Evansville’s Water and Light: A Century of Service
Researched and written by Ruth Ann Montgomery
With Special Thanks To: Wayne Ballard, Scott George, and John Rasmussen
In the final months of 1901, the Evansville Water Works and Electric Plant were under
construction. The project had taken more than 15 years of planning and persuasion.
Public water and electrical systems are taken for granted by today’s city property owner,
but at the beginning of the 20th century, not everyone was convinced that the cost was
worth the benefits.
As with any project that required payment of assessments and fees, there was a long
period of time between the proposal and the implementation. Why would taxpayers give up
the inexpensive kerosene lamp and tallow candles for a fee based electrical light system?
Why would a homeowner and those who owned businesses and rental property with private
wells and free water agree to the installation of a public water system and plumbing to their
property and then pay a fee for using water? Local newspaper editorials and public health
official’s reports give a glimpse at the public and private discussions that were held on
Evansville’s sidewalks, at the village board meetings, and in the homes of citizens. The
questions sometimes pitted family members and neighbors against each other.
The water works question posed many concerns for public safety, including fire protection
and prevention of contagious diseases. The 1885 report of Dr. William L. Quivey,
Evansville’s Health Officer, is one of the first notices that Evansville village trustees were
considering a public water system for health reasons. (Dr. Quivey’s father, also named
William, was an Evansville physician in the 1860s.)
Quivey’s report lists his concerns about contagious diseases and contamination of the local
water supply. The report notes that Evansville’s population was 1,666 in 1885 and all
homes and businesses had private wells and privies.
In the Ninth Report of the State Board of Health of Wisconsin 1885, Quivey wrote: “Water is
obtained from wells, ranging from eight to forty feet in depth. The question of water works
is now under discussion and in all probability we shall have them in the course of another
year. No hospital building, but hospital tents are available, which I consider far better than
any permanent structure for contagious diseases. No sanitary ordinances adopted, but
people needed no compulsion to clean their premises thoroughly. I have acted as
inspector and personally investigated every complaint; have had the help of board and
citizens. The school building has been cleaned from cellar to garret, the privy vaults
disinfected and the grounds put in excellent condition. There has been no diarrhea,
dysentery, etc., and none of contagious diseases.”
Quivey was overly optimistic about the timetable for installation of a public water system.
From 1885 to the building of Evansville’s first waterworks system in 1901, there were a
number of significant changes in the village landscape and governance. The population
continued to grow and houses, wells, and privies were built closer together, endangering
the private water supply. The public health officer and the public health board, made up of
village trustees, became more and more concerned about public safety.
Village trustees and the volunteer firemen also had concerns about the water supply for fire
fighting. Allen’s Creek offered a water supply for businesses and homes nearby, however it
offered little protection for the residential and commercial areas of the village. The trustees
ordered that cisterns be built and maintained as another source of water for fire
protection.
A series of disastrous fires in the late 1800s that destroyed the Baker Manufacturing plant,
Lehman’s Furniture Factory, livery stables, stores, apartments, and other valuable
commercial property demonstrated the lack of water pressure for fire fighting.
From 1884, the date of the fire that consumed the Baker and Lehman factories, to
September 29, 1896, when a fire destroyed 75% of the buildings on the south side of the
first block of West Main Street, there were various plans for a public water system for fire
protection. No matter how impressive the fire engines and steam engine powered water
pumps, there was a serious deficiency in getting enough water to fight large fires. The lack
of fire pressure from a standpipe and pumps to force water to fire hydrants seriously
hampered any fire fighting efforts by Evansville’s volunteers.
Shortly after the Baker and Lehman fire the village board purchased a new fire engine, and
some citizens began to agitate for a waterworks system. In addition to the new equipment,
the fire department urged the Village Board of Trustees to consider installing a waterworks
system for fire protection.
On Saturday night, September 5, 1885, the Village Board invited taxpayers to a meeting.
The village Trustees wanted to “test the sentiment” of the taxpayers about the installation of
a waterworks system. Many of the firemen were present, including James Powles who
recorded in his diary that there was great excitement about the possibility of a waterworks
system.
A Beloit resident and waterworks expert, E. P. Wheeler, explained to the village Trustees
and residents that a waterworks system would not only provide fire protection, but would
improve Evansville’s chances of attracting industry and other businesses.
While the primary purpose of the waterworks was to provide fire protection, Wheeler told
the Village Trustees that residents and businesses would also benefit by the installation of
water pipes into their homes and commercial buildings. This would encourage “capitalists
to come here to invest, if the place afforded a good fire protection over the method now
being used—a steam fire engine.”
Wheeler said the system would cost about $19,000 and the village could raise the money
by issuing 20-year bonds at an interest rate of 5%. Annual costs for operation would be
about $1,000. Since Evansville was a major stopping point for the Chicago and
Northwestern Railroad and the railroad company’s depot had recently been destroyed by
fire, Wheeler said the railroad company would pay $700 a year towards Evansville’s
waterworks system. Residential and business water fees would cover the remaining $300,
with the excess going into a “handsome sinking fund” that would meet the bond payments in
20 years.
Wheeler’s proposal included a deep well, pump, ornamental water tower, water mains, and
fire hydrants. The tower pressure and the pump would supply water to all the mains and
hydrants and provide needed fire protection to any area covered by the system.
Several prominent businessmen spoke in opposition to the plan, including architect-builder
Benjamin Hoxie, lumberyard owner C. H. Wilder, and retired farmer and village trustee
Daniel Johnson. Johnson proposed a resolution that the village trustees refuse to adopt
the waterworks proposal and the trustees unanimously approved Johnson’s negative
resolution.
Isaac Hoxie, editor of the Evansville Review and brother to Benjamin Hoxie, opposed his
sibling on this issue. I. A. Hoxie chastised the village trustees for being shortsighted and
predicted that the “people will allow the matter to rest until another decade when our
population shall number 3,000 or a sweeping fire shall reduce us to a heap of ashes.”
In defense of the Village Board’s decision, Caleb Libby, editor of the Evansville newspaper
the Enterprise, praised the Trustees. Libby told his readers that the proposed
improvement “wholly impracticable at the present time.”
The Hub, a newspaper in the neighboring community of Stoughton, suggested: “Evansville
needs a few Stoughtonites to stir ‘em up. The other day that village had a meeting of
citizens to consult about putting in a system of water-works, but unanimously voted against
taking any steps in that direction; at another meeting they even decided not to build any
reservoirs to use in emergencies. Besides they have no telephone connections with any
body.”
The actions of the Trustees angered the firemen and James Powles, foreman of the fire
department resigned from his position and urged the remaining firemen to resign. It took
two months before the Village Trustees and the fire department had resolved their
differences. In lieu of a waterworks system, the Trustees purchased a heater for the fire
engine and authorized a new hook and ladder company.
After they flatly refused to put in a water system, the village board continued to pay for new
cisterns placed in strategic locations in the residential and business district. The cisterns
were filled with water. Businessmen protected their buildings by placing barrels of water at
the back doors of their stores
If they were not ready to provide a waterworks system, the elected officials of the village of
Evansville were more open to a public street lighting system. Two years after Wheeler’s
waterworks proposal failed to win approval, Allen S. Baker proposed to the Village Board
that Baker Manufacturing Company supply an electric power plant and apparatus to
replace the kerosene street lamps with electric lamps.
In August 1887, the Baker Manufacturing Company purchased and installed a new engine
and dynamo to provide power and electricity for their plant. The equipment was purchased
from the United States Electric Light Company of Chicago and the company also provided
personnel to install the machinery. The Chicago firm operated the dynamo and electric
power system for the first thirty days to insure it was in good working order.
Allen Baker proposed that the company sell its surplus electrical power for public and
private use. To gain support for his idea, Allen Baker called a meeting of 14 businessmen
and Village Trustees to hear about his electric light plant. A representative from the United
States Electric Light Company explained the operation of the power plant and those
present voted 12 to 2 in favor of recommending that the village adopt Baker’s proposal. A
Review reporter present at the meeting cautioned: “This expression, coming largely from
business men, could hardly be taken as a popular sense of the citizen.”
At their August 1887 meeting, Baker explained to the Evansville Board of Trustees that the
company would “furnish the village with 40 lights of 16-candle power, every night of the
year from early candlelight until 11 o’clock p.m. for $400.” Despite the businessmen’s
recommendation, the Board rejected the proposal by a 5 to 2 vote.
Not losing hope, Allen Baker continued to pursue his plan and went door-to-door soliciting
subscribers for the new service. He assured potential customers that the Baker
Manufacturing Company engine could provide enough power to run the street lights and
provide electric lights to businesses and residences.
The village Trustees, some of the wealthiest men in Evansville, rejected Baker’s proposal at
least twice. The kerosene street lamps were cheaper and worked just fine, the Trustees
insisted. However, they agreed to hold a special election and let the voters decide. Their
final word to the taxpayers appeared in the local newspapers: “We do not like to take any
responsibility in the matter and will ask for a public expression by vote.”
In an article “Lighting vs. kerosene”, Review editor Hoxie explained the ballot: “Our people
will be called on soon to say by vote whether they will have electricity to light our streets or
kerosene we are now using. We have 39 lamps in all and extend from one end of town to
the other, a distance of more than a mile, and are lit at an expense of $325 a year,
including the lighters salary. It is estimated that the same number of electric lights will cost
us $400.”
Voters approved the electric lights but the Village Board continued quibbling with Allen
Baker about whether the electric lamps would be needed on moonlit nights. In September
1887, the Board finally agreed to a contract with Baker Manufacturing Company for 56
lights. Each lamps cost the village ten dollars a year and Baker agreed to install the poles
and the wiring.
Baker quickly implemented the plan by starting up his “electro light mill” in late September.
The Review’s September 30, 1887 issue announced the new lighting system: “for the first
time, most of the stores and public places were lit with electricity.”
The village’s contract with Baker included only the street lights. Business and homeowners
contracted separately with for electrical service. Baker reported 150 subscribers in the
private sector, including the Methodist Church. The Review reported that the Methodists
had agreed to pay $50 a year for the lights. It was the income from the business and
residential subscribers that allowed Baker’s to make a profit on the operation.
The electric lamp business continued to expand and Bakers had trouble keeping up with
the demand for new service. Business was so good that in July 1888, the company hired
Wellington Smith to take orders for new customers and to make repairs. Smith worked out
of G. S. Plaisted’s shoe shop in Evansville’s business district and was available “any hour of
the day.”
Getting the village to approve additional street lighting was a lengthy and cumbersome
process. Those who wanted street lamps had to get permission from a majority of the
residents on a particular street or block and then petition the Board of Trustees. At their
regular monthly meeting the Board would vote on the petition. If approved, Baker
Manufacturing was notified and the equipment was installed. From start to finish the
installation of new street lighting could take several months.
