Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-06-27
Weeklg gntelligenfer.
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER.
FALLEN.

Few incidents in the history of Lex
ington have created more excitement,
more interest and more general dis
cussion than the fall of the water tow
er, last Monday afternoon, at about B
O'Clock. Rearing its iron front one
hundred and fifty feet above the
ground; situated upon a beautiful m
i%nence, observable from nearly every
corner in Lexington, and for many
miles up and down the Missouri river,
in Jackson, Clay, Ray, Carroll and La
tayette counties, the water tower re-
Gently erected at this place was one OF
the most conspicuous objects that ever
marked a varied and beautiful land
scape. 1t was a unique structure, there
probably not being its like on earth,
and it was consequently observed and
commented upon by all who saw it.
A brief description of its proportions
and purposes may be Of interest. About
a year ago the Lexington Water Com
pany began the construction OF water
works at this place. In order to COM
bine the advantages of the Holly and
the reservoir systems, and at the same
time reduce running expenses, beside
two powerful engines to force water
into the pipes, a tower, or rather tank,
was built, to contain 800, 900 gallons of
water, at such a height as to furnish
the necessary pressure to force 1t
through the pipes to a height OF some
80 feet anywhere in the city, thus sup
plying water at night when the engines
were idle, and doing away with the ne
cessity of maintaining a double force OF
hands.
The tank was of iron, % feet in di-
ameter, and LOG feet high, and rested
upon seven cylindrical iron pillars A
feet high, thus making the entire struc-
ture $50 feet high. Each pillar rested
upon a stone foundation that went
about 3 feet below the surface of the
ground. The pillars were hollow cyl
inders, made of 3-S inch wrought iron,
with the sheets butted against each
other, and secured by bands tapping
over the seams and rivetted to both
sheets. The six outer pillars were 80
inches each in diameter, and the CEN
trail pillar was Sc inches in diameter.
They all had cast iron shoes below and
above, were we'll bolted to their founda-
tons and to each other. The base of
the tank rested on II inch iron eye
beams, and a heavy wooden floor. The
tank itself was not bolted down or
fastened at the bottom to the pillars. 1t
simply rested in the place provided for
it within the circumference of the out
er edges of the six pillars, the diane
ter across these pillars being % feet.
The bottom of the tank was composed
of 1-2 inch wrought iron; the first five
sheets above this were of 1-2 inch iron;
the next five sheets of ZIG inch iron;
the next five sheets OF 3 8 inch iron;
the next five sheets of SIG inch iron;
the next five OF IA inch iron, and the
next two sheets, the last one being only
2 feet wide, of SIG inch iron. The tank
was not sustained by guys nor braces
of any kind.
At about 4:30 o'clock, or some 20
minutes before it fell, Mr.. j. S. Sim
mons, the foreman of the works, as
cended to the top of the tank, the
pumps being in operation, to see how
high the water stood. When he looked
over he found that there was 81 feet of
water. while he stood there observing
it, about a foot more of water entered.
He descended and went away. Judging
by the rate at which it was entering he
thinks when the tower fell that it con-
tanned 90 feet of water, which would
weigh something I'VE 2 200, 900 pounds,
A few minutes after Mr.. Simmons
left, Mr.. Robt. Taubman drove up to
the tower in his buggy with his friend,
DIR. X. H. Corrin, of Carroll county,
to whom he was explaining its dimen-
sions, use, sc. While doing this from
the buggy, in the road only a few feet
north of the tower, a singular, sharp,
cracking noise was heard from the
structure which alarmed Mr.. Taub-
mans horse, and he turned him and
drove a little way down the road, to-
ward town, when suddenly he saw
water gush from the bottom of the
tank and in a moment the tower
fell, principally to the northeast. The
pillars flew in every direction. The
tank was rent into a number of pieces
and torn as one would ear paper.
Bolts, rivets and chunks of iron rained
down from the air. The immense mass
of water struck the ground like a solid
substance, and then divided and flowed
in every direction, bearing upon its
crest great masses of iron, and sweep
ing up a new fence OH the north SO
clean that it was impossible even TO see
where the postholes had been. One
immense chunk of iron was thrown
yer $50 feet to Mr.. Primers coal shaft
stable. Mr.. Taubman says that the
catastrophe was appalling, and though
he has very steady nerves its unexpect
edness, the ~vastness of the object, and
its sudden and complete wreck, un-
nerved him as he gazei upon but could
nc realize it.
A few minutes before the fall three
little boys were at the foot of the tow
er, waiting to see the water Il over
the top, as they had been told by some
one it would do. They were BERTHE,
SON of Mr.. Robert Taubman; Harry,
son of Mr.. John Taubman, and Jimmie,
son Of Col. M. V. l.. McClelIand.
While there some bolt or rivet heads
fell from the tower and alarmed them,
and they moved away, very Fortunate
ly. Even as it was, one of them was
caught by a part of the flood of water
and very nearly washed away.
One of the stone foundations is badly
split and out of place, and one of the
iron pillars is broken completely in
two. The thoroughness of the wreck
must be seen to be appreciated.
Naturally there are many theories
advanced to account for the casualty.
(lF hnnn v@ quo