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From Mud To Bricks
or
What Took Them So Long?
Written and contributed by Ben
Feld
Annotated by Ken Riedl
Watertown
Woods
Watertown
Chronicle, 08 16 1847
Those who have traveled through the Watertown woods,
and expect to do so again, will be rejoiced to learn that the road is being greatly
improved. A sum of money for that purpose was raised by the public spirited
citizens of this place, early last summer, and the repairs are now going on
under the immediate superintendence of Mr. Ozro Brackett.
Stumps are to be grubbed, holes filled up, and the
road in many places turnpiked. Operations were commenced at Kellogg's tavern,
in Concord, and are to extend hitherward. The judicious expenditure of the sum
raised will, it is thought, place the road in good order. These repairs were
certainly needed, as we never traveled a worse road than that was early in June
last.
We are surprised to learn that no highway work has
been expended upon that road the present season. This is wrong -- most
decidedly wrong. At whose door lies the culpability?
__________________________________________________
It has been said that the wheels of justice grind
slowly; but the wheels of the city government sometimes turn even more slowly,
as the city of Watertown learned when the citizens began agitating for improvements
to
Cow Common
Quite some time before Watertown officially became a
city in l853, there were complaints about the streets, and citizens, sometimes
without the help of the city government, took matters into their own hands to
improve some of the streets. Already in 1847,
City Streets
Each week the newspapers carried complaints about the
country roads which, at that time, were merely much-traveled paths. In the
territory in general all roads seemed to be in the same hopeless condition.
Much experimenting with plank roads was being carried on with much success, and
many had been built, although none of them reached Watertown until 1853
The roads are bad, the mud is nearly knee
deep, and on the increase. And yet some of our businessmen see no necessity for
a plank road.
This excerpt from The
Chronicle of 1849 was just the beginning of a long string of diatribes by
the editor's of the local papers -- items which were sometimes presented as
being letters from a dissatisfied citizen but which were often quite obviously
the words of the editor of the particular paper: Ballou, of The Watertown Democrat or, as time went
on, Norris and Keyes of the Watertown
News (later to become Watertown
Republican).
There was plenty to be dissatisfied about. From the
first days of Watertown until late 1899,
Crossing
Why didn’t the ladies simply raise their skirts a few
inches to avoid the mud? UNTHINKABLE! To do so might reveal the tops of their
shoes, or even more unthinkable, reveal an inch or two of the stocking. Better
the skirts become caked with mud!
During the summers, Watertown sometimes experienced a
dry a spell during which no rains came to turn
A letter in The
Chronicle indicates a certain amount of dissatisfaction and concern on the
part of at least one citizen in 1852:
FRIEND HADLEY -
Allow me to invite the attention of our
village trustees, in this public manner, to the condition of
During a recent visit to the north, I heard
of a multitude of "curses, not loud but the deep," upon the supiness
of our village authorities, and saw evidence of a spirit of redress in many
localities which threatened to make serious inroads upon the business of this
place.
Plank Road
Proposed for
Plank roads are already projected in
several directions, which must inevitably draw off much of the northern and
northwestern travel which now passes through Watertown; but they are being
pushed forth with a zeal that is not to be mistaken, and is sure of success.
Let Watertown look into this matter before
it is too late.
H.
At the time this letter was written, plank roads were
a reality for southern Wisconsin. Fourteen
years earlier travelers going to Milwaukee from Watertown expected to be on the
road for at least six days; in one instance it took three weeks. The first
covered carriages, presumably one of the early stagecoaches in these parts,
arrived in Watertown in 1841, after a tedious journey on which the driver found
it necessary at times to chop branches from trees to permit passage. Once the
plank road was put into service, the travel time was cut to six hours and later
to just four hours.
The existing and proposed plank roads were often
written about in the newspapers; generally they were praised. But
AWFUL!
Our "city fathers" are not
sufficiently thoughtful of the comforts of their constituents. During the muddy
weather we have had for a few days past, it has been almost impossible for
ladies to pass some of our streets. By far the worst crossing place in the
business portion of the village is between the stores of Mr. AMENT and Mr.
COONAN.
On Monday morning we found a lady and two
or three children fairly mired in there. A crosswalk is much needed at that
point . . . We advise our "city fathers” to obtain a mud scow and visit
the location at once. The safest way to approach it would be by way of
A planked street would seem to have been the solution
to the mud and, indeed, it was tried, apparently. In June, 1853, The Chronicle carried the following
item:
The work of planking
No mention of the completion or of the abandonment of
the plank road within the city is found in the reports from the City council.
Sporadically the city council did decide to do some
repairs on side streets - repairs which consisted mainly of ineffectual rough
grading of the existing street and sometimes spreading out natural gravel on
the surface.
Some sidewalks were built, mainly on a
The inaction of the city council irritated many, and especially
editor Ballou, who published this editorial:
Somebody was today preaching up the
necessity of having crosswalks on
I say, let people keep on their own side of
the streets and they won't need any crosswalks. It's only the Shanghai's that
clamor for them, and it's all because their long pick-tailed coats drag in the
mud. I don't believe there are any there
are folks enough here to build walks just to accommodate them. Let them imitate
the fair sex and carry their Shanghai appendages in their hands.