The equipment was also subject to damage by weather and angry citizens. Not everyone
appreciated the unsightly electric poles. In 1888, Caleb Libby, editor of the Enterprise
newspaper, tried to get Baker to remove a pole from in front of Libby’s home on South First
Street. When Allen Baker refused, Libby sawed into the pole, hoping it would fall, but the
wires held it in place. Libby was fined for violation of a village ordinance that protected the
poles from damage.
After an electrical storm in June 1891, the dynamo was damaged and although the
residential and business lights were working, the street lights were out for more than a
month. “People will have to go back to kerosene lamps and the old tallow dip for a week or
two,” the Evansville Review predicted.
To correct the problem, Baker’s ordered a new dynamo from the Thompson and Houston
company and paid over $1,500 for the new machine. The new dynamo would greatly
improve the electrical operation, according to a report in the July 7, 1891 Evansville
Review.
Allen Baker’s son, John, had succeeded his father as the supervisor of the electrical
operation and was responsible for rearranging the wiring to comply with the requirements of
the new dynamo. The old system required that lights be grouped in bunches of eight and if
one went out, all were out. The new system allowed each light to work independently, and if
only one was damaged, the others remained lit. The Thompson and Houston system also
required less maintenance as there was no longer a need for daily inspection of the wires
to insure that they were working correctly.
Despite the Baker electrical system, some businesses and homes did not have electricity
and continued to use kerosene lanterns and candles for light. As the community
approached the last decade of the 19th century, the antiquated system of private wells and
cisterns still served as Evansville’s water supply.
In 1891, the village once again considered building a waterworks system. Still there were
those who opposed the project. Caleb Libby, editor of the Evansville newspaper, the
Enterprise and the Tribune felt that there were less expensive methods of providing
protection. There was more need for a new village hall and Evansville could not afford
both.
The Evansville Review supported the waterworks system. “Will an artesian well ever be
built in the village. A well can be put in for $2,000 with sufficient water to supply the whole
village. It would give good fire protection and supply homes and businesses,” the May 19,
1891 issue noted.
Several of Evansville’s leading businessmen supported a $25,000 waterworks system. Dr.
John M. Evans, Lloyd T. Pullen, Alonzo C. Gray, William Libby, Lewis Spencer, Jud W.
Calkins, Fred A. Baker, John P. Porter, C. E. Cummings, Almeron Eager, T. C. Richardson,
M. V. Pratt, George L. Pullen, Charles F. P. Pullen, Frank A. Baker, H. N. Simons and W. J.
Clark signed a petition to get the question on the April 1892 ballot.
The business leaders emphasized the need for better fire protection as well as health
concerns. The village’s water supply was in danger of contamination. As the village
became more populated, houses were built closer together and the space between
residences decreased. In most cases, each house had its own privy and well. Doctors and
other informed citizens knew the health dangers caused by the contamination of well water
by human and animal wastes.
The family well and the outhouse were sometimes dangerously close together. If wells were
shallow and cesspools deep, the chance of contamination was great. Garbage and animal
wastes were being dumped behind barns and in alleys. The hollow ground near bridges
along Allen’s Creek was another popular dumping place. Poor drainage, together with
decaying manue in the streets and barn yards near houses posed a problem of
contamination seeping into the wells.
The supporters of the waterworks agreed that it should provide a deep artesian well, water
piped into businesses and homes and a fire protection system to replace the cisterns build
in the 1870s and 188s.
However, most voters were concerned about increasing taxes and at the April 1892 election
they authorized bonds for the hall and voted down the bonds for the water system. The
waterworks was overwhelmingly rejected by a 195 to 48 vote.
By 1895, Evansville's population had reached 1,716 people, and many began to agitate for
a city form of government. Wisconsin law allowed villages of more than 1,500 in population
to reincorporate as a city. A petition was circulated in 1895 for Evansville to change its
legal status to a city form of government.
One of the reasons supporters wanted a change in the form of government was the need
for a water works system. In 1896, Evansville voters agreed to become a City, but it would
be another five years before they would endorse a waterworks and public electric utility.
Once again Baker Manufacturing Company came to the rescue and provided water for fire
protection for themselves and the business district. In August 1898, the company drilled a
60-foot well and provided a pump. A Sanborn map of the Baker Manufacturing Company
drawn a few months after the well was drilled indicates that the company had 200 feet of 2
inch fire hose, a force pump and another 150 feet of hose attached to draw water from this
well.
It was this demand for water for fire protection that prompted the City officials to finally take
action and bring the waterworks question to the voters in 1901. Every voter had to weigh
the benefits of paying for something that was free against the dangers of fire and
contagious diseases.
The new water system was proposed as a privately owned system but three men from
Chicago, W. H. Wheeler, J. P. Miller and John H. Brown. Brown was the principal
spokesman and engineer for the company. They proposed a 100-foot standpipe, a deep
well, water mains and 50 hydrants with 2 ½ inch hose connections for fire protection.
Ray Gillman, the city’s fire chief was one of the strongest advocates for the waterworks.
Gillman noted the lack of water as one of the principal reasons the city’s fire fighting
equipment was inadequate. Three likely sources of water were the cisterns, some nearly
30 years old; Lake Leota, and Allen’s Creek. The lake property was privately owned and
since the dam had been allowed to deteriorate, there was no water in the lake. The old mill
race was dry and Gilman estimated that any water remaining in Allen’s creek would last
about 20 minutes, in the event of a major fire.
Allen Baker also made a proposal to build a waterworks system and offer both water and
electricity to the city for a fee.
The election was held on July 31, 1901 and the voters (all men because women could only
vote in school board elections) cast 265 votes for the utilities and 126 votes against. The
City Council met immediately following the counting of the votes and approved the building
of the new waterworks and electrical system as outlined in the franchise with Brown’s
company.
The council authorized John H. Brown and his associates to “construction, maintain and
operate the waterworks and electric light and power plants.” A copy of the franchise was
published in the Evansville Review, the official paper of the City.
The City hired its own engineer to oversee the installation of the waterworks.
The system was tested on January 22, 1902 and the City completed the purchase of the
water and light system.
The mayor called a special meeting of the City Council on February 27, 1902 to create a
water and light commission. The Council passed the following resolution: “Whereas the
City of Evansville has recently purchased the waterworks plant and electric lighting system
recently installed in the City of Evansville and Whereas the City Council deem it advisable
to provide for a board of commissioners for the government, management, regulation and
operation of said waterworks and electric plant and Whereas the City Council deem it
necessary for the proper management of said water and light plants, that such a board of
commissioners be created at once.”
The commission was to have five members, with one member from the council and three
from outside the council. The fifth member was the mayor who served as an ex-officio
member of the commission. Each member, with the exception of the mayor, was elected by
the council. The terms of the first members of the commission were staggered with two hold
one year terms and two holding two year terms. After the first year, the commission
members who were leaving office were either re-elected or replaced by a vote of the council
at their organizational meeting each year.
The Evansville Prospectus, a newspaper sized promotional brochure for the city extolled
the virtues of the city owned utilities: “Evansville stands alone in the possession of a
municipally owned waterworks and light plant that is on a paying basis. The city is free from
debt. Her water is famed for its purity. For fire protection she has a seventy-five pound
standpipe pressure.”
In June 1910, the newspapers announced the implementation of daytime electrical service.
“Water and Light Commission of the city of Evansville will install a day power electric service
and also day lighting service as soon as the necessary material ordered shall have arrived.
(June 23, 1910)
Baker Manufacturing continued to provide a fire protection system within its own complex.
When a new 3-story building was built on the east side of Enterprise street, Baker’s
installed a 500-barrel water tank on the roof and a force pump with a 750-gallon per minute
capacity.
In 1891, the village once again considered building a waterworks system and as in the past,
there were those who opposed the project. Caleb Libby, editor of the Evansville weekly
newspapers the Enterprise and the Tribune, criticized the plan and said there were less
expensive methods of providing fire protection. Libby favored building a new village hall
and he said Evansville could not afford a new hall and a waterworks system.
The Evansville Review supported the waterworks system. “Will an artesian well ever be
built in the village? A well can be put in for $2,000 with sufficient water to supply the whole
village. It would give good fire protection and supply homes and businesses,” the May 19,
1891 issue noted.
Several of Evansville’s leading businessmen supported a $25,000 waterworks system. Dr.
John M. Evans, Lloyd T. Pullen, Alonzo C. Gray, William Libby, Lewis Spencer, Jud W.
Calkins, Fred A. Baker, John P. Porter, C. E. Cummings, Almeron Eager, T. C. Richardson,
M. V. Pratt, George L. Pullen, Charles F. P. Pullen, Frank A. Baker, H. N. Simons and W. J.
Clark signed a petition to get the question on the April 1892 ballot.
In support of their proposal, the business leaders emphasized the need for better fire
protection as well as health concerns. They especially noted the danger of contamination
of the water supply. As the village became more populated, houses were built closer
together and the space between residences decreased. Each house had its own privy and
well and Dr. Evans and other informed citizens knew the health dangers caused by the
contamination of well water by human and animal wastes.
The family well and the outhouse were sometimes dangerously close together. If wells were
shallow and cesspools deep, the chance of contamination was great. Garbage and animal
wastes were dumped behind barns and in alleys. The hollow ground near bridges along
Allen’s Creek was another popular dumping place for wastes. Poor drainage, together with
decaying manure in the streets and barnyards near houses posed the possibility of
contamination seeping into the wells.
The supporters of the waterworks agreed that the village should provide a deep artesian
well, water piped into businesses and homes, and a fire protection system to replace the
cisterns built in the 1870s and 1880s.
However, most voters were concerned about increasing taxes and at the April 1892 election
they authorized bonds for the hall and voted down the bonds for the water system. The
waterworks was overwhelmingly rejected by a 195 to 48 vote.
By 1895, Evansville's population had reached 1,716 people, and some citizens began to
agitate for a city form of government. Wisconsin law allowed a village of more than 1,500 in
population to reincorporate as a city. A petition was circulated in 1895 for Evansville to
change its legal status to a city form of government.
One of the reasons given by those who wanted a change in the form of government was
the need for a waterworks system. In 1896, Evansville voters agreed to become a City and
just months afterwards, Evansville’s worst fire of the century occurred.
People had been predicting for many years that the long rows of wooden stores and other
commercial buildings were a great fire hazard. On September 26, 1896, their prediction
came true. A livery stable caught fire and the flames quickly spread to neighboring
buildings. Before the fire was out, 13 buildings were in ashes and fire damage was
estimated at more than $25,000.
However, it was another five years before the City Council and voters would endorse a
waterworks and public electric utility. Baker Manufacturing Company decided they could
not wait for a public waterworks system and built small waterworks system for fire protection
for their own use. In August 1898, the company drilled a 60-foot well and included a pump
and fire hose. The company also offered to help with any fires in the business district.
