USA > Tennessee > Davidson County > Nashville > History of Nashville, Tenn. > Part 14
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In 1877 the number of registered letters delivered was 11, 194; letters delivered, 1,060,059; postal-cards delivered, 207,011; local letters de- livered, 81,843; local postal-cards delivered, 56,689; newspapers deliv- ered, 674,313; letters collected, 551,561 ; postal-cards collected, 164,733.
For the year ending June 30, 1889, the statistics for the Nashville post-office were: Registered letters delivered, 38,706; mail letters de- livered, 3,469,358; postal-cards delivered, 675,915; newspapers deliv- ered, 1,687,758; local letters collected, 247,171; mail letters collected, 2,166,425; local postal-cards collected, 157,950; mail postal-cards col- lected, 359,014; newspapers collected, 309,633; aggregate number of pieces handled, 9,111,921; number of carriers, 25; average pieces per carrier, 364,477; cost of service, $19,822.77; cost per carrier, $782,81 ; postage on local matter, $12,089.99.
For the sake of comparison it may be noted that the aggregate number of pieces handled at the Memphis post-office was 7,385,777; at Chicago, 329,466,635, and at New York, 399,601,575.
One of the most important problems the corporation of Nashville has
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had to deal with has been that of securing an abundance of pure, whole- some water for general purposes. Nashville was located where it is on account of water privileges. These water privileges in the early days of the town's existence consisted almost entirely of springs. Judge Mc- Nairy's spring was to the north, Wilson's spring was in Barrow's Grove, and there was a fine spring on the bank of the river at the foot of Spring (Church) Street. As the town increased in population the problem of the water supply became a graver one and more imperative of solution. Tem- porary and simple water-works were resorted to, but were soon found to- tally inadequate to the demands made upon them. The Mayor and Al- dermen, on January 29, 1823, in order to remedy the evils of carting water for the inhabitants, which was at the best an unsatisfactory and expensive method, appointed a committee to inquire into the expediency of sup- plying the city with pure and wholesome water, and on May 5 following a contract was made for the accomplishment of this object by a grant of certain privileges to an individual. The works erected under this con- tract did not, as intimated above, fulfill the expectations of the citizens or of the Mayor and Aldermen. The experiment did, however, accomplish one result-that of satisfying the citizens that their comforts and necessi- ties should never have been placed under the control of an individual, and that they should not be placed in the control of an association which had been or which might be more anxious to secure the greatest possible ben- efit to themselves, even to the almost, if not entire, disregard of all the beneficial objects which had induced the public to bestow upon them al- most exclusive privileges.
On July 7, 1830, the City Council of Nashville, under the authority of the General Assembly, passed an act to borrow $50,000 for the purpose of erecting water-works, the first debt incurred by the city. Many of the merchants and public men of the city at that time were from Philadelphia, and the credit of Nashville stood high in that city. The City Council had ascertained by correspondence that they could borrow in Philadelphia the amount authorized by the act mentioned above on bonds of the city; and upon the execution of the bonds notified the life insurance company of that city, of whom it was intended to borrow the money, that its bonds were ready, and if the company would forward the $50,000, they would then send to Philadelphia the bonds for that amount. This proposition did not meet with the approval of the Philadelphia financiers, and they therefore said: "No; but if you will forward the bonds, we will then forward to you the $50,000." The Council thereupon sent some individual, whose name has not been preserved in the records, to Philadelphia with the bonds, he to return with the money by way of Virginia, in which State
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he was instructed to buy about a dozen negroes for the corporation, the design being to use the negroes in constructing the water-works and lay- ing the pipes in the streets. This mission was honestly and successfully performed, the money remaining after the purchase of the negroes was . made and the negroes themselves arriving safely in Nashville at the prop- er time.
On October 1, 1830, the Council appointed a Water Committee; and on January 19, 1831, Albert Stein was appointed Engineer, to direct and superintend the execution and completion of the works. Mr. Stein pre- sented his plan on the 21st of the same month, together with his estimates, which were accepted. His plan was to supply the city with water from the Cumberland River above the city, by means of a reservoir and a steam-engine. Mr. Stein said that by his plan the following results would be accomplished :
I. The water supply would be pure and wholesome.
2. The supply would be sufficient for culinary and other purposes, for cleaning streets, and extinguishing fires.
3. The surface of water in the reservoir must be as high as possible above the city, so as to make the water valuable for the extinguishment of fires.
