USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90
Among the most enthusiastic members of the city council who have taken great interest in the department, we mention John McMillan, John F. McClure, Fred Gedge. and HI. C. Ryan.
The Anderson fire department has saved millions of dol- lars worth of property since its organization. At one time the department came near disbanding, owing to the supposed non-appreciation of their services by the public. A meeting was called for the purpose of disbanding the organization, when J. J. Netterville, J. L. Kilgore and others, made an ap- peal to the boys to desist from carrying out their intentions. They spoke of the many deeds of heroic valor they had per- formed, and begged them not to disband. From this appeal the boys took fresh courage, and have, since that time, always done their duty as a noble and heroic band.
ANDERSON WATER WORKS-A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SYS- TEM BY S. A. TOWELL.
Early in 1885 Anderson agitated the question of water works. The city had no fire protection whatever, and a number of large fires put the people to thinking, and water works was decided on. An appropriation of $20,000 was set aside for a start. A board of trustees were elected consisting of Lafe J. Burr, T. M. Norton and H. J. Bronnenberg. With the exception of Mr. Bronnenberg the same men have
884
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
been retained up to the present time. Mr. Bronnenberg, on account of an accident which befell him August 22, 1888, forced him to give up the work he was faithfully performing, and Mr. Harrison Canaday was elected to take his place, and has ever since been retained. Work was commenced, buildings were erected, and pumping machinery bought with great care, with a view of serving the city the next twenty or twenty- five years. The capacity was two million gallons daily, or two pumps of one million gallons each. They arrived from Hamilton, Ohio, over the Pan Handle, and hundreds viewed them on the flat cars while they stood on the side tracks. They were put in place in the new building, which was just large enough to give room to walk around them after they were put into position, as it was supposed that that was about all that would ever be needed. About five miles of mains were laid and forty-five hydrants set.
The work was completed and the pumps started in July, 1886, and everything went smoothly until natural gas was discovered, when trouble set in. The town grew like magic, miles of mains were demanded, and where one of the two pumps had done work, both were now required, and put to their full capacity. The trustees were confronted with the fact that the two million plant was no longer able to keep pace with the growth of the city. Something must be done and that at once. Meetings of the board and city council were held, and the result was that an appropriation of sixty-five thousand dollars was made in the spring of 1892, for enlarging the system.
It was just the same, or really more than putting in a system from the start, as much of the old mains had to be replaced with larger ones; entire new buildings had to be erected, and larger machinery and boilers bought.
Work was commenced in August, 1892. Miles of large mains were laid ranging from 12 to 20 inches ; during the con- struction of the buildings Doxey's Music Hall which had been rebuilt, burned the second time. Six streams were turned on the fire. The line to the little pumps was thrown wide open. They responded like things of life ; they made the greatest effort of their existence for six long hours, but the duty was far beyond their power to furnish pressure to the streams, and the Music Hall was destroyed the second time.
The new buildings were completed and the big pumps
.
835
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
with a capacity of four million gallons each daily were placed in position and started on duty July, 1898.
Anderson now has one of the best water works plants in the State for its size, capable of furnishing eight million gal- lons daily through nineteen miles of mains, and one hundred and fifty hydrants for fire protection.
Jasper N. Hill was the first superintendent, and served up to August 21st, 1886, when C. K. Mccullough was appointed. Mr. Hill gave his service to the city, and at a meet- ing on the above date the Board voted their thanks to Mr. Hill for his kindness. Mr. Alfred Coburn succeeded Mr. McCul- lough as superintendent, other business matters causing Mr. Mccullough to give it up. Mr. Coburn filled the position with credit up to the time of his death, which occurred April, 2nd, 1891. Mr. Frank Davis was appointed to the vacancy but on account of other business he was forced to resign after a few months' service. The Board then accepted the services of S. A. Towell as superintendent, and he still holds the posi- tion.
E. P. Schlater was the first clerk. Hle filled the position up to April, 1888, when on account of other matters he resigned. Mr. Byron McMahan succeeded Mr. Schlater, and filled the position to the entire satisfaction of the Board and everybody else until his law practice increased so as to require his whole attention, and he had to lay down the quill.