Who wants to be taxed for such "Miss
Nancy" we see - washy, COM-foolery as that, I'd like to know? If the
Shanghai's can't do any better, let them go to the bridge and across, and they
can crawl under the railing. That might be a grand cross-walk if the
authorities would cut us a yard or to the goal stick of the railings. But that
wouldn't do - it would look “finished."
People might to get out of the mud, drive the wagon through on the
sidewalks -- and then what is the use of having a railing, if you are to have a
whole through it? I'm dead agin that.
In another column of the same issue, Mr. Ballou expanded
on his feelings about the condition of
Some Shanghai was talking the other day,
about having "stone gutters” put in on either side of
Stone gutters! Humph! Smart idea! Of course
they wouldn't cost much, but there is such a beautiful of descent to the river,
but then what's the use of carrying the water off? Don’t the hogs want a soft place to lie down,
and don’t the horses and horned muleys want a soft place to stand?
The water and mud is not more than eighteen
inches deep in the best gutter in
There is no use in talking about "the
necessity" . . . "carry off filth" and all the swine will take
it away for the rent of the mud hole. Stone gutters! Bah!
A few days later, "Old Fogy," a frequent
contributor to the Watertown Democrat,
submitted another article which was made up to look like an authentic news
item:
TREMENDOUS EXCITEMENT IN CHINA
A Watertown Berkshire Among the Celestials.
A Watertown "Berkshire" has
appeared among the Chinese. The particulars haven't "come to hand.” It is only reported that his advent and Pekin
was heralded by a "tremendous" earthquake, during which the ground
opened and belched forth donuts of mud as large as a horse's head. There was a
rise in bristles for the hair of the people stood on end. There was a dreadful
hurrying to and from and a fearful display of fiery eye-balls.
"In awful frenzy rolling"
Nature's spasms extended to the sea shore,
and old ocean was astirred to its profoundest depth. The Leviathon of the deep,
lashed his oleaginous tail, and the diminutive tadpoles, wiggled his
extremities and made as much of a splurged generally, as could be expected from
one possessed of such a delicate organization. As usual in such cases a volcano
burst forth and earth became quiet, except about the vent hole, alias the
crater. Amidst the general consternation of a full grown Berkshire was seen to
rise with a fiery stream of lava, and the sound of his guttural voice, mingled
with a song of crackling flames and that hiss of fiery serpents, flying skyward.
The laws of gravitation being in force, the porker in due time came down the
"kerflummex" on a pile of black tea. The people knew he was a
runaway, for the fame of our streets had extended beyond where
"Gangees roles her swelling
flood"
The Berkshire's bristles were filled with
Main street mud making him fire proof.
The Imperial government took the best opportunity to convey the
intelligence to the proper authorities at Washington. The news was conveyed by
a carrier pigeon telegraph from Pekin to Halfwayville, Havre, by lightning,
Colli's line of steamers to Halifax and lightning to the Watertown Democrat.
Some people may be inclined to doubt the
correctness of the report. We shouldn’t wonder if they did. The world is full
of wise-acres who are so fearful of being humbugged, that they won’t believe
the plainest truths. But I intend to silence all doubters by "piling"
up the arguments.
The facts and the theory, physiological and
philosophical, are as follows: It is well known that China is just opposite
Watertown. Well, then, if Berkshire popped into one of the mud holes in Main
Street, wouldn’t he pop out on 'tother? All conclusive.
But says the old fogies, "How do you
get the earthquakes and the volcanoes?" Well, now that's as clear as mud, and
as beautifully philosophical too. The popular theory is that the earth is a
mere crust, which was formed by the “cooling process" and that the
interior of the ball is a boiling sea of fire.
Now, it is a well known fact, that if you
thrust a cold foreign body into liquid fire, you set the whole mass in
commotion and produce a general "sizzle." Is it not then a logical
conclusion, that if Berkshire plunged into one of our Main street mud-holes and
knocked the bottom in, the pent up, fiery sea would be set in awful motion.
The fact that Berkshire passed through the
fiery furnace unscathed does not mitigate against the theory, for Main street
mud is proof against anything but water.
But many has supposed our town had been
heard of so far away; but this dispatch from the celestials proves conclusively
that our fame has crossed even the steppes of Tartary. Another circumstance given below is
corroboration of the truth of the foregoing report.
A few days since our humble and diminutive
self, with a number of the “prominent citizens" were standing upon the
steps leading to the Watertown Bank. We were meditating upon the "ups and
downs" of life, contrasting the present with the past and wondering in all
seriousness, why the mud in our streets should become deeper as our
improvements progress, and we longed for the return of the "olden
time" when only the crack of the emigrant's whip and the howl of the wolf,
in the contiguous forest, broke the gloomy silence.
The gong had rung out its starting notes
and some of us were anxious to respond. But how were we to cross Mud River?
Some suggested stilts and some ferryboats, but here our cogitations were
interrupted by the sudden boiling of the muddy cauldron in front of us. But a
moment elapsed when two ears appeared above the surface and next arose an
uncouth form rising in fitful contortions and its surface covered with the
well-known vegetable deposit, black, mushy, and "sticky", and anon
arose upon the air, a wheezing, half smothered sound, augh! Whoosh! Usguevaugh!
followed by a few desperate leaps for a firmer footing. It was almost gained,
when lo! just in front of our bridge, down went the ears. It was a fearful
plunge. The thick volumes of mud closed over what we supposed to be the ignoble
grave of our departed Berkshire. We chanted the "requiescat in pace” but
the dead is alive, the lost is found! He
had turned up on the other side, and is reveling in the midst of oriental
luxuries.
