USA > Nebraska > Adams County > Past and present of Adams County, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 26
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The sewerage bonds had lost in the election of 1889 by only twenty-nine votes. Accordingly, the promoters of this improvement hastened to have the question of bonds submitted a second time. The council set the date of the second special election April 30, 1890. The voting public manifested less interest than they had in the first cam- paign. The amount asked for in the second election was $60,000. Of the 785 votes cast, 631 were for the bonds and 154 against. The plans for the sewer were made by T. E. Farrell, who also was awarded
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the general contract for the work. The original provision was for installing sewerage in an area 11/2 miles square.
In July, 1890, the City of Hastings purchased seventy acres of land northeast of town for the reception of sewage. The "sewer farm" comprises thirty acres, purchased from Louis Hadden July 21st, for $1,500, and forty acres bought from Mary A. McSparen and Frank MeSparen July 10th, for $1,600.
ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT
Hastings has had electric light and power since 1885. A franchise for operating the plant was granted by the council September 22, 1884, to a man named Reynolds. At that time the city entered into a contract agreeing to take forty-five lights for street illumination at a rate not to exceed $15 per month per light. A small plant was erected at 215 South Denver Avenue. The plant was not conspicu- ously successful, either in service or financially. The collapse of the boom in 1887 was discouraging and the original owners decided to sell the plant, and in that year it was bought by George B. Johnson of Hastings. Financially interested with Mr. Johnson was Adam Cook of New York.
The new owners greatly enlarged the plant and it was installed the same year in a new brick building erected on the southeast corner of St. Joseph Avenue and First Street, a location now forming the west end of the park west of the Burlington Station. The business was pushed with considerable vigor and grew satisfactorily. It was not destined, however, to be financially successful permanently.
March 4, 1891, the Hastings Electric Light & Power Company filed articles of incorporation, which show the following members: Adam Cook, Adam Cook, Jr., George B. Johnson and M. A. Harti- gan. About two years afterwards Charles G. Lane came into pos- session of the enterprise through the foreclosure of mortgages on the machinery and tax mortgages. Mr. Lane overhauled the plant, made improvements and bought some new equipment and was manager of the business. Scarcely had Mr. Lane finished making the improve- ments when the plant was badly damaged by fire. The owner then reequipped, purchasing new machinery, and the enterprise continued on its career.
Mr. Lane was on the point of selling the business early in 1898; the negotiations were practically completed, when the purchaser met with discouragement from the city council. It was in Mayor Fisher's administration and the purchaser thought there were signs of an
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awakening desire for municipal ownership and decided to delay the purchase of the plant. Mr. Lane, not satisfied with the conditions surrounding the business, gave notice in the press that on August 1st the service would be discontinued. When the first of August came, Mr. Lane shut down the plant and the privately owned light and power enterprise passed into history. A part of the machinery was bought by the York plant.
June 26, 1899, the council ordered a special election upon the proposition to issue $20,000 in bonds for the installation of an electric light and power plant in conjunction with the municipal waterworks. The bonds carried by a vote of 377 for and 194 against. Upon its being found that the election had been held without sufficient notice as required by law, another election was ordered to be held November 6, 1899. At the second election the bonds carried by a vote of 525 for and 194 against. The lights were turned on under the auspices of the city in February, 1901.
The growth and operation of the municipal lighting and power systems is one of the most interesting phases of the development of Hastings as a city. No bonds have been issued against the municipal plant since the original $20,000 was voted in 1899. The record in the office of the city clerk shows that when the city began the opera- tion of the plant the investment was $24,678.41. On March 31, 1913, the plant had grown until it represented an investment of $159,991.11. The additional investment was made wholly from the earnings of the plant, and includes the distribution and street light- ing systems. In the administration of Mayor Charles Ingraham, who assumed the office in April. 1913, a levy of two mills was made for street lighting and the levy has been continued. In this administra- tion, also, a reduction in rate was made of more than 33 1 3 per cent. The report of the water and light commissioner. W. S. Watson, shows that the plant, lighting and distribution systems on March 31, 1916, represented an investment of $189,442.23. The increase since 1901, amounting to $164.763.92, has come out of the earnings, with the exception of the amount produced by the levy of 2 mills made in 1913.
