners, on the stages of the theaters, in meetings of citi- zens, and in every other way in which public opinion could be influenced. Great meetings were held in the court house. In one of these Mr. Pine had a small stand pipe erected upon the rostrum, with a fancet at the bottom; and when the little stand pipe was filled

with water, and the fancet turned to rep- resent the tapping of a water main for the fire hose, Mr. Pine's triumph was com- plete. The little jet of water flew up half way the height of the stand pipe; and the people left the court room shouting for the stand pipe party. As may be imagined, politi- cal parties were rent asunder. The elections were on the lines of Holly and stand pipe. The stand pipe won by a tremedoas majority ; and, in 1872, William Miller was elected mayor, and a majority of the common council were with him in favor of Mr. Pine's plan.

HON. WILLIAM MILLER.

The new city government, backed by the great body of the people, were not only in favor of the stand pipe, but also in favor of municipal ownership. They were resolved that the city should build, own and operate its own water works. It was an era of con- flagrations, and the minds of the people were wrought up to a keen anxiety for protection against the dreaded danger. The Chicago fire, the greatest in history, with its loss of two hundred millions of dollars, had occurred on October 8 and 9, 1871. The Mishawaka

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

fire," with its loss of two hundred thousand dollars, as great as that of Chicago, in propor- tion to wealth and population, took place on September 5, 1872, in the very heat of the South Bend agitation. And. soon after, on November 9, 1872, Boston had its eighty mil- lion dollar fire.

The city authorities, however, were not hasty in action ; and it was not until the sum- mer of 1873 that the first steps were taken. On July 7, 1873, a carefully prepared ordin- anee on the subject passed the common coun- cil. The ordinance contained the following provision :

That "William Miller (mayor). Joseph Worden, Peter Weber, Alexander Staples and S. R. King be and they are hereby constituted a committee on behalf of the city of South Bend, and as such are hereby authorized and empowered to enter into a contract on behalf of the city with suitable and responsible party or parties for the erection and construction for said city of a suitable and sufficient sys- tem of water works, of what is called the stand pipe system, and as proposed and planned by John Birkinbine; for the purpose of furnishing said eity with a sufficient supply of water for fire purposes and fire protection."

This was followed up, on July 9, 1873, by an ordinanee for the issue of water works bonds for one hundred thousand dollars. On October 6, 1874, the issue so authorized was supplemented with an additional amount for sixty-five thousand dollars. The great work was under way. The specifications, as re- ported by John Birkinbine, the very compe- tent engineer, provided for a wrought iron pipe five feet in diameter and two hundred feet high. For the first twenty-one feet, the plates were to be of seven-sixteenth ineh iron ; for the next twenty-seven feet, of three-eighth ineh ; for the next thirty-six feet, five-sixteenth inch ; for the next forty-eight feet, one-fourth ineh ; and for the last sixty-eight feet, three- sixteenth inch. The weight of the plates was forty-two thousand pounds. The castings for

the support of the pipe, themselves resting upon concrete foundations, weighed twelve thousand one hundred and eighty pounds. The wrought iron bolts used to put the plates together weighed two hundred and fifty pounds. On July 29, 1873, the committee de- termined to erect the stand pipe at the cross- ing of "Pearl, Jefferson and Carroll streets." The actual location was ultimately fixed on the north side of Pearl.ª not far from the intersection of the first alley west of Carroll street, nearly opposite the site of the fort erected in the Black Hawk war, in 1832, where the pipe now stands. The excavation was thirty feet square and fourteen feet below the grade of the street, and was filled with stone imbedded in cement and afterwards grouted, so that the whole formed one solid mass of stone. The specifications further pro- vided for an enclosure of brick, two and a quarter feet from the pipe and rising to a height of one hundred and ninety-five feet from the street. Between the pipe and the protecting wall was a winding stairway of two hundred and ninety steps to the top. A pointed roof over all was to reach a distance of two hundred and twenty-one feet.

Separate contracts were let for the several parts of the work, all under supervision of John Birkinbine. The greatest anxiety was as to the lifting of the stand pipe into posi- tion after the plates should be riveted and water tight. This most responsible task was confided to Alexander Staples, then one of the common council and a member of the commit- tee in charge of the water works; and well did he perform the task assigned him. It was determined to raise the great pipe as one piece, rather than in sections, which had been at one time contemplated. In September he be- gan to get his huge gin poles and other neces- sary apparatus in readiness. On November 11, 1873, the council appointed as special peace officers, George V. Glover, Noah Hug- gins, William Overacker, Ananias Forst and O. C. Perry, who were directed to obey strictly a. Now Vistula Avenue.

a. See Chap. 10, Subd. 3.

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

the orders of John Birkinbine and Alexander Staples, during the momentous and exceed- ingly dangerous work of raising the stand pipe. This precaution was timely, both for the protection of the people who should be gathered at the time and also for that of the great pipe itself. The undertaking of lifting this mass of iron from the ground to a perpendicular was the greatest engineering feat ever attempted in this part of the coun- try. A like attempt at Toledo resulted in the falling and breaking of the stand pipe when it had been lifted half way up.