The foregoing precious notes, evidently
from the pen of some shanghai alias "young America," were picked up
on the "crossing" this morning. Our business matters just now are
pressing but we intend to give the author “fits" in due time. It is
another stab in the dark at that let-alone policy that compels corn-footed
people to follow the laws of nature, and locomote over mush crossings.
It is another backhanded thrust at that
generous spirit which crushes extravagance in the bud and scourges recreant
Aldermen, who dare squander the people's money, by making even one street
"passable" for thin-slippered ladies.
It is like all the rant and twaddle about
the necessity of fostering useless necessaries, such as public schools,
churches, libraries, parks, shade trees, fire companies, etc.
I tell you, fellow citizens, our liberties
are in danger. No "Young American", Patent Leather Nincompoop gentry
should be allowed to introduce their down-cast heresies and innovations here.
We have paddled in the mud fourteen or fifteen years and we can do it still,
for we are alive and kicking - they can do it as well as we for it costs
nothing.
We must wage a war against this system of
taxation for street making. What's the use in giving money if we are compelled
to spend it?
Dear Editor, if I had time I would give 'em
fits now, for my choler rises with every stroke of the pen. But really I
haven't time for anything else. I must look after the coppers. Let the hyenas
growl.
Your's without Ambiguity,
OLD FOGY
When Watertown officially became a city in the spring
of 1853, and for another thirty or more years, the science of street
maintenance was in its infancy. Machines specifically for preparing road beds
and durable paving material were in the process of being developed but in the
meantime the city council had to operate with rather primitive machinery and
the natural gravel which they were able to obtain from some of the glacial
deposits in and around Watertown.
But the need for improvements to Main Street became
more pressing as Watertown grew and, concomitantly, the traffic on the street
increased. Main Street simply continued to become a sea of mud after each rain.
Merchants, in desperation, took to assigning at least one employee the task of
channeling the waters flowing past their establishment down to the river, away
from their property.
Someone erected a sign opposite the post office
warning drivers the mud hole there had no bottom. Mr. Morris kept a yoke of
oxen handy for the purpose of aiding farmers through the business section of
town from Van Alstine's Exchange (northeast corner of Main and First streets)
to the Enos House ("behind Henry Winkenwerder's home").
But there were those who found some humor in the
situation. During a particularly muddy April, one editor was moved to publish:
The "long and tedious winter" has
broken up, and while the street commissioners in their respective districts are
looking on in despair, the male pedestrians in their thick and heavy boots, go
mincing along, uncertain where to tread to avoid a plunge "knee deep"
in some undiscovered pond hole, and the ladies in their silks and their satins
go
“Splashing through the gutters,
Trailing through the mire,
Mud up to their ankles
And a LITTLE HIGHER.
Little boys uproarious
'Case they show their feet-
Bles' me! This is glorious
Sweeping
down the street!
Bonnet on the shoulders,
Nose up in the sky,
Both hands full of flounces,
Raised A LA SHANG-high
Underskirts bespattered
That look'd amazing neat-
All your silks get 'watered',
Sweeping down as the street!"
The "City Fathers" were not completely
oblivious of the condition of Main Street and the inconveniences it brought to
the citizens. It was not a problem easily solved. Except for wood planks and
natural gravel from the drumlins and moraines in and around Watertown, there
was nothing which would make a good, substantial roadbed. Essentially, roads
and streets were built alike; natural gravel consisting of stones of all sizes
was deposited on the roadway, leveled off as best could be done, and then it was
left to the ensuing traffic to pack it down. After each rain, if money and time
permitted, the road scrapers of the day, pulled of course by horses or oxen,
were employed to fill the ruts.
A fair surface of sorts existed only during dry spells
or during the winter while the frost remained in the roadbed. Mud, deep ruts
and dust were present most of the year. Some sprinkling to keep down the dust
was done by the fire companies on a contract basis. The general dissatisfaction
with the condition of the streets turned to demands for something better when
information began trickling in to the newspapers that other cities and towns
were experimenting with new materials and methods of preparing roadbeds.
Finally the editor of the Watertown
Gazette made the plea:
Don't, for heaven's sake, give us anymore
puttering with the throwing away of money in the drawing of earth into the
streets, merely to be kneaded into mortar by the wheels of vehicles or the
hoofs of horses. Do the work so that it will be permanent, even if it is not
more than three or four blocks to be completed at a time.
In July of 1884, those responsible for road and street
maintenance in Watertown reported they had finished laying a road-bed of
limestone and gravel on Fourth Street. They were satisfied this would be a
permanent repair. It was the nearest they could come to the hard pavement with
which we are familiar. The experiment prompted the board of street
commissioners to consider purchasing a stone crusher, and subsequently to
consider purchasing the Baxter quarry on North Road which would provide the
city with a ready supply of stone to be crushed. At the same time the
purchasing of the quarry would remove the conundrum of whether it was legal to
purchase stone and crushed rock from a quarry owned and operated by one of the
aldermen and his son.
