USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 26
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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
In the latter '60s, or early '70s, Pioneer Hook & Ladder Com- pany No. 1 was organized, and on the 11th day of March, 1874, incorporated by G. G. Becher, E. A. Baker, Albert Konka, J. W. Martin, W. J. Collins, E. W. Toncray, Lafayette Pewtherer, F. E. Gillett, F. Schwarz, A. E. Pinkney, N. Millet, J. H. Winter- botham, Byron Millet, J. A. Baker, A. Friedline, J. Schram, Jacob Gregneis, J. Gross, Charles Schroeder, Charles Clark, Dr. E. Hoehen, F. Brodfuehrer, J. E. North, E. P. McCormick, Reinbold Brandt,
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Henry Gass, Edward Straube, S. J. Marmoy, John Stauffer, E. W. Webber, John Fisher. At the time the company was practically organized, A. E. Pinkney was elected clerk; E. W. Toncray, J. A. Baker and F. Brodfuehrer, directors. A hook and ladder truck was purchased by the city at an expense of $1,800.
Columbus Engine Company No. 1 was incorporated April 30, 1874, by Charles Anderson, George H. Brindley, Ida Brindley, F. G. Becher, S. A. Burgett, H. P. Baker, Phil B. Bonesteel, William Becker, George W. Coolidge, H. P. Coolidge, L. M. Cook, C. S. Clark, William Coolidge, H. W. Davis, Daniel Faucett, John E. Godfrey, R. HI. Henry, E. II. Jenkins, M. T. Kinney, Augustus Lochner, A. W. Lawrence, Fred Mathews, C. E. Morse, A. McKel- vey, Alonzo Miller, Samuel Naylor, Patrick O'Toole, I. N. Orrell, A. L. Preston, E. C. Pinkney, John J. Rickly, John Robinson, Julius Rasmussen, Charles E. Rickly, O. P. Reed, Orlando Rose, Dan Ryan, Ed Sheehan, William Schilz, O. C. Shannon, J. O. Shannon, George Scott, Marshall Smith, John Schram, M. Schram, Jr., J. A. Turner, George Turner, Robert Uhlig, Charles Wake. Charles E. Morse, John E. Godfrey and Daniel Faucett were elected directors; John J. Rickly, clerk.
This company was organized August 22, 1873, and its engine arrived on the 25th of September following. Its first officers were: Chief engineer, J. B. Wells; first assistant engineer, D. D. Wads- worth; treasurer, John Compton; foreman, John Huber; first assist- ant, A. M. Darling; second assistant, R. II. Henry; secretary, John J. Rickly. The foreman of the hose company was P. B. Bonesteel; assistant foreman, George Coolidge.
FIRST ANNUAL BALL OF THE FIRE COMPANIES
The first annual ball and supper of the companies was held on Thanksgiving evening, November 27, 1873. The members issued invitations and took a lively interest in the affair. During the evening the firemen in their splendid red and blue uniforms with their engine and hose cart, paraded the streets to enlivening music from a military band, giving the public a much better idea of the numbers and force of the organizations than they had previously entertained. A race between the Engine Company and the Hose Company was very lively and amusing and resulted in a tie. At night a dance was held, both halls being crowded. At midnight the dancers went to the Clother House and enjoyed a refreshing supper,
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which had been prepared for them. The crowd then returned to the hall and danced until 4 o'clock in the morning. Seventy-four tickets were sold and the net proceeds of the ball was $126.80.
FIRE DEPARTMENT COVERS ITSELF WITH GLORY
The Journal of date June 24, 1874, states: "In the rear of the business lot adjoining the Journal office on the west, and Henry & Brother's grocery store on the east, Capt. D. D. Wadsworth had erected a packing house, which he and Guy C. Barnum filled with pork. There had been no fire in the building ( for smoking purposes) for the past two weeks and it is yet unexplained how the establishment caught fire, but so it did, the flames being noticed first by James H. Galley at about 1 o'clock yesterday (Tuesday) morning. The alarm was immediately given, and nothwithstanding the lateness of the hour and many inconveniences to contend with, the fire department was on the ground before the bell began to ring, and in four minutes after the first stream of water they had the fire under complete subjection. The engine did her work nobly and it is calculated that during the short time she was playing upon the fire and the surrounding build- ings, she threw 900 barrels of water from the fire well in the square on Eleventh and Olive streets. Quite a gale was blowing north at the time and if we had been minus our fire department, in all probabil- ity the fire would have taken a wide swath through the heart of the town, destroying everything before it.
