Documentary History of American Water-works

Aqueous History

A careful investigation furnishes conclusive proof that the location of springs brooks, and waterfalls hereabouts, and desire for a liberal supply of water for domestic use, as well as for the power of motion, exerted a controlling influence on most of the early occupants of the soil in selecting sites for building purposes, particularly so at the time of the last settlement of the town, but when the first artificial supply was obtained through wells cannot be ascertained.

Within the limits of "Falmouth Neck," now Portland, there were several boggy places and springs from which water perpetually flowed to the rising and falling tide water of the surrounding harbor and cove, the most important of which was a water supply, was the great spring that now flows at the corner of Spring and South streets, as it did in the first days of the history of Portland and vicinity, through now excluded from public view.

In 1728, a town grant of land was made to Edward Shove of Dighton, Mass., bounded on two sides by a "way that goes from Middle street and a way from the water to the spring." Shove being a Quaker and well along in in years, did not fancy so much of Puritanism as was mixed with the air, so vacated his grant, and, in 1742, a grant of three acres was made to Philip Hodgkins, who had been obliged by a decree of the court to vacate a lot on Munjoy Hill, where he had built an abode.  The description of Shove's lot shows that his spring was, away back in 1727, of sufficient importance to have a way or road to it from the part of town first settled, and one from the edge of tide-water.  Hodgkin's lot commenced at Fore street and extended back to Free street, on the westerly side of Center street, and included within the bounds the original grant of shove, which he had vacated.  Close to the westerly side of this lot, but outside its limits, the ever since flowing spring was evidently known to the inhabitants all around.  Hodgkins' house was located on the harbor side of his lot, between which and the spring was a swamp caused by the flow of the spring.  [illegible] carpenter by occupation and must be considered as the pioneer settler of Hodgkins', now "Gorham's Corner."

In 1742 the portion of Center street, next to Congress, was laid out by Capt.Samuel Skillings and called Love Lane, which name was retained until 1812, when it was exchanged for the present one.

In 1754 a way was laid out between Love Lane and Spring, which is now the southerly end of Spring street.  In 1760 the way was relaid out, "including in said bounds Mariner's spring," At the first survey the spring is noticed as Mariner's, but I find no record of a christening ceremony at the adoption of the name; and its true significance is a debatable matter, though it is generally conceded as meaning a place of resort for ship's crews in pursuit of water in days of long ago.

In 1767, Hodgkins, then a resident of St. George, conveyed a lot of land situated on the northerly side of what is now Spring street, and "near the spring," to one John Majery, "a potter," after which the name of the spring alternates on records between Majery and Mariner.

On the westerly bank of the gully through which the flow from the spring and adjacent bog escaped, and close to water of the harbor, John Majery built a "pot house" in which was a mill for grinding clay.  He was a tenant at that place of the heirs of Phineas Jones.  Easterly of this pot house, which must have stood about where Brown's sugar house stood, was a brickyard operated by Oliver White and Samuel Bland, and after the war of the Revolution, by George Burns.  These facts are obtained from a deposition of Thos. Berry made in 1811, who was a bricklayer.

A look through the vista of years for unwritten occurrences of more than a century ago in many cases furnish but few gleams of the vents of that period.  When one is found it is worthy of careful preservation.
After being elected to a municipal office of a minor character the name of Majery as well as that of Philip Hodgkins disappear from public records, the wives of both surviving them.

Ann Riggs in her deposition says; "The people of the vicinity obtained their living principally by fishing and fowling," so we will imaging that the denizens of Love Land and Hodgkins' corner, worked a little on the land, went to the sea, hunted for snipe in the adjacent bogs and wild animals roaming at will in the vicinity, and fished, and that the light hearted sailor came to the spring for water, the maiden listened to this enchanting song, wooed and wed, then later Charles Frost and others armed with clubs and axes demolished the dance halls of the locality.

