Philadelphia+Water+Works



=Philadelphia’s Fairmount Water Works=



=Historic Problem: Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia=

 The late 1700’s and early 1800’s were a trying time in the lives of many Philadelphia residents. Yellow fever spread like wild fire through the city taking the lives of thousands of citizens. The first outbreak occurred in 1793 and was the first time the city of Philadelphia had to consider a public water supply. One in twelve citizens perished from the disease while 23,000 left the city. It also affected normal business rituals for one month. The cause of the yellow fever outbreak was argued, but most concurred it was from unclean living conditions (Warmer 101-111). The water at this time was also contaminated to the point that it was not capable of safely fighting fires (Richardson 229-230). Private wells were the main source of water during this time, and it was also a concern that the wells were contaminated. In 1798 yellow fever returned to Philadelphia and in 1799 citizens signed a petition demanding a new water source (George 70-71). A decision had to be made on how to fix the problem and get clean water for the city. The choices were to use either the Schuylkill River, Delaware River, or to bring in water from a source outside of the city (Gibson). 

Watering Committee: Attempts to Solve the Problem
The Watering Committee in Philadelphia took an aggressive role on the issue trying to find a practical solution. At the same time a privately owned company was in the process of making a canal that connected the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Some opinions were tossed around involving using this canal to supply water throughout the city; however eventually the company that was digging the canal went bankrupt. Opposing the idea of building a canal was Benjamin Latrobe, an engineer and architect from England who came to the Philadelphia area to design the Bank of Pennsylvania (Warmer 101-111). While in the city he heard of the water problem and proposed a solution. 

Benjamin Latrobe: The First Water Works
Latrobe’s design involved two main parts. The first component was located near the edge of the Schuylkill River, three feet below the water level. From there the water was pumped up to a tunnel by means of a steam engine pump (Cottor 55). The tunnel went from Chestnut Street to Centre Square, where the second component was located. Once the water reached this point it was again pumped by steam engine thirty feet above the street. At that point gravity would let the water flow through the wooden piping systems to places throughout the city (George 70-71). The reservoir was able to hold 16,000 gallons of water (Richardson 229-230). Employing steam engines at this time was uncommon. In fact, there were only five utilized throughout the entire country. “Two at the Philadelphia Water Works; one just about being started at the Manhattan Water Works, New York; one in Roosevelt’s Saw Mill, New York; one in Boston; and small engine used by Oliver Evans to grind plaster of Paris at the corner of Ninth and Market Streets, Philadelphia (Graff). The engines were designed by Nick Roosevelt and could pump up to 1,000 gallons of water per day (George 70-71). The outside of the facility at Centre Square was very beautiful. It was designed in a circular shape surrounded by a white picket fence. It had grasses and a Rush’s fountain, “Leda and the Swan” (Horace 107). The building was nicknamed “the pepper box” due to this circular shape (Watson 457). The waterworks opened on January 27, 1801 and sent water to a sugar refinery, four breweries, and sixty-three houses (Richardson 229-230). Although many Philadelphians favored Latrobe’s design problems quickly arose, and it ended up being more a failure.

The design itself was controversial from the start because of the opposing view that the canal system should be used to allow water to flow into the city (George 70-71). The problems that arose were plentiful. The reservoir at Centre Square only provided enough water to last a half hour, and with the population constantly increasing this was clearly not enough (Federal Writers 137). The steam engines had to be repaired quite frequently and were costly to fuel. They burned through an extremely large amount of cordwood which cost a significant amount of money causing the waterworks to lose money instead of gain profit. The amount of people paying for water was not enough because some citizens used the free water from hydrants or private wells (Warmer 101-111). They were still unsure about giving up their private well water for public water (Watson 457). A better alternative was required. 