"The rear of Henry's grocery is about sixteen feet from the pack- ing house and the tar was coming out of the pine knots when the hook and ladder company mounted the grocery, formed their line and were working away with hooks and buckets when they were reinforced by the engine company, throwing a constant heavy stream of water, the effect of which gladdened every man's heart. There was one other fire engine on the ground which deserves mention-a Babcock extinguisher, which in the hands of George W. Clother, did very effective service on the Journal building.
"Too much cannot be said in commendation of the engine, the engine company and the hook and ladder company, as well as the many citizens who did their best on this occasion. The owners of the property endangered have been put under obligations, which they can never fully repay. For our own part we cannot begin to express our gratitude to the fire department and citizens for the preservation of the Journal building and shall make no attempt to do so; we are
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gratified to know that we advocated the organization of the fire de- partment and that they had from us all along all the encouragement and substantial aid that it has been in our power to give and sure it is that after this first very successful encounter our splendid fire department will not lack for substantial aid to make further needed improvements; and now that the efficiency of our fire wells has been fully demonstrated it would be well to see to it that we have one on every important square in the city.
"There was upwards of three thousand dollars worth of meat stored in the packing house, but it is difficult to estimate what the amount of loss will be, as some which was damaged will be sold at a discount. There was no insurance. The loss will fall heaviest upon Mr. Wadsworth, who had most of his money invested in the establish- ment and whose loss at this time is peculiarly trying."
WATERWORKS SYSTEM
In 1886, the year in which the waterworks system was established, Columbus had a population of 2,500. The town had grown and pros- pered and begun to take on the proportions of a little city. With its schools, churches, public buildings, business houses and residences, meaning an outlay of large sums of money, the people began to realize the importance of safeguarding their property interests against destruction by fire. They realized that a system of waterworks had come to be an imperative necessity and when the question was put to them of issuing city bonds in the sum of $20,000 for the construc- tion of waterworks, the taxpayers readily responded to their duties as citizens and declared at the polls, by a liberal majority of their votes, that the city's obligations should be placed upon the market and, with money obtained therefrom, a waterworks plant should be built for the City of Columbus. With the will and authority of the people to sustain.them in their acts, the authorities thereupon caused to be printed and sold waterworks bonds, which were bought by Harris & Co., of Chicago, on the 17th day of April, 1886. A contract was entered into between the city and Charles Schroeder, he being the lowest among several bidders, for $20,350, and the work of con- struction on the improvement was at once begun. A group of cir- cular wells, 20 feet in diameter and ranging from 36 to 40 feet in depth, were constructed and coupled together in one large center chamber; then by a 12-inch suction pipe, these wells were connected to the pumps. Many blocks of mains had been laid and in August
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of that year the pumps and boiler were installed in the power house built for the purpose on a plot of ground in the south part of the city. This building is a one-story brick, but for the past six years has not been used for its original purposes, as the city has been obtaining its power for driving the pumps from the Columbus Light, Heat & Power Company.
From the wells the city has been furnishing its patrons with an abundant supply of deliciously sweet, pure and wholesome water. The commodity is forced into a large standpipe or steel tower, 110 feet in height, which affords a pressure more than ample to throw large streams of water upon any building in the city. From time to time improvements in the system have been made. At a special election held on July 1, 1910, an issue of $10,000 extension water- works bonds were voted and the further sum of $10,000 in bonds were authorized to be sold by the electorate on July 1, 1913. An official test was made Friday, December 17, 1886, by attaching a hose to the hydrant southeast of courthouse block, when two good streams of water were thrown through a 7/s-inch nozzle, to a good height. The test proved to be entirely satisfactory, and today the City of Columbus has one of the best and most satisfactory municipal waterworks in the state.
SEWERAGE
It is a well known fact that no waterworks system can be said to be complete without proper means of sanitary drainage. In this regard the city was a little bit slow in inaugurating the proper means for disposing of the refuse and accumulations always the result when waterworks become of general use in a community. About the time that the waterworks went into operation, certain of the Franciscan Sisters incorporated what was designated as the East End Sewer Company and built a series of drains, principally to benefit the Catholic institutions. Private individuals were permitted to run laterals and connect with these sewers at a certain price.