In 1786 the town of Portland was created by a legislative enactment and from that year may be dated the history of the attempts to supply the town and city with water by artificial means.  I quote from the deposition of David Ross, made in 1833, who spent the first years of his conjugal life, a century ago with Amy Larrabee, his wife, in the dwelling house now bearing unmistakable signs of antiquity which stands on Congress street, opposite the Farfington block, with its great chimneys, small windows, low ceilings, yellow paint and apparent poverty in front doors.  Ross says:

"I am seventy-nine years of age and was formally well acquainted with Shadrack Ham for several years before the town was divided and Portland set off.  He was of my nearest neighbors and at that time, in December, of the year 1786 or 7, I dug a well for him on his lot which was on the corner of Maine street (now, 1889, Congress street) and Love Lane (Center street).  We dug in the place where there was a spring.  There was some snow on the ground and the ground was hard frozen.  It was a season when there was a severe drought.  People were obliged in some places to drive their cattle three miles for water.  It was the severest I ever saw. I finished the well on the same day a man by the name of Fogg perished in the cold at Capisic, going from here to Gray.  It was a very severe snow storm.  Ham said his object in having the well dug was to make his fortune; that he could sell the water for a dollar a cask, and people would be glad to give him a pistareen for a bucket full.  ON the last day when we were at work in the snow storm mentioned above, a great number of people came to see us on account of its being so strange a thing to be going on at such a time.  On this occasion he had flip [n.b. A blend of beer, rum, molasses (or dried pumpkin), and eggs or cream.] by the buckets full brought out to the people to drinks and damned them for not drinking.  This was unusual for he was considered a close man and not fond of drink.  His conduct appeared to be during the time I was at work such that I could not but consider him deranged, and could ascribe it to no other cause.  The next falls after the well was dug, Mr. Benj. Larabee and myself had set up a brick kiln on the land of old Benj. Larrabee, grandfather of the present Benjamin, near the foot of Oak street at Back Cove, a little east of the rope-walk, and one night Ham came round and acted like the evil one.  He became so troublesome that he was chained around the leg and fastened to a staple in the floor of his house where he was kept till his death.  He had three daughters and two sons, the names of the sons were Stephen and Joseph; daughters, Sally, Polly or Martha, and Nancy.  Sally married Capt Harper, Polly, Mr. Shaw, Nancy, Benj. D. Ross.  Stephen died before his father did, unmarried. Capt Harper was an Englishman and Shaw a Scotchman.  Both lived at Nova Scotia.  Thomas married and brought a wife to his father's house.  Stephen was a master of a ship.  Ham lived many years after he was chained.  Benj. D. Ross was not a relative of mine."

Of Ham's advent to the world, where he got his wife, and when he closed his eyes to his prison life and heard no more the clink of chains where Lancaster Block stands, which was built in 1881, careful research is unproductive, and the origin of the first person who attempted to furnished a general water supply for Portland, like that of his scriptural namesake, must, till further developments, be left to speculation.  It was in 1765 that he purchased the lot on which he lived and died.  He was elected to a few unimportant positions in town affairs, and was one of the seventy persons licensed to supply the town with liquors.

Nearly one hundred years ago the vicinity of Mariner's Spring received special attention.  The town was growing; room was required for building purposes; old gave way to new.  Lands were laid out and dedicated--now known as streets--and a far better quality of dwelling house commenced; and a little later a school house was located in the neighborhood, and the inmates of the Alms house, located in 1761 where Lincoln Park is, were moved to a new house on Spring street.  "Business was good" and future prospect so encouraging that in 1793 the municipal authorities were petitioned to assist in furnishing a supply of water adequate to the demand.  A committee of investigations was chosen at a town meeting that subsequently reported that "We have taken the number of wells in the town, which are sixty-nine, seventeen of which have pumps, and that it would be practicable and would tend much towards the safety of the town is an aqueduct were sunk under ground from Munjoy's Spring to Clay Cove, and cisterns fixed in a number of intermediate places to receive the water which should run in such ducks from said spring."  But the town in its corporate capacity only agreed to pay one-third of the expense to persons who would dig wells and furnished them with pumps where the public could get to them.  Three years later the agitation was resumed, so that, in 1793[?], the town voted to raise five hundred dollars to pay for constructing four public wells with a description of location as follows:

"One is the gore between the Middle and Back streets by the hay scales; one by Gustin's house on Federal street; one in line of Middle and King streets, and one where the Widow Preble's is now sunk by the late Nathaniel Deering's house."