Mr. Edmund Johnson was Mr. McMahan's successor and kept the books to the satisfaction of all until his election to County Clerk in the fall of 1894 and Mr. James T. Knowland was appointed to the clerkship of the Board, and a very satis- factory appointment it was proven to be. His daughter, Miss Lena Knowland, one of his assistants in his office, is the faith- ful custodian of the books.
Patrick Cain was the first engineer at the pumping sta- tion. His contract dated July 6, 1886. He was succeeded Sept. 13, 1886. by John Ewing, who resigned Oct. 4, 1886, and a contract was entered into with David (). Cook. Mr. Cook was succeeded, Oct. 29. 1887, by Theo. F. Jones, who filled the position to June, 1895, when, on account of sickness and loss of a limb, he was forced to retire. Ile was succeeded by Mr. Henry Drach with Chauncy O). Towell as assistant.
The first meeting of the Board of water works trustees was Oct. 15, 1885 H. J. Bronnenberg was the first president.
The Anderson water works have been self-sustaining so
836
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
far as operating expenses are concerned for the last six years, and now have a surplus of between four and five thousand dollars to apply on debts or put into extensions.
ANDERSON'S SEWERAGE SYSTEM.
I'rior to the discovery of natural gas. Anderson was en- tirely without any system of sewerage as is the case with all country towns and smaller cities. With the influx of popula- tion, it soon became apparent that a system of sewerage was necessary for the health and comfort of the growing city. In the month of January, 1891, a movement was placed on foot in the direction of placing a thorough system in operation by instructing Henry Rawie, city civil engineer, to open corres- pondence with George E. Warring, a sanitary engineer of Newport, Rhode Island.
Mr. Rawie accordingly made investigation, and after a consultation with Mr. Warring, a move by the city council was carried out by making a complete survey of the city. and a map of the location of the proposed mains and laterals thereto.
Mr. Warring is an expert engineer in sanitary sewerage, having been a member of the Royal Institute of Engineers of Holland, and also of the Institute of Civil Engineers for Eng- land. His plans were completed by Engineer Rawie who made a topographical map, and presented it to the city coun- cil which was adopted and resulted in the advertising for sealed proposals for the construction of the work, and on the 15th of July, 1891, a contract was made with Kinser & Tuhey. of Terre Haute, Indiana, for the carrying out of the same, the contract price being $71.900.
The work was under the Barrett law system making the cost payable by parties owning lots touching upon the line of the streets through which the sewer passed. Work was be- gun immediately by the contractors and carried on to success- ful completion in the year 1892, thereby giving Anderson one of the most complete and thorough sanitary sewerage systems in the State of Indiana.
At this writing, it has been in use for four years without obstruction or in any way being a source of aggravation to the citizens. Mr. Rawie, the city engineer, was in the outset criticized quite freely by many of the tax payers, and the sys-
337
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
tem condemned, but time has shown that he was right, and that his critics were wrong. The sewerage system of Ander- son is a standing monument to his wisdom and also to the good sense of the city fathers who adopted his plans.
22
CHAPTER XLIV.
FIRES, REMINISCENCES AND PERSONAL SKETCHES.
BURNING OF DOXEY'S BREWERY.
About the year 1865, Charles T. Doxey and William Craycraft built a brewery on the lot now occupied by Mat- thias Colchen's saloon and residence on West Eighth street, long known by the old-timers of Anderson as the Craycraft property.
They operated this establishment for about one year, when in the month of May, 1866, it took fire in the night and was destroyed and never rebuilt. This was Anderson's first brew- ery, and although small it was a pioneer in its line. It was soon followed by the now extensive place owned by T. M. Norton which was in its primitive stage a small affair as com- pared with its present capacity.
AN OLD TIME FIRE.
