Uncovering Historic Lockport’s Mill Race Article 9 – “Holly’s Hydrant and Water-Works a Complete Suc

Holly’s test went better than he could ever have expected. The residents, who came out to see what Holly had been so diligently working on, were not disappointed.

As Holly gave the order to begin the show, the first prototype fire hose was unable to hold up, and burst under the enormous pressure. Holly made the adjustment, working the system at a reduced speed, and the water could still be thrown as high as a 20-story building. The article, written in the Lockport Daily Journal, on August 27th, 1863, stated the following:

“The remarkable power of water as an agent, was well and thoroughly tested last night between 6 and 7 O’clock. Our village has been very fortunate in this enterprise. Fortunate in having a great abundance of water so near at hand—fortunate in contracting with such a machinist as Mr. Birdsill Holly, and fortunate in employing Wm. G. McMaster as agent in the prosecution of the work. The work has gone on rapidly, and every part of it thus far, has met the most sanguine expectations of its friends. The water thrown last evening perfectly eclipsed anything we ever saw in “lofty tumbling” of the kind. The first stream thrown, which burst the new hose, was one inch and three-fourths in diameter, and went up full 160 feet high. Hose was attached to three hydrants and a grand competition ensued. The machinery and all the pipe and hydrants of this magnificent work, were manufactured at the Holly Manufacturing Works, under the direction of Mr. Birdsill Holly, patentee of the pump and wheel employed.”

“The wheel, pump and all the machinery, as well as the entire plan, are the inventions of Mr. Holly, and its complete success must be particularly satisfactory to himself and his friends.

We expect this truly great work will be more and more appreciated, as it is further tried and applied in different directions. Lockport moves.”

Lockport moved all right - right onto center stage - and now the entire nation was watching!

It wasn’t long before Holly would extend this system of pipes and hydrants all across Lockport. The Holly Company constructed the Lockport Water Works in 1864, which consisted of 6,000 feet of pipe, laid out with a total of 27 hydrants. Water could be pushed up to the highest elevations in Lockport through pipes leaving the basement of what is now, “Old City Hall.” Holly’s rotary pump delivered 1,200 gallons per minute, so that even the hydrants furthest from the pump, could still maintain a pressure that would allow an effective throw of water towards a fire. The system would also provide indoor running water, for the very first time, to the residents of Lockport. An absolutely fantastic, and welcomed modern convenience, but Holly didn’t stop there.

Using hundreds, or thousands of gallons on a fire, would also lead to a marked drop in the overall pressure within the pipes. If all of the water within the pipes was being used up the street to battle a blaze, then there was not a whole lot left over to fill a pot on the stove. Holly was keenly aware of this issue, and cleverly devised a method by which that pressure could be adjusted, as needed, by increasing or decreasing the speed of his pumps. Holly had devised a method by which the machine would actually “feel” the pressure changes, and could make the corrections all on its own. Holly’s patented regulator was a huge cost savings to the overall system because it essentially did the job of what would have required an experienced engineer.

Readily available water, throughout the entire City of Lockport, turned this part of the country into a showcase for other cities to follow. Holly began showing this affordable plan to dignitaries from all over the country, and realizing that this was something that he would soon have to reproduce, he formed the Holly Manufacturing Company.

On March 17, 1864, the company purchased the triangle formed by Lock and Caledonia streets, and began erecting massive stone buildings. The company used the water from the North Tunnel, and started to manufacture the pieces needed for fire protection systems for other villages and cities that purchased Holly’s design. The Holly Manufacturing Company was regarded as one of the most important in NY State. A NYCRR switch connection was nearby and machinery was loaded on railroad cars, or boats on the canal at the building, and could be shipped all over the country.

Birdsill Holly’s hydrant system created a revolutionary new way to fight fires, and Lockport’s own Hydrant Hose Company, No. 1, was soon to be born.

More on that next time,

Dr. Scott Geise