Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 79

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 79

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).

WEST INDIANA BOROUGII

first election for borough officers was held at the public schoolhouse on Tuesday, November 8, 1870, between the hours of eight o'clock A. M. and seven o'clock P. M. Mr. Dubre Thomas was appointed by the court to give due notice of the election, and the following were to be the election officers: Judge, Peter Sutton; inspectors, William B. Hildebrand and James Clark. The election resulted as follows: Judge of election, Robert Willard; inspectors, Archibald S. Thompson and Thomas Sutton; assessor, Andrew L. Mccluskey; assistant as- sessors, James L. Hazlett and Lewis E. Freet ; overseers of the poor, Dubre Thomas and John Sutor; justice of the peace, Andrew L. Me- Cluskey ; constable, James R. Bell; school di- rectors, William B. Hildebrand, William B. Marshall, Thomas St. Clair, Martin Earhart, John C. Cochran, Peter Sutton ; auditors, A. S. Cunningham, A. J. Hamilton, Philip A. Williams; burgess, James Clark ; town council, Hugh A. Thompson, Patrick Burns, John H. Cunningham, Hugh S. Thompson, John S. G. Wine; high constable, Philip Muller. The highest number of votes cast for any candi- date was 97.

In the Second ward the election was held in the election house of the Second ward, and the following officers were elected: Judge of election, Samuel Sebring; inspectors, Scott M. Geesey and S. P. Wilson; constable, E. H. Lichteberger; school director, George T. Hamilton ; town council, J. M. Cunningham and H. C. Christy.

In the Third ward the election was held in the paint shop of R. T. Marlin, and the fol- lowing officers were elected: Judge of elec- tion, George J. Feit ; inspectors, A. T. Lowry and Jacob Younkins; constable, G. W. Roof; school director, V. M. Cunningham.

The petition to incorporate the borough of West Indiana was approved by the grand jury In the Fourth ward the election was held June 15, 1870, and on September 28, 1870, the in the council chamber of the Fourth ward,

405

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

and resulted as follows: Judge of election, up-to-date electric light plant" and was vis- William Mahan; inspectors, D. M. Caldwell ited and inspected for information by com- and J. A. Wissell; constable, D. R. Pringle; mittees on lighting from a number of other town council, Hugh M. Bell.

The borough officers were as follows: High constable, Wilson Rupert; auditors, D. W. Simpson, J. T. Boucher, R. T. Marlin; tax collector, James A. White; treasurer, A. W. Mabon; street commissioners, John R. Bryan and William A. Lewis.

ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER

To keep abreast of the times and modern improvements, the necessity for the intro- duction of electric lighting in the borough of Indiana became apparent. In the winter of 1890-91 Edward Rowe circulated a sub- scription list among the citizens and the amount thought necessary to build an electric light plant ($20,000) was soon subscribed in amounts of from $50 to $1,000, there being one subscription, however, of $5,000. A company was incorporated in 1891 under the name of Indiana Electric Company, capital stock, $30,000 (the amount first subscribed having been found insufficient) ; $27,850, or 1,114 shares in all, at $25 each, were issued, paid for, and $10,000 worth of bonds sold. The original subscribers numbered seventy-one Indiana citizens, which number was subse- quently, by the second subscription, increased to seventy-seven. The first board of directors were: Edward Rowe, president; G. P. Mc- Cartney, W. S. Daugherty, H. M. Bell, W. B. Kline, J. Wilse McCartney, treasurer ; John L. Paul, secretary. The different secretaries

towns, continuing to serve such purpose, with little or no interruption, until 1905. The ma- chinery was operated only from dusk to dawn, no day current being supplied. In 1905 the company was merged with the Indiana Cold Storage and Ice Company, a new company be- ing formed and incorporated under the title of the Indiana Provision Company; capital stock, $175,000; par value of shares, $100 each. The original board of directors of this company were: R. N. Ray, president; C. B. Comstock, architect and engineer of construc- tion; Edward Rowe, G. P. McCartney, George R. Stewart, James St. Clair, J. Wilse McCartney, treasurer. New three-story brick buildings, covering 70 by 200 feet of space, were erected on Water street, between Tenth and Eleventh, in which were installed three boilers, aggregating 1,000-horse power, tur- bine engines and dynamos of 600-horse power and ice and refrigeration machinery of 200- horse power. Large refrigeration and cool- ing rooms were also installed. Electric cur- rent for Indiana was supplied from the new plant late in 1905, and the old plant closed down and dismantled. Continuous day and night current was introduced in 1906, and Indiana then began the use of motors for driving elevators and many kinds of light machinery.

