The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-26

! householders of the city are COL
sumers of city water, 2074 consumers
being listed. II -
the equipment used in the main,
tenance OF the water system is OF
me very best available. A Qua
pumping system is maintained, cleo
tr1clty being used ordinarily while
the steam unit is kept as a reserve
| The water is pumped into tank with
storage capacity of $500. 900 gal
IONS. pressure Of 20 to 100 pounds
Is maintained throughout the CITY
depending upon the elevation. In
! case OF IRE extra pressure can be
applied.
The present supply OF water 1.
Sunlclent Tor all the needs of the
CITY now and In case of phenominaI
growth another well can easily bf
sunk, Rates charged are very moder.
ate enabling the citizens of Mankatc
10 use a great deal of it in the sum
mer time TO improve the appearance
OF lawns and parkings.
me plant was established in 1875
and the original cost was S236
10000. Many additions and imroye
+ mentS have been made since that
time Mick Schoeneberger is the sup,
! ef1ntendent OF the plant and is an
experienced man in this line and
one well fitted for the position he
holds. He has held this position fol
one year having previously been the
assistant superintendent for two
years. The city has a large program
Tor the coming year in improve
mentS Tor the. water system. Al
additional well will be sunk TO tax
care OF all emergencies and i'm
4 N AN
reservoir. Extension OF the system
! or mains is also planned.
Sewer Department
An adequate sewer system covers
the entire city and, has been the
! growth OF years, many improve
ments being added year by year
| There are 1857 miles OF sewe,
| pipe and except for some OF the out
| lying districts, every home and bust.
ness house in the city has access
10 this system. The mains range in
size from 6 inches to 36x54. IN,
! cost OF the original system wa!
$4,000 though this would far from
cover its present worth with the
fmany Improvements that have been
added from time to time Extensions
are planned for the coming year IL
East Mankato and West Mankato
| AAo '" III lNhu0I lilt SN SlGIl ONO O
the most complete to be found il
any city OF this size. As an auxiIi
AIRY TO this system there arc tn,
storm sewers constructed origiual!y
= in 1890 at a cost OF $50, 900. lnis
system too has had many changes
and improvements made in it. There
has been only one serious epidemi,
In the city, this occurring in 1905
when because of the street waters
flooding into one of the wells,
typhoid epidemic gained foothold
All possibility of a re- occurrence O
this has now been eliminated.
The Fire Department
/ Mankato has modern fire fightinj
unit in many ways although those
in charge of this department fee
that certain additions in equipment
are needed TO place the department
in a position of, fullest efficiency
Ben r. BangeTter is the present
chief and has been connected with
the fire department for ten years
four OF which he has served as chief
Nine other men are employed on full
time and two on part time. The sal
aries paid range from $4,000 i;
month for the chief, $125.0O for q
Icaptain, $4,000 for a lieutenant anC
down 10 $4,000 for the ordinary fire
men. The equipment provided in the
three stations consists of one motor
fire engine, three nose trucks, ont
OF them motor driven, one cnemlca
truck, motor driven and two hool
and ladder trucks, one OF which is
motor driven. All the motor driver
vehicles are kept at the Contra
Station. This department has beer
tabliShed since 1860. In addition Il
the paid fire department there are
five volunteer organizations in this
city aggregating total force O
seventy men.
= AS IA part OF the fire prevention
5! stem there are PIP fire hydrant!
located about the city in strategic
IEUints. There have been Opinions eX,
, pressed lately, however that the ca
paCity of these fire mains is not Su.
t1icient to supply the volume O
water necessary in the case of a bis
fire. There have never been any big
general fires in Mankato although
there have been several very seriou.
ones. Such was the one that destroy
cd the State Teachers College builC
ing on a FEBRUARY morning of this
ar. In recent years there has bee
only one fire NnIcl suL beyond the
control OF the fire Departments; anC
l&pIead beyond its source. This was
the fire that started in the Madison
laundry anu spread 10 the American
IEXpTess Office and the Porter anC
Fay store building.
Gas And Electric Light Pant
The Northern States rover com
PAM operating in Mankato furnish
ing light and power, heat and gas L
its inhabitants. is a corporation
owned and controlled by the Bylles
by Engineering and Management
Corporation of Chicago. which con
Germ purchased the properly in 1910
The original Gas Company plant wa
built in 1863 and the electric ligh
company, a. local concern yTas frs
;, installed a few years later. Thes,
two companies were later merge,
under one management under tn,
name OF the MaRkato Gas and Elec
trio Co. This is the concern mat wa
purchased by the Northern State
Power Go. in 1910.
Electric currelt is supplied to the
lefty OF Mankato from the hydro
electric plant belonging 10 the North
ern States Power Co. in Rapidan. II
this electric plant at Rapidan there
is installed machinery for the gen
Grating OF $500 horse power. There
lis available space for the instalIa
lion OF machinery which will in
crease the capacity Of the plant 1851
horse power.
The gas works originally had {
capacity for the production OF $4,000