The total revenue from current sold during eleven months in 1901 was $4,831.17. The revenue from current during the month of December, 1912, was $6,328, or $1,476.83 more than the receipts for the first eleven months that the plant was operated. The total receipts for 1912, the last year under the old rates, were $60,315.90. or almost three times the amount of the original investment. The total revenue from current sold during the year ending March 31, 1916, was $61,489.79. On the same date there were in Hastings a
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total of 2,269 active services, distributed as follows: Residence con- sumers, 1,853; commercial users, 323; power consumers, 76; cooking consumers, 17. These figures represent a K. W. H. output increase over 1915 of 17.77 per cent.
Previous to 1884 Hastings had no street lighting system. During that year, when the first electric light and gas plants were established, contracts were made with both the gas company and the electric light plant for street lighting and the two systems were in use most of the time until the discontinuance of the electric light plant by Mr. Lane. Gas lighting for streets was discontinued with the opening of the municipal electric light plant February 1, 1901.
Arc lights were used for street lighting until 1912, when the elec- trolier system, with underground conduits, was installed in the busi- ness district. The electrolier system has been extended continuously. There are now in service 186 five-light, 200-candlepower electroliers; 228 bracket-system, 60-candlepower lights. The plant is at present equipped with two Westinghouse generators and one Corliss-engine- driven generator. The plant capacity is 1,500 kilowatt hours daily, and the output, based upon the current used during the first four months in 1916, is 1,769,720 kilowatt hours per year.
PAVING
The City of Hastings has, finished and under contract, about seventeen miles of paved streets. The first paving movement was in 1891. On November 2d of that year intersection paving bonds were voted in the sum of $5,000. The bonds that year carried by a majority of 365; 647 votes were cast. On July 5th of the following year, addi- tional intersection bonds of $25,000 were voted by a majority of 288 out of 334 votes cast. Not until 1910 was there another paving movement. On March 8th of that year $50,000 in bonds were voted. The majority was 511 out of 1,027 votes cast. On June 29, 1915, by a vote of 932 for and 278 against, $50,000 bonds were voted, and a like sum was voted August 22, 1916, the vote being 690 for and 242 against. The total intersection bonds voted in twenty-five years amount to $185,000 and the interest. The first paving district was created by the city council September 28, 1891, and comprised Second Street from the east line of Burlington Avenue to the east line of St. Joseph Avenue. At about this period First Street was paved from the west side of Denver Avenue to the west side of Bellevue Avenue, and Bellevue Avenue from the south side of First Street to the Burlington right of way. Lincoln, Hastings and Denver ave-
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nues also were paved from the south side of Third Street to the Burlington right of way. All the paving of this period was of com- mon brick, of Hastings manufacture, laid edgewise.
In the paving period of 1910, districts 8 to 21, inclusive, were paved. District 8, which is Lincoln Avenue from Third Street to Twelfth Street, was the first street to be paved with asphalt, and this was in 1910. The second paving period, inaugurated in 1910, brought the paving of the city to a little more than six miles and included such important residence avenues as Lincoln, Hastings, St. Joseph and Denver to the south side of Twelfth Street, and Seventh Street from Lincoln to Wabash avenues. Second Street paving was also extended west to Briggs and east to Wabash.
The third paving period was in 1916. In March of that year a contract was let by the city council for a little more than ten miles of asphalt paving, aggregating in cost approximately $300,000. This contract was let to Watts & Ammerman of Concordia, Kan. The plans and specifications for the 1916 paving were made by City Engineer W. H. Fuller of Hastings, who died in the spring of 1916. W. L. Collier was then appointed engineer. Mr. Collier completed the plans and superintended the work. Among the streets paved in the 1916 contract were South Hastings and South Lincoln avenues. These were the first streets to be paved on the south side. Other dis- triets have been formed since the letting of the contract, and city officials estimate that the total paving by the close of 1917 will be twenty-five miles.
GAS WORKS
The gas business in Hastings has always been a privately owned enterprise. The first franchise was granted by the city council to C. R. Miller, June 22, 1885. November 10, 1885, the Hastings Gas Light Company was organized and built the plant which was oper- ated under the franchise. The incorporators were: President. L. Patterson, Mankato, Minn .; vice president, John Van Liew, Van Wert, Ohio; treasurer, Sidney Patterson, Hartford City, Ind. ; sec- retary, II. B. Knowlton, Hastings. Mr. Knowlton is now a resident of Chicago.