Tantalum and Tungsten lamps made their appearance in 1908. The Tungsten, however, being the most economical, has practically dis- placed all others. In January, 1912, the cap- during the existence of the company were: ital stock and bonds of the Indiana Provision John L. Paul, George W. Gilbert and B. B. Company were bought by New York interests, Tiffany ; superintendents, S. M. Wheeler, owners of a large number of plants in Penn- sylvania, about $210,000 being involved in the transaction. It is at this writing (1913) oper- ated under the title of Penn Public Service Company, who have improved the plant by a high tension line connecting with their plants at Blairsville and Johnstown and have rebuilt the pole line throughout Indiana. The serv- ice is first class and the business has increased very considerably since they took it over. Ernest Gawthrop, Edward Rowe, Nelson W. Dalton and George P. McCartney. A lot hav- ing a railroad siding was purchased on the north side of Water street, between Eighth and Ninth, contracts let and the erection of a plant begun in the spring of 1891. A slate- roofed, brick building 46 by 100 feet in size was built, in which was installed one 100-horse power boiler, one 125-horse power engine, one incandescent and two are light dynamos. The necessary poles and wires having been erected throughout the town, the company began to supply electricity for both house and street lighting use on October 24, 1891.

WATERWORKS

In 1884 Joel Fink, of Livermore, and his son, Gilmore C. Fink, of Washington. Pa., drilled a well for gas on land of Hon. G. W. Hood, in West Indiana. now the Fourth ward, Indiana. The well was put to the depth of

In 1895 the plant was remodeled and added to by the installation of another boiler, two new engines and two dynamos. It was consid- ered at that time as a "model and strictly 2,655 feet without having shown a trace of

406

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

gas, but at 325 feet an apparent abundance of splendid water was encountered, thought suf- ficient to supply Indiana. Sometime later, Joel Fink, Mr. Hood and Edward Rowe con- ferred in the matter and it was decided to organize a company to build a waterworks stifle the bees. Ruffner chopped the tree and when it fell the other fellows rather backed off, but Eberhart bravely rushed in to get the honey, when a bee zipped him on the neck, and others got into action, too. Eberhart's re- marks were not made in whispers. They were, plant. On March 12, 1886, a meeting. was rather, explosions, good and loud: "Owooch ! called for the purpose at the office of Mr. Donner wetter ! Dunder und blitzen ! Owwoo! Hood, and the Indiana Water Company and Git oud, you little teffel, py gripes, zip! Gott the West Indiana Water Company were or- in himmel, owooch ! Hell! Owoo! Choe! Choe! Phere iss der soolfire ? Dere iss pees he-er." They only got about half a pint of honey, but buckets of fun. ganized; the capital stock of each company was $10,000; par value of shares, $50 each. The original subscribers to the stock were: Joseph M. Fox, of Philadelphia ; Joel Fink, The upper tank was used at the time for fire Gilmore C. Fink, Martin Earhart, George W. purposes, creating a pressure on the mains Hood, Dr. N. F. Ehrenfeld, Henry Hall, Ed- ward Rowe. Harry W. Wilson, Samuel A. Smith. It having been discovered that a for- mer charter had been taken out and on record in Harrisburg, as the Indiana Water Com- pany, these two companies were incorporated under the names of the Clymer Water Com- pany of Indiana and the Clymer Water Com- pany of West Indiana, named after George Clymer, of Philadelphia, who donated the land on which Indiana is built. The first board of directors were: G. W. Hood, Ed- ward Rowe, Joel Fink, Joseph M. Fox, Gil- more C. Fink; first president, Hon. G. W. and sixty-eight fire hydrants, each having two Hood ; first secretary and superintendent, Ed- ward Rowe : first treasurer, Harry W. Wilson.