But that was not to happen for quite a few years; in
the meantime crushed stone would have to be purchased from private quarries.
Even with limestone and gravel available, the streets continued to deteriorate.
By the spring of 1885 they were "in the most outrageous and terrible
condition” and the aldermen, the people began to believe, were completely
unaware or didn't care about the streets.
What with the mud, the loose planks on the bridges, nails
protruding from the sidewalks, the pedestrians began to feel like second-class
citizens and let it be known they were tired of being treated as nuisances. In
the eyes of the teamsters, they felt, they had no rights whatever and the only
heed the drivers took of them was to "seek amusement in trying to run over
them." Demands were made that
drivers be required to travel slowly at crosswalks, that the ordinance
prohibiting cows from wandering on the streets be enforced, and no ashes or
rubbish be thrown into the streets, a move which had been advocated by the
teamsters for a number of years.
Indeed, one disgusted citizen wrote The Watertown Gazette asking:
Is it stupidity or downright cussedness
that causes our people to throw ashes right plump into the roadway of our
beautiful sleighing? Common sense and the law forbid it.
Not surprisingly, many solutions to the street problem
were offered, including one which provided for street improvements being made
the responsibility of each ward and providing for a street commissioner who
would oversee all streets. William Norris, editor of the Republican at that time, supported the idea, but, he pointed out,
such a solution would call for a change in the city charter and that would take
an act of the state legislature.
Starting about 1884, editors of the two English
newspapers began an almost weekly tirade on the need for street improvement,
specifically Main Street. Norris wondered why Watertown could not emulate the
town of Hardwig, Vermont, which kept its roads and streets in condition by
means of a machine consisting of five rollers, each weighing from 2,500 to
2,800 pounds, each of which, when pulled over the roads and/or streets
following a rain, made it possible to travel that road immediately, eliminating
the usual two or three days waits heretofore necessary.
It was an excellent idea and piqued the interest of a
number of councilmen but things moved slowly and it wasn't until nearly ten
years later that the city council actually came to an agreement and bought a
steam roller which eventually arrived, to the joy of The Watertown Republican and the citizenry in general. The ten-year
wait had had it positive side; rather than being pulled by a team of four to
six horses, this one was steam operated. Three large wheels, one forward and
two in the rear, did the rolling.
The large crowd which gathered to watch the behemoth
being demonstrated July 17, 1897, was favorably impressed . . . Spikes were
placed in the rear wheels of the roller and the roadbed thoroughly loosened;
the street was next dragged as even as possible which also brought any large
stones to the surface to be removed. Then the roller was again set to work and
the street was rolled to a hard crust. It was generally realized that, although
this was not a permanent improvement such as macadamizing or, better yet,
paving, which was being done in some cities, nevertheless, with a few loads of
crushed granite, a very serviceable street surface could be had.
The problem of muddy streets was exacerbated when
three prominent men, one summer, overturned their buggy in the mud near College
Street during a Fourth of July celebration, soiling their garments and damaging
the vehicle to the extent of forty or fifty dollars; and by the complaints of
irate parents concerning their children arriving at School No. 2 with wet feet
-- a direct result of the muddy streets.
These were difficult years for the city council, what
with the streets needing improvement, the three bridges in mid-town needing
frequent repairs and periodic rebuilding, not to mention the building and
upkeep of the other bridges in town which needed constant attention.
At the same time Watertown was growing rapidly. While
the muddy Main Street was being dealt with, electricity, gas, the telephone and
the telegraph had all come to Watertown, as well as the railroad with the
"Railroad Bond" problem which threatened to bankrupt the city, and
caused the city council to be reformed into a Board of Commissioners which
found its necessary to hold secret meeting at which they attempted to deal with
the mud in Main Street. During this time four new elementary schools were built
and Watertown became a pioneer in the providing of free textbooks for the
children.
The last decade of the 19th century brought a truly
concerted effort to secure the improvements needed on Main Street. It was
generally conceded that the worst roads in the state were in and around
Watertown due not only to bad judgment on the part of the supervisors but also
on the very nature of the soil which generally was too unstable to support a
firm roadbed.
Dr. Spalding reported at one point that it had taken
him four hours to travel ten miles on a call north of town. The road west of
town was no better. In late winter of 1888 we find the following in The Watertown Gazette:
Complaint is made by many farmers who have
occasion to travel over that part of Milford road from St. Bernard's cemetery
west to the city limits. They say it is the worst piece of road they have to
travel over, and where the different towns manage to keep their roads open in
winter time, this city allows its roads to remain blockaded until farmers clear
them. Enormous pitch-holes are in that piece of road at present and endangers
life and property. Two men can remedy this evil in a few days, and it should be
attended to.
That was followed the next week with this news item:
Owing to the miserable condition of the
Milford road in the 3d ward of this city, John O'Conner of the town of
Watertown, while driving to town last Friday was thrown from his cutter, and
came near being seriously injured. His horse ran away and was caught on
Washington street by Paul Deminsky. The poor condition of the roads within the
city may yet prove a serious matter for our citizens, therefore more care
should be taken to keep them in proper shape
Snow removal was not practiced in the early days of
Watertown. In 1893 the heavy drifts of snow and the pitch holes in the roads
were beginning to affect the people of Watertown.