The cost of water, as the inhabitants were then supplied, was 12 12 cents per barrel of twenty-five gallons, and the committee made the esti- mate that at that rate it would cost to supply five hundred families with water for a year $22,812.50. When the new water-works should be completed each family would get two hundred gallons of water for the same price it was then paying for eleven gallons; hence it was seen what an immense advantage the citizens would enjoy from the completion of the new water-works, as compared with those they were then enjoying, or, rather, from which they were then suffering.
On January 17, 1831, a contract was made with Joseph Anderson & Co. for the delivery of the necessary pipes and castings; and on Febru- ary 25, 1831, upward of four acres of ground, bounded on the north by the Cumberland River and on the south by the public road, were pur- chased of A. P. Maury, for a site for the reservoir, pump, and engine- house. During the same year the Water Committee caused to be exca- vated the site for the reservoir, built its walls, and excavated a part of the ditches for the pipes. Joseph Anderson & Co. failing to fulfill their contract, the committee made a new contract with Baxter, Hicks & Mc- Auley for the delivery of cast-iron pipes and such other castings as were necessary for the enterprise. Upon the failure of these parties, another contract was made with Yeatman, Woods & Co., and, upon their failure,
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still another contract was made with S. & J. Stacker, of Montgomery County, for the delivery of two hundred cast-iron pipes, six inches in di- ameter in the clear. On November 21, 1832, there had been laid in the streets of the city pipes as follows: Six-inch pipe: At the reservoir, 47 feet 41/2 inches; in Market Street, between Broad Street and the public square, 1,882 feet 4 inches; on Spring Street, between Market and Col- lege Streets, 276 feet 31/2 inches. Total, 2,206 feet. Three-inch pipe : At the public square, 430 feet 10 inches; on College Street, between Spring Street and the public square, 103 feet 2 inches. Total, 534 feet. In the erection of the water-works up to this time the cost to the city had been $11, 188.
The water-works were completed in the fall of 1833, at a total cost for ground, superintendence, engine, etc., of $55,000. This was $5,000 in excess of the loan made with which to construct them; but, fortunately for the corporation, the price of slaves had so risen during the two and one-half years that were consumed in the construction of the works that this extra expenditure was covered by the profit derived from the sale of the negroes that had been engaged upon them, all being sold except one or two, who remained the property of the city until the breaking out of the war.
In anticipation of the completion of the works, John M. Bass, one of the Aldermen, introduced the following preamble and resolution :
" Whereas the introduction of water into the town is an object of great interest and importance to all its citizens, and should be accompanied with some public parade; therefore,
" Resolved, That the Water Committee be authorized and requested to invite the citizens and strangers now in town to be present at the water-works at such time as the Engineer may notify said committee of his readiness to put the works in operation, and that said committee pro- cure the use of the cannon and take such other steps as to them may seem fit and suitable for so great an occasion."
In accordance with the above resolution, the inauguration of the water- works occurred on October 1, 1833, and the rejoicing of the people was very great. The cannon was fired, and a procession was formed, com- posed of hundreds of citizens, a large number of ladies, members of the Legislature, and strangers.
Efforts were made subsequently, as the necessity became more and more evident, to increase the facilities for procuring more and better wa- ter for the city. Some account of these efforts is given in connection with the brief sketch of the work of the Board of Health in this chapter.
In 1877 considerable progress was made in the development of the wa-
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ter-works system. In June of this year two double engines, built by Dean Brothers, were purchased by a committee appointed for the pur- pose of making a thorough investigation of the different kinds of pump- ing machinery in use in different cities of the West. At first the " Dean pumps," as they were called from the manufacturers, were quite severely criticised by many of the inhabitants of the place. The reason for this criticism was the supposed incapacity of the pumps. The special commit- tee which made the investigations defended the action of the city fathers, saying that the Dean pump had, so far as their investigations had been carried, given universal satisfaction, and specified seven cities in Illinois and Indiana where it was in use. Considerable work was done on the engine-house, and in addition a new wrought-iron stand-pipe was erected, inclosed in a brick tower, near the old reservoir, the top of which was two hundred and seventy-six feet above low-water mark in the river. There was also laid a new rising main pipe, three feet in diameter, pro- vided with the necessary check-valves; and also, in the reservoir, with suitable valves, overflow pipes and reducers, connecting with the main pipe leading to the city.