The Sanborn-Perris Map Co. map of Evansville completed in December 1899, a few months
after Baker’s fire protection system was built, indicates that Baker’s had a well, 200 feet of 2
inch fire hose, a force pump and another 150 feet of hose attached to draw water from this
well. The same map gave the following description of Evansville’s water supply for fire
fighting: “public and private wells & cisterns.”
Finally the water for fire protection prompted the City officials to finally take action and bring
the waterworks question to the voters in 1901. Every voter had to weigh the benefits of
paying for something that was free in their own private wells against the dangers of fire and
contagious diseases.
Ray Gillman, the city’s fire chief was one of the strongest advocates for the waterworks.
Gillman noted the lack of water as one of the principal reasons the city’s fire fighting
equipment was inadequate. Three likely sources of water were the cisterns, some nearly
30 years old, Lake Leota, and Allen’s Creek.
The lake property was privately owned and the dam had been allowed to deteriorate. In
1901 there was very little water in what had once been Lake Leota. The old mill race was
dry and Gilman estimated that any water remaining in Allen’s creek would last about 20
minutes, in the event of a major fire.
The new water system was proposed as a franchise and privately owned business by three
men from Chicago, W. H. Wheeler, J. P. Miller and John H. Brown. Brown was the principal
spokesman and engineer for the company.
The infrastructure proposed by Brown’s firm included a 100-foot high standpipe, twelve feet
in diameter; a deep well, not less than 8 feet in diameter; 18,131 feet of 4-inch, cast iron
water mains; and 50 hydrants with double 2 ½ inch hose connections for fire protection.
The pumping system included two compound, duplex pumping engines, a feed pump and
heater.
According to Brown’s proposal, the system could pump fifty thousand gallons of water every
twenty-four hours. Two return flue tubular boilers powered the pumps. Each boiler was
sixteen feet in length and sixty-six inches in diameter, and had the capacity of 120
horsepower.
Allen Baker also made a proposal to build a waterworks system and offer both water and
electricity to the city for a fee. Baker offered to sell the city its power lines and build a new
power plant, in a separate building from their own generator and dynamo. However, the
City Council favored Brown’s plan, as it covered more of the city’s residential area.
The election was held on July 31, 1901 and the voters (all men because women could only
vote in school board elections) cast 265 votes for the utilities and 126 votes against. The
City Council met immediately following the counting of the votes and approved the
construction of the new waterworks and electrical system as outlined in the franchise with
Brown’s company.
The council voted unanimously to give John H. Brown and his associates a franchise to
“construction, maintain and operate the waterworks and electric light and power plants.”
The City Council also reserved the right to purchase the system for $51,000 at anytime
during the franchise. A copy of the franchise was published in the Evansville Review, the
official paper of the City.
A fee schedule was established and the system was to be built and tested by the 1st of
January 1902. A penalty of $5 a day was imposed on the Brown Company, if the
construction was not completed by that date.
The City agreed to pay an annual fee of $44 per hydrant each year. Commercial rates
were based on the type of business or organization. The annual fee for a barbershop was
$5 a year for the first chair and $1 for each additional chair. Churches paid $5 per year.
Boarding houses paid $1 per room. Dentists and restaurants paid $10.
Fees for residential customers were based on the number of faucets in their home. Each
family paid $5 for the first faucet and $3 for each additional faucet. If the family had a
private sewer system with a water closet in the house, rather than the outdoor privy, there
was an additional charge of $3 for the first bowl and $2 for each additional bowl.
All customers, commercial and residential, also had the option of putting in water meters so
that they could pay by the amount of water used. The meters were purchased from the
company and rates varied from 10 to 30 cents per 1000 gallons of water. There were also
additional charges for those who wanted hoses for sprinkling lawns, or washing sidewalks
and the outsides of buildings.
The electrical plant proposed by the Brown Company consisted of one eighteen-kilowatt
alternator for the arc street lamps and two thirty-seven and one-half kilowatt alternators for
commercial lights. According to the franchise agreement, there were to be “two engines of
sufficient size to operate the said alternators.”
The system also included poles, wires, lamps, and lights. The lights were to be turned on
according to the Philadelphia moon schedule and kept on until midnight. On moonlit
nights, if clouds or heavy fog covered the moon, then the lights were still to be lit until
midnight.
The Brown company promised to hire local laborers to help with the construction. The City
Council designated David M. Johnson as the city’s representative with the Brown company
during the construction. Johnson was to handle any communication between the contractor
and the city.
On August 23, 1901, James Powles recorded in his diary, “waterworks men came today to
commence work.” In the following weeks, Powles followed the progress of the project and
wrote these entries in his diary: “September 11, Commenced to dig for waterworks;
Monday; November 13, 65 men working on waterworks ditches.”
The local newspaper reporters also followed the project. From the Badger, November 30,
1901: “The water-works system is nearly completed. Those in charge hope to have it in
working order by December 10th. The weather has been very favorable for the work.”
Two wells were dug just north of the powerhouse. They were put in at a depth of 24 feet.
This would later be determined as too shallow because there was a great chance for runoff
contamination by stockyards and manufacturing firms in the same area.
Two engines and the boilers were placed inside the powerhouse. The steam-powered
boilers were fueled by coal.
The standpipe for the water system was located on North Main Street (today’s North Fourth
Street), on a high hill one-half mile from the city’s main business district. The standpipe
was still under construction in early December. On December 7, James Powles wrote that
the standpipe had been completed to 30 feet.
The system was described as a gravity system with a capacity of 70 to 75 pounds of
pressure. The standpipe, 80 feet was located ½ mile northwest of the City Hall. There
were 2 Smith Vaile pumps with a capacity of 30 gallons per minute from 2 open wells 7 ½
feet in diameter by 28 feet deep. There were 2 six-inch suctions and 2 five-inch suctions
into 8-inch mains. There were 4 miles of water pipe that was a varied from 4, 6, or 8-inches
in diameter. (Sanborn Map Company, 1907)
The street lights operating from the new power house on Exchange Street were lit for the
first time on January 1, 1902. According to the Enterprise, the lights were “very
handsome”. The new machinery had not been fully tested, so the lights were not operating
to full capacity during the first trial of the new dynamo.
The Brown company had met the January 1 deadline for completion of the water and light
operation. Brown told the city officials that he wanted the machinery to operate for a few
weeks before the final inspection.
To protect its interests in the largest investment every made by the municipality, the City
hired its own engineer to oversee the final test of the completed waterworks and electrical
system. A mechanical and electrical engineer, C. H. Williams; H. B. Hein, the
Superintendent of the Madison City Water Works; and R. R. Parkin, Superintendent of the
Elgin, Illinois Waterworks, were hired by the city to observe and comment on the waterworks
demonstration on January 22, 1902.
The local fire department was asked to assist with the test and the event drew a large
crowd of people, including the mayor, councilmen, J. H. Brown, businessmen, and the usual
crowd of spectators that assembled for any major event.
At the corner of Main and Madison, the firemen attached two hoses to two hydrants. When
the hydrants were opened, the firemen were able to throw a steady stream of water from
each hose. The water was forced to a height of more than 80 feet. The firemen then
moved their equipment to the corner of Church and Madison streets and performed the
same test. At these hydrants, the streams of water went over the Methodist Church tower.
The same test was made at hydrants in several different parts of the city and according to
the Evansville Review reporter, “with no exception, worked to perfection.” Although some
in the crowd had been skeptical that the system would work and others had bitterly
opposed the project, everyone present seemed to find the waterworks a success.
Even Caleb Libby’s newspapers the Tribune and the Enterprise, once strongly in opposition
to waterworks, were complimentary. “Waterworks a Success” was the headline for Libby’s
January 24, 1902 Enterprise and repeated in the weekly Tribune. “We are pleased to
announce that it proved successful, far beyond the most sanguine expectations of all, and
especially those who had been the most skeptical declared themselves well pleased with
the result.”
The skeptics were now in the minority according to Libby. “No doubt many will now see the
benefits to be derived from this system more than ever before, and make use of it both
publicly and privately throughout the city as soon as practical and the frost is out of the
ground. No better water for domestic purposes, as well as all others, could possibly be
procured to this section, and the conveniences of having no wells, pumps, etc., to keep in
repair, as well as exposure to the cold blasts of winter and hot rays of the sun in summer,
all speak for themselves of the many advantages to be derived therefrom.”
Following the successful test of the waterworks, the City Council was determined to
purchase the new water and electrical system. The mayor and councilmen called a special
election to ask voters if they would approve the issuing of bonds so that the City could
purchase the Brown Company franchise.
The voters agreed and the purchase of the water and light system was completed on
February 7, 1902 and the Council was authorized to sell $51,000 in bonds. It was a huge
debt for the City, the largest in the community’s history.
Several people applied for the job of superintendent of the water and light company.
Clarence S. Baker was hired as the first superintendent for the powerhouse of the new
electrical company. Harry J. Lee was hired as the engineer to assist in operating the
pumps and keep the coal fired boilers in operation.
Baker, a nephew of Allen Baker, had worked for the Baker Manufacturing Company and
was familiar with the operation of the coal-fired boilers, pumps, and dynamo of a water and
light company. He was paid $60 a month for his services. Lee earned about $20 less than
Baker.
The mayor, Perry Wilder, called a special meeting of the City Council on February 27, 1902
to create a water and light commission. The Council passed the following resolution:
“Whereas the City of Evansville has recently purchased the waterworks plant and electric
lighting system recently installed in the City of Evansville and Whereas the City Council
deem it advisable to provide for a board of commissioners for the government,
management, regulation and operation of said waterworks and electric plant and Whereas
the City Council deem it necessary for the proper management of said water and light
plants, that such a board of commissioners be created at once.”
The commission was to have five members, with one member from the council and three
from outside the council. The fifth member was the mayor who served as an ex-officio
member of the commission. Each member, with the exception of the mayor, was elected by
the council. The terms of the first members of the commission were staggered with two
holding one-year terms and two holding two-year terms. After the first year, the commission
members who were leaving office were either re-elected or replaced by a vote of the council
at their organizational meeting each year.
The first Water and Light Commission was elected by the Council at the February 27, 1902
meeting. Fred A. Baker, Frank M. Crow and C. J. Pearsall were appointed as the
community representatives and John A. Evans, an Evansville wagon maker and City
Council member, was the Council representative. The mayor, Perry C. Wilder, served as
an ex-officio member of the commission.
The satisfaction with the waterworks system lasted only a few months. Some claimed that
the first test of the waterworks system had been an unrealistic demonstration of its worth.
“It was simply a water pill coated deeply with Brown sugar. We took it all in one gulp and
rolled up a debt of $51,000 on an overburdened taxed city for posterity,” one
correspondent for the Review complained.