=Fairmount Water Works=

Two of Latrobe’s assistants that worked on his waterworks, John Davis and Frederick Graff, were appointed to reinvent the idea in 1811. The new location was near the Spring Garden district. They planned to build a pumping station at the riverbank and a reservoir on top of the hill next to the pumping station (Gibson). The location of the reservoir is where the Philadelphia Art Museum currently stands. This hill became known as Faire-Mount, and was high enough to pump water to the largest building in the city at that time. In addition twenty-four acres of land surrounded the location to keep pollution minimal (White 16). The water fed in from the river was pumped up to the reservoir by means of steam engine. There were two different types of engines used, the north engine and the south engine and they were housed in the engine house. The south engine was a traditional low pressure steam engine that was designed by Samuel Richards. It was a lot like the design of the steam engines used in Latrobe’s Centre Square design (Gibson). Since it was so similar to the steam engines in Centre Square it had some of the same problems. It leaked a lot and was generally defective because it never worked up to the full capacity predicted (Library of Congress //Fairmount Waterworks//). The North Engine was designed by Oliver Evans and was a high pressure steam engine. Evans came to the Philadelphia area and opened Mars Iron Works where he manufactured the steam engines (Cottor 55). This type of steam engine was new and was also a risk to install. Evans fully backed his product making a promise that it would decrease fuel consumption and increase the amount of water pumped. He also committed to uninstall the engine if it did not fulfill these requirements. This engine was used the most out of the two. The reservoir at the top of the hill was able to hold three million gallons. From there the water traveled to Centre Square by means of five passage ways. After arriving in Centre Square the water went through the same system previously designed by Latrobe. Using the old distribution system created problems when a drought occurred in 1818. In twenty five hours the water works only were able to provide one million gallons of water to the city. The fault lied in the hands of the old distribution system with the small pipe diameter and leaking. Cast iron pipes were installed to replace the wooden pipes. A main extension from Fairmount to Chestnut and Broad street was created which eliminated the use for the Centre Square facility (Gibson). Graff also designed stop cocks and fire plugs to further advance the system. The basic idea of his design is a mainstay even still in the modern designs for these parts (Graff). It was eventually destroyed and City Hall now resides in its place. In the nineteenth century the Philadelphia Waterworks changed the outlook of the city to incorporate beauty, power, and innovation. 

Problems and Advancements at Fairmount
 As the population of Philadelphia steadily increased the demand of water did too. The cost, however, was still an issue as it was with Latrobe’s design at Centre Square. In 1819 the following cost analysis was done based on raising 2,300,000 gallons of water in one day and recorded in //Fairmount Waterworks// in the Library of Congress. 6 men to work and keep engine in repair @ $9.75 $3,558.75 For tallow, oil, chandlery, etc. $1,250.00 3,650 cords of wood cordage and hanking @ $7 $24,550.00 Wear and tear of machinery $1,500.00 This cost was based off of running just one of the steam engines. Due to the increase in demand for water it was thought of to run both engines at the same time, which would double the cost. The steam engines again ended up to be too expensive to maintain a decent profit (Library of Congress //Fairmount Waterworks//). Another new innovation was required.  Water power replaced the advanced steam engines at the Fairmount Waterworks in 1822 (Gibson). A dam was built across the Schuylkill River which allowed the water to naturally flow into the waterworks system. This idea was a great technological advancement of the time (Booker 152-154). The dam was constructed by filling hickory logs with heavy rocks. The logs were then heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the river. It was constructed diagonally to eliminate unwanted currents toward the waterworks structures. The dam was finished in 1821. There would be enough water to power the system and also to provide for the city (Gibson). The dam also minimized pollution by allowing the water to cleanse itself in a subsiding reservoir (Birkinbine). The Watering Committee was forced to act fast by the threat of a different company constructing a dam first. Graff built a Mill House to replace the work that was previously done in the Engine House.

The design of the Mill House was basic but got the job done. There were twelve different areas four of which contained pumps and the other eight held the breast wheels. Breast wheels powered the pumps that in turn pumped the water to the reservoir (Gibson). 