What threatened to be one of the most disastrous fires that ever took place in Anderson occurred on a Saturday night in the month of November, 1866. About 9 o'clock in the evening the cry of " fire! fire !! fire !!! " was heard to ring out on the air. This was the only mode of giving an alarm at that time. Such fighting of fire is never seen in these days of telegraphic fire alarms and rubber hose attached to a water-plug. On this occasion the old frame livery barn that stood on the alley between Ninth and Tenth streets, front- ing on Main, being the locality where John Boland's saloon and the opera house barber shop now stands, was on fire. It stood in the center of town, with two hotels in proximity, one of which, the old Ross house, that occupied the present site of the Perrett house, was a frame structure. The old United States hotel that stood where Daniels' drug store now stands, was a large three-story building with a flat gravel and tar roof-a splendid "catch-all " for sparks and burning shingles flying in the air in all directions. The stables were full of horses, buggies, and other vehicles. The mow being
,
339
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
well filled with hay and straw, it was but a short time until the whole structure was enveloped in flames, scarcely time enough to get the horses out before the building collapsed. No attention was given to the saving of the barn. The object was to save the town. If not immediately checked the whole south side of the public square must go, besides many thousand dollars' worth of property near by would be destroyed. The steady nerve and cool work of a few brave men saved Ander- son from being swept off the earth.
Capt. W. R. Myers, Major C. T. Doxey and a man of the name of Joseph Pickard, a plasterer, who then lived at Alexandria, saved the day. They took their stations in diff- erent localities about the fire district, organized the " Bucket Brigade " into an army of fire fighters, stationed men on the roofs of houses all around with buckets of water, the good women of the town also taking a hand in supplying the men with bed clothing which was saturated with water and spread on the roofs, keeping them from taking fire. Myers and Doxey gave commands to the men which were obeyed almost as well as a well disciplined army. Everything worked like clockwork. Steady streams of water were kept coming from the neighboring wells by the bucket brigade standing in lire and passing the buckets from one to another until the li very stable was burned to the ground, and not another build- ing was lost, although many times during the fire they were lighted and it looked as if they must go. Joe Pickard took hi es stand upon the wall of an adjoining building where he stod and fought fire like no man ever in the history of Ander- SO _ before or since then has done. At times it seemed as if he WEL s enveloped in the flames. Friends called to him to leave his post, but in vain. When he was taken to his boarding house, the U. S. Hotel, it was found that his hands and face we re terribly burned. He still bears the scars of that mem- ora Tole fire. He had not the least pecuniary interest in the property burned ; neither had he any particular friend that had, but it was purely a matter of heroism on his part. In the days of the bucket brigade every person in Anderson was a fireman, the women were always on hand and many of them were right "in it" when it came to fighting fire. Major Doxey was always the best commander ; he was not afraid ; he was always in front ; the people listened for his command and always obeyed. He has saved more property from destruction by fire than any other man in Anderson.
340
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
THE WEST SIDE OF THE SQUARE DESTROYED.
Among the many fires that have burned in Anderson none has ever been more disastrous than the one which envel- oped the west side of the public square on the 17th of May, 1875. At the dead hour of midnight, the cry of fire was heard to ring out on the clear atmosphere. This was a signal for Anderson's populace to hasten to the scene of the conflagration, as the city at that time had no organized fire department. In less than twenty minutes nearly every able-bodied man and woman were on the streets, headed for the center of the city, each one carrying a pail, and ready to do battle with the flames, as was their usual custom on such an occasion. The " Bucket Brigade " was the only means of fire protection then at hand. It was at once ascertained that heroic work would have to be done, or all the west side of the square, and per- haps other portions of the city would be destroyed.
A line was formed to the public well, that was then on that side of the square, and the fight began.
Men and women vied with each other in their efforts to do deeds of heroism, but fate was against them. In spite of all efforts nearly all the west side was swept away.
The fire had broken out somewhere in the middle of the block, in the neighborhood of where Van Nuys & Co.'s drug store now stands, and spread north and south.
The buildings that occupied the space were mostly wooden "shacks " and were easy marks for the fire. The Odd Fellows hall stood where the present White House now stands and was almost the exact counterpart of the present building. It was the only substantial structure that occupied that part of the square, and was erected in 1867 by the Odd Fellows and others. The Odd Fellows occupied the third story for their lodge room. In the lower room was situated the hard- ware store of Nichol, King & Makepeace, the firm being com- posed of Joseph Nichol, Amos J. King and Alonzo I. Make- peace. In the adjoining room was the shoe store of Limon M. Cox & Co.