The Water and Light Commission had no experience in regulating a public utility and took a
reactionary stance to the problems associated with the operation. When pranksters tried to
damage the street lights, the commission issued a warning and noted the Ordinance
prohibiting damage to the system.
“Any person who shall willfully or maliciously injure or destroy any portion of the works,
fixtures, or other property belonging or appertaining to said “Water and Light Plant”….shall
be punished by a fine not exceeding fifty dollars or imprisonment in county jail not
exceeding six months.” The commission promised prosecution of anyone caught violating
the ordinance.
The Commission also did not see a need to have the City pay for hydrant rental or use of
the street lights. However, the system was not paying for itself and it was not long before
the water and light fund was showing a negative balance. At the City Council meeting on
November 7, 1902, the report of fund showed overdrafts of more than $1,800.
Once again, Allen Baker’s voice was heard. Baker claimed that the reason the department
was operating at a deficit was that the city was taking advantage of the taxpayers by not
paying the hydrant rent and the fee proposed under the Brown franchise. According to
Allen Baker’s calculations, there would be a surplus of funds if these fees were paid. This
surplus could quickly pay the money borrowed for the project and get the City out of debt.
The City eventually began to pay the Water and Light Fund for these fees.
There were other expenses and problems to solve in order to maintain and improve the
new waterworks and electric lighting system. In early 1903, the Council agreed to provide
funds for purchasing land south of the powerhouse for a coal shed. The shed also
provided storage for supplies.
There were also problems with the installation of water pipes connecting the city system
with residences and business places. Local plumbers, who were usually employees of local
hardware and department stores, insisted on using their own pipe and other materials.
Many new waterworks customers felt they were being overcharged for the materials and the
cost of installation was greatly inflated.
When some homeowners tried to save money by purchasing the pipe from Baker
Manufacturing at a reduced price, the plumbers refused to work with the Baker pipe.
Finally the City Council stepped into the fracas and took charge. The Council agreed to
furnish the installation materials, including the curb cock, meter, pipe, and other equipment
needed to connect customers with the city’s water mains.
The Council’s resolution also authorized the superintendent of the water and light
department to develop a standard for the pipe, meters, or other materials used. The
superintendent was also authorized to inspect and test the system once it was installed at a
residence or business. The customer was free to choose his own plumber for any other
work.
The first real test of the waterworks system came more than a year after the waterworks
was in place. On April 23, 1903, a popular restaurant and bakery operated by Bonahoom
and Baccash caught fire when a gas stove exploded. The restaurant was in the first
building, just east of the opera house (today the law office of Kim Vele).
F. A. Baker who owned the hardware store across the street timed the arrival of the fire
department’s actions. According to Baker, it was minutes after the alarm that there were
several streams of water from the hydrants pouring into the building. Eight minutes from
the time Baker saw the first smoke, the fire was under control.
Superintendent Clarence S. Baker also gave a report of the actions taken at the pumping
station once the alarm was received. The alarm came in at 12:03 p.m. and the water
pressure was at 62 pounds. The first pump was started at 12:15 and the second pump at
12:20. At 1:10, the water pressure was increased to 70 pounds and the water used in the
fire had been replaced in the standpipe. Four streams of water, 4,597 gallons each, were
used to extinguish the blaze and Baker said he could have supplied nine streams of water,
if necessary. “There was no apparent effect upon the wells as they seemed to have an
unlimited supply of water,” Baker reported.
Once again, critic Caleb Libby praised the new water system in his report in his weekly
Tribune. “Had there been no other resort but the old fire engine, the loss could not be
estimated, at least four buildings with most of their contents would have been destroyed,
the building on fire, Miss Snowdon’s millinery store, John Lemmel’s harness shop and Mrs.
Sherger’s residence and millinary store, as all are wood buildings closely adjoining each
other. The fire was a good test of the efficiency of our waterworks system in such a case of
emergency.”
Robert M. Antes, editor of the Review echoed Libby’s praise: “There will be no further
complaints nor comments regarding the efficiency of the water service, for some six streams
(of water) were playing on the fire with only a stand pipe pressure and this, what might have
been a serious blaze, was quickly put out by the efficiency of the service and alertness of
the fire boys.”
Some city residences did not fare as well. Just a few months later, in September 1903, Al
Smith’s residence on North Madison street was destroyed by fire. News paper reports
noted that the “waterworks did not extend to that area of the city.”
The waterworks expanded into new areas only after citizens petitioned the council for
service. At the City Council meeting of March 10, 1904, the residents in the area of
Highland and South First Streets petitioned for the extension of water mains into their
area.
The system required constant upkeep. Freezing temperatures and long cold winters
created difficult maintenance problems for the water and light department. Even under the
best conditions, pipes froze and broke. Then water and light superintendent, Clarence
Baker, was inundated with calls to thaw the service pipes and mains.
After a long period of cold weather in the early months of 1904, Baker seemed especially
frustrated with the endless process of keeping the water system working. Baker informed
the local newspapers in early March that he was “still having hard work to keep the dead
ends of the mains from freezing and it is useless to thaw out the service pipes until the
mains are clear.” If fire hydrants froze, the fire chief and his assistants were responsible
for keeping the hydrants open.
Occasionally the standpipe overflowed and in very cold weather “Colony Hill”, the hilltop
road near the pipe, was covered with ice. The area was considered so dangerous that
farmers were not willing to put their horses and wagons at risk and avoided that route when
the icy conditions existed.
In the early days, the Evansville water and light superintendent Clarence Baker and his
assistant Harry J. Lee had many duties. They kept the water and electrical systems in good
operating condition, maintained the power house, installed new services to homes and
businesses, recorded the electrical and water use, and furnished the city clerk with the
quarterly bills to be mailed to customers.
Water and light customers who received the bills were to pay them within 10 days or be
given a 5 percent penalty. Another 5 percent was added if the bills were not paid within 30
days. The Council authorized the superintendent to shut off service to those who did not
pay their bills within 30 days. If bills were still not paid after shutting off service, the
delinquencies were turned over to a bill collector.
Baker and other water and light employees also built public watering tanks and drinking
fountains for public use. The City Council authorized Baker to put a water tank in front of
city hall so that farmers could water their horses. Local businessmen also provided
hitching posts and a water tank on Maple Street. Farmers were advised to: “Drive your
teams in there when coming into this city and you will find them there all safe and sound
when you wish to return home.”
Baker was authorized to hire additional help when the workload was too great. Names of
the men hired as extra workers were listed in the City Council payments. Those employed
in 1904 and 1905 were Charles Meinke, Harry Loomis, and Arthur Powers. Charles Fuller
received payment for hauling materials for the department.
Baker also tried to solicit business from major manufacturers and industrial customers. The
railroad used their own wells and tanks for pumping water into the steam engines.
Clarence Baker made trips to the railroad headquarters to try to persuade them to use the
city water system, but for a number of years, they kept their own service. Baker
Manufacturing also had their own wells and pumping equipment and a dynamo that
supplied electricity. The Baker Company continued to upgrade them to increase
production capabilities and their fire protection
While supervising the water and light operation for the city, Clarence Baker also found time
to sell automobiles. Baker was successful as a car salesman and in late 1906 announced
that he was resigning as the water and light superintendent to pursue a career in sales.
Baker became the Rambler dealer for the Evansville area and received the latest model
new car to demonstrate. To his credit, Baker did complete his contract with the City of
Evansville and gave them several months to find a new superintendent.
In December 1906, the water and light commission announced its choice to replace Baker
and in the spring of 1907, the successful applicant, Edwin S. Cary, became superintendent
of the Evansville Water and Light Department. Like Baker, Cary had been an employee of
the Baker Manufacturing Company and was familiar with the operation of the dynamos that
operated the electrical system. He was described as one of Evansville’s most popular
young businessmen.
Because Cary was new to the water and light position, the City Council decided they could
pay him less than the $80 a month salary they had paid Clarence Baker in 1906. Cary’s
salary was set at $75.
Under Cary’s direction the water and light department continued to grow as more
businesses and residences requested service. Cary’s department in May 1907 included
his assistant Harry Lee, and laborers, Palmer Slauson, Harold Lewis, Amos Weaver, T. F.
Shurrum and Charles Meinke. Lee was salaried and received $60 a month while the
laborers were paid by the hour, earning 80 cents for an hour’s work.
The electrical services were in such demand that Cary recommended that new equipment
be installed. In May 1908, the City brought in a consulting engineer to determine what
equipment needed to be upgraded. The following year, new arc lamps were installed in
the street lights and new service was installed on Longfield Street. By 1910, the water
mains were also extended to Longfield Street.
Despite the growth of the local utility, there were still many homes that did not have
electricity or water. A 1909 real estate ad lists homes on Fourth Street, Second Street, and
Church Street (west of the Seminary) that did not have city water and the property owners
still maintained their own wells and cisterns. Those homes with the modern conveniences
were considered more valuable and brought a better price on the real estate market.
Cary promoted the utilities by demonstrating electrical and plumbing equipment at
Evansville’s Rock County Fair. Those who knew the benefits of electric service demanded
more and in June 1910, the Water and Light Commission announced that they would be
installing equipment that would allow daytime electrical service.
The utilities were considered a boon to economic development and one of the best
incentives for new businesses and industries to locate in Evansville. At one local
businessmen’s meeting a speaker proclaimed: “We own water and light plants superior to
those found in any town this size in the state.”
The Evansville Review joined the chorus of promoters and called Evansville a unique city.
The Review cited a number of Evansville’s attributes, including: “Water Supply. From
springs of pure cold water, and pumped through 8 miles of mains to all parts of the city.
Owned by the Municipality. Lighting: Electric light, day and night, and day power electric
service. Owned by the municipality.” Because of the increased fire protection provided
the waterworks system and new fire fighting equipment, the City had an A1 fire rating that
gave homeowners and businessmen reduced fire insurance costs.
In 1910, the Evansville Prospectus, a newspaper sized promotional brochure for the city
extolled the virtues of the city owned utilities for any new businesses wanting to come to the
city: “Evansville stands alone in the possession of a municipally owned waterworks and
light plant that is on a paying basis. The city is free from debt. Her water is famed for its
purity. For fire protection she has a seventy-five pound standpipe pressure.”
For most businessmen and homeowners, the original benefits of the utilities, fire protection
and street lights were overshadowed in a few years by the new labor saving devices and
conveniences available. Home lighting, electrical outlets for new appliances, and power
available on demand, were now available to many homeowners in the city. In addition to
the new appliances, water was conveniently available with the turn of the tap for those who
chose to connect with the city water system.
To keep up with the demand for water and electrical service, the Water and Light company
gave steady employment to several men. In May 1911, E. S. Cary’s superintendent’s salary
was increased to $90 and a new engineer, Earl Gibbs, had been hired to replace Harry
Lee. Gibbs’ salary was set at $75. Laborers were P. G. Slauson, Arthur E. Tomlin, and O.