A plan of mains, gates, fire hydrants, water tanks, etc., made by Edward Rowe was adopted and Gilmore C. Fink appointed man- aging director to proceed with the erection of a pumping plant, laying of mains, etc. John R. Bowers bossed the laying of mains, which were the heaviest cast-iron water pipes made at that time. They were laid in trenches three and a half feet deep. The reservoirs were iron tanks, made of boiler iron, and located on Hood's hill above the pumping plant; one, holding 200,000 gallons, is located 105 feet above the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks at Philadelphia street to the bottom of the tank, which is 20 feet high and 43 feet in diameter ; the other tank, holding 100,000 gallons, was located at a point 300 feet above the railroad tracks, right near where the "bee tree" was cut. That is another story, but it is history and might as well be fired off right here. Back

of 130 pounds per square inch. Work build- ing the plant was begun in 1886, but the works were not completed and water turned into the mains until June, 1887. The first fire in town after the water had been turned on only a week or two was at the residence of William S. Pattison, on Church street, West Indiana, and it was successfully extinguished with but little damage. The second is thought to be that at the furniture factory of Helreigle & Hook, on Water street, which was also put out with no great damage. In building the works five and a half miles of mains were laid, outlets, were installed. In 1887 another well was drilled and up to 1898 five more were drilled, with a view of increasing the supply of water, making seven wells in operation, the demands of the town for water continually increasing and almost from the first being be- yond the capacity of the waterworks to sup- ply. In 1899 a new pumping plant was built on "Twolick" creek, below the mouth of Ram- sey run, and a 200.000-gallon tank erected on Klingenberger's hill, in White township, since which time the supply of water has been adequate for the needs of the town. In 1895 the two boroughs of Indiana and West Indiana consolidated and became one, under the name "Indiana Borough." In 1899 the two water companies consolidated and became the "Cly- mer Water Company." In 1906-07 the plant was greatly improved and increased by the construction of a new 3,000,000-gallon reser- voir on Gompers' hill, east of town, the install- ation of a new, large pump in the pump house

in about 1880 Joe Thompson, J. A. C. Ruffner, at Twolick creek, the laying of a twelve-inch Frank Sansom and Eberhart Gessler quietly rising main from the pumping plant to the slipped up on the hill one night to cut a bee reservoir, a twelve-inch supply main on School street from the reservoir to Oakland avenue (to which main all cross streets are connected

tree that Eberhart had found. They had a lantern and a lot of buckets to carry the honey, also some other "necessaries" for that by proper mains and gates), and a number of kind of job. Joe had taken some sulphur to smaller mains. A thorough and complete fil-

407

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

tration plant is also installed at the pumps ling filters, settling tanks and sludge pond. and all water filtered before being sent to the The work is being executed in plain and rein- forced concrete and covers a tract of about nine acres along the line of the Indiana branch of the Pennsylvania railroad and the Indiana electric railroad, about two miles south of the borough center. The ground surface slopes from the inlet end of the works towards a small creek, known as Marsh run, into which the effluent will discharge, and between the points where the sewage enters and leaves the plant there is a fall of some thirty feet, which is ample to insure a gravity flow through the tanks and filters. reservoir. A chemical treating plant is also installed there and all water is chemically treated for the destruction of germs, if any ; tests of the water are made daily and chemical analysis shows the supply to be almost abso- lutely pure. As the demand required, new mains and extensions have been added from year to year, until the aggregate length of mains now in use is about eighteen miles; the number of fire hydrants supplied, ninety. Many fires that otherwise would have been disastrous have been stopped in their incip- iency by the Indiana firemen with water from these hydrants.

The total reservoir capacity of the works is about 3,500,000 gallons; pumping capacity, size. The separate system of sewerage is used, about 3,000,000 gallons in twenty-four hours.

Indiana has been pretty thoroughly sewered in the past ten years, causing an increased demand for water, the number of water con- sumers at this time being slightly over thirteen hundred.

The different presidents of the Clymer Water Company, in their regular order, have been : Hon. George W. Hood, Wellington B. Kline, John H. Hill, Frank L. Harvey (pres- ent), of Foxburg, Pa. Secretaries and super- intendents: Edward Rowe, Franklin San- . long. som, Hugh M. Bell. W. S. Hamilton (present). Treasurers, Harry W. Wilson, James R. Daugherty, Robert M. Wilson, J. Wilse Me- Cartney (present, 1913).

Of the officers of this company Gilmore C. Fink died (accidentally killed) in 1888, George W. Hood in 1899, Joel Fink in 1906. Wellington: B. Kline in 1904, Hugh M. Bell in 1910, Robert M. Wilson in 1913.