By the latter part of 1886 the gas plant had about five miles of street mains. For some years the gas business proved hazardous, and in 1890 the business was assigned to its creditors, who were composed largely of the present corporation. The Hastings Gas Company is now formed as follows: James C. Fox, Portland, Me., president;
POSTOFFICE, HASTINGS
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Edward Woodman, Portland, Me., secretary and treasurer; A. W. Borden, Hastings, vice president. Carson J. Hamot of Hastings and Miss Botter of Maine are members of the board of directors. Mr. Woodman is the principal owner.
The twenty-five year franchise of the gas company expired in 1915 and at the time of renewal there was agitation for municipal ownership. At an election held in 1913 the proposition to grant a franchise was lost. In 1915 the company was granted a virtual twenty-five year franchise, although it was provided that the city might purchase the franchise at any time after the expiration of ten years. In the new franchise the city fixed a maximum rate for gas of $1.50 per thousand cubic feet, which was a reduction of 50 cents per thousand from the maximum in vogue previously.
The plant now operates twenty-five miles of street mains, and the annual sale of gas totals about 30,000,000 cubic feet. Since 1908 gas has been manufactured from oil instead of coal. The change was made partly because of the uncertainty of the coal supply in the winter and partly because the labor cost of the oil product is less. Between 1908 and 1912 the plant was modernized and largely recon- structed. The manufacture of gas has always been at the present location on North Minnesota Avenue.
THE HASTINGS POSTOFFICE
The ITastings postoffice was established October 8, 1872, and was first located in the store of Alexander & Wheeler at the corner of Hastings Avenue and Second Street, opposite the present First National Bank Building. Mr. Alexander's salary was fixed at first at $1 per month. He continued to be the postmaster for ten years.
Charles H. Paul was the second postmaster, receiving the appoint- ment in 1881. G. J. Evans was appointed in 1886; James B. Heart- well in 1889: R. B. Wahlquist in 1894; Leopald Hahn in 1897; Jacob Fisher, June 24, 1901; and the present postmaster, R. B. Wahlquist, in 1913.
For several months in the early part of 1881 the postoffice was located between Hastings and Denver avenues, on the north side of Second Street, and was burned in the fire of July 2, 1881. It was then removed to the corner of Hastings Avenue and First Street. the present location of the Arvanette candy store. Here again it was burned late in 1886, the fire happening on the night before the water was available from the new waterworks. It was then removed to a store room in the Stone Block, afterwards to the G. A. R. Build-
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ing. About 1897 it was removed to the corner of St. Joseph Avenue and Second Street, where it occupied the "Dietrich Building," subse- quently destroyed by fire. In November, 1905, the postoffice became quartered in its permanent home in the Federal Building.
Daily delivery of mail was inaugurated September 1, 1887. Four routes were established and the first carriers were James D. Campbell, Isaac A. Hall, George Van Houten and William Jaynes. Of these, James D. Campbell only remains a city carrier. There are now nine carriers: James D. Campbell, Eugene Hammonds, Carl F. Hau- brock, Henry H. Heiler, George McAtee, Jacob Roelse, Ira Scott, D. W. P. Sinclair and Henry HI. Holt. The corporation of Hast- ings comprises 61/5 square miles. It is estimated that 15,500 persons, occupying 334 square miles, are served by the office.
Rural service was inaugurated October 1, 1900, when Route 1 was established, with Jess Stevens as carrier. Routes 2 and 3 were com- missioned April 1, 1902, with Frank W. Wheeler carrier on Route 2 and B. Frank Hill on Route 3. Routes 4 and 5 were commissioned May 16, 1904, with J. C. Miller carrier on Route 4 and J. C. Fergus on Route 5. Since 1901 N. W. Coleman has been the carrier on Route 1. Frank Wheeler and J. C. Fergus are still the carriers on their respective routes.
At present H. W. Snyder is assistant postmaster; Elizabeth Alford, stamp clerk; C. W. Heartwell, G. P. O'Mera and A. L. Rickel, mailing clerks; Charles A. Nelson and R. H. Rickel. city distributors. and Joseph Spriggle, money order clerk. The Hast- ings postoffice was declared an office of the first class July 1, 1914. The postmaster's salary, which began at $12 per year with Mr. Alex- ander's postmastership, had advanced to $2,400 before 1896 and at present is $3,100.