The filtering gallery at the island was constructed that year and placed in its position. This gallery was one hundred and thirty-two feet long, thirteen feet wide, and six feet high. The gallery was entirely of cast and wrought iron, and when settled into its position the top of it was but little above low-water mark. In 1880 the Superintendent of the water- works, Mr. James Wyatt, reported the gallery in good order, free from deposits of sediment or silts of any kind. James Wyatt was appointed Superintendent of the water-works in 1869, by Receiver John M. Bass, and occupied that position until 1881, when he was succeeded by the pres- ent Superintendent, George Reyer.
Four new compound, non-condensing Worthington pumps were put in in 1883, each pump having a capacity of two and one-half million gal- lons each twenty-four hours, which, added to the horizontal high-pressure pumping engine, constituted the pumping machinery of the water-works until 1888.
In 1887 the necessity of a new reservoir became very apparent. The old reservoir was not of such an elevation as to supply the highest points in the city without considerable difficulty. It was only one hundred and seventy-seven feet above low water, and there are several places in the city very nearly as high. The intersection of Vine and Union Streets is one hundred and sixty-five feet above low water, and Belmont and De- monbreun one hundred and seventy-six feet. The stand-pipe was neces- sary to supply such points as these, and at times when the pumpage was
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very large (as in August and September ) the demand during the day was beyond the capacity of the pumps, and no stand-pipe pressure could be held.
A new reservoir was therefore a necessity, and one was constructed of stone on Kirkpatrick Hill, the summit of which before being graded down for the reservoir was three hundred and sixteen feet above low-water mark, and after grading three hundred and eight feet. The reservoir built on this hill has a capacity of fifty million gallons, and was completed in Au- gust, 1889. It is a magnificent piece of masonry, is a most prominent object, and is visible from all parts of the surrounding country.
A new pumping station was established in 1888, about three and one- half miles above the city. At this station a new Holly engine was set up, which, while it was not in operation during the entire year ending Sep- tember 30, 1889, yet gave important results. It is a compound con- densing duplex machine, guaranteed to pump ten million gallons per day two hundred and eighty feet high, through seven thousand feet of three- feet mains, giving a duty of eighty-two million foot pounds for every eight hundred pounds of steam used. During the year at the old station there were pumped twenty-five hundred million gallons of water, at a cost of $19,817.30, while at the new station there were pumped thirteen hun- dred million gallons of water, at a cost of $6,000.
The line of thirty-six inch main from the new pumping station to the new reservoir was completed in the early fall of 1889, and during the succeeding winter the Spruce Street main, from the new reservoir to Broad Street, was laid. A contract was made in 1889 with H. R. Worthington for new pumping machinery, which is guaranteed to pump ten million gallons in twenty-four hours, which is to be in readiness by August 10, 1890.
The Board of Health early in its history began to agitate the question of a pure and ample supply of water for the city. This was in 1866, and their views urged upon the Council soon attracted wide-spread and eager public attention. Little was done, however, for several years. It was not until after the fearful ravages of the cholera in the summers of 1866 and 1873 had added to the potency of the arguments of the Board of Health that the people insisted upon something being done. James Wyatt, Superintendent of the water-works, in 1876 brought forward his idea of using the corporation island as a filter; but as his petition for an appropriation of $50 was not likely to be favorably acted upon by the Council, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted by the Board of Health, July 9, 1876:
" Resolved, That in the opinion of this Board the plan suggested to
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the City Council by Mr. James Wyatt, Superintendent of the water- works, of converting the island above the city into a filtering apparatus for purifying the water supplied to the city is of the greatest importance, and in appearance quite feasible.
