"The War and Urgency" - Historically Speaking with Dr. Scott Geise

Uncovering Historic Lockport’s Mill Race

Article 8 – “War and Urgency”

Birdsill Holly was a mechanic/inventor/tinkerer, and found himself looking to find better ways to utilize water, for all different needs and applications.

Lockport now had an overabundance of water from the enlarged canal, industrial mills began to be constructed again, and Holly set his mind to finding a better way to protect his new home. He also saw an opportunity to utilize that power where the Mill Race did not previously flow, on the north side of the canal.

In 1858, the year before Holly arrived in Lockport, the original Kennedy/Hatch Lease, to the surplus waters of the Erie Canal, was transferred to the Lockport Hydraulic Company. On July 2, 1859, the Holly Company entered into an agreement with the same to construct an underground race (the present day Lockport Cave), on the north side of the canal. The Holly Company had plans to build an entire manufacturing complex at this location, and the canal again would be their source of waterpower. The total fall for the Holly turbine water wheel would be 56’ of head, which in layman’s terms, was comparable to 240 horsepower.

In August of 1859, construction also began on a new gristmill by Benjamin Moore, on the south side, directly adjacent to the Pine Street Bridge. This mill would also utilize water from the Mill Race. Water would flow into the mill, down a 20 foot shaft to a turbine, which in turn would generate enough mechanical power to turn the massive grinding stones. By 1860, Moore’s Mill was operational, and was aiding the needs for flour locally, as well as the growth within the NY City markets. That same area of the Mill Race, also caught the attention of Birdsill Holly.

In 1861 the Holly Company began construction of a five story building which would be used as a foundry and boiler building, located between the Canal and the Hydraulic Race. They immediately put people to work, and 25 mechanics were hired for the machine shop.

All signs for prosperity were evident in 1861, until another important period in history also began– The American Civil War.

As soon as Abraham Lincoln was elected President, the southern states that were arguing for slavery, now began voicing their concerns, and wanted nothing to do with the new government leadership. By January of 1861, seven southern slave states individually declared their secession from the United States, and formed their own Confederate States of America

It was not long before hostilities broke out, and just three months later, on April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired upon the Union troops holding Fort Sumter, in South Carolina, and the War began.

That attack led to a rapid enlistment in the Union Army. From Lockport, the areas bravest were mustered into service, including those that were volunteer firemen. The city was unprotected, and a number of damaging fires struck Lockport from 1862 to 1863.

The Holly Company, recognizing the problem, quickly convinced the City of Lockport to install a one of a kind fire protection system to protect the business district, with hydrants and underground pipes driven by the Holly turbine pump. The new fire system, which would cost $12,000, was funded by a tax, and did not go without its share of opposition. Most residents did not understand how they would benefit, and that unknowing lead to complaints. There were so many complaints, that it led T. T. Flagler, the Holly company president, to offer indemnification to anyone whose taxes were not offset by the reduced fire insurance premiums. As long as the residents knew that the system would save them money, and possibly their lives, the project was approved, but Holly still needed to prove that his new system would work.

The Test

The Civil War was raging on, and Holly began immediately to construct a test site to prove that his ideas would revolutionize the way fire protection was provided. In a building to be forever referred to as the “Round House,” a newly patented, circular water turbine was installed, adjacent to the Benjamin Moore gristmill. That new turbine would power another one of Holly’s patents, the Elliptical Rotary Pump, and Holly would tap into the Mill Race to supply the water.

A system of pipes were laid underground, extending from the basement of our current, Old City Hall, to a patented Holly Hydrant placed at the corner of Pine and Main Streets.

Between 6 and 7 o’clock, on the night of August 26th, 1863, Birdsill Holly set his incredible machines in motion, under the watchful eyes of many of Lockport’s residents. All waited patiently for something to happen at the metal hydrant located at the corner of Pine and Main Streets.

More on this next time,

Dr. Scott Geise