On the ground now occupied by the Citizen's Bank was a one-story frame house, in which was a shoe store owned by Ryan & Broadbeck. Dr. Townsend Ryan, the senior mem- ber of the firm, was the father of Judge H. C. Ryan.
Where the store of Nichol & Makepeace now stands, there
841
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
was a two-story frame building owned by Samuel Pence, in which a Mr. Bliss kept a confectionery store. The adjoining lot now occupied by the Burr Block, was owned by Arthur Charman, and contained a two-story building in which was a bakery and confectionery store, and the American Express company's office. Mr. E. R. Charman was the agent for the express company.
The next was a two-story frame building owned and occupied by George Daich, as a residence, grocery and bakery, his residence being on the second floor.
On the second floor of the Odd Fellows' hall were situ- ated the Anderson Democrat office and the law offices of Sansberry & Goodykoontz and Calvin I). Thompson. The Democrat lost all its material, files and other valuable matter and the plant was totally destroyed. Sansberry & Goody- koontz lost many of their valuable books and papers which Could not be replaced. Mr. C. D. Thompson was also a large loser of books. The people who were at the fire did all in their power to save the merchandise that was contained in the buildings, and all the stocks of goods were carried out on the public square in the court house yard and were heaped up in one mass, it being almost impossible the next morning for the owners to identify their goods. It very much resembled the breaking up of a large military camp after a disastrous battle. Several of the stocks were covered by insurance while Others had none whatever. The firm of Nichol, King & Makepeace were large losers because one of the companies in which they were insured had some time previous to this fire gone into the hands of a receiver, and the local agent had failed to notify them of the fact and they were in ignorance of the condition of the company and therefore failed to be insured in any other agency.
The fire threatened at one time to spread to the south- West and destroy that portion of the city, as there was quite a li vely gale which blew the embers for a considerable distance in that direction. People took their carpets and bed-clothing arnd saturated them with water and spread them upon the roofs of their houses, thereby saving them from the flames. The fire wall upon the building now owned by John Rickes se ved the balance of the block from being destroyed. This building was erected by John Hickey some years previously. It has always been his habit in constructing his buildings to
1
342
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
erect fire walls on either side and in this instance it was shown that he had done the wise thing in that respect.
An instance of how people may become excited in times like these, was exhibited in the action of Rev. W. Morris Grimes, the pastor of the Presbyterian church. During the conflagration he became so excited that he was evidently be- side himself. He ran from one place to another in a most frantic manner, and would grab men, women and children as he came to them, and severely shaking them would exclaim, " You are on fire, you are on fire! Don't you see you are on fire?" when in fact there was no fire about their persons. He also went to the residences in the neighborhood, where ladders had been put up against the buildings, and removed them from one place to another.
There never resided in the city of Anderson a better or purer man than Rev. W. Morris Grimes. He was dearly be- loved by his congregation and by all who knew him. His action in this matter served for a long time as a point about which to joke him. It was several days before the merchants, whose stores were destroyed, could procure rooms in which to place their goods. It was necessary to guard them on the public square until such time as they could find a place in which to store them. This fire had the effect of agitating the public mind on the question of fire protection, and accordingly a hand engine was purchased in an adjoining city, and served for some time as a means of fighting fire, and was the nucleus of the present efficient fire department of Anderson.
BURNING OF THE JUNCTION HOUSE.