The country roads are in bad shape, having
so many pitch holes, and the drifts in many places being so heavy, that teams
are compelled to turn out in the fields to avoid them. The bad condition of
travel prevents farmers from coming into town from long distances, making wood
on the market rather scarce, as well as all kinds of country produce.
The people must have tired of hearing how muddy
Early on, the '90's gave evidence of being an exciting
decade. Charles Sprague, on Second Street near Main, set the pace for other
merchants by having an "artificial sidewalk", manufactured by his
brickyard, put down. A few months later a similar sidewalk was laid in front of
the Raue residence on Fourth Street. Both side
walks were judged to be artistic and handsome in appearance and were expected
last a lifetime.
By 1894 the Street Commissioner was able to report
that the city had put in over several miles of sidewalk and seventy crossings,
all stone but one. With pride and a certain amount of smugness, Mr. Norris
reported that Watertown had nothing like the problem being experienced by
Janesville where a "tar-proof 'sidewalk had been put down only to find
that, according to Mr. Norris, "it pulled the soles off ladies' shoes and
it was dangerous for light weight kids to travel over if they desired to get
anywhere."
About that same time, in preparation for the
inauguration of a mail delivery system, houses were being numbered and street
names were being changed in a number of areas. Main Street remained Main
Street. There was never any question about the wisdom of that. But we can
assume there was some objection to changing the name of Washington Street to
Market Street, or Wilder Street to Tenth Street. The Watertown & Milwaukee
Plank Road, running from Main Street southeasterly, and its continuation as Old
Milwaukee Road in the same direction to the city limits, now became Concord
Avenue. Also that part of Old Milwaukee Road commencing at the intersection of
Main and Ninth Streets and running easterly to Western Avenue, would now be
known as College Avenue.
In the midst of all this change, Norris, of The Republican, couldn't resist
remarking that now that the saloon license fees were being lowered, there would,
as a result, be more saloons and therefore it was incumbent upon the
legislature to pass a good-roads bill. If the opportunities for getting drunk
are to be multiplied, he reasoned, the danger of stumbling over bad roads while
drunk should be reduced.
But he wasn't joking when he warned the mayor, later,
that now that an ordinance had been passed fining the citizens five dollars for
throwing any straw, lime, ashes, refuse of coal, or scraps of dirt or rubbish
into the street, the city is obligated to make provisions for depositing and
carting away all refuse, especially for some of the business places which had
no back yard in which to store refuse.
The ubiquitous Main Street problem did not go away,
however. In October of 1892, the city council arranged for a stone crusher to
be displayed near S. M. Eaton's icehouse. All who viewed its operation agreed
it would go a long way toward bringing about the change in street conditions
they were looking for. Within two weeks
Mayor Kusel and three aldermen had visited the city of Madison to view the
improvement brought about by the use of their stone crusher and the crushed
stone it produced. They were very favorably impressed and predicted that
Watertown would soon enjoy similar improvements.
The idea of the city purchasing a limestone quarry
and/or a stone crusher was never far from the minds of the people and the city
council. Prior to October, 1892, when the mayor and three aldermen visited
Madison to observe the work of stone crusher, Alderman Eaton, had introduced a
resolution to the common council providing for the purchase of just such a
machine. Although it was generally agreed a stone crusher would solve many
street repair problems, no further action was taken. Two and a half years
later, the Watertown Republican
reported that the city was using crushed stone from Eaton's crusher. It appears
that, when the city took no action, Mr. Eaton took matters into his own hands,
and eventually sold crushed stone to the city.
Gradually the citizens, led by the editors of the
newspapers, began talking of actually paving Main Street rather than tolerating
the mud, dust, and frozen ruts, all of which called for constant repairs with
the street never being in acceptable condition for more than a few days at a time.
But the choice of paving material was not large. They had heard about the
"petroleum road" in Texas that had been saturated with oil to keep
down the dust. It worked very well in Texas, but it was immediately realized
that the run-off from an oil-soaked Main Street would have disastrous
consequences for Rock River. Asphalt was also a possibility. During the summer
of 1894, Sacred Heart College had had a 600 foot asphalt sidewalk put down and
they were eager to show it off to interested parties. In July of that same
year, the mayor traveled to Waterloo to inspect the paving blocks produced by
the Portland Granite Company. No action resulted.
Early in the spring of 1897, Norris, of The Republican, began a very intensive push
for better streets and suggested the improvement of the same be the chief issue
of the coming political campaigns. He suggested that, since the stock of the
defunct Herlin & Montello Stone Company at the Portland quarry was to be
disposed of at sheriff's sale, and since it was understood the same could be
purchased at about one-third the true value, the city take advantage of the
opportunity and purchase granite blocks and crushed granite and with it begin a
program of "macadamizing" streets, if only a few blocks each year. He
referred to the excellent job of paving which had been done in Fort Atkinson
the previous summer. "Fort Atkinson's Main Street looks like a parlor
floor just now when compared to ours."
Two weeks later he again pointed to Fort Atkinson and
how proud they were of their Main Street. That city planned, that year, to
cover more streets with crushed stone and felt the money spent on the stone
crusher the previous year had been money well spent. He also pointed to the
city of Waukesha, which has just signed a contract to have one of its streets
paved with Galesburg brick at a cost of $1.26 per foot, a cost much lower than
the city had estimated. But Mr. Norris was optimistic about Watertown, now that
Alderman Skinner had informed him that he was looking into the matter of street
improvements and hoped soon to be able to propose some immediate plan of
procedure.