6' Resolved, That we hope the small appropriation asked for to test the matter practically will be allowed.
"Resolved, That we assure the City Council that a system of purify- ing the drinking-water of the city is imperatively demanded on the score of health and decency, and that our people cannot much longer be im- posed upon in the quality of water supply."
In response to this earnest request of the Board of Health the City Council immediately made the appropriation. On the 30th of Septem- ber, 1876, the question of expending $110,000 for a new engine was voted upon, and resulted in favor of the expenditure by a vote of 2,380 to one of 474 against it. It then became clear to the Board that while an abundance of water was being secured, an abundance of good water should be secured, and in order to carry out this idea it invoked the aid of seven public-spirited citizens to the end that a series of public meetings might be held for the freest possible conference upon the subject. These meetings occurred at the health office during the months of October, November, and December, 1876, and January, 1877. Many prominent citizens took part in the discussions, and the proceedings were fully reported in the daily papers. At one of these meetings an elaborate paper was read by Dr. Thomas L. Maddin, of which the Board had four thousand copies printed and circulated through- out the city. A citizens' committee presented its matured views in a report which was published in the American of January 19, 1877. The committee was composed of the following gentlemen: J. M. Hamilton, J. M. Safford, Thomas L. Maddin, John M. Lea, T. A. Atchison, N. E. Alloway, and K. J. Morris. The report of this committee acknowledged the fact that there were increased sickness and mortality in Nashville, and attributed it to impure water and air. Besides being impure, the supply of water was inadequate to the demand. The committee said they were convinced of the value of the island filterage system of Mr. Wyatt. The system was not a novelty. It had been tried successfully in Lyons, France; in Taunton, Mass .; and in Denver, Colo. The building of a new reservoir was recommended, with ample dimensions and elevation. There were plenty of fine sites-Foster's Hill, Rains's Hill, St. Cloud Hill, McCampbell's Hill, and Currey's Hill. Special attention was called to the inadequate sewerage system of the city. The topography of the city was eminently exempt from natural sources of infection; the great
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trouble was in the management of the city's affairs. There was a never- ceasing current of poisonous air flowing from every under-ground sewer in the city. The State prison sewer was particularly bad, and the com- mittee suggested that the Legislature be asked to construct a proper sewer from the prison to the river in the bed of Lick Branch. The com- mittee finally recommended that if it were determined to raise money for the increase in the capacity of the water-works by means of a bond- ed debt, application be made to the Legislature for authority to issue bonds, and that the water-works should be hypothecated for their pay- ment. The water supply and its finances should be separated from the city treasury and placed in the hands of three citizens as commissioners, whose duty it should be to regulate the entire matter of water supply. In order to give the Council confidence in water-works bonds the committee presented quotations of such bonds in over fifty different cities where water-works had been established, mainly in the Eastern and Northern States, showing the estimation in which they were held in those cities. The prices of these bonds in the market varied from 97 at Louisville, the only place where they were quoted at less than par, to 11812 for New York 7 per cent bonds.
On January 22 the Board of Health passed a resolution that the Mayor be requested to lay before the Council the above report of the citizens' committee, and to secure action upon it as early as possible. Ac- cordingly, on the 23d Mayor Thomas A. Kercheval sent to the Council a message upon this subject, urging upon them the necessity of a purer and more abundant supply of water, if the death-rate was to be de- creased or even prevented from increasing.
Efforts were then made in accordance with the tenor of the report of the committee of citizens to secure legislation from the General Assem- bly authorizing the issuance of bonds to a limited amount for the erec- tion of new water-works. The bill passed the Senate, but failed in the House. The advocates of pure water, though thus temporarily defeated. were determined to succeed in some way in supplying the city's great need. They thought that $110,000 would not only supply new machin- ery, but would also do something toward meeting the expense of bringing good water from the island filter, or, in case the filter should prove a fail- ure, from the river above the island, where the water was comparatively free from pollution. Committees of the Council, though working slowly. yet worked effectively, one of them especially doing most efficient work in visiting various Western cities for the purpose of examining their water-works machinery. From their report, published in full in the American of June 17, 1877. the following items are taken. According
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to that report, the committee, which consisted of William H. Perry, James Wyatt, and W. F. Foster, had visited Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Rock Island, Davenport, Peoria, Alton, and St. Louis. They submitted a description of the water-works machinery in each of these places, in order that the City Council of Nashville might be thoroughly informed before making a selection. The final result of their labors has hereto- fore been seen in the brief sketch of the water-works themselves.
