| Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
| North
Central States |
Indiana | La Porte |
La Porte was incorporated as a village in 1835 and as a city in 1852.
The city built a Holly water system that was demonstrated on August 20, 1871 using a steam-driven gang pump and two rotary pumps. New pumping machinery was installed in 1896 that was manufactured by the Nordberg Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee.
Water is supplied by the city of La Porte.
1871 "Trial of the Holly Water Works at Laporte," Chicago Tribune, August 31, 1871, Page 1.
1871 "The Holly Water Works at La Porte," Logansport Weekly Journal, September 2, 1871, Page 2.
1871 Chicago
Tribune, December 16, 1871, Page 6.
Laporte has discharged is firemen, having adopted the Holly system.
1884 La Porte, from Engineering News 11:104 (March 1, 1884)
1888 "La Porte," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1890 "La Porte," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "La Porte," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "La Porte," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
1900 "LaPorte
Water Works Test," The South Bend Tribune, April 3, 1900,
Page 1.
Final test of the new water works system.
1904 LaPorte
Today: Historical, Descriptive, Biographical
Pages 28-29: George H. Storey, being applied to for the leading
facts of his career, responded that the history of the LaPorte City
Waterworks was his history and by his record as its superintendent he must
stand or fall. The date and place of his birth, and other like
particulars, he regards as matters of minor interest and personal to
himself. We must begin, therefore, with his discovery, which was made by
Mayor Rose and a committee of the LaPorte common council, at Kalamazoo,
Mich., about the year 1870. During a period of two years before any formal
action was taken with reference to establishing a waterworks system in
this city, the matter was under discussion and investigation by the mayor
and council and several trips were made for the inspection of plants in
other cities. On such a trip to Kalamazoo they found Mr. Storey in charge
of the Holly system in use there. He was at great pains to give them a
practical demonstration of what the works could do regularly and In case
of fire and to explain the operation of the machinery, all of which he did
so clearly and intelligently that he was subsequently invited to LaPorte
as consulting engineer during the construction of the plant that the
council decided to erect. His acceptable service in this capacity led
naturally to his appointment as superintendent when the system was ready
for operation. The first official act of the council in contemplation of
the waterworks is found on page 172 of the City Ordinance book. Under the
authority of the step there recorded the work was begun in 1870 and on
July 28, 1871, Mr. Storey started the big pumps and filled the mains with
water. August 20, following, the official test required by the contract
with the builders was had and the occasion was made one of formal
rejoicing. The printed program of that day is one of Mr. Storey's
cherished mementoes. It is a matter of history that the test was
satisfactory to all concerned. Mr. Storey remained in charge of the plant
until his resignation, in November, 1874, to install and manage a large
system at Evanston, Ill. In August, 1883, he was again invited to the
superintendency at LaPorte and held the position ten years, resigning to
engage for himself in the business of building and repairing waterworks
plants throughout the country. For the third time, in 1899, he was
summoned to LaPorte and has watched over and cared for his big pet ever
since, giving in all eighteen years of faithful service to the city. The
LaPorte plant was the second of its kind in the west in cities of less
size than Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Detroit, that at Kalamazoo
being first. Indianapolis put one in later. During all the perplexing
complications of the past few years, connected with the addition of the
Kankakee pumping station to the city's system through the medium of the
LaPorte Water Supply Co., Mr. Storey has discharged the difficult duty of
maintaining a supply of water for private and public uses, having always
in mind the necessity of a safe provision against fire.
1904 A
twentieth century history and biographical record of La Porte County,
Indiana, by E. D. Daniels
Pages 738-739: George H. Storey is superintendent of the waterworks
of LaPorte, and is well qualified for this important position, which he
has long filled.
When still quite young he began earning his own living, and whatever
success he has since achieved has been due entirely to his own efforts. He
entered the employ of the Holly Manufacturing Company at Lockport, New
York, where he learned the trade of machinist, receiving most of his
training in the erecting shop. The Holly Company was at that time the
principal manufacturers of water-works systems in the United States, and
in this excellent training school Mr. Storey was well equipped for the
duties to which he now gives his attention. He made such progress that in
1868, when twenty-two years of age, he was sent out by the Holly Company
to superintend the installation of the water-works plant at Kalamazoo,
Michigan, that being the first of the smaller cities in the west to put in
water works. In fact, the only systems of the west at that time were those
at Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. After constructing the
Kalamazoo system Mr. Storey remained there as superintendent until 1871.
In that year he came to LaPorte and put in the Holly water-works system at
that place. After its completion he was employed by the municipality,
which was the owner of the plant, to remain as superintendent. He has made
his home in this city almost continuously since, being in charge of the
water works at different times for a combined period of more than twenty
years, and has erected and put in operation other extensive water-works
plants throughout the country. The system at LaPorte remained as
established from 1871 to 1896, when new machinery, made by the Nordberg
Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, was installed, the old mains and water
pipes, however, being retained as originally constructed.
In 1899 the lakes north of LaPorte from which the water supply was
obtained showed signs of failing, and the city established five miles east
of the city in the Kankakee valley, an auxiliary plant for the purpose of
pumping water from the copious springs in that vicinity. This enterprise
was carried on under the name of the LaPorte Water Supply Company,
consisting of the municipality as the principal owner and one or two
private capitalists. . This auxiliary plant is operated by electric power
from an engine and generator located in the original pumping station in
the town, and is transmitted by a system of six copper wires to the
Kankakee station, where the power for pumping is applied through electric
motors to two pumps, the capacity of which is one and three fourths
million gallons each in twenty-four hours. The water from the Kankakee
pumps is conducted through an eighteen-inch water main to the basin of the
local pumping station in the city, where it is taken up and distributed by
the local plant for general purposes throughout the city. In the meantime
the lakes from which the water was formerly taken have begun to regain
their former sufficiency, so that the city is assured, from these two
sources, a full and permanent supply of water. For thirty-two years Mr.
Storey has continued in charge of the water works, and his capability has
made him a most trustworthy official and one who receives the highest
commendation of all concerned.
Mr. Storey was united in marriage to Miss Flora E. Allen, a member of the
well known Allen family of this city, represented elsewhere in this work.
She is a daughter of the late James Monroe Allen and a granddaughter of
Colonel Place. Mr. and Mrs. Storey now reside at the old Colonel Place
homestead on Main street. They have three children: Willard Monroe, Mabel
Lane and Lola. During a long residence in LaPorte Mr. Storey has always
been known as a leading and public-spirited citizen, and as a
representative man of the county weli deserves mention in this volume.
© 2019 Morris A. Pierce