<\/p>\n
The first report of the Kennebec Water District in 1905, to which we referred last week, contained an interesting account of China Lake. Let us see what it said.<\/p>\n
“China Lake is about eight miles southeast of Waterville in the towns of Vassalboro and China. Its outlet stream flows northerly from East Vassalboro and discharges into the Sebasticook about a mile above that stream’s confluence with the Kennebec at Winslow.<\/p>\n
“The area of China Lake watershed is about 40 square miles. It is so large that its run-off greatly exceeds the needs of the District. The mean daily yield of the China Lake watershed is more than 36 million gallons, whereas the District needs not more than two million. The lake itself is so large that its surface amounts to 16 percent of the whole watershed. The total annual consumption would lower the lake no more than six inches if there were no replenishment, but that replenishment is more than ample.<\/p>\n
“China Lake is 95 feet above the level of Waterville’s City Hall Square. The bottom of the reservoir off Upper Main Street is 200 feet above the level of that square. So the water comes by gravity to two pumping stations, whence it is pumped into the reservoir, from which gravity carries it to the several towns.<\/p>\n
“The intake is located on the Cates farm about 1\/4 mile from Outlet Stream. Pipes run from the intake, under Sayward’s Mill Pond and Outlet Stream, along the East Vassalboro road to opposite Davis’s Mill, then enters the fields and runs along the bank of Outlet Stream to North Vassalboro, then through the fields to Shoddy Hollow, where it crosses the Outlet Mill Pond, then northwest across the narrow gauge tracks and down under the Maine Central tracks to the Kennebec, then under that river and up the sandy ridge about half a mile north of the confluence of the Messalonskee with the Kennebec, about half a mile south of the Pine Grove Cemetery, then under the Messalonskee north through the fields to the plant of the Union Gas and Electric Company, then north along the West River Road to the Oakland Road, and along the west bank of the Messalonskee to the pumping station.”<\/p>\n
The pipeline encountered seven water crossings: Outlet Stream at Sayward’s Mill Pond, the same stream again at Davis’s Mill Pond, again at Shoddy Hollow and at the bayou, making altogether four crossings of that stream. The largest crossing was 800 feet across the Kennebec, and its last two both across the Messalonskee, one at the Union Gas plant, the other near Chase’s Mill.<\/p>\n
Altogether those seven crossings meant laying 1820 feet of pipe across bodies of water, adding considerably to the cost of the line. Crossings were made by means of sand bags and coffer dams. Sometimes delays and added expense were caused by boiling sand. On land, trenches were dug with pick and shovel, without machinery, except for the Kennebec crossing, where a dredge was used to excavate a trench in the river bed. The contractor had difficulty keeping men on the job, though he paid higher wages than those prevailing in the area. He paid common laborers $1.75 for a ten-hour day. He had to compete with heavy demand for labor in the woods, which was considered easier work than digging ditches.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to note just how the Kennebec crossing was managed. A track formed by two rows of piles, was built across the river, each row capped by a double set of ~xl 0 _ spruce timbers bolted together, surmounted by an 8 x 12 spruce timber laid flat. On these tracks ran large cast iron rollers carrying a platform which supported a derrick and a dredge of one cubic yard capacity, operated by a 20 horsepower steam hoisting engine. Thus a trench 3 to 5 feet deep was excavated in the bed of the river. As earth was dug out, it was dumped on the down stream side of it .l?. track trestle. Pipe was laid in the trench by joining pipes on a scow at water level, then suspending them above the water from timbers laid across the track. One by one pipes were added to this suspended line, joined by a flexible ball and socket, then slowly lowered into the trench.<\/p>\n
When this line was tested on November 21, 1904, there proved to be somewhere under the Kennebec enough leakage to waste a large quantity of water. Investigation revealed a leak in one of the flexible joints. A diver undertook repairs by removing surrounding sand and re-caulking its lead. That diminished but did not stop the leak. Further investigation showed the ball of another joint badly cracked, clearly caused by lack of care in laying the pipe in the trench. However, the contractor disclaimed any responsibility on technical grounds. When he failed to repair the damage, the District had to take over.<\/p>\n