Failing to induce the town to engage in the matter of constructing aqueducts the inhabitants of the town voted in 1799 to allow "subscribers for aqueducts liberty to sink them in any of the street;" and in 1803, Mary Oxnard, widow, James Fosdick, merchant, and John White paid Lucy Greenleaf $100 for the privilege of laying an aqueduct to "Cold Spring," located on her premises "between Danforth and Pleasant streets, for a term of fifty years."

It is tradition that one William Freeman brought water from Munjoy Hill through a lead pipe prior to 1812 and was the pioneer in pipe laying, but it is far from safe to give it as historical truth that he was the first in constructing water works in ancient times, as has been done.

In 1799, when the privilege of laying water pipes in the streets was asked for, water must have been scarce for the town came to its protection and voted a fine of one dollar for an injury to a pump and fifty dollars fine for every person who pumped more than the vessel [?]ll brought to a pump; and a little later it was voted to allow "Thomas Webster and others to sink a well at the parking of Middle and Free streets as near Capt. Moses Bown was possible--said well to be sixteen feet in diameter inside stone work, and the town to pay one hundred dollars when completed and a pump put in."

It was from the liberal supply of water at this locality in the cellar of the drug shop of H. H. Hay & Son, "at the parting" of the streets, and its liberal use by the senior members of the firm whose step-today is as elastic as then, that the ravages of the great fire of 1866 were so stayed as to save much property in that part of the city from destruction.

In 1805 public attention was again directed to Mariner's spring and it was voted by the town "expedient to build a reservoir to collect the water thereof," and the fire wardens were directed to place pumps where they deemed it necessary; it was also voted a year later to dig a well at the foot of Love Lane [illegible] Corner, and $120 was appropriated therefore, and Jonathan Stevens, who lived on [?]ree street where the Anderson mansion now stands, was granted permission to build a cistern near the spring to catch the waste water.  It was also agreed to appropriate $220 to conduct water from a neighboring hill "for the use of the work house."

In 1817 the matter of water supply was again discussed in town meeting, and it was voted by the town that "any person taking water from any public pump or cistern for ship purposes should be fined $1 for every barrel taken."
 
in 1822 the sum of $44 was paid for repairs on the Fountain and the next year the people living at the head of India and Green streets asked asked for a well at each place and the committee to whom the matter was referred recommended "that an old well be cleaned out at the head of India street and a pump be put in and that an old well at the head of Green street, standing partly in the street and partly on the land of Mr. Cushman be cleaned out and a pump put in, "provided said pump can be for the use of the town," and $50 was appropriated.

I now pass to the year 1835, at which time the people had cast off the old garb of town government and put on the habiliments of city attire, and the record of that year says: "The interest of the city requires that a good and substantial building be erected over the Fountain now being built in Spring street of such dimensions as the council may determine"; and an order was passed "that the sum of $120 be appropriated to pay to Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Munroe and Mrs. Clark for an in consideration of their deed of release to the city of the land which embraces the Fountain on Spring street." In compliance with this order, Frances Watts of Boston, Sally Clark of Kennebuck, window, Mary Lewis and Lucy Munroe of Portland, conveyed to the city as follows: "Land being the same which was embraced as part of Spring street in the original laying out of said street and included the Spring, formerly called Mariner's Spring.  These persons were heirs to Dr. Edwards Watts, who purchased the land located around the spring after it had been taken by the town for public use.  The claim Watts' heirs had upon the premises is not plain.  After this traction the city authorized the treasurer to procure a loan of $7,500 for the city, payable in 1840; one of the purposes for which the loan was created being as follows

"Building the Fountain on Spring street $2,500"; and in a report of the doings of the city government for the year 1836 I find the following.  "Completing reservoir and erecting a large brick engine house and ward room on Spring and South streets $3,608.11.  The reservoir on the corner of Spring and South streets has been completed the past year and five other reservoirs constructed making seven in the city.  The city debt is $55,000."