For many years there stood at the crossing of the Pan Handle and Big Four railroads in Anderson, a hotel known as the " Junction House." It occupied about the present site of the target house. This is about the half-way point on the route from Cincinnati to Chicago, and was the stopping place for all through trains for lunch, and was known far and wide among the traveling public. Mr. H. L. Searle, the father of Gid. D. Searle, the druggist, who sometime since removed from Anderson to Chicago, was the proprietor and kept the house for a number of years. On Sunday morning, the 23d of February, 1868, at the hour of 10 o'clock, the building took fire and was burned to the ground. There was no fire department in the town at that time, and there was no means of combatting the flames, and it was but a short time until it
848
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
was in ashes. It was never rebuilt, and the crossing was soon abandoned as a stopping place for the public. The depot was thereafter removed, and the once busy suburb was not long retrograding to a point of inactive " desuetude," and until the finding of natural gas, was a dead letter on the map of Anderson. It was once the liveliest suburb in the place, owing to the fact that the only depot on the Big Four road in Anderson, was located there.
JOHN HILL AND HIS EXPERIENCE IN WHITE RIVER.
Many of the old-timers will remember John Hill, a Meth- odist minister who was here about the close of the war. He was not exactly an old-timer, but was here long before the day of natural gas. He was an Irish Methodist minister who filled the pulpit of the M. E. church at Anderson for three years. About the time his ministry ended here he for a time retired from the pulpit, engaging in the manufacture of patent cement, brick and stone. A company was formed, of which he was a prominent member, along with E. B. Holloway Enoch M. Jackson and others.
Their establishment was situated at Meridian and Eleventh streets. The intention of the company was to make brick for the erection of the Methodist church, but the scheme failed ; they lost what they put into the enterprise. John Hill went back to preaching and the others into various other vocations.
The " old patent brick house," as it is called, that stands at the crossing of the Bee Line railroad and Brown street, is a Silent monument to John Hill and his patent brick business. It is the only house ever erected in the town from that ma- terial. Mr. IIill was very popular as a preacher, not only with his congregation in Anderson, but in the country around. I He was popular with the country folk and was often called to Perform the marriage ceremony.
One time comes to mind : it was in the winter of 1866-67, during the regular January " thaw " we used to have in this Country. There was a wedding at the farm residence of Joshua Chappel at Moss Island. Mr. Ilill performed the Solemn ceremony that made " two hearts beat as one." It was before there was a bridge across White river at Moss Island ; ira shallow water it was a bad ford ; when the water was high ¿ canoe was kept there to ferry people across.
The wedding was on Sunday night. Several Anderson People were invited and attended, among whom were Garrett
344
HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
W. Brown, Frank W. Demott, and others. Brown, Demott and their friends went out in carriages, with Mr. IIill riding a pony behind the procession. The carriages drove out pretty fast, soon reaching the river. The night was as dark as Egypt-so dark you could cut it with a knife. The river was up, boiling, seething and foaming.
Frank Demott was driving the front carriage and knew the ford so well that they all went through safely, but came nearly going under several times. The ford ran diagonally across the river, coming out several feet below where it started 'in. The preacher's pony was in the rear; it could see where the horses came out, and being scared and anxious to get with the horses that had crossed, it plunged in, and taking the bit in its mouth, struck for the opposite shore, straight across. It was no time until it plunged into water from ten to twelve feet deep, over the head of itself and rider.
The carriages had stopped when they got across to await Mr. Hill's arrival. The pony being light, it could not stem the tide, but drifted down the river, its rider holding on like grim death. The pony fought the waves with all its little might and struggled to land its rider safely on the other shore, until at last it drifted onto a little island, where it regained its feet. The preacher began to yell at the top of his voice : " Oh, Garrett! Oh, Garrett !"
.
Garrett Brown was one of his best earthly friends. Gar- rett soon answered and told him to hold his position until a canoe could be sent over to him. There he staid until the. canoe and a light were procured, when he was landed on the other side of the river. The pony was turned loose and soon swam ashore.
Dripping wet, Hill went on his journey, procured dry clothing from the family where the wedding was to take place and performed his part in good style, but he did not ride the pony home. After the wedding was over and supper being spread, the guests all joined in general conversation around the festal board. Mr. Hill was very quiet, thinking all the while of his narrow escape. Some one asked him when he was calling "Oh, Garrett," why he did not call " Oh, Lord!"
He said, " I knew Garrett was a good swimmer." He never smiled, but went on with his eating. Mr. Hill, after leaving here, went to Milwaukee, where he lived for many years, afterwards being killed by an accident. ·
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.