B. Ballard.
Property owners requested the extension of water service on Montgomery Court and the
department began working on the installation in the spring and summer of 1911.
Because of increased water use, a third well was dug and in 1912, the city added feeder
pipes in the wells to increase the flow of water. Cary also cleaned the two older wells by
removing sand and gravel that had partially filled the well and reduced the flow of water.
Near Memorial Day, there was a suggestion that the city water be extended to the
cemetery. “So that lot owners and those wishing to decorate the last resting places of their
dead, need not be obliged to carry water from the well, by a judicious distribution of
hydrants, this irksome labor could be saved, a great convenience conferred on the people
and added interest and beauty centered in Maple Hill.” The Water and Light Commission
thought this would be too costly and did not act on the request until the 1930s.
Street lighting, ca. 1912
Businessmen were able to install interior and display lighting. The Economy Store, a large
department store in the building that now houses the Ace Hardware store, was the first to
have display case with electric lighting and the first exterior electric sign promoting their
business.
New businesses were started to provide entertainment and new electrical appliances.
Department and hardware stores began carrying new bath and kitchen fixtures. A new
occupation, the electrician was needed to provide businessmen and homeowners with the
wiring and outlets for the new uses for electricity.
An electric store opened for business in the Wood building on the northside of West Main
Street. Lewis & Standish advertised that they were young in years, but experienced in the
business of electric appliances.
The Tomlin Brothers also operated an electric appliance store. They advertised flat irons,
heating pads, toasters, stoves, coffee percolators, radiators, water heaters, chafing dishes
and washing machines. Even the Water and Light Department got into the electric
appliance business and began to sell electric stoves they purchased wholesale from the
Edison Appliance Company.
Electricity provided new venues for entertainment. The Crystal Photoplay theater had an
electrically powered film projector and films shown in the theater were entertaining and
educational. The films featured in May 1910 were Dr. Cook at the North Pole, The Fall of
Troy, The Binding Shot, A Wise Druggist, and an illustrated song, “It’s Your Pleasing
Smile.”
Films were also available from the University of Wisconsin-Extension service for showings in
schools. The Magee Opera House continued to provide live entertainment, but would in a
few years give way to the moving picture show.
The progressive homeowner in the second decade of the 20th century looked forward to
the new inventions that were being offered in electric stores. Newspapers described the
modern home as an “up-to-date domicile thoroughly equipped with every modern electrical
convenience for lighting, cooking, heating and cooling.”
A model home in Lindsay, California with electric heating and air conditioning was described
to local readers in the January 25, 1912 Evansville Review: “Electric radiators in the
mantels will warm the various rooms, and by this same source of energy the rooms will be
kept cool during the hot days of summer by a motor driven refrigerating machine located in
the basement which will circulate cool air through the house. In the kitchen the electric
range, supplemented by a fireless cooker, will be used to prepare the meals. Outlets will be
provided in all rooms for the use of auxiliary electric heating devices. The wiring will be
most convenient. Concealed switches will operate all or any of the lights from every
convenient place. The porch light can be turned on when entering the room and turned off
from the bedside. Master switches will illuminate the whole house and light is always
available whenever and wherever wanted.”
Although no one in Evansville reported having electric heating and air conditioning in their
homes, the modern house in the city was described as having electric lights, city water,
bath, and inside toilet. Those with electric service were anxious for every new appliance on
the market.
Many had predicted that the cost of building and operating the waterworks and electric
plant would drive people away from Evansville, 1912 promised to be one of the best
building years the city had ever seen.
The railroad company built a new depot that opened in early January 1913. This not only
improved transportation to and from Evansville, but also provided an incentive for 24-hour
electrical service.
The Evansville Review announced in the November 28, 1912 issue that the Evansville
Water and Light department would begin furnishing 24-hour electric light and power service
beginning Monday, December 9. The news report said, “The new depot and the platforms
beside the tracks will all be electrical lighted. This, together with increased demand makes
the all night service imperative.”
There were also other improvements to the infrastructure of Evansville’s utilities. A year
earlier, installation of a new city sewage system began and continued over the next several
years. Much of the installation coincided with the expansion of the water system.
Water and Light Superintendent Edwin Cary and his crew of workers were trying to keep up
with the new demands for water and electrical service. Water and Light employees in the
summer of 1912 included Palmer G. Slauson, Arthur E. Tomlin, Earl J. Gibbs, Tom Hill,
Theodore F. Shurrum, and Elmer Winters. It was a large crew, as they were installing new
feeder pipes in the wells at the powerhouse to increase the flow of water and extending
service to new areas of the city.
Although the reason for the change was not given in the Council minutes, the City Council
voted to stop using iron pipe for water service from the curb to the main. Lead pipe was
required instead.
When the Sanborn Map Company representatives visited Evansville in 1914, they drew new
maps of the water mains and hydrants and the waterworks and electric light plant on
Exchange Street. The maps showed the expanded pumping capacity at the water and light
building on Exchange Street and the extension of water mains to new areas of the city. The
Sanborn maps showed 4 ½ miles of water mains and an increase in the daily consumption
of water from 15,000 gallons in 1907 to 48,000 gallons in 1914. While the Evansville
Review had bragged that the city had a “water supply of pure springs pumped through 8
miles of water mains to all parts of the city,” the Sanborn maps record just 4 and ½ miles of
cast iron water mains and 49 hydrants with 2 outlets for 2 ½ inch hoses on each hydrant.
The water system had been extended to include service to new residences on Grove
Street, the city park, Montgomery Court, the south end of First Street and Longfield Street
had also been added to the water service. Most residential areas were served with 4-inch
water mains, while an 8-inch water main provided service that extended from the standpipe
on North Fourth, then east on Main Street, through the main business district and across
the railroad tracks, then south of Exchange Street to the waterworks plant.
The Sanborn Maps were valuable tools for information about the city’s water supply for fire
protection. However, they were not generally available to the average citizen, so it was the
local newspaper, the Evansville Review, kept citizens informed about improvements to the
water and electrical system.
The municipal system could not provide enough water power and electrical service for
many of the commercial and industrial needs. For those businesses that needed more
electrical power there were two local companies that manufactured small gas engines for
electrical power systems. Engines made by the Baker Manufacturing Company and the
Frost Engine Company powered refrigeration units in meat markets, groceries and
drugstores. Engines were also used to run electric elevators, printing presses and lighted
display cases for some small businesses.
Larger gas and coal-powered engines provided private electric power sources for the
Baker Manufacturing Company, the D. E. Wood Butter Company, and the canning
company. Baker’s had the largest power supply and made substantial investments to
increase their power supply with a new power plant in 1911.
With the large investments in electric power generating machinery, it was obvious that the
Baker Company intended to rely on their own electrical power for a number of years. The
Baker operation was described in an April 6, 1911 Evansville Review: “The machinery in all
the various departments is either driven singly or in groups, by electric motors which
receive current from one large dynamo in the power plant.”
Farmers also wanted electric power for operating milking machines, separators and water
pumps. Like their city neighbors, rural residents wanted electrical lighting for their homes
and such modern electrical conveniences as electric irons and washing machines. Baker’s
and the Frost Engine Company built engines especially designed for farms, as Evansville’s
municipal electrical service did not extend beyond the city limits until the late 1920s.
All of the larger manufacturers also had their own wells and pumps for water consumption
and fire protection. A 1915 fire at the Paulson Lumber Company, located at the southeast
corner of Church and Maple Streets, demonstrated the value of Baker’s private system, not
only to themselves, but also to the other industrial and commercial businesses located near
the Baker Manufacturing buildings.
On September 17, 1915 at 7:15 p.m., the fire alarm sounded and Baker employees
responded, along with the Evansville Fire Department. The blaze had already spread
throughout the lumberyard. The amount of combustible material to feed the fire had many
fearing that the blaze, which could be seen all over town and into the countryside, was out
of control. The best that could be hoped for was that the fire would not spread to other
houses and the Baker Company buildings.
Baker employees manned their fire pumps and hoses and supplied two streams of water
while the city’s volunteer fire department, used the municipal water supply and provided six
streams of water. The two systems provided enough water to keep the blaze from
spreading beyond the lumberyard. Although a neighboring house had heat and smoke
damage to the exterior, the fire was contained and extinguished.
The owners of the lumberyard, M. L. Paulson, H. D. Thomas and their wives, praised the
efforts of the volunteers. They asked the Evansville Review to express their thanks, as
they were “especially grateful to the members of the fire companies and to the Baker Mfg.
Co., for their heroic work in fighting the fire.” The installation of the water supply system
for fire fighting had once again proven its worth.
While most people appreciated the value of the water and light services, they frequently
were conservative about initiating new services. Edwin Cary had an entrepreneurial
personality and was always on the lookout to find new ways to earn money for the budding
water and light department. Occasionally the Evansville Review would note that Cary had
attended conventions for electric service providers and these sessions provided Cary with
new ideas for service to Evansville residents.
In February 1919, Cary made a proposal to the Water and Light Commission that they
consider building and operating an ice plant. Cary had researched the project by
corresponding with ice plant owners and had determined that the city could use surplus
electricity generated at the power plant to operate ice-making machinery. “The extreme
hardness and purity of manufactured ice, wherever it is used, make it always preferable to
the river or lake ice.”
Lake ice was in short supply in Evansville, since Lake Leota had been reduced to just a
stream. There were also health concerns as people became more aware of dirt and
diseases that might be found in the ice cut from lakes and streams. Many feared that the
lake and river ice was especially dangerous when used to cool tea and other beverages.
Whether the project was too expensive, or was rejected for some other reason, the city-
owned ice plant never materialized. Within a few years a private company opened an ice
making business on North Madison Street, similar to what Cary had proposed. The
rejection did not keep Cary from wanting to expand the water and light operation.
The system had already grown to the point that he needed to hire a clerk to prepare
quarterly bills and other correspondence. Ruth Miles started working for the water and light
department as a bookkeeper and was paid a salary of $15 a month. The water and light
commission seemed satisfied with Cary’s services and increased his monthly salary on an
annual basis. In 1918, Cary was making $125 a month. Another employee, engineer Earl
Gibbs left the department in February 1918 and moved to Oregon to become the
superintendent of that village’s electric plant.
Gibb’s resignation allowed several men to be promoted. Palmer Slauson took Earl Gibb’s
position as engineer. Lemuel Courtier took Slauson’s position and George Young was
added as a new employee.
Water and light superintendent Edwin Cary juggled multiple projects and problems in the
early 1920s and did not seem to loose his enthusiasm for new ventures that came his way.
New power sources, new lighting systems, new rate changes, contamination of water
supplies and other challenges were given to Edwin Cary to resolve.
By 1920, the electrical plant was running at capacity and the water and light commission
began to make plans to expand service by purchasing power from a power plant on the
Wisconsin River near Prairie du Sac. A power line was already available to Madison,
Stoughton, Edgerton and Janesville. The plan was to bring the line from Stoughton,
through Oregon and Brooklyn, then to Evansville.