Global Icon
 The advancements of the waterworks led to universal publicity. The exterior of the waterworks depicted beauty and serenity, a must different scene than what went on inside. Graff styled the buildings in styles that touched on Federal, Gothic, Roman and Greek (Colimore 205). The Mill House offered visitors views of the devices inside during full operation (Gibson). The Fairmount Waterworks had a monument dedicated to Graff and beautiful gardens and walkways. Rush’s sculpture of “Leda and the Swan” was moved from Centre Square to Fairmount (George 70-71). Visitors came from all over the world to see the marvelous waterworks. It was a symbol of the beauty and innovation Philadelphia had to offer. The Fairmount Waterworks were “known as the ‘Mecca of hydraulic engineers’” and “greatly influenced subsequent municipal water works development throughout the United States” (Library of Congress //Fairmount Waterworks//). Other water systems in the United States were modeled after the Fairmount Waterworks including the Croton System in New York which Graff personally worked on in 1842 (Richardson 229-230). The beautiful gardens and attractions “served as a precedent for Fairmount Park’s design and administrative procedures” (Library of Congress //Fairmount Park//). In 1844 the area of the Fairmount Waterworks was considered the first urban park in the country, and was put on the same scale as Central Park in New York and Boston’s Mt. Auburn Cemetery (Warmer 101-111). During the 1830’s to the 1850’s the Waterworks were at their peak and a trip to Philadelphia was incomplete without seeing them (Gibson). <span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">

=Industry Brings Pollution and Death to Water Works= <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> = =

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">As industry in the area began to take off, pollution poised a possible threat to the river. Filters were encouraged by Frederick Erdmann. Graff was against this idea because statistics showed that the Schuylkill River contained 6.1 grams of solid matter per gallon. Meanwhile Croton in New York contained 10.94 grams of solid matter per gallon (Geffen 307-362). The city tried to take action in an Bill proposed that would minimize the industrial pollution. Manufacturers of Manayunk protested against this bill. They proposed giving the city an excess of pure water to power the water works and other such companies. In the document it is also stated the industry located above the river would create a blow to the economy if removed (Manufacturers). In an attempt to try and control some of the land surrounding the waterworks the city purchased Lemon Hill, a chunk of land near the waterworks. This guaranteed no buildings would be able to build there (Geffen 307-362). When Graff Jr. took his father’s position after he passed away, he maintained the importance of the unoccupied land (Gibson). The appearance of the Schuylkill above Manayunk was disgustingly discolored and filthy. By the time it traveled to the waterworks it was clear, however the threat was there. In his report to the city council Henry Birkinbine stated that, “There is no doubt that a constant deterioration in quality is going on, which, if not arrested, will ultimately force the City to abandon the Schuylkill as a source of supply” (Birkinbine). Another factor was again the increasing population and required another advancement to give the waterworks the ability to pump out even more water. In the 1850’s hydraulic turbines were installed to replace the breast wheels. Another mill house was built in addition to house more machinery. Another reservoir was also built to contain the additional water from the waterworks. It was located on Corinthian Avenue and was higher in elevation than the others at Fairmount (Gibson). The population grew so rapidly the waterworks could not keep up. In 1851 they were forced to turn down West Philadelphia’s supply request (Warmer 101-111). Eventually the reservoirs were being completely emptied twice a week. The pollution also maintained a large threat on the water supply (Booker 152-154). Between 1880 and 1910 typhoid fever traveled through Philadelphia. Many citizens perished including 1,063 in only one season during 1906. Unfortunately, it was too late to employ filters (Warmer 101-111). Although it was outlawed industries continued to dump waste into the river and by 1899 the realization that the city needed an alternative to the waterworks was understood. In 1911 the waterworks were closed (George 70-71). Once the Fairmount Waterworks closed the city built an aquarium inside the buildings. The aquarium contained a loggerhead turtle. It also contained 1.500 fish (Booker 152-154).