The weather was so cold that ice 20 to 30 inches thick covered the river. Under that ice sheet ran a swift current filled with anchor and needle ice. It was decided to take advantage of the thick ice sheet from which to launch repairs. It was impractical to build coffer dams, so the work had to be done by divers. A small house erected on a pontoon was sent on the ice, in which were placed a steam boiler and a heating coil for the comfort of the divers, who sometimes had to work in a temperature 20 below zero. It became necessary to drive short piling around the excavated area to protect the divers from anchor ice. An electric generator and marine lights gave the necessary illumination. A split sleeve over 4 feet long was designed to make a joint. The divers determined the deflection in the pipe at the damaged point. Then true pipes of similar diameter were put together in the tool house. The sleeve was bolted in place and the joints were run. The sleeve was then placed by the divers on the joint to be repaired. A coat of heavy soft-lead pipe was then wound about the joint and then caulked tight. In this way the flexible joints were successfully repaired. The job meant the cost of a diver and his assistant for 39 days in addition to other supporting labor. It was finished on March 4, 1905, was again tested, this time successfully, and water was turned on for customer use on May 23, 1905.<\/p>\n
It is interesting also to know something about the pumping stations. The crib dam at the old Arnold and Furbush power site on the Messalonskee was just above Pumping Stations Nos. 1 and 2. It was 12 feet high with a timbered slope. At each end were for the wheel penstock leading to the pumps, controlled by wooden gates at the face of the dam. Power was required to pump three million gallons of water a day or 4-2\/3 cubic feet per second. Difficulty was caused by bad control of storage basins on the stream and by conflicting interests of water rights. So another pumping plant, fueled by coal, was installed. That made necessary an 80 foot chimney, based on a ledge with a base 8 feet square and a flue three feet in diameter. This plant would pump 3 million gallons of water in 24 hours.<\/p>\n
The water had to come to the pumping station by gravity from China Lake, then after being pumped into the Upper Main Street reservoir had to go back across the river to supply Winslow customers. That reverse crossing of the Kennebec was made through a 12 inch pipe laid under the floor of Ticonic Bridge. The original plan was to place it in a long wooden box under the sidewalk of the bridge, but the selectmen of Winslow objected, though the designer of the bridge approved. So the pipe was laid on a wooden platform suspended beneath the roadway of the bridge, at a additional cost of $1,700.<\/p>\n
The City of Waterville was slow to approve a needed increase in hydrants. Conditions on the Plains were especially hazardous. All engineers consulted recommended that hydrants be not more than 600 feet apart, but on Water and adjoining streets that distance frequently exceeded 1,100 feet. After much urging, both by the District and by concerned citizens, the situation was eventually corrected.<\/p>\n
As we pointed out earlier, the bonded indebtedness of the District at the end of its first year of operation in 1906 was $950,000. But note at what a low rate that bond issue was placed compared with today’s cost of financing. The interest was only 3 per cent, calling for annual interest payments amounting to $31,594.<\/p>\n
In that first year of the Water District, the largest user was the Waterville Iron Works, which paid the District $442 in the first twelve months. Second came the Somerset Railway with $330. A. S. Hall, the District’s superintendent was paid $2,500 a year.<\/p>\n
Let us now see how some of the hydrants were placed in Waterville. They were at the corner of Western Avenue and Burleigh Street, at Burleigh and Winter, at Burleigh and Morrill Avenue, on Western Avenue just beyond the bridge, opposite Oakland Place on Oakland Street, on North Street opposite Middle Street, and at the corner of Dalton and Nudd. On upper Main Street there was no hydrant beyond Boutelle Avenue, and on North Street none beyond the railroad bridge.<\/p>\n
Concerning the legality of the Kennebec Water District, when it was finally approved, after long litigation on appeal to the Maine Supreme Court, the Waterville Mail had this to say:<\/p>\n
“The most important and far-reaching decision that the Maine Supreme Court has given in many years is that which sustains the legality of the Kennebec Water District. The movement requiring this law was unique in Maine History. Promoted vigorously by Harvey D. Eaton, it grew out of the conviction that certain public utilities should be under municipal ownership rather than in private hands. The decision of the court is sweeping, sustaining the law at every point.<\/p>\n
“To Mr. Eaton belongs the credit for creating the most interesting law passed in Maine since the statute forbidding municipalities from increasing their debt beyond five per cent of valuation.<\/p>\n
“When Mr. Eaton took steps to enable the inhabitants of Waterville and Fairfield to own and control a system of waterworks, he certainly had in mind the welfare of those communities.”<\/p>\n
From that beginning early in the present century the Kennebec Water District has grown to the great utility it is today, with thousands of household and industrial customers and an unfailing supply of water. And with that we must say goodbye until next week.<\/p>\n
Year: 1977<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #1111, Broadcast on January 30, 1977<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27136,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9678"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9678\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}