In addition to providing power for city people, the new lines would also allow rural residents
to have access to power that they did not have to generate themselves with gasoline
engines. A committee of rural electric providers estimated that less than 6% of Wisconsin
farms had electric lighting and there were many farmers who did not appreciate the
advantages of the new power lines.
Cary did see the great advantage that the new service lines would offer and became an
agent for the Wisconsin River Power Company. Cary placed advertisements in the local
newspaper and urged local residents to purchase shares in the Wisconsin River Power
Company at $100 each. Although it was several years before the plans were completed for
the new electric lines, Cary was willing to gamble that the new lines would increase the use
of the Evansville Water and Light Company facilities.
The water and light superintendent also had to answer citizen’s hostile questions about the
way electrical rates were determined. Customer’s rates could vary as much as two dollars a
quarter, depending on whether kilowatt hours or a front load rate system was used to
calculate the payment. When customers compared bills those with higher bills contacted
Cary demanding explanations.
The front load rate method was also costly to administer because someone from the water
and light department had to enter each home and determine the use based on the number
of outlets. Cary thought this method was unfair and advocated using a flat rate based only
on kilowatt hours used at each residence. The Wisconsin Railroad Commission, who
determined whether rate changes could be made, called for a June 1923 hearing on the
proposal.
Meanwhile, residents and businessmen of the city continued to demand new services from
the utility. The original system of street lighting had always been troublesome and provided
inadequate lighting. The original lights hung over the middle of the streets on wires
extended from the light poles. Several types of light bulbs had been installed and none
provided the amount of light that was suitable.
In February 1923, local banker, Leonard P. Eager, approached the Commercial Club to
urge them to raise money for ornamental light poles that would be placed at regular
intervals from the library corner to the railroad crossing on East Main Street.
Eager arranged for a representative from an ornamental light company to talk to the
members of the Commercial Club about the project. The members viewed various styles of
lighting and were told about the cost of the lights, then enthusiastically endorsed Eager’s
idea.
The club members agreed to raise funds to purchase the poles, if the city would be
responsible for installation and ongoing maintenance of the lights. The fourteen-foot poles
were made of cast iron and as soon as enough contributions were made, the club
purchased 36 light poles. The plan was to place twelve of the decorative light poles in the
library block, eight in the first block of East Main, and sixteen from Maple Avenue to the
railroad tracks.
The biggest contributors to the project were Gertrude and Olivia Eager, the Grange Store,
Mrs. Ella Meggott (owner of the Commercial Hotel), A. Van Wormer (an insurance and real
estate agent), and the city council for the library lot. The city water and light crews
removed the old lights and some of the wooden poles. The new cast iron poles were put in
place and on August 23, 1924, the ornamental lights were turned on for the first time.
New lighting ca. 1924s
The city appropriated $1,606 a year to operate the lights, but as soon as they were
operational, the local citizens lobbied to have all-night lighting. Those who favored the
proposal cited the danger to those who were out after the lights were turned off. “During
the last two weeks, while attempting to make the early morning train, during this dark
period, two different ladies had tripped on the uneven places in the sidewalks and in falling
had torn their dresses, besides bruising themselves severely.” Some argued that the
darkness bred crime and shielded robbers. Others said that strangers who came into town
by train had trouble finding their way in the dark.
The council listened to the protests, and then gave its own arguments as to why the lights
should not stay on all night. The Water and Light Commissioners had estimated that it
would increase the cost to $2,565 and the increased cost was reason enough to keep the
lights off for a few hours each night.
A death, well contamination, a possible buy-out and new facilities were the most newsworthy
stories of the Evansville Water and Light Department in the 1920s. By 1923, the utility had
been in operation for 21 years and Water and light Superintendent Cary had successfully
guided the department for sixteen years.
Earl Gibbs had returned to the Water and Light Department after working for the Village of
Oregon and on July 30, 1923 Gibbs was assisting another lineman, Roy Lee, as they
installed new power lines on Water Street. Lee was an experienced lineman and had
worked for the Janesville power company for several years before joining the Evansville
Water and Light Department.
When the fatal accident occurred, Gibbs was on the ground and Lee was on the pole about
fifteen feet above ground. Roy Lee had completed installing the line and was ready to
come down from the pole. Lee removed his work gloves, thinking he was away from any
charged lines. As he descended from the pole, Lee accidentally touched the high voltage
power line and was killed.
Gibbs responded immediately, cut the power line and Lee dropped to the ground. Gibbs
called for help and two doctors, Dr. J. P. Guilfoyle and Dr. Elias Helgesen, responded to the
scene and tried to revive Lee but had no success. Two small burn marks on Lee’s hand
were the only signs of the fatal accident.
The electrocution was a tragic warning of the danger for Water & Light employees working
on the power lines. Perhaps in response to this reminder of the hazardous occupation, the
City Council authorized an increase in linemen’s salaries. In February 1924, the
experienced lineman’s wages were increased to $160 per month. Lemuel Courtier, a new
employee was paid $140 per month.
The Superintendent’s salary had been overlooked and Edwin Cary’s salary, at $165 a
month, was just five dollars more than his employees. The Water and Light Commission
reconsidered this inequity and in March 1924, received Council approval to increase Cary’s
pay to $180 per month. This was more than three times the $50 per month paid Evansville’
s Chief of Police and $30 per month paid to the City Clerk.
The Water & Light Department was making money, and the March 6, 1924 Evansville
Review printed Cary’s annual report to the Railroad Commission of Wisconsin, the
regulating body for public utilities. The report listed the income and expenses for the
electric power and water separately. The electric department reported a surplus of
$28,146.92 and the water department a smaller surplus of $11,377.92.
Cary had successfully guided the department to a positive balance sheet and a growth in
assets that totaled $166,306.80, including the facilities, new construction during 1923,
supplies, and accounts receivable. The City’s original investment of $51,000 had
substantially increased and the Evansville Water & Light was one of the few small municipal
electric utilities in Wisconsin that showed a profit.
Cary’s responsibilities also included the safety of the city’s water supply and in the early
1920s, there was an unexpected danger to the entire water system as major improvements
were made to the storm sewers and sanitation sewers. Most of the sewers in the area near
the railroad tracks and along Exchange and Water streets were made from clay. Near the
railroad tracks there was also a large stockyard, as Evansville was one of the major
livestock shipping stations to Chicago. All of these factors contributed to the contamination
of the city’s water supply.
The runoff and seepage from the clay pipes reached the shallow wells that had served as
the city water supply since 1902. The wells were in gravel, just 24 feet from the surface
and located to the north of the Water & Light building on Exchange Street, on one of the
lowest elevations in Evansville.
Cary reported in 1925 that the city’s wells showed contamination, but could not verify if it
was the surface runoff from the stockyards, or seepage from the clay sewer pipes that was
causing the problem. The following year, the old clay sewer pipes in the area of Water
Street and Exchange Street were replaced with cast iron pipes. This proved to be only a
temporary fix for the problem.
The water and light department continue to build new additions to the water and electrical
supply system. Cary’s 1924 year-end report said that 2,100 feet of water mains had been
laid along Water, Enterprise and Exchange Street. In addition to the water mains, new
hydrants were also installed on Water and Enterprise Streets.
The configuration of the new water mains completed a loop that connected stub mains on
the three streets. This increased fire protection by creating alterative routes for water from
the pumping house to the stand pipe. If there was a break in one area, water could be
routed through another section, and reduce the risk of losing pressure during major fires.
This had been recommended by the Wisconsin Inspection Bureau and coincided with
expansions at the Baker Manufacturing, D. E. Wood Butter Company and the Garden
Canning Company.
As demand for electric service increased, the city utility had begun relying more and more
on purchased power from the Wisconsin Power and Light Company’s major plant in Prairie
du Sac. In 1924, the City Council granted this company the right to place poles to extend
power lines from what was known as the Monroe Circuit into the Evansville power house.
The power lines were to enter Evansville on the South near Walker Street, then north on
Cherry Street to Water Street, East on Water Street, then North on Exchange Street and
end at the power house. The agreement included the rights for the Evansville Water and
Light company to use the same poles to extend service to new customers.
The extension of the Wisconsin Utilities Company line would reduce the interruptions of
power during storms and eventually supply new power lines for rural residents. The new
lines began at the Wisconsin Power and Light Company’s power house near Prairie du Sac
and extended through Dane and Green County to Galena, Illinois. The line to Evansville
divided at Albany, then extended eastward to Evansville.
This closed another loop for the Wisconsin Power and Light Company as their lines had
already been extended from Stoughton then south to Evansville. When the line was
finished from Albany to Evansville, this would allow the local company to receive additional
power either from the North or from the West. If power failed on one line, it could be
transferred to the other line. Because Evansville also produced its own power, the
electrical rates were some of the cheapest in the state.
The Wisconsin Power and Light Company had plans to expand and in the spring of 1925
and announced that it was trying to purchase the power plants from the smaller cities that
supplied their own electricity. Evansville’s electric utility became one of the targets for a
buy-out.
When it was announced in the April 23, 1925 Evansville Review that Wisconsin Power and
Light was interested in expanding, Cary immediately reassured Evansville citizens that it
was unlikely that the city electric plant would be sold. The report said: “The local plant
would not be disposed of, due to the fact that several times it has been necessary to use
showing a profit.”
Cary’s reassurances did not keep the City Council from considering the sale of the
electrical utility to the larger company. In early 1926, the Wisconsin Power & Light
Company made a formal proposal for the purchase to the Evansville City Council. Their
first proposal included only the electrical plant, but in informal conversation the company
also said they might be willing to take over the water utility.
The final proposal included both the water and light utilities and a price of $200,000 was
offered to the City Council. To explain and try to sell their plan, the Wisconsin Power and
Light Company sent a representative to discuss the proposed sale with the city’s leading
businessmen at the Commercial Club.
However, there were some political hurdles to jump before the sale could be finalized.
According to state laws governing municipal utilities, the Wisconsin Railroad Commission
had to appraise the local utility to determine its value. Then Evansville voters would have
to approve the sale.
Those in favor of the sale noted that it would pay off the city’s debt, and the Wisconsin
Power and Light Company agreed that they could either give the city the cash or make
arrangements to pay off the bonds and give the excess in cash. “The matter is worthy of
serious thought and consideration,” an Evansville Review reporter said in the February 28,
1926 issue.
There was so much opposition to the proposed sale that the City Council decided that it
would continue to maintain the city-owned utility. The matter was dropped, but it was not
the last time that the City would consider the sale of this profitable department.
With the proposed sale of the utilities behind them, the Evansville Water & Light Company
began to expand beyond the city’s limits and into the rural areas.