INDIANA SEWAGE DISPOSAL PLANT

The Indiana Sewage Disposal Plant was constructed in 1909-10, about two miles south of Indiana. The designs for the plant were prepared by the firm of Mullen & Pealer, civil engineers of Indiana, Pa., and the construc- tion of the work was under the supervision and direction of the junior member of the firm, Thomas Pealer, borough engineer of Indiana. The contractors were M. Bennett & Sons, of Indiana. The following description of the plant is taken from an article written by Mr. Thomas Pealer for the "Engineering Record," of April 30, 1910:

"When completed the works will comprise filters.

"The area of the borough is about one thou- sand acres, and is divided by two valleys into four natural drainage districts of about equal

and no trade wastes or surface drainage are allowed to enter the sanitary drains, which consist of two 12-inch interceptors, which dis- charge by gravity into one 18-inch main sewer leading to the disposal works. The 12-inch interceptors parallel the east and west valleys to form a junction one mile south of Indiana, where the two streams which drain the val- leys combine. The 18-inch main sewer, which carries the flow from this point to the disposal works, is approximately six thousand feet

"The 18-inch main sewer terminates at a manhole near the inlet end of the works and from this point is carried to the screening and grit chamber, where the heavier matters in suspension will be intercepted. From this point the flow may be directed either into the sludge tanks or into a by-pass leading to the sludge pond, which is located on the banks of the creek. Under normal conditions, however, the sewage from the screening chamber will discharge into an inlet gallery extending across the end of the two sludge tanks. a num- ber of inlet openings being provided in order to secure an even distribution of flow through- out the width of the latter. The works were designed to treat 800,000 gallons of sewage daily; the capacity of each tank is about 200,000 gallons, so that when both are in oper- ation a detention period of about twelve hours will be afforded. The tanks were installed in duplicate, so that one may be cut out of the system and cleaned while the other is in oper- ation; at all times, therefore, there will be a continuous flow from the screening chamber to the dosing tank which feeds the sprinkling

a screening and grit chamber, two sludge "Provision is made for removing the sludge tanks, dosing tank and coke chamber, sprink- from these tanks by means of valved openings

408

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

in the floor, which connect to a 24-inch pipe and on to the sprinkling bed without flooding leading to a settling pond or sludge basin. over the top of the dosing chamber.

Here the liquid will be drained off and the sludge allowed to dry out.

"The settling pond is an area enclosed by earth embankments and is filled to a depth of 12 inches with slag, under which stone under- drains have been laid to carry the drainage by gravity into the creek near by. The main sludge pipe from the sludge tanks enters the pond 12 inches below the top of the embank- ment, and is laid to encircle the pond; T- branches with ends controlled by flap valves are introduced into the main distributing sludge pipe at frequent intervals, so that the entire area of the pond may be dosed uni- formly. A connection to the settling pond by means of an 18-inch pipe also is made from the settling tanks, which receive the sprinkling effluent; the suspended matter or humus from the crushed stone surfaces which is deposited in these basins, therefore, may be disposed of by the same methods used for the sludge col- lected in the primary tanks. When the work is completed it is intended to plant a hedge around the settling pond, and so screen it off from the drive which encircles it.

"The sprinkling filter beds are to be dosed automatically by an 18-inch Miller siphon, a form of apparatus which contains no moving parts, but is locked or put into operation by the rise and fall of the sewage level in the dosing tank. The inlet end of the siphon is covered by a cast-iron bell 3 feet 6 inches in diameter and 3 feet deep, and the usual pipes extend under its rim to form a U-trap, which, when filled with water, locks the air under the bell. The working of this apparatus was described in detail in the 'Engineering Rec- ord' of August 21, 1909, in connection with the dosing of the contact beds at Auburn, N. Y. The chamber is built of reinforced con-

"In connection with the flushing out of the underdrainage system it is proposed to crete and is hopper-shaped, with three of its construct a water tower on top of a hill in

sides sloping outward. The tank is built in this form in order that the head upon the nozzles, as the sewage level in the dosing cham- ber falls, may be so regulated as to secure an even distribution of the spray from the sprink-

"From the dosing chamber the sewage will flow into a 14-inch cast-iron pipe line extend- ing the length of the bed. This line is laid inside of a long inlet gallery and is supported above the floor by a low concrete wall. The connection between this main distributor and the siphon is made with a cast-iron T. Lateral distributors are taken off from the main line by T-connections every 11 feet 6 inches, and on each lateral line is a 6-inch gate valve, so that any of them may be cut out of the system if so desired. These valves are all in the inlet gallery and easily accessible.