Postal receipts for the year ending June 30, 1897, were $14,605; for the year ending on the same date in 1907, $27,299.94, and the year ending June 30. 1916, $53,839,22. Receipts for stamps sold during the year ending June 30, 1899, were $17,695.12, and newspaper post- age amounted to $229.49; for the year ending June 30, 1916, the receipts for stamps had increased to $48.153.88, and newspaper post- age to $1,690.31. The outgoing letters during October, 1907, were 103,000; during July, 1916, they were 202,500. The incoming letters during October, 1907, were 111,000; during July, 1916, they were 220,000. Outgoing second, third and fourth class mail during October, 1907. numbered 97,500, and in July, 1916, they numbered 200.000. Incoming mail of the same three classes during October, 1907, num- bered 299,000 pieces; in July, 1916, there were 500,000 pieces. Dur-
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ing the year ending June 30, 1899, 9,632 money orders were sold, amounting to $49,475.72; in the year ending on the same date in 1916 the orders numbered 16,297, amounting to $90,722.34; the orders paid during the same time in 1899 were 12,868, amounting to $111,323.05, and in 1916 they numbered 16,076, amounting to $94,539.27.
The Hastings postoffice is the depository for eighty-two post- offices. The remittances in 1902 were $395,163 and for the year ending June 30, 1916, they were $372,952. In the number of regis- trys made Hastings takes rank as the third city in Nebraska and also as the sender of insured parcels. In tobacco shipments the Hastings postoffice ranks second in Nebraska. In 1901 the total registries were 2,007. During the year ending June 30, 1916, they were 3,533; insured parcels, 5,012, with a value of $49,923.35; c. o. d. parcels, 3,084, with a value of $9,588.79.
EARLY COUNTRY POSTOFFICES
LUDLOW
This was a country postoffice, located about eleven miles northeast of Hastings. The office was established in January, 1880, with G. L. Huff as postmaster. The mail was taken from the Hastings office to Indlow twice a week until the Aurora branch of the Burlington was completed in 1886, when the office was abandoned.
HAZEL DELL
Hazel Dell-Postoffice situated eight miles south of Juniata. Mostly German settlers. Postoffice was established on April 7, 1879, and F. M. Thompson was appointed postmaster. A congregation was organized by the Congregationalists, in 1879, at Hazel Dell Schoolhouse, but owing to a lack of means to carry forward the work, the attempt soon proved a failure. Rev. M. F. Platt was the chief interest in its establishment.
KINGSTON
Kingston-Postoffice was located about five miles east of Ayr, and Little Blue, also a post station, lays about the same distance south of Ayr. while to the west of Little Bhie, a distance of about three miles. was Silver Lake, also a country postoffice.
MAYFLOWER
Mayflower-Post station in the western part of the county and about seven miles south of Kenesaw. It was christened in honor of the historie vessel, the Mayflower.
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MORSEVILLE AND ROSEDALE
Morseville and Rosedale-These were postoffices situated in the southwest corner of the county, and about four miles distant from each other.
These early postoffices were served by carrier from Hastings, usually twice a week. They disappeared with the coming of the rail- roads through the southern section of the county.
EARLY LIBRARIES
At an early date movements looking toward the establishment of a circulating library were on foot in Hastings. One of the early organizations, The Red Ribbon Club, opened a reading-room on the second floor of the Forgy Building, corner of Denver Avenue and Second Street, May 14, 1878. The club met weekly and programs of readings, music and book reviews were rendered. Among the mem- bers were A. L. Clarke, J. J. Wemple, the Renfrews, the Staleys, J. Y. Acheson, James Cline, Mrs. Curtis and Miss Gertie Ingalls, afterward Mrs. A. L. Clarke. In the programs printed in the Hast- ings Journal, in 1878, appear the names of A. L. Clarke and Harry S. Dungan, the former scheduled to sing solos and the latter for reci- tations. In that year the club discussed the feasibility of instituting a circulating library.
In the following year, 1879, the Adams County Teachers' Library Association was formed to provide a circulating library among the teachers. By the articles adopted the county superintendent was to act as president of the association and librarian. Upon the payment of $5.00 a teacher obtained a life membership, but could become a member upon the payment of $1, and 25 cents quarterly dues. This organization was formed in the superintendency of L. Darling. This library movement did not accomplish much and was short lived.