Because of the availability of locally manufactured gas-powered electrical units, Evansville
area farmers were already familiar with the benefits of electricity and perhaps were ahead
of the national trend in accepting the cost of installing and maintaining the municipal power
lines.
In providing rural areas with electricity, the Evansville Water & Light Commission and
Superintendent Cary had great foresight and provided a service that many power
companies had not been able to offer at a reasonable price. Rather than seeing rural
electrification as a problem, Cary responded to the challenge and began to plan the
expansion of the Evansville’s electrical service into the surrounding farm community.
Nationally, there were a number of agencies working to bring electricity to farms, including
the National Electric Light Association, the United States Department of Agriculture, the
American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
Their goal as stated in a 1924 article published in Evansville Review was: “Electricity for all
the farms of the nation, by means of transmission lines to be extended from existing electric
power systems, supplied by the big generating stations of the approaching super-power
age.”
The article pointed out that a mile of rural electrical line might service only three customers,
while a mile of electrical line in a city could serve as many as one hundred customers. For
utility companies, the cost of installing the lines was expensive on a per-user-basis.
According to the experts, the only way electricity could be delivered at a reasonable cost
was for farmers to use electric power for every possible convenience. This meant more
than just electric lights in their homes and barns. Farmers were urged to use electricity for
lights, washing machines, irons, saws, silage cutting, threshing, milking, and feed grinding,
churning, cream separating, and any other farm work. The increased electrical use would
give power companies an incentive to build power lines into the rural areas, even if there
were fewer customers.
In 1927, 25 farmers were added to the Evansville Water and Light electric lines and water
was extended beyond the city limits to the Evansville Golf Course located at the corner of
County Hwy C and Brooklyn-Evansville Road. The farmers, who had been generating their
own electricity with gas-powered engines, now could enjoy the benefits of the municipal
electrical supply.
Evansville’s experiment with providing rural electrification was successful and the Evansville
Water & Light Company continued to extend its power lines. In February 1928, the lines
were extended north along the Brooklyn -Evansville Road to the farms of H. A. Knapp and
L. J. Hubbard, then west on Emery Road to Floyd George's.
In 1929, the municipal utility lines were added west and south of the city. Power lines were
built to the Green County farm of Paul Elmer and Ferdinand Golz. Magnolia area farmers
Richard Deily and William Wadsworth also had power lines built by the Evansville utility.
The expansion provided a new and profitable customer base for Edwin Cary’s department.
Farmers were soon putting aside their gas-powered engines in favor of the new electric
power source. This might have created tension between the local power company and
Evansville’s largest employer, The Baker Manufacturing Company. However, Baker’s
management was also forward-looking and realized that the power lines had been built to
satisfy the demand by their own customers, the farmers.
The company quickly adapted to the reduced need for the gasoline equipment in those
areas with electric power lines. Bakers began to build electric jacks and pumps for water
wells and issued a statement that the “electrical service on the farm, especially in Wisconsin
and Iowa, has created a demand for motor driven pumps and jacks which would not only
pump water for stock, but will force it to some distance either to fill high tanks or to irrigate
gardens and lawns. It is thought that there will be a good demand for them.”
It seemed that everyone was benefiting from the new electric power lines and the demand
for electrical service on the farm.
Evansville’s municipal water supply was greatly improved in the late 1920s with the drilling
of a new well and installation of a new pumping house for the water works. Some citizens
complained about the cost of the new well, as they had when the water works was first
installed.
Water and light superintendent, Edwin S. Cary persisted in his efforts to improve the water
supply. Cary had discovered in 1925 that the city’s wells showed contamination either from
surface runoff at the railroad stockyards, or seepage from the clay sewer pipes. The state
department of health had run monthly tests on the city’s water supply and Cary reported
that the water analysis had come back showing the water was safe. However, there was
the danger of typhoid or some other germs entering the city’s wells and endangering the
health and safety of consumers.
In addition to the health concerns, there was also the danger of an inadequate water supply
for fire protection. The city’s water use had outgrown the capacity of the water system.
By 1928, the city had a daily consumption of 192,000 gallons of water, compared with a
daily consumption of 48,000 gallons in 1914.
In an October 18, 1928 article explaining the need for a new well, the Evansville Review
reporter said, “while it has not been generally known, the producing of enough water to
supply the city for the past six months has taxed the present well to its utmost capacity, as
the amount of water used by the city has been gradually increasing and the capacity of the
well slowly decreasing to what it once was, so that within many months it was obvious that in
case of a big fire that the city would not have enough water.”
In late 1928, on the recommendation of Cary and the Water and Light Commission, the City
Council issued a call for proposals for the drilling and casing of a deep-water well. At the
same time, they authorized the Water and Light Commission to arrange for a new pumping
station, new pumping equipment and a new reservoir. The successful bidder was the J. P.
Miller Artesian Well Co., of Chicago.
While the old wells had been less than 30 feet below ground, the engineer for the drilling
company assured the City Council that the new well would be more than 1,000 feet below
ground and the water supply would be safe from surface and sewer contamination.
According to the engineer, the goal was to reach the Lake Superior strata of water. This
strata began at the surface of Lake Superior and went deeper and deeper below the earth’
s surface, as it extended south through Wisconsin and into Illinois.
November 29, 1928, Evansville Review
In the Evansville area, it was necessary to drill to 1,000 feet, while in Illinois the company
had often had to drill more than 2,000 feet to reach the same water supply. J. Albert M.
Robinson, the company’s engineer, also told the City Council that “the Lake Superior Strata
furnishes fine water which is soft as rain water, which will be a big improvement on the water
now given the people of the city, which is noted for its hardness.” Within a few years, the
engineer’s assurance of soft water was proven wrong.
Robinson was the supervisor for the new well and construction began in November 1928.
The drilling rig was brought to the city on two large flat cars and when assembled looked
like the large oil drilling derricks. The 40-foot rig had a steam boiler with a coal-fired
engine to operate the drilling equipment.
By the middle of December, a hole had been drilled to 115 feet below the surface. In the
drilling process, three different sheets of water had been found. Because they were in soft
sand rock, the sides of the hole had to be cased and construction was delayed for a few
weeks until the casing equipment arrived.
The Lake Superior Strata of water was reached at a depth of 1,014 feet and the drilling for
the new well was finished early in 1929. The City Council then called for another contract
for the construction of the reservoir and pumping station.
T. S. Willis, a construction contractor from Janesville, was the successful bidder for this part
of the new water works equipment. Willis had bid against six contractors with prices ranging
from a high of $25,306 to Willis’ winning bid of $19,766. The building of the 400,000 gallon
reservoir and a brick pumping station began in September and Willis’ contract called for a
November 25, 1929 completion date.
The plans for the new building and equipment were described in the September 19, 1929
issue of the Evansville Review. J. Albert M. Robinson continued as the consulting engineer
on the project. The new reinforced concrete reservoir was 48 feet wide, 10.5 feet in depth,
and 112 feet long. The area was covered with a mantle of dirt to protect the reservoir and
to keep the water cool.
The new pumping station was a one-story brick building, 30 feet wide by 45 feet long. The
new pump was purchased from the American Well Works, Aurora, Illinois and could pump
up to 950 gallons of water per minute. The centrifugal pump was driven by a vertical
electric motor. There was also a 6-cylinder Waukesha gasoline engine for emergency
power in case of electrical outages.
September 19, 1929, Evansville Review
The excavation for the reservoir and pumping plant began in October. New eight-inch
water mains also were installed to accommodate the new pumping capacity of the
equipment. Guy Brown, another Janesville contractor was hired to install the new mains.
During the construction process, two of Brown’s workers were injured when they were laying
pipe in a trench on Exchange Street. The walls of the trench caved in trapping Helmer Lee
Seversen and Fred Addington. Seversen was buried up to his waist and Addington was
buried up to his neck in the ten-foot deep ditch. Both men survived the accident and were
transported by Roderick Funeral Home ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Janesville.
The accident delayed the laying of the connecting pipe and there were also delays in
getting some of the new control equipment. The construction of the new water works
building and installation of the new equipment was not finished until January 1930.
Because of the new pumping capacity of the water works system, the city was able to
purchase more fire fighting equipment. A new fire truck, a 500 gallon-per-minute pumper
on a GMC chassis, made by the Boyer Fire Apparatus, in Logansport, Indiana, was
purchased. With the new water power and the fire engine, the Fire Underwriters gave the
city a high fire protection rating which reduced fire insurance costs for Evansville residents.
According to Cary, the waterworks improvements had also had a positive affect on the fire
insurance rates. The increased fire protection “resulted in a saving to the policy holders of
approximately $1 per capita per year, or enough to pay 5 per cent interest on the entire
investment in the well, pumping station and reservoir.”
Superintendent Cary noted the cost benefits to the company and to the utility customers.
The December 31, 1931 report of the Water and Light Company, was printed in the Review
and showed that the waterworks system had a property value of $147,063 and revenues of
$11,072.88 for the year.
However, the new water works system had been installed for only a few months, when the
water and light employees began to notice that the water was not soft, as the engineer had
promised. Instead there was an unusually high iron content to the water, excess carbon
dioxide gas, and hydrogen sulphide, a gas that smells like rotting eggs.
The combination of these elements caused corrosion in pipes and water mains. Customers
were angry and complained bitterly that the water was red in color because of the iron. The
iron stained clothing in the home laundry as well as the commercial laundries that used city
water. One local laundry went so far as to drill their own drive-point well in order to get
good water that would not stain their customer’s clothing.
Water and light employees were concerned about the corrosive damage to water pipes and
water mains caused by the hydrogen sulphide. There were also potential health hazards
as the gas sometimes caused illness.
Cary tried various solutions to get the iron out of the water. An aerator was placed in the
reservoir, and this took out some of the hydrogen sulphide. However, the aerator did not
filter the iron from the water and discolored water was a nuisance.
By September 1932, Cary proposed another solution to the water problem. He suggested
to the Water and Light Commission that the City use federal funds to provide
unemployment relief during the Depression. Federal public works money could be used to
put men to work building an iron removal plant just south of the new reservoir and pumping
station.
The Water & Light Commission members, W. J. Clark, W. E. Green, Don B. Ellis, W. G.
Patterson, C. J. Smith, and Mayor E. H. Libby approved the plan and then submitted it to
the City Council.
Cary’s idea was also immediately approved by the City Council. At their regular September
1932 meeting. The Council passed ordinance No. 103 which gave approval for the
building of the new iron removal plant. Evansville Review gave the following explanation for
the quick action by the Council: “The new well yields excellent water but as it is heavily
charged with carbon dioxide gas in solution, and has considerable iron in it. The iron
remains in suspension in the reservoir, it passes to the mains in the water and as
insufficient gas is liberated, the water at times is corrosive to metals in the presence of air.”