The aquarium, in 1929, was one of the four biggest in the world. After fifty years of service the aquarium closed in 1962 (Gibson). Today the waterworks have been restored to contain an educational museum with actual machinery and artifacts from the thriving days of the waterworks success. The Engine House has become the classy Waterworks Restaurant, and tourists still flock to see the beauty. Although the waterworks are no longer supplying Philadelphia with water they remain a symbol of the innovation and beauty that Philadelphia possesses.

=References= <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Works Cited **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Primary: ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Birkinbine, Henry P.M. “Purity of Water and Hydrographical Survey of the Schuylkill River.” (excerpt). 31 January 1867. <http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/Schuylkill_1866Survey.htm>. Graff, Frederick. “Notes of Steam Engines In The United States About The Year 1801, And A Description Of Those In Use At The Water Works Of The City Of Philadelphia.” 8 June 1876. <http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/PDFs_Misc/ogden_01.pdf>. Manufacturer’s of Manayunk. “Memorial to the Senate and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania.” Philadelphia: Manayunk, 1868. <http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/Schuylkill_Archive/Petition_1868_text.pdf>.

United States. U.S. Department of Interior. //Fairmount Waterworks, East Bank of Schuylkill// //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">River, Aquarium Drive, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Photograph and Drawing Comp. Historic American Engineering Record. Washington: Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, 1968. Library of Congress. 21 February 2009. []. <span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #333333; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Booker, Janice L. __Philly Firsts The Famous, Infamous, and Quirky of the City of Brotherly__ __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Love __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1999. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Colimore, Edward. __The Philadelphia Inquirer's Guide To Historic Philadelphia__. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Camino Books, 2004. Cottor, John L., Daniel G. Roberts and Micheal Parrington. __The Buried Past An Archaeological__ __<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">History of Philadelphia __<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. Federal Writers' Project. __Philadelphia A Guide to the Nation's Birthplace__. Clair Shores: Scholarly Press, 1978. Geffen, Elizabeth M. “Industrial Development and Social Crisis 1841-1854.” __Philadelphia A__ __<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">300-Year History __<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">. Ed. Russell F. Weigley. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1982. 307-362. George, Alice L. __Philadelphia: A Pictorial Celebration__. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 2006. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Gibson, Jane M. "The Fairmount Water Works." __Bulletin__ 84 (1988). <http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/PMA_TEXT.htm>. Lippincott, Horace M. __Early Philadelphia Its People, Life and Progress__. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1917. Richardson, Edgar P. “The Athens of America 1800-1825.” __Philadelphia A 300-Year History__. Ed. Russell F. Weigley. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1982. 208-257. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">United States. U.S. Department of Interior. //Fairmount Park, Along Schuylkill River,// //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Comp. Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington: Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, 1933. Library of Congress. 21 February 2009 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.pa3426>. United States. U.S. Department of Interior. //Fairmount Waterworks, East Bank of Schuylkill// //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">River, Aquarium Drive, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Comp. Historic American Engineering Record. Washington: Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, 1968. Library of Congress. 21 February 2009. <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.pa0837>. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Warmer, Sam B. __The Private City__. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1968. Watson, John F. __Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania__. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Elijah Thomas, No. 5 S. Sixth Street, 1857. White, Theo B. __Fairmount, Philadelphia's Park__. Philadelphia: The Art Alliance P, 1975. Wolf, Edwin. __Philadelphia Portrait Of An American City__. Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1990. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Works Consulted **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Primary: ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ewbank, Thomas. //A descriptive and historical account of hydraulic and other machines for// //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">raising water, ancient and modern : including the progressive development of the steam // //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">engine. //<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> London, 1842. //The Making of the Modern World//. Gale 2009. Gale, Cengage Learning. Drexel University Libraries. 21 January 2009 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/MOME?af=RN&ae=U3606150314&srchtp=a&ste=14>. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #262a2c; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Levine, Adam. __Phillyh20__. 10 Oct. 2008. Philadelphia Water Department. 5 Jan. 2009. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">"Fairmount Water Works." __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: NL;">Wikipedia __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: NL;">. 11 Jan 2009 []. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: NL;">
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