The building then erected stands to-day unchanged, as the cut of its made from a photograph taken only a few days ago expressly to commemorate the historical spot, here presented, represents.  It is twenty paces long and the South street end is five paces wide.  The hall in the second story if closed; the hinges on the door leading thereto are rusty. The "Tub" that was known as "Casco Engine" is gone.  At that period the Portland Light Infantry volunteered to take charge of a new engine the city had bought and the writer presumes it was the "Casco" referred to.  But most of the members of the "swell" engine company that made it a point to "wash" other "tubs" are gone.  Most of the residents of the neighborhood at the time building was erected are gone, and Niles Johnson, a Dane, uses the old ward room for a grocery shop at a rental of $150 paid annually to the city.  Through a trapdoor in the floor of the room he occupies I went down, step by step, down on a decaying ladder twelve feet, when I came to water, then it was four feet to the ledge bottom through which the fluid protrudes in a great, steady volume as it has, it is presumed, since the time of Noah and the Ark.  The place seemed like a great tomb built for giants, but in fact is only a "cat's heaven" at this time, two openings having been made at the top of the back wall for the purpose of ventilation, through which children, dogs and cats play "hide-and-go-seek." The outside of the old structure possesses a monastical air, which appearances for accommodations for chariots for the celestial regions, but over the great doorway of the South street end, embedded in the brick wall, is the brown stone tablet inscribed,

Mariner's Spring-1754
Fountain Erected-1836

To the stranger within the city the meaning of the tablet is not understood, it was not understood which first presented to the public.

Sept. 26th the Argus, under the caption of "official accuracy" quoted the inscription as here presented, and closed its criticism with these words:

"The 'Fountain' we are inclined to think, was 'erected' a great many years ago, and by a higher power than man.  If we are not mistaken, ours is the first city government there we ever knew engaged in such business."

The Argus was not in accord with the Whigs who have got control of the city offices.

The Advertiser, the organ of the Whigs, flew into a passion.  Two days later it quotes the article of the Argus and commenced its tirade as follows:

"The Boston editor of the Argus, we think, is getting hyper-critical in his new chair. According to eastern notions, the inscription is strictly correct, and we would ask the learned editor to name a dictionary of good authority which applies the word "Fountain" exclusively to a natural outlet or spring of water, or in his own language, to something 'erected by a higher power than man':" and closes its article thus: "Heedless of the barking of the custom house pack, the city government has gone on with its improvements. * * * we believe the decided feeling of appreciation of the Whig government of 1836 is everyday strengthening."

To this the Argus of Sept 30th, briefly replied, that the "school master is abroad," and the "Advertiser is full of 'wrath and cabbage.' It may be that Sam. Johnson and Noah Webster, LL.D.'s are both wrong and the writer in the Advertiser, who is probably an A. S. S. right;" and "we will leave it for the reader to determine whether the authorities of the city of Portland have the power to 'erect' a 'SPRING' of inexhaustible water--if they have they are uncommonly smart, that's all."

I think the word in the sense in which it was used by the founders of the building was incorrectly used and the Argus therefore was right.

The iron gas pipes laid under ground has a contaminating influence upon the general water supply from wells; and Bethuel Sweetsir conceived the idea of selling water and established a water mart on Fore street, near Mountfort, which was very remunerative a few years next previous to the introduction of Sebago in 186, but the Sebago lake's supply instantly killed his business.

When Hon. J. B. Cahoon was Mayor in 1849  it was proposed to build two great reservoirs, one on Bramhall, the other on Monjoy's Hill, at an expense of $80,000, but as there was "some uncertainty about obtaining a supply of water" the committee of the city government were of the "opinion it would be inexpedient to incur such an expense," and the project died.

In 1854 the drouth produced a discussion and the city government was petitioned to supply a supply of water equal to the demand, and a committee reported that it would cost to furnish a supply from Sebago Lake $3,721,375, and from Presumpscot river $1,636,712.  This enterprise, like the other, died at the birth.

Next came the proposition of the Hon. F. O. J. Smith, who offered to bring water from Sebago lake by the old Oxford and Cumberland canal to the foot of Bramhall Hill and pump it into the reservoir for distribution.  To this objection was made; then through J. J. Speed he proposed taking water from the lower falls of Presumpscot river, forcing it into a reservoir on Graves' Hill, and then distributing it through the city.  This proposition was declined by the city government in 1865.  In December of the same year "How best to supply the city with water" was proposed for discussion at the meetings of the Mercantile Library Association.  Great interest was manifested in the matter and in February of the following year a petition was sent to the State Legislature for a charter to bring water from Long Creek, and the "Portland Water Company" was incorporated Feb. 22d, 1866.  The corporators were J. B. Brown, St. John Smith, Samuel E Spring, Rensellaer Cram, Rufus E. Wood, Jacob McClellan and D.W. Clark.  The conditions of the Long Creek charter were very favorable to the city.  The was company was to furnish free of expense water for the extinguishment of fires, for schools and public buildings, yet, in 1870, the city entered into a contract to pay the company the sum of $4400 annually for drinking fountains and a few minor considerations.  For the financial year of 1887-8 the city paid for "water and hydrants" $7,015.31.