Because citizens were so intent on having the benefits of a city water softening plant, the
Water and Light Commission and the Council also approved water softening equipment and
additional construction to accommodate the equipment at the iron removal plant. The total
cost was estimated at $20,000, with the building costing $10,000, the water softening and
iron removal equipment $4,500 and the labor $5,500.
Chicago engineer J. Albert M. Robinson once again was the designer and construction
consultant for the project. The City Council’s decision to use local men relieved a growing
problem of unemployment in the community. During the construction, eighty Evansville men
were put to work on various parts of the construction.
When completed, the iron removal portion of the red brick plant was three stories high.
Water was pumped from the city well into a new 75,000 gallon water reservoir in the
basement of the three-story building.
From the new well, the water was pumped to the third story and through an aerator on the
roof of the building. The aerator removed the hydrogen sulphide and most of the carbon
dioxide in the water. After leaving the aerator, the water went to the first floor and into a
mixing chamber and was mixed with lime. Then the water passed into a settling basin.
From the settling basin, the water passed through sand filters and then into the large
reservoir built in 1929.
The complicated process resulted in iron free, soft water. Cary reported that the water
hardness in the well registered 330 parts per million and 1.6 parts per million iron. After the
process of aeration, mixing with lime, and filtering, the water was 66 parts per million of
hardness and no iron.
Diagram printed in the February 22, 1934, Evansville Reviews
The new iron removal and water softening plant was highly praised by businessmen.
Restaurant owners and laundrymen reported using less soap and detergent. The water
and light employees, who had been flushing the water hydrants on a weekly basis, now
“have almost forgotten how to do it,” Cary said.
Homeowners were encouraged to dispose of the water softeners. The City offered to
dispose of the machines at no expense to the owner.
The plants and machinery required constant monitoring and a water and light employee
was stationed at the pumping house and water softening plant 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Photograph from Century of Progress, published by the Evansville Review in 1939
The Water and Light Department’s electrical service was in a state of rapid growth
throughout the late 1920s and 1930s. The Depression seemed to have little affect on the
company’s expansion, especially into the rural areas.
Whenever farmers wanted electrical service from the Evansville utility, they made individual
contracts with the City Council. In 1928, the service had expanded to the east to the farms
of the Leo Campbell Estate, administered by Wade Woodworth on the main road between
Evansville and Janesville and the Charles Weary farm on Weary Road.
The following year, a group of farmers who already had electric lines wanted to join the
Evansville Water and Light Company lines. Farmers in Porter township organized their own
electrical service in the early 1920s, under the name The Farmers’ Power and Light
Company of the town of Porter.
In October 1929, there were brief discussions with the eleven owners of the line, John Wall,
Willis Griffith, Ole Olson, Thorpin Olson, Charles Van Wart, Martin Furseth, John Knudson,
Jr., Marvin Ellingson, Charles H. Taylor, Ben Griffith, and Charles L. Peterson. The men
requested that the line from Evansville Water and Light that currently ran to the farm of
Wade Woodworth, be extended eastward to Tolles Road, then north to the farm of Charles
Peterson.
Before the connection of the two companies’ lines could take place, the state Railroad
Commission had to approve the new service. The agreement was approved by the
Railroad Commission and delayed only briefly by the Porter farmers who questioned the
rates charged by the Evansville utility. All of the obstacles were overcome and the
agreement between the Porter Company and the Evansville Water and Light Company was
signed in April 1930.
Several other Porter township farmers agreed to join the Evansville Water and Light system
including Roy Fellows, Clarence Hagan, and Charles Gabler. With the addition of
customers, the Evansville Water and Light Company extended more than 3 miles east of
Evansville, west into Green County, and south into Magnolia Township.
In 1931, the Council authorized the Water and Light Company to extend service just north
of the city limits to the farm of George Brigham. Ernest Miller, a farmer on Finn Road,
southwest of Evansville, J. Benjamin Larson and J. A. Larson on Territorial Road were also
granted service in 1931.
With the expansion of the local services, the Wisconsin Power and Light Company also
decided to increase their power transmission capacity. The Wisconsin Power and Light
Company enlarged its network of substations and electrical lines throughout the area south
of its large power plant at Prairie du Sac.
The company built a large substation in Stoughton and increased the size of the
transmission lines from the dam and power station. Then a smaller substation was built in
Evansville during the summer of 1930. The construction started in May and was completed
in September.
The Stoughton substation transformed the power of 66,000 volts of electricity to 33,000
volts. A new 33,000-volt transmission line was installed from Stoughton to Evansville. At
the Evansville station, the 33,000 volts was transformed to 2,300 volts for use by the local
Water and Light power lines. From Evansville, the new Wisconsin Power and Light line
went through Monticello and then to Monroe.
The local plant superintendent expected the Wisconsin Power and Light Company to grow
and urged Evansville citizens to invest in the city’s power supplier. In the 1920s and early
1930s, Edwin Cary was an agent for the sale of stock and the Wisconsin Power and Light
Company placed large ads in the Evansville Review to promote their stock as a good
investment. During Cary’s administration of the local Water and Light department, no one
seemed to question that he might have a conflict of interest by selling stock for the
electrical company that supplied the city’s power and had tried to purchase the utility from
the City.
In the fall of 1930, the Wisconsin Power and Light Company also attempted to bring a
natural gas plant to the city. The company sent a representative to the city to ask the City
Council if they could survey the residents and determine if there was enough interest to
build a large butane gas storage facility and gas pipelines in the city. When the survey
was completed, the company failed to find the 400 customers it needed to build here and
dropped its plans to offer gas service in Evansville.
A major public works construction project in 1931 created a substantial amount of work for
the men employed by the Water and Light Department. The project included widening and
paving North and South Madison Street and building a large bridge above the Chicago &
Northwestern Railroad tracks on North Madison. This large bridge became known simply as
“The Viaduct”.
During the project, poles owned by the Water and Light and jointly used by telephone
company were relocated to accommodate the widening of the street. More than 500 feet of
sewer and water pipes were replaced on South Madison Street because when they were
first put in the sewer pipes were located just 18 inches below the surface. With the building
of the new street, they were located deeper into the ground to prevent freezing and other
damage.
City water and light employees were so busy in the late summer of 1931 that the City hired
local electrical contractor Lester L. Bullard to install the ornamental lights on the new
viaduct on North Madison Street. Bullard’s crew of six men strung 10,000 feet of wire and
installed 2,500 feet of two-inch pipe for the new lights that were identical to the ornamental
light poles installed on East and West Main Streets in 1924.
The monthly cost of running the street lights was high and Superintendent Edwin Cary
seemed constantly in search of ways to save the city money. He began a search for a new
street light bulb and glass globe. Cary wanted a light that could conserve power and, at the
same time, provide more light. He experimented with several different commercial light
bulbs before finding one that met his qualifications.
Evansville still turned off all streetlights by 1 a.m. and the lights were turned on at 4 a.m. in
the morning. The October 15, 1931, Evansville Review noted that “At present the street
lighting in Evansville is controlled by a time clock with an astronomical dial that automatically
takes care of the variations in the length of day and night as the seasons change.”
The time clock was set to account for cloudy days and on bright days. The streetlights
were often turned on before they were needed. Cary had heard about a new photocell to
regulate the streetlights so that they would turn on as soon as the natural light reached a
certain level, no matter the time of day.
The time clock would still be used to shut the lights off between the hours of 1 a.m and 4 a.
m. The photocell would regulate the lights at all other times.
Cary persuaded the Water and Light Commission and the City Council that the photocell
would be a money-saving device for Evansville. The governing bodies agreed and Cary
was given permission to purchase and install the equipment. The photocell was installed
on the viaduct, facing north, so that its operation would not be hindered by direct sunlight.
The photocell had been used in Wisconsin Dells, and Evansville was only the second
Wisconsin city to adopt this new energy saving device. It was Cary’s persistence and
constant vigilance that kept the Evansville Water and Light Department on the cutting edge
of new developments.
Cary was constantly promoting the benefits and possibilities of electric service to the
community, through news releases in the Evansville Review, advertisements, and
demonstrations. He did not hesitate to say that the purpose of the promotions was to
increase consumption of electricity.
Local merchants who sold electric appliances welcomed Cary’s promotional activities and
also placed their own ads extolling the wisdom of modernizing the home with electrical
items. In a 1931 ad for the Bullard Electric store, men in search of Christmas gifts were
reminded that women wanted electrical gifts for their homes.
“She’s no doubt, modern-minded about her home, which means electrical gifts will make the
most favorable impression. They contribute to her comfort and leisure and pride in her
home’s appointments.” Hair dryers, curling irons, electric mixers, electric waffle irons, and
other small appliances were every woman’s dream gift, according to the Bullard advertising.
Cary also knew that women could have an influence on the type of appliances that were
purchased. In August 1934, Cary developed a new promotional tool and made
preparations to have a cooking school for the women of the community.
The Water and Light Company had been selling Westinghouse electric stoves from the
power house on Exchange Street for many years. Cary intended to promote the use of
Westinghouse electric stoves and the advantages of cooking with electricity.
To advertise the new cooking program, Cary asked local merchants to display the stoves in
their stores and offered to make them dealers if they would agree to the promotion. He was
successful and local hardware and electric storeowners, Blunt Plumbing, Bullard Electric,
The Grange Store, Lehnherr Furniture Store and the Pierce Hardware Store displayed the
stoves in their shops.
Westinghouse supplied the home economics specialist to conduct the cooking schools and
Cary provided the stoves, the location, and local promotion of the event. Westinghouse’s
nationally known home economist, Mabel Hildebrandt conducted the classes that were held
in the auditorium of the City Hall.
Cary purchased the ingredients used in the sample dishes from local grocery stores. The
Review published the recipes for strawberry Bavarian cream, date muffins, rhubarb sauce,
Swiss steak and other dishes that were prepared by Miss Hildebrandt.
It was inexpensive advertising for the merchants, and they offered a few prizes to be given
those attending the cooking programs. When the program was held in 1935, the Review
reported that Mrs. Fred Fellows won an electric iron and Miss Evelyn Rodd won an electric
coffee pot.
The first cooking class was so popular that the Evansville Water and Light continued to
sponsor the programs through the remaining years of the 1930s. The success of the
program was evident by the large crowds of women who attended the programs and the
number of merchants who participated in the promoting the event. By the late 1930s the
programs were moved from the city hall to the high school gymnasium to accommodate all
of those who wanted to attend.
Cary’s good management allowed the Evansville Water and Light utility to make a profit and
provide good service even during the Great Depression. All of the improvements made to
the facilities, including the new pumping station, the iron removal plant and the extension of
power lines had increased the value of the water and electric company.
According to the 1935 annual report, the property, buildings, and other facilities was valued
at $289,430.57. The company had also operated at a profit for many years. In 1935, the
utility had made a profit of $6,720.12 and increased the surplus to $174,716.69.
In another news release to the Evansville Review,