"The sprinkling filter measures 220 by 100 feet in the clear, and is enclosed by reinforced concrete walls, those on the east and west sides of the bed serving also as the walls of the dis- tributing and collecting galleries. The floor is of concrete 4 inches thick, troweled to a smooth finish, and has a fall of 18 inches toward the east or main collector gallery into which they drain ; since they are open at both ends they may easily be flushed out from hose attachments, which are provided. The tiles themselves each have four openings, two in each side, and are laid with open joints so that the sewage after passing through the crushed stone bed may drain into them readily.

"The filtering material will be crushed limestone obtained from a quarry twenty miles south of Indiana. The Pennsylvania railroad has built a siding from its tracks to the dis- posal works, so that the problem of handling material and supplies is comparatively simple. The bulk of the limestone will be graded to three sizes, 4 inch, 2 inch and screenings, and will be filled in to a depth of about 61/2 feet above the floor of the filter.

back of the screening chamber. This tank will be of reinforced concrete and is designed to hold about 15,000 gallons. A gas engine and pump will be installed at the pump house and water will be drawn from the creek

lers over the crushed stone area. It is the and elevated to the tower, so that it will be intention to apply to the beds at each dosing possible to obtain at the sprinkling filter a about nine thousand gallons. In the side of pressure of 60 pounds per square inch for the dosing tank, and slightly above the level flushing. Hose connections have been placed to which the liquid will rise before the siphon at various points about the plant and water under pressure will be available at the dif- ferent parts of the work. is put in action, is an overflow pipe connected to the main distributor, so that, in the event of a sudden large flow of sewage or an acci- "The main collector gallery, previously noted, is 31/2 feet in width and extends the entire length of the east wall of the filter dent to the siphon apparatus, the contents of the tank will be carried through the overflow

409

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

This channel drains from either end toward farm has been paid for as well as the second the center and into a sump about 40 feet issue of bonds. At present (1913) $71,000 has been set aside to be used in redeeming the first bond issue. long extending along the ends of the settling tauk. A groove is east in the concrete floor of the collector gallery forming a circular invert whose bottom is 3 inchies lower than

The building was completed in 1908 and opened for inmates September 8, 1908. The the floor of the collector gallery. From the first inmate was Ellen Kelly. The building sump at the center of the collector gallery the is a three-story brick. The basement is used sewage will flow by gravity into the two sec- ondary settling tanks through four inlets con- trolled by shear valves, two for each tank.

"The secondary settling tanks, as was the case with the primary tanks, are installed in duplicate, so that either one may be drained and cleaned while the other is in operation ; either one or both may be used, depending upon the amount of sewage being treated at the plant and the time necessary for the sus- pended matter to settle. Each of these tanks has a capacity of about 50,000 gallons and the effluent from them will pass direct into the nearby creek. Provision is made also for disposing of the sludge collected in these basins by means of valved blow-offs in the floor. All of the concrete for the works was mixed in the proportion of 1:2:4 by a Smith mixer at a central point and carried from the latter to the forms by wheelbarrows. The aggregates for the reinforced concrete work consisted of native stone mixed with gravel, the stone being crushed and graded by a plant at the works. New Castle Portland ee- ment was used."

COUNTY HOME

In 1906 the voters of Indiana county de- cided that the county should have a home in which the poor could be taken care of in a creditable manner. There were 3,018 votes for and 1,624 votes against the poorhouse. The districts voting against it were Arm- strong, Brushvalley, Green, West Mahoning, North Mahoning, Rayne, Washington and White townships, and Jacksonville, Saltsburg and Smicksburg boroughs. The county com- missioners began to look around for a location and decided that the Elmer Campbell farm of 180 acres was the most desirable location at their command, being near to the county seat on the macadamized road and near the Penn- sylvania and Buffalo & Rochester railroads and the street car line, and beautifully lo- cated with natural drainage. The farm was purchased for $18,000 and the contract for the building was let for $155,000. Two is- sues of bonds were made in 1908, the first for $125,000 and the second for $30,000. The

as a dairy department, storage room and place of recreation for inmates in winter. On the first floor are two dining rooms, kitchen, re- ception room, operating room, pharmacy, two sitting rooms, one each for males and females, bedrooms, rooms for clothes, toilet and wash- rooms. On the second floor are bedrooms, hospital departments, sewing rooms, and chapel for holding religious services and en- tertainments. The third floor is used as a place of storage. In the annex are the laun- dry, bakery, heating plant and boiler room.

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.

Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 79

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930