In 1887, however, a movement was started which resulted in the establishing of a permanent library in Hastings. Mr. William H. Lanning called a meeting in that year and an organization was formed with Mr. Lanning as president and W. H. Lichty secretary and treasurer. The following library board was elected: Mesdames H. M. Oliver, J. M. Ragan, George Tibbets, C. F. Morey, Robert Oliver and Oswald Oliver. Mr. Lanning donated two cases of books. standard works of fiction and some reference books. Books were added from time to time by gifts and purchased with money raised by giving entertainments. The library room was located in the Oliver
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Block on West Second Street, on the second floor. No reading-room was maintained. Mrs. Robert Oliver was the first librarian. A mem- bership fee of $1.00 per year was charged. Mr. Lanning continued his interest in the library until it was taken over by the city in 1903. although for the last few years previous to that date Mrs. J. N. Clarke was the president of the organization. During the presidency of Mrs. Clarke, while the project was wholly in the hands of the women, the library was moved to the ground floor in the Lincoln Avenue Flats, where it remained until September, 1903, when it was removed to the office of the water commissioner, 509 West Second Street, where it remained until its removal into the Carnegie Library Building, its present home. Miss Schaffer followed Mrs. Oliver as librarian and then the following served in succession, Miss Katherine Bierce, now Mrs. L. A. Bratton, Miss Grace Dillon, now Mrs. A. E. Stitt.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY
On New Year's Day, 1903, Mayor C. J. Miles, of Hastings, received an offer from Andrew Carnegie to donate $15,000 for a library building on the condition that a site should be provided and that an annual tax of not less than $1,500 be levied for the support of the institution. The proposition provoked much discussion, many objected to receiving the donation, and many were favorable. Janu- ary 20, 1903, a mass meeting to discuss the subject was held at the courthouse, Mayor Miles presiding. Speakers favoring the accep- tance were Dr. J. N. Lyman, A. L. Clarke, J. B. Cessna, Claus Frahm, Judge H. S. Dungan, L. J. Capps, Jacob Wooster, William Madgett, Dr. A. R. Van Sickle, M. J. Tennant, Prof. W. A. Julian and Rev. Cloyd, pastor of the Baptist Church. C. R. Barnes gave the mayor a long petition praying for acceptance.
March 16, 1903, the city council passed an ordinance establishing the Carnegie Library upon the condition imposed by the donor. At the same meeting the council accepted the site upon which the library stands, three lots at the corner of Fourth Street and Denver Avenue. The corner lot was presented by Dr. J. N. Lyman and the other two, a portion of the Beitel estate, were purchased and donated to the city by John Slaker. Jacob Bernhardt, Dr. George Douglas, W. H. Dillon and Senator Charles H. Dietrich. William Kerr had offered to donate a site at the corner of Fourth Street and Lincoln Avenue and considerable feeling was manifested between the partisans of the competing sites.
The contract for the erection of the building, after plans and speci-
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fications by Latenser, of Omaha, was let to C. D. Richey, of Hast- ings, upon his bid of $11,489 and $390 for extra bricks for the rear of the building, which he agreed to complete by February 1, 1904. D. H. Wentworth, of Hastings, was the superintendent of construc- tion. The total cost of the building was $15,658.63. The furniture cost $900. The site was dedicated and the first spadeful of dirt turned by President Theodore Roosevelt, April 27, 1903. The spade used by the President, suitably inscribed, is preserved as a relic.
The first board of directors elected by the city council were the following: Lucy M. Nellis (Mrs. W. F. Button), Agnes Ferguson, Mary C. Tibbets, V. B. Trimble, L. A. Kinney, Dr. J. N. Lyman, Jacob Wooster, L. J. Capps and Captain Saxton. The directors met on April 11, 1903, and organized with V. B. Trimble, president; J. N. Lyman, vice president; Lucy M. Nellis, secretary. April 14, 1903, Miss Grace Dillon was elected librarian. All librarians have served until their resignations, and have been elected at the following dates: Miss Vida Ferguson, January 19, 1907: Miss Mabel Stone, February 25, 1904; Miss Emma Nowlan, September 2, 1907; Mrs. Ida E. Capps, March 7. 1910.
The library was opened to the public December 7, 1904, and was a free library from the first. At the time of opening, it contained about 2,500 volumes, exclusive of government publications. With the same exclusion there are now about 6,533 volumes. The average circulation of books per month is 2,747 and the average visitors to the reading-rooms, actual readers, number 1,250.
The fourteenth annual meeting of the Nebraska State Library Association was held in Hastings, October 21, 1908, and Miss Emma Nowlan was elected vice president of the association. Representa- tives of twenty-five Nebraska libraries were present.
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