On Friday, November the fourteenth, the raising of the massive tube was begun and on that day the stand pipe was elevated about twenty-two feet, on two capstans and with a force of twelve men. On Saturday, the fif- teenth, the work of lifting the great pipe was continued, in the presence of five thousand people. Three capstans were used for raising the pipe, one for guiding it and one for pull- ing it forward. At four o'clock in the after- noon it had reached an elevation of seventy degrees, at which it hung in the air all that night. On Sunday morning the perilous task was resumed; but the pipe again hung in the air over Sunday night. On Monday, Novem- ber 17, 1873, at eleven o'clock, it was nearly plumb, and at half past two o'clock on that day, the great iron tube stood in position, two hundred feet perpendicular from its rocky base.

An impromptu meeting was at once organ- ized. Mayor Miller mounted a capstan and congratulated the people of the city. "Aleck" Staples, the hero of the occasion, was then called for, and fairly lifted and pushed upon a capstan. His speech was characteristic : "Gentlemen, I can raise a stand pipe like this a great deal easier than I can make a speech." That was all, but it was cheered as loudly as if Edward Everett had spoken.

Alexander Staples was a Union soldier, and his modesty after his great engineering feat was like that of the true soldier on the field of battle who has won the day for his country.

The Star Spangled Banner did not seem too noble a model for the humble verse that sought to glorify his deed; and this was the tribute that was then paid to him. Whatever of history or description may be found in the stanzas will perhaps excuse its insertion in this place :

"The Star-seeking Stand Pipe.

Dedicated to Alexander Staples.

[All day Saturday the stand pipe rose slowly from the earth, until at dark it hung over the city like the leaning tower of Pisa. During the night the wind blew pretty hard, and doubtless many an anxious eye looked out on Sunday morning, to see that our pipe "was still there." Certainly one pair of eyes did so peep out; hence this travesty.] I.

O say, can you see by the dawn's early light

What we anxiously viewed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose huge bulk on gin poles, through the peri- lous night,

O'er the house-tops beneath was so Pisa-like seem- ing;

And the lamp-light's bright glare, the dark tube in the air,

Gave proof through the night that our pipe was still there ;-

Oh, say, does that star-seeking stand pipe yet rise O'er the city we love to its home in the skies?

II.

On the bank, dimly seen through the mists of the morn,

Where the 'Bend's busy host in sweet silence re- poses,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the tree-tops forlorn,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the light, as the morning grows bright;

In full glory enveloped, now shines on the hight :- 'Tis the star-seeking stand pipe! Oh, long may it rise,

O'er the city we love to its home in the skies. III.

And where is that crowd who despondently said, That the weight of the pipe and the ropes in confusion

Would never allow it to rise from its bed?

Their cheers have proclaimed that 'twas but an illusion :

No stand pipe so long but Aleck the strong,

With his tackle would lift with a cheer and a song;

And the star-seeking monster in triumph should rise,

Till he Staples the thing to its home in the skies.

Alene Staples

THE

PUEL

Astor

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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.

IV.

O there may it ever its blest waters send,

To save our loved homes from the flames without pity ;

While in harmony and peace our united South Bend

Gives praise to the Power that has guarded our city.

A brotherly band, our future is grand,-

And this be our motto, United We Stand;

While the star-seeking stand pipe in glory shall rise

O'er the city we love to its home in the skies.

On December 25, 1873, Christmas day, there was an interesting sequel to the Holly-Stand- pipe controversy. A wager had been laid be- tween Leighton Pine, representing the stand pipe forces and John M. Studebaker, who had favored the Holly system. The wager was for a cow. Mr. Studebaker agreed to stand in the belfry over the Studebaker works; and Mr. Pine proposed to drive him from the bel- fry with a one inch stream from a hydrant near the works, while, at the same time, five other one inch streams should be thrown from as many other hydrants in the vicinity. There were three judges, Edwin Nicar, John C. Knoblock and Caleb Kimball, named to stand with Mr. Studebaker in the belfry, where they could see the other five streams and be able to decide on all questions relating to the test. Schuyler Colfax also stood in the belfry with Mr. Studebaker. Before those who stood in the belfry knew what had happened, the one ineh stream from the street below had driven them from their station, and the stream flew clear over the top of the cupola. Mr. Stude- baker gracefully turned the cow over to Mr. Pine. His friends had her gaily decorated with ribbons, and so marched with a band and in carriages to his residence. Two days after- wards Mr. Pine donated his prize to the Ladies' Benevolent Aid Society, by whom she was sold, and several times re-sold, for the benefit of the poor of South Bend. So ended the famous controversy, in a triumphant vic- tory for Leighton Pine and those who had faith in his genius and leadership. The origi- nal cost of the water works was about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1, Part 60

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 826

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 826