The reports coming out of the city council meetings
were confusing and exasperating. In mid-June, the mayor and several aldermen
accepted an invitation to inspect a steam road roller in Waukesha, but their
report of the inspection was discouraging. Yet two weeks later, the council
voted to invest in just such a machine. The encouraging part of that move was
the revelation that the city funds were adequate to cover the cost, although it
would mean postponing the installation of a fire alarm system to some more
favorable time. At the same meeting, a special committee was instructed to
ascertain the cost of a first-class stone crusher. It appeared the city council
was finally getting serious about improving streets.
During the early months of 1898, the business of
running the city took precedent over the improvement of Main Street. Mayor
Racek relinquished the mayoral office to Mulberger without taking any definite
action on Main Street. The new mayor, in his inaugural address, made it clear
that he was opposed to the city buying a stone quarry, maintaining that the
city could better afford to buy the stone than maintain a crusher and a quarry.
He was, however, strongly in favor of street improvement and proposed the
council begin serious thinking about either paving Main Street or macadamizing
it. He proposed a network of macadamized streets from depot to depot by way of
Main Street. This would require the purchase of much crushed stone which, he
said, could more cheaply be purchased than produced by the city.
Macadamized streets consisted of a six-inch layer of
crushed rock no larger than three inches, covered with limestone screenings
thoroughly wet down and rolled by a steam roller. On top of that a layer of
crushed limestone, no larger than two inches was spread from gutter to gutter,
thick enough to bring the street to two inches below the finished grade of the
street, thoroughly "flooded" and rolled. On top of this was spread a
layer of crushed granite hardheads screened through a three-fourths inch ring.
This was topped off with 1/2 inch of fine limestone screenings (sic) which was
smoothed, wetted, and rolled.
The proposal to construct macadamized streets was less
than enthusiastically received by the city council. They had other problems and
proposals to consider - like an extensive fire alarm system for the city, the
summer schedule for sprinkling the streets in an effort to keep the dust down
and the installation of more sewers and the repairing of existing sewers.
1898,
Spanish-American War
The citizenry not occupied with planning the next
Memorial Day observance were caught up in the excitement of the new war
with Spain. Never, it seemed were the people so eager to have a war; so
eager to send troops away to the staging areas for the
invasion of Cuba. One group rigged up a rowboat to look like a
US-Man-of-War, complete with a cannon and high-flying flag. It was anchored at
the Hartig brewery. It was the center of attention for some days. Colonel
Soliday purchased a fine saddle horse to carry him into battle. Various groups
were formed to let it be known, in some way, that they supported the troops.
Alderman Brusenback, however, saw clearly what had to
be done on the home front and introduced to the city council a resolution which
said, in part. "the time has arrived when at least that portion of said
Main street which extends from Main street bridge to the west line of Seventh
street aught to be paved with good brick pavement, Therefore: Resolved, that
the board of public works is hereby ordered to view the premises abutting and
fronting on the portion of Main street....to determine the damages and benefits
which may accrue to each parcel of real estate for any change or alterations
made necessary for much work..."
Alderman Brusenbach's resolution seemed to be the
catalyst for the thinking of the council. Suddenly it became a question not of
should Main Street be paved, but when it was to be done and what material was
to be used. The choice of material was not large. Stone blocks were
long-lasting but noisy and the cause of much wear on vehicles; wood block set
in tar were quiet but not long-lasting; water-bound macadam was dusty and hard
to keep clean; asphalt, which was then in its infancy, was noiseless and easy
to clean, but was not suitable for heavy traffic. Balancing the longevity of
the material with its initial cost, brick soon became the material of choice in
the minds of the council and the newspapers, which, in turn, had great
influence over the thinking of the populace.
The council meeting the middle of June, 1898, was
concerned principally with the paving of Main Street. The one real hitch to the
paving proposed was the condition of the sewer in that street there being a
question of whether it lay sufficiently deep to furnish proper drainage for the
cellars of the properties abutting and fronting on Main Street. The council was
in general agreement that, before any paving was commenced, all underground
improvements were to be put in permanent shape.
Alderman Brusenback, in his report of a survey taken
of the property owners involved, reported there was an almost unanimous
sentiment for the paving, but one-fourth of them were of the opinion that the
existing sewer was not deep enough to provide the required drainage for their
cellars and they felt strongly that the condition should be rectified before
any steps were taken. The meeting adjourned with the passing of a resolution
directing the city engineer to prepare accurate figures in regard to the
basements complained of, and to present those figures to the property owners
involved, asking them if they would prefer to conform their basements to the
sewer, or whether they would demand the sewer be laid deeper.