In 1866 Asiatic cholera prevailed in many parts of the United States. On this account fear was again felt for the safety of the city, the Nash- ville Medical Society sounded the alarm, and the result was the establish- ment of the Board of Health of Nashville. A meeting of the profession, called by Dr. C. K. Winston, was held at the office of Dr. T. L. Mad- din June 5, of that year, at which two physicians were selected in each ward for sanitary work. The names of these physicians were as follows: First Ward, W. A. Cheatham and J. R. Buist; Second Ward, J. C. New- nan and H. M. Compton; Third Ward, T. L. Maddin and W. L. Nichol; Fourth Ward, J. W. Morton and W. B. Maney; Fifth Ward, J. D. Winston and J. H. Callender; Sixth Ward, T. B. Buchanan and J. D. Plunket; Seventh Ward, E. F. P. Pool and J. H. Currey; Eighth Ward, C. A. Brodie and J. A. Beauchamp; Ninth Ward, F. M. Hughes and Van S. Lindsley; Tenth Ward, T. A. Atchison and D. Du Pre.
The organization of the Board was effected by the election of Dr. J. C. Newnan, President; and Dr. J. D. Plunket, Secretary and executive officer. During the same month of June three other meetings were held, and the Board was divided into committees on hygiene, nuisances, en- demic diseases, epidemic diseases, meteorology and mortuary reports. On the 18th Dr. W. Horton took the place of Dr. J. H. Currey. On the 26th, as a result of a conference on the subject with the city govern- ment, a bill was passed establishing the Board of Health. In July and August the Board met five times. The cholera was approaching the city from Louisville, but up to August II Secretary Plunket reported but one case, that of a visitor from Cincinnati. Seven deaths occurred by the 3Ist of the month, and by the 15th of September the epidemic was well under way. The Nashville Dispatch of that date estimated that over eight hundred deaths had occurred in the city, and said: "With the single exception of Memphis, the mortality has been greater in Nashville, according to population, than in any other city it has visited in this coun- try." It also said that the cholera raged with greater violence during that time than at any former time. This paper also said:
"Under the smart of this terrible punishment for inattention to the warnings of medical science, the municipal authorities no longer hesi-
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tated to make the Board of Health a reality. On the 11th of April, 1867, the ordinance organizing the Board of Health was so amended as to create a Health Officer, with a salary of $1,800 per annum. During the whole year he was subject to the instructions of the Board, and with the exception of five months his entire time was devoted to the duties of his office. The Health Officer was nominated by the Board of Health, and was elected by the joint vote of both boards of the City Council.
"On April 15, Joseph S. Jones, M.D., Professor of Physiology and Pathology in the Medical Department of the University of Nashville, was nominated as Health Officer, and afterward duly elected. He was the first person who filled that office in Nashville or in Tennessee. An ex- pert scientist, and a physician who had filled a high position in the army of the Confederate States during the four years' contest, he was thor- oughly furnished for the difficult task to which he was summoned. He devoted his entire energies to the work, was cordially sustained by the Board, the city government, and the citizens generally.
"Nashville had in earnest entered upon a career of sanitary reform, which if continued for a few years would have the city as renowned for health as it has always been for intellect.
"All this was frustrated by the strange political anomaly which dis- franchised the wealth, intellect, and virtue, while it enfranchised the vice, ignorance, and misery of the city. From the minutes of the Board of Health it appears that on December II Professor Jones was unani- mously and against his own protest nominated as Health Officer for the year 1868. The city government ignored this nomination, and elected a candidate of their own. The Board of Health did not see proper to contest this illegal step, and virtually came to an end, although a futile at- tempt was made to revive it in July, 1869, when John M. Bass, as Re- ceiver, replaced the entire city government. Against the respectful remonstrances of the Board, he made the fatal mistake of economizing at the expense of public health.
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