The great fire of 1866 abruptly terminated the plans of the newly organized Water Company.  Then assistance came from other places from persons who had experience in building water works in other cities and together with some of the citizens of Portland an offer to take the Long Creek charter was made; the Long Creek charter was accordingly amended in 1867 and the company was organized.  The board of directors was as follows:  Gen. Geo. F. Shepley and A. A. Strout, Esq. of Portland, C. J. Gilman of Brunswick, C. H. Todd of New York, and C. K. Green of Exeter, N. H.  Soon after a proposition was made to the city by the directors that for a term of ten years "the city should aid the company by a gratuity equivalent to $50,000 annually, for the water required for public use."

An elaborate discussion followed lasting several months, which was indulged in by the city government, newspapers, and public generally.  The questions were as follows;

First--To contract with the Portland Water Company?

Second--To accept the offer of Hon F. O. J. Smith made through his agent, J. J. Speed?

Third--The city to build water works as a city enterprise?

In Jan. of the year 1868 the city government decided to contract with the Portland Water company and on March 3, 1868, Mayor A. E. Stevens signed the contract, and on May 4th, ground was broken at Saccarappa for the twenty inch main and Aug. 11th the ground was broken in the city on Cumberland street, ex-Mayor Mclellan throwing out the first shovelfull.  May 19th, 1869, work was commended on the reservoir, Bramhall Hill.  Nov. 18th of that year all the pipes in the city were filled.  The reservoir on Bramhall has a capacity of 12,000,000.

April 1st, 1868. The [illegible] amounted to $60,000 annually, while the gross income of the company in 1872 was but $47,415.  A second mortgage of $200,000 was made, but with the interest unpaid and the first mortgage and a floating debt of $152,952.98 the company saw before them only financial ruin, so that, in 1873, the company was reorganized; then the debts were paid off, and the company put on a solid basis.

In 1881, D. W. Clark, president of the company, proclaimed to the world:

"The Portland Water company can not furnish water in a perfectly pure state, brought by gravitation from a natural lake, large enough and deep enough to prevent its waters being contaminated, and its great depth and underlying stratum of sand preventing any trouble from segal.  Portland can now enjoy the purest of pure water brought from the Mountains by brooks and streams to Sebago lake, thence direct by the two mains of the water company to the city."

Sebago Lake is 267 feet abaove tide water and caused by a great land slide.  Saccarappa village is built upon a land slide through through which the outlet of the lake passed.  The lake covers 74,880 acres; it discharges 400 million gallons of water per day.  Three and a half days' discharge of the lake will supply Portland a year.  The length of the main pipes are 16 miles; and are capable of conduct 8,500,000 gallons of water daily.  In 1881 there are thirty-eight miles of pipes laid within the limits of Portland.  A great reservoir is now being constructed on Munjoy Hill by the Water Company.

In 1837, as I have shown from quotations from official records, there were 11 reservoirs in the city; now there are 61 reservoirs, and 286 hydrants, and the chief engineer of the fire department says in his last report "there is a demand at both ends of the city for more."  At this time I find seventy-five persons "running with a machine;" now 138 constitute the entire fire department of the city.  It was at the time Gen. Neal Dow appears before the public as a petitioner for fire hats for the firemen.  He got them, put one one, became chief of the fire department of the then young city, and has been throwing water ever since.  Some of his experiences while "running with the machine," would be interesting reading to-day.  It was upon the curb of a well that the Lord sat when he conversed with the woman of Samaria.

D. W. Clark, Esq., is president, and Hon. Geo. P. Westcott, treasurer of the Portland Water Company.

L.B.C. [probably Leonard Bond Chapman]

[Note:  there are numerous typos in the photocopy of the above article, some obvious ones have been corrected and hopefully a clearer copy can be found.]

© 2015 Morris A. Pierce