The city engineer did as he was instructed and the
next city council meeting began on an optimistic note. All necessary actions
regarding the preliminary preparation for paving was introduced and unanimously
passed; but when the report of the committee on sewerage and streets and
bridges came up for consideration, the report which recommended the adoption of
Alderman Brusenbach's proposition to proceed with plans for paving the street,
it failed to pass, four aldermen voting against its adoption. This came about,
according to Norris of the Republican,
as a result of jealousy on the part of one alderman, Mr. Mayer, who, as
chairman of the committee on streets and bridges, considered himself the
logical head of the joint streets and bridges and the sewerage committees, but,
being opposed by the chairman of the latter, he refused to sign the report and
when the final vote came up, three other aldermen refused to support the
resolution, at least until the next meeting, although Alderman Brusenbach
stated that he would be willing to relinquish all honors, such as being considered
the head of the joint committee, if only harmonious action would result. The
meeting adjourned with the prospect of paving Main Street some time in the near
future dashed and a feeling of defeat permeating Watertown. The Watertown Republican called for an
effort to get the objecting alderman to see the error of their ways.
Two weeks later, at the July 5 meeting, Alderman Mayer
read a communication stating his position on the paving question and
introducing a motion calling for a reconsideration of the report of the joint
committees on sewerage and streets and bridges regarding the paving of Main
Street from the bridge to Fifth Street. The motion passed and with it a
resolution providing for the board of public works to establish the grade of
the street, to assess the damages and benefits falling to property owners, to
furnish plans and specifications for paving, etc.
Now that the actual paving seemed to be assured, the
paving material itself became a popular topic of discussion. At the first
August council meeting, a petition signed by forty-three property owners was
presented. In it the council was asked to choose macadam over brick as paving
material as the former was not only cheaper, but the city already possessed the
machinery to construct such a street. The petition was referred to the board of
public works and the committee on streets and bridges which group scheduled a
hearing for August 13 when property owners affected by the proposed paving were
to be given an opportunity to present their views on the subject.
Brick Chosen
for
In the meantime, editor Norris editorialized in favor
of vitrified brick pointing out repeatedly that although macadam was initially
cheaper than brick, in the end that is not necessarily true. One very
convincing piece of propaganda offered was a letter from a former Watertown
resident now living in Michigan. He recounted how in Ann Arbor, five blocks of
their main thoroughfare had been macadamized in 1896 and was, in 1897, an
excellent street but by the spring of 1898 it presented the same appearance
that Fifth Street in Watertown does after a week of rain.
At the August 16 meeting, the city councilmen voted 12
to 1 for vitrified brick, the one councilman opposing it on a technicality. It
was expected that the paving would now be done "before frost sets
in". But that was a rather ambitious expectation. There was much to be
done before paving could start. It was decided to put everything in order first
before the frost set in; this meant all water surface pipes, lateral sewers,
gas mains etc. were to be laid at once and the ground given a chance to settle
over winter. To enlarge the area to be paved from just the portion of Main
Street between the bridge and the west line of Seventh Street, to all those
portions of Main Street lying between College Avenue and Montgomery Street.
Bids for the paving work were called for but only two
were received by September 21; one from a Racine contractor and one from
Davenport, Iowa. Although there was a difference of fourteen cents per square
yard for the paving and five cents per foot for the paving paraphernalia, the
council found the bids unacceptable primarily because neither bid was submitted
with a contract as required in the city charter.
1899,
Bricking of
Now that the decision had been made to delay the
paving until after winter, preparation work began in earnest. As quickly as
possible, all water
services, pipes and lateral sewers and gas mains were laid. Already in midsummer, the Watertown Gas
Company had begun recaulking joints and making the necessary repairs to the gas
main which had been put down forty years previously. They were pleased to find
the cast iron pipe in very good condition which increased the general
confidence in that material. Under the watchful eye of Inspector Albert Krueger
of the board of Public Works, the trenches dug by the Gas Company, plumbers and
drain-layers were expertly refilled and tamped so as to leave no "clumsy
and unsightly ridge".
The progress made during the ensuing months seemed
almost mundane to the average citizen. Important things had to be done however
unimportant they may have seemed to be; of primary importance was the
establishment of a curb line on West Main Street at 15 feet from the boundary
line between the street and the lots abutting thereon. The width of the
carriageway on West Main was established at fifty feet between the curb lines.
In February, 1899, an ordinance was passed
establishing a permanent grade from the east end of Main Street to the east
curb line of Ninth Street. Another ordinance established a permanent grade from
the west end of Main Street bridge to the west curb line of North Montgomery.
Once cold weather set in, actual physical work on the
street ceased; but preparations for the paving, which was now viewed as a
project sure to be carried out, continued. There was some controversy about a
new sidewalk which had been laid in front of Eberle's Drug Store being four
inches lower than connecting sidewalks, but it was determined that it was at
proper grade level and would match perfectly when all sidewalks were replaced
at proper grade level. The property owners of the city continued to prod the
council with petitions, asking for streets, such as Washington, be macadamized.
The newspapers continued to keep an eye on road and street construction around
the country. They were especially pleased with the report of a
"petroleum-finished" highway near Fort Worth, Texas. This highway,
treated with a top dressing of crude petroleum, was reported to be completely
dust-free during five months of drouth (sic) and when the heavy rains finally
did come, the highway was dry and pleasant to travel on while other roads and
streets became impassable with mud.
The business of paving Main Street seemed to be in
hiatus through the first one-third of 1899, but, in anticipation of the work
which certainly would be begin soon, Mr. Moore, of the Gazette warned that when the city council did get around to letting
contracts, it should insist that fair wages be paid to all involved in the
work. "It would be well to insert a minimum price to be paid labor in the
contract".
