The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-26

adopLed ana the contamination OF
which is our present water system.
The Water Works company was
organized April 81, 1877, with capital
stock fixed at 100000 divided into
shares of 500 each.
The board OF directors was as fol.
lows: William Leighton, Guy Wells,
I w G. Stripe. Patrick Gibbons, S. P.
Pond, James H. Anderson, the latter.
being the only surviving member of
that first board. The following officers
were elected:
| William Leighton President
| Guy Wells-vice president.
Edward Observation-Disclosures
| w. @. Stripe-Secretary and engi-
neer,
In an old detailed story of the early
Idays of the contamination of this en-
terprise, printed in 1879 these excerpts
are made:
ITO the gentlemen comprising the
board of directors the citizens are also
largely indebted for these works
More particularly may be named in
this connection William Leighton,
presidents Guy Wells, vice president;
| ]. H. Anderson and S. p. Pond direc-
tors of the company And
while according credit to others for
the part they have taken In the en-
/ terprise, we claim that The Gate City
is entitled to its share. We consider
4 that to w. G. Stripe, more than to
any other one individual, Keokuk Is
| indebted for the works. He has striv-
en- with tireless energy and an I'M
yielding determination to succeed The
ether gentlemen named are also en-
titled to all praise. But when the
project was hanging in the balance,
and it was uncertain whether 1t was
going to win or not, The Gate City
took hold with earnestness and la
bored day after day, in urging upon
our citizens the Importance of secur-
ing the works, until the necessary
amount of stock was taken, and the
success of the undertaking assured
| The erection of the works was COM
menced February S, 1878, and were to
have been completed June IS. but
were delayed through hardness on the
part of the city in grading the streets
where pipes we're to be laid as pro-
vided by ordinance. At the time OF
/ the final test July 10, 1878, the con-
tractors had been employed just seven
ty-four working days. Messrs. Cover
Fdale & Cowell were the contractors;
the machinery was placed under the
supervision of A. P. Holly OF Lock-
port, N. Y, and the pipes were furn-
ished by Dennis Long & Co., of Louis
vile, Ky.
The final tests at the completion of
the works were made Thursday, July
is, 1878, and developed remarkable
record in view of the tests made Fri
Gay of last week, and In well told in
The Gate City at the time. Here is
the report as given by this paper and
will be of interest to compare with
I the report of the recent test as given
in The Gate City last Friday after
noon:
"Test number one took place
promptly at o'clock a. m. Three
Ione-inch streams were thrown from
lhydrants on the corner of Twelfth and
Timea streets, Twelfth and Exchange
and Tenth and Timea streets This is
the highest point reached by the
mains. and the test was therefore one
of the severest on the program al I
che which indicated that the works
will do. The elevation is lis feet
above the pumps, and the contract re-
CURED that the stream should be
thrown 60 feet high. The stream was
measured and found to reach an alti-
tude of 146 feet high. or nearly two
and one-half times higher than the
contract calls for. This was wholly
satisfactory test, and all interested
expressed themselves highly pleased
with it. Adding the elevation from the
pumps to the altitude of the stream,
we have height of 261 feet, to which
water was forced.
Display number one consisted of a
stream thrown from three hydrants
through one and three-fourths inch
nozzle at the Presbyterian church,
tColhCl oCNSue anu lDiohuCou blCSio.
The location was chosen in order to
compare the altitude of the stream
with the height OF the church steeple
Soon after the water was turned on,
a section Of hose near the nozzle
burst and had to be replaced Just
as the stream was beginning to climb
well the second time. a break occurred
in the main corner Sixth and Main
streets, tearing UP the street and
crossing. and forcing large volume
of water to height of several feet.
This interfered with the pressure so
that the stream on Seventh only
reached an altitude of 1923 feet. Ex-
cept for the break, it no doubt would
have assembled to height of go or
23O feet. The contract calls for an
Many Delightful Ways of serv-
ing Spaghetti.