On the 1st day of July, 1891, the Columbus Sewerage and Drain- age Company was incorporated by J. P. Becker, Herman H. P. Oel- richs, C. H. Sheldon, Jonas Welch, C. C. Gray, J. E. North and Gus G. Becher, with a capital of $5,000. Under amended articles of in- corporation, the capital stock was increased to $10,000, on March 27, 1912. At that time H. P. HI. Oelrichs was president. This com- pany was organized, as its name would imply, for the purpose of
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building sanitary sewers in the City of Columbus, and on the 1st day of December, 1891, its first piece of work was completed. This con- sisted of a main sewer, three-fourths of a mile in length, which empties into the Loup at the foot of North Street, its dimensions being 12 inches in diameter, with connections or laterals 8 and 10 inches.
The West End Sewer Company was organized in February, 1898, with the following incorporators: C. J. Garlow, J. G. Reeder, Theodore Friedhof, R. H. Henry, O. T. Roen and Gus G. Becher, with a capital stock of $10,000, the object and intent of the corpora- tion being to furnish sanitary sewage for all the western part of the city. The contract was let to Dusell & Fauble of the City of Colum- bus, and was completed in the spring of 1899, with between four and five miles of sewer pipe, in size from 6 to 10 inches. The object was to have all of the persons taking stock, at once connect with the sewer, so as to cover operating expenses, but this was not done and owing to the small patronage the plant was not a financial suc- cess until a franchise was granted permitting the company to enlarge its territory and get into the business part, where business was more profitable. The plant has been extended from time to time until now it covers a large territory and furnishes accommodation to about two hundred patrons. It is on a sound financial basis. The outlet of the sewer when built was in the Loup River, but owing to the changing of the channel, it is now several hundred yards from the river bed and its outlet is a small channel fed from ponds west of the mouth of the sewer and carried on into the river. This has been a source of trouble since the river changed its channel.
The present officers of the company are: C. J. Garlow, presi- dent; Dr. Edward Johnson, vice president; A. R. Miller, secretary- treasurer; Dr. E. H. Naumann, W. A. McAllister and E. J. Nie- wohner constitute the other members of the board.
MUNICIPAL SEWERS
It was not until the year 1914 that the City of Columbus under- took to construct a system of storm sewers. On the 5th day of August of that year the electorate voted in favor of issuing $34,500 in bonds for the construction of storm sewers. Contracts were let for the construction of the improvement, which consisted of 266 lineal feet of a double rectangular reinforced concrete sewer, 3 feet 8 inches by 4 feet each, through the right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad, and 3,400 lineal feet reinforced concrete sewer, 7 feet 4
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inches by 4 feet, and 364 lineal feet of 2-ring brick sewer, 64 inches in diameter; 600 lineal feet of 10-inch outlet sewer pipe and 16 man- holes, 16 catch basins, or in other words, 12 blocks, or about 34 miles of sewer, the outlet of which was the Loup River. The estimated cost of the work was $34,000, and by the spring of 1915 the contract was completed and the improvement turned over to the city.
PAVING
The city council of Columbus passed an ordinance, which was approved June 9, 1914, for the paving of certain streets within the corporate limits. A special election was held on the 5th day of Angust following, to determine the wishes of the taxpayers in regard to the issuance of $30,000 in bonds for the construction of pavements at the intersections of the streets proposed to be paved. The question of improving the streets was a rather popular one and the bond issue carried. The district selected first to be paved is described as follows:
Beginning at a point at the intersection of the south line of the alley, extending east and west through block 56, of the original Town of Columbus, with the east line of Rickly Street; thence east on the south line of said alley to the intersection thereof with the east line of Quincy Street; thence north along said east line to the south line of Fourteenth Street; thence east on said south line to the west line of Kummer Street; thence south along said west line to the north line of Thirteenth Street; thence east along said north line to the east line of Kummer street; thence south along said east line to the south line of Thirteenth Street; thence west along said south line to the west line of Kummer Street; thence south along said west line to the north line of the alley extending east and west through block 115 of said original Town of Columbus, thence west along said north line to the intersection thereof with the east line of Quincy Street; thence north along said east line to the intersection thereof with the north line of the alley extending east and west, through block 86 of said original Town of Columbus; thence west along said north line to the east line of Rickly Street; thence north along said east line to the place of beginning-in all, twenty-nine blocks.