Finally the city council did advertise for bids on the
paving project, receiving, this time, quite a number of replies. On May 23,
1899, the bids were opened and considered. After two days of consideration, the
contract was let to L. Schoenlaub of Fond du Lac who pledged to do the entire
paving job for $28,502.90 using Purinton brick made at
Galesburg, Ill. Work was to begin as soon as possible.
And so final preparations began. The old sewer between
First Street and the bridge was replaced as it was feared a cave-in might
eventually occur damaging the new pavement. Ten days after the contract was
awarded, L. Schoenlaub was in town getting things in order for paving, which
included unloading the paving bricks which had come in by rail.
Within one week, work was begun on laying a bed of
Richwood quarry limestone on which was to be laid a bed of concrete topped by
bricks. Although Mr. Schoenlaub had little trouble procuring laborers, work
went slowly, at first, due to the extremely hard upper crust found on the
existing street. There was no dearth of sidewalk superintendents. In a short
time contractor Schoenlaub complained that people were in the habit of chipping
bricks to test their quality. That made the brick unsuitable for usage. Although
the cost of each brick was only 1 1/2 cents, it could amount to a considerable
sum before the job was completed. Prosecution was promised if the practice
continued.
By July 4, concrete for the foundation of the pavement
had been received and in a few more days the actual laying of the bricks began.
Starting at College Avenue and working west, work
progressed smoothly and rapidly causing the contractor to put out a call for
fifty more men. By July 25 the concrete bed had been laid to Sixth Street and
the first block of bricks had been put down. The entire street was, by
necessity, completely torn up and the usual rains brought on loud complaints
about the resulting mud and the flooding cellars, due, the property owners
insisted, to the shallowness of the main sewer line. The city engineer was of
the opinion it was due to the absence of street walls which allowed the
entrance of surface water.
The paving work was inspected frequently by officials
from outlying areas which intended to do similar paving. The local experts among the omnipresent
sidewalk superintendents were, at times, dissatisfied with the work being done
and the material being used. Their biggest complaint was that the stone used in
the concrete bed was not crushed sufficiently fine, not enough cement was being
used, and the mixing process was not as thorough as it should have been -- all
of which went to make a loose bed, not compact enough to keep out the frost,
the self-appointed exerts said. Those in charge concluded the materials were
being properly prepared and used. And work continued.
While the paving was being done, the city council
prepared two ordinances regarding the newly paved Main Street. One provided
that a traction engine of any kind could be driven, propelled, or hauled along
any street paved with brick "provided that when it is absolutely necessary
to cross any such street with such traction engine, the person or persons in
charge thereof shall place on the pavement planks not less than two inches
thick, and keep them under the wheels of such engine while crossing such
street.
The second ordinance provided that no person would be
allowed to place, keep or maintain any hitching post for hitching horses or
other animals in any part of any street paved with brick, nor on any sidewalk
of such street, and there is to be no ring, staple or other devise for hitching
horses or any other animal to any telephone, telegraph or electric light poles
standing along any street paved with brick.
The paving of East Main Street was completed Saturday,
September 9. Then it was necessary to interrupt the work for a week to allow
Watertown to use the streets for the Harvest Jubilee and Carnival which was
expected to draw the largest crowd ever brought together in an inland city in
Wisconsin. The grand parade on September 13, the first parade on the new brick
street, was a grand success. Watertown took great pride in showing off her
showcase street to visitors.
Once the carnival was over, the contractor had his men
back at work in an effort to complete the work on the west end of Main Street
just as soon as possible. But work didn't progress as rapidly as he wished.
First there came two weeks of rainy weather. When that cleared up and all
indications were that the weather would hold good for two or three weeks, it
became difficult to get crushed stone owing to the scarcity of cars.
Meanwhile, the time had come to make the first payment
of $2,179.75 to the contractor which was eventually done, but not before the
city clerk had refused to sign the report by the Board of Public Works,
maintaining that no payment should be made until the work had been inspected by
the city. The payment, however, was made and the work did go on, and the paving
was finally finished on November 8, 1899. The Watertown Republican reported:
Last Wednesday afternoon (Nov 8) marked the
'completion of Watertown's first job of street paving, the final brick being
laid in West Main Street just before 5 o'clock. It was a gilded brick that was
used to fill the last gap and after it was in place an impromptu celebration on
a small scale was had. An interested crowd of spectators was assembled and
ex-Mayor Fred Kusel gave an appropriate address, after which there was music
and general rejoicing.
The pavement, extending on Main and West
Main streets from College Avenue to Montgomery Street, is of Galesburg
vitrified brick on a six-inch concrete bed. The sides are bound with stone
curbing and the pavement is so constructed as to afford drainage. The entire
job appears to be a very creditable one and the contractor, Louis Schoenlaub,
has every reason to feel proud of the work. There is no doubt that the
thoroughfare as now completed is one of the most substantial road beds ever
build in the state.
Almost as an afterthought, Alderman Mayer submitted a
proposition to the common council to have the intersections of West Main and
Montgomery streets paved at once; but it was deemed too late in the season so
the matter was deferred until spring.
Also postponed until spring was the purchase of a street sweeper which many felt was now necessary to keep their new street in th
