June 12, 2007

Water department uncovers old city cistern

By LOU PENDLETON

Last month, the Bryan Water Department installed a new water main in the 300 block of West Butler Street. While digging the trench, they uncovered an old city cistern at the corner of Butler and Beech Streets.

“We dug right through it,” said Clint Lyons, water supervisor. “It’s awesome to see how it was built. They didn’t have equipment back then, and they dug it by hand. Imagine the hole!”

Mr. Lyons said the cistern was made entirely of brick, narrower at the bottom than at the top and covered with a brick dome. It was 17 feet deep and full of water. According to records at the Bryan Fire Department, it was built in 1871 and was the first of the brick cisterns built to store water for fire fighting.

Bryan Fire Chief Bruce Siders said that originally the old Park School eave spouts filled the cistern. Holding about 10,000 gallons, Mr. Siders said it was too small to keep, so the water department pumped it out and filled the hole with dirt.

Once there were 22 cisterns in the city of Bryan. The first two cisterns were constructed of wood in 1857 at High and Main and High and Lynn Streets. Construction, including lumber and labor, cost $41.13 for both. In the case of fire, water was dipped from the cisterns with buckets.

In 1892, the village council authorized building a municipal water system. When it was completed in 1893, fire protection switched from pump operation to hydrants. Hose wagons were hooked to the hydrants and steam engines pumped the water. The cisterns were no longer used except for big fires.

Village council increased pumping capacity in 1918 when it authorized Sam Folk, superintendent of the electric light and waterworks plant, to travel to Illinois to purchase a Metropolitan Steamer. The steamer was rated at 1,000 gallons per minute and cost $1,000.

The horse-drawn steamer was soon retired as the fire department started using motorized fire trucks in 1921. Chief Siders said the old steamer was brought out for the last time to help fight the fire at the Carroll-Ames Hardware in 1948. The Metropolitan Steamer will be featured in the Jubilee Parade on Saturday.

Today, all of the cisterns in the city are abandoned except a very large one near the southeast corner of the Courthouse. Built in 1877, the cistern is located at the corner of Butler and Main Streets and holds 54,000 gallons. Chief Siders said the fire department pumped it out and inspected it in 1995. It was in excellent condition, so they refilled it to use as an emergency source.

The cistern that the water department recently uncovered on Butler Street was not the first. Mr. Lyons said they dug through one when installing a new water main at the corner of Maple and Lynn Streets and another at Center and Beech Streets. The one at Maple and Lynn was full of water, but the one at Center and Beech was dry. In the bottom, Mr. Lyons said they found old Pepsi and Helms Brewery bottles. He speculated that workers threw them in during construction back in 1871.

This year the City of Bryan Fire Department is observing its 150th anniversary. As part of the celebration, the fire department is publishing a book recounting the department’s history: City of Bryan Fire Department – 150 years of Service and Dedication. The book was written by Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Pool and will be available in August.