of
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| History of Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume I, 1911, pages 290-291
WATER WORKS. While Muscatine was settled in 1836 and incorporated in 1853, it was not until 1875 that a water works system was installed. On the 9th of November of the year last mentioned, the first steps were taken toward the building of a water system in this city. On that date several of the most prominent citizens held a meeting and organized the Muscatine Water Works Company. All the stock was subscribed and Alexander Jackson was made president of the corporation; Richard Musser, vice president; H. H. Moore, treasurer; and J. Carskaddan, secretary. The contract for the construction of the works was ordered for $31,138 and the buildings were erected. In the following year the reservoir was constructed at a cost of $8,000, the pressure of the latter being from 60 to 90 pounds, varying with the location of the hydrants. Under the charter of the corporation the tenure of its franchise was twenty-five years. In that time eleven miles of mains were laid and one hundred and twenty-five fire hydrants erected. At the foot of Chestnut street a brick pump house was built, wherein were installed two double acting Cope and Maxwell pumps, the water drawn from the Mississippi river, being pumped through an intake direct to the reservoir. This water at certain times of the year was very unpalatable, so much so that it gave rise to a great deal of dissatisfaction on the part of the consumer. This led to a demand for the adoption of a new system. The franchise having reached its termination, the city in 1900 purchased the old works for $100,000. A board of trustees was formed, consisting of W. H. Roach, chairman, T. R. Fitzgerald and Samuel Cone. The services of William Molis, who had for many years been superintendent, were retained, he being an engineer of unusual ability, business integrity and honesty. At once a movement was made in the direction of adopting a better system of securing pure water and the first thing that the trustees had to consider in that direction was the erection of a new station and devising means for that purpose. Various plans were advocated but the most popular was that of the establishment of a station south of town. This resulted in the building of a station on Muscatine Island. It was thought that $60,000 in addition to the income of the old works would be sufficient to complete the new plant and consequently bonds were issued for that amount. Three and a half acres were purchased of W. H. Hoopes & Son for the site of the new pumping station and in the latter part of 1906 the plant was completed. The pump house is 45x85 feet, with a coal house 30x40 feet. The smoke stack is 30 feet high and is said to be the most perfect stack in the state. The pump machinery consists of one Holly horizontal compound high duty pumping engine, capable of delivering 3,000,000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours. There is also a Worthington horizontal triple expansion pumping engine, which can supply 3,000,000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours.
The water supply consists of fourteen driven wells in sand and gravel. They are located on either side of a twenty inch pipe line which runs from the pump house south some 1,500 feet through the lots of T. B. Holcomb. These wells are about 100 to 110 feet apart and consist of six inch pipe with a strainer at the bottom, and are at an average depth of forty-eight feet.
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