It was anticipated and estimated that it would cost between thirty and thirty-five thousand dollars to pave the intersections of the streets, which was assumed by the city. For the other part of the paving the money was raised by special assessment on the abutting property.
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ELECTRIC LIGHTS
When Charles Schroeder and associates built a flouring mill in 1855, machinery for a Brush are and incandescent electric light sys- tem was installed, having a capacity of 1,200 candle power. With more of the invisible, intangible and mysterious force than needed for the mill, Schroeder offered to sell the surplus to citizens who desired the service. Current for electric lights was turned on from this diminutive plant on the 23d day of December, 1885, and this was the beginning of the electric light system now in vogue in Colum- bus. Some years later Dr. Alphonso Heintz came into possession of the mill electric paraphernalia and started an electric light plant in a frame building on East Eleventh Street, and for several years furnished the city and private consumers with lights. On the 25th day of February, 1908, the Columbus Light, Heat & Power Company, with capital stock in the sum of $150,000, was incorporated, by Wil- liam C. Ross, John T. Burke and John Parrish. This organization took over the Heintz plant, part of the consideration for which was stock of the Columbus Light, Heat & Power Company. The present large brick powerhouse, on the south side, was then constructed and the latest improved machinery and appliances placed within its walls. Early in the year 1909 the innovation and splendid modern electric lighting plant was in full operation and has been giving the public general satisfaction by its service, which is continuous. The officials and owners have their main offices in Omaha, from which place they control similar industries in other cities. Willis Todd is general manager, with headquarters at Omaha; W. G. McCully is the local manager and superintendent.
GAS COMPANY
In the latter part of 1905 George A. Scott, O. T. Roen and C. J. Garlow took the first steps looking to the installation of a gas plant for Columbus. Several months were spent investigating different sys- tems and consulting engineers and those familiar with the business. Every form of production by machinery of gas manufactured from oil, coal, gasoline, alcohol and coke was carefully gone into until they were satisfied that the most practical gas is what is now known as carbonated water gas, produced by a setting known as the Tenney- High pressure machinery.
On the 4th day of May, 1906, the persons above named presented an ordinance to the city councilmen asking for the right to construct
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and maintain a plant in the city of Columbus. The failure of a former company to complete a plant under an ordinance granted, caused the council to be very slow in acting, and excited considerable investigation, but on May 2, 1907, the Columbus Gas Company was granted a franchise on promise by the applicants that the funds for the plant should, if possible, be raised at home, so that this would be purely a local industry. It was but a short time thereafter that a corporation known as "Columbus Gas Company" was organized, with G. A. Scott, O. T. Roen, C. J. Garlow, Daniel Schram and Theodore Friedhof as the incorporators and officers, with a capital stock of $50,000, divided into five-hundred shares of the par value of $100, of which enough should be sold to build and operate a plant.
Within a short time after the subscription books were opened, that is to say, on the Ist day of June, 1907, enough stock was subscribed to insure success of the enterprise. A location was secured and on the 18th day of July following a contract was let to the American Con- struction Company, of Newton, Iowa. Work of construction was at once commenced and the plant was completed and gas in operation in the mains already laid, in December, 1908.
The plant is located on a siding between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, just east of Washington Street, and consists of several large storage tanks, a duplicate setting complete, one gas and one steam, capable of manufacturing sufficient gas for a city of from ten to fifteen thousand population. The building is of brick, with large storage house for coke and coal. The steam is largely produced by heat from the by-product of the gas, known as tar, which is fed back into the furnace and furnishes a large percentage of the fuel. The gas is delivered under what is known as a high pressure, that is to say, that persons living at a long distance from the plant and even on small mains, get the same pressure and the same service that persons get living near the plant and on large pipes.
The gas is delivered to the consumer through what is known as a governor, which regulates the pressure and gives a steady feed into the burner all the time. The company adopted the prepayment sys- tem, which saves the price of a collector. The plant is operated suc- cessfully and is on a paying business. It has at the present time about four hundred and fifty patrons and is increased from fifty to seventy- five every year. The gas is considered by those who have used gas at other places as being of the very best quality both in light and heat units.
The present officers are: C. J. Garlow, president; R. Y. Lisco,
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vice president; G. W. Phillips, secretary-treasurer. Dan Schram and C. N. McElfresh, with the foregoing officers, contsitute the board of directors.
BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY
Soon after the telephone became of practical use the Bell Tele- phone Company obtained a franchise and began operations here, and still has an exchange, which takes care of a now limited business, con- fined to the towns and long distances. The independent company has all of the rural traffic.
INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE COMPANY
The Independent Telephone Company was organized in the sum- mer of 1902. It was incorporated by A. Anderson, C. J. Garlow, T. J. Cottingham, G. T. Everett, J. G. Reeder, G. W. Phillips and two or three other persons, with a capital stock of $35.000, and was granted a franchise in the fall of 1902. It immediately began to build the system and install 'phones, so that by December 1, 1903, the plant was about ready to give service. The officers of the company were: C. J. Garlow, president; T. J. Cottingham, vice president; G. T. Everett, secretary; A. Anderson, treasurer.
The plant continued to grow and became very popular on account of the energy with which the business was prosecuted and its success- ful operating among the farmers, stock being sold to them to start with and a dividend guaranteed by the officers of the company. The plant has grown until it is now one of the most successful independent telephone plants in the state, with about fifteen hundred patrons and with the most up-to-date equipment on the market.
The present officers of the company are: C. J. Garlow, president; R. Y. Lisco, vice president; G. W. Phillips, secretary-treasurer; Fred Kluck, of Richland; and C. W. Louis, with the foregoing officers, constitute the board of directors.
MAYORS AND CLERKS FROM 1865 TO 1915
Mayor
William B. Dale, 1868-70; C. B. Stillman, 1871; James E. North, 1872-74; R. H. Henry, 1875; Byrd Miller, 1876; Charles A. Speice, 1877-78; J. P. Becker, 1879-80; J. R. Meagher, 1881-82; John M.
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Macfarland, 1883-84; R. H. Henry, 1885; Carl Cramer, 1886; J. E. North, 1887-89; R. H. Henry, 1890; Henry Ragatz, 1891; David Schupbach, 1892-93; G. W. Phillips, 1894-95; G. B. Speice, 1896-97; E. D. Fitzpatrick, 1898-99; Louis Held, 1900; Henry Ragatz, 1901; R. S. Dickenson, 1902; John G. Becher, 1903; August A. Boettcher, 1904; R. S. Dickenson, 1905; G. W. Phillips, 1906-08; Louis Held, 1909-12; M. M. Rothleitner, 1913-15.
Clerk
F. G. Becher, 1865-74; L. M. Saley, 1875; S. L. Barrett, 1876; John Schram, 1877-78; H. J. Hudson, 1879-81; A. B. Coffroth, 1882-83; David Dowty, 1884-87; G. Folbaum, 1888-91; D. N. Miner, 1892; William Becker, 1893-1915.
COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP
When the county was organized the commissioners divided it into three districts. The first district commenced at the southeast corner of the county, thence ran north twenty-four miles, west eight miles, south twenty-four miles and thence to the place of beginning. An equal eight-mile strip west was made the Second District and the remaining strip the Third District. Thomas Sarvis was appointed to represent the First District, George Spaulding the Second and Gus- tavus Becher the Third. From the First District was created Colum- bus Township, and in 1858 Charles A. Speice, George W. Hewitt and C. B. Stillman were appointed judges of election; polls at the house of F. G. Becher.
The present Columbus Township was declared to be by the board of commissioners at the time that body perfected arrangements for the township system of government to be Towns 16 and 17, Range 1 East. This subdivision of the county is irregular in shape, being partially made so by the Platte and Loup Fork rivers, the Loup Fork emptying into the Platte in section 33, making that part of the township between the two streams a decided peninsula. To the west and south of the township several sections are cut off between the Loup and Platte rivers to form a part of Butler Township. Parts of sections 2, 3 and 4 are south of the Platte River.
Lost Creek zigzags across this part of the county from the north- west to the southeast. The township is bounded on the north by Shell Creek and Bismark townships; on the east by Colfax County;
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