Portland Oregon Fire Hydrants, Source Material, Part 1

© 2002-3 Allen McMillan Revised January 01, 2003

Introduction
    Portland's fire hydrants have not given up their secrets easily. The history presented here has been pieced together out of hundreds of scraps of information from many different sources. The primary source was the Portland City Archives, which wants a very detailed set of identifiers attached to any information from the Archives that is published. Since most of this page's content is patched together out of Archives documents, the citation footnotes threatened to displace all the content with their sheer volume. That's how the citations ended up in their own pages.
    The documents listed here actually represent nearly everything I extracted from the Archives, not just a selection of the most important ones. I've also summarized every document. If nothing else, this should provides a good cross section of the sorts of things that can be found in the Archives.


Internet Sources
    Except for Firehydrant.org, there are not too many resources available on the Internet concerning 70+ year old fire hydrants. Still, some information from the web did make it on to this page.

City of Portland, Bureau of Water Works history page: http://www.water.ci.portland.or.us/history.htm.
Modern pipe and hydrant numbers, as well as the dates of operation for the Bull Run conduits are from the Water Bureau web page.

Timeline, City of Portland Auditor's Office: http://www.ci.portland.or.us/auditor/history/index.html.
(No specific data made it on to my site, but this link is included as a reference.)

Portland Fire and Rescue history page: http://www.fire.ci.portland.or.us/history.htm.
(No specific data made it on to my site, but this link is included as a reference.)


Water Bureau Subject Files, City Archives
    Most of the information needed to assemble this web page was obtained from the City of Portland Archives, located at the SPARC in North Portland. What follows is a summary of (mostly) significant documents found in the City Archives. The bulk of what is currently known about Portland's early fire hydrants can be found here.
    The "section" numbers are purely my own means of keeping my notes organized. They don't mean anything to the City Archives.

- Section 1 -

City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center, Water Bureau, Subject Files, A2001-021, 13/7   Hydrants, 1904-1910
  • Undated - "Summary of Bids for Hydrants Received by the Water Board". Two pages. Page one is a table showing three dated columns: January 3, 1910; June 12, 1907; and March 14, 1905. The table rows show the bids received. Page two is a similar table with different dates: February 17, 1905; July 21, 1904; and December 13, 1910. Bidders for these contracts included: Ludlow, Phoenix, Florence Iron Works (Mathews/Woods), Caldwell Brothers (Corey), Oregon Foundry, Willamette Iron & Steel ("Howe"), Glamorgan Pipe & Foundry (type unspecified and bid later withdrawn), Eddy Valve, John Honeyman (type unspecified), Columbia Eng. Works, and Smith & Watson (1904 and 1905). Willamette tried to sell Howes hydrants in 1904 and 1907. In 1907 Oregon Foundry demanded royalties be paid on any Howes hydrants sold in Portland.
  • February 18, 1904 - Letter from L.A. McNary, City Attorney, to Thos. C. Devlin, City Auditor, concerning the right of the water board to furnish fire hydrants.
  • May 7, 1907 - Another letter from L.A. McNary, City Attorney, to Thos. C. Devlin, City Auditor, concerning the right of the water board to furnish fire hydrants. This one is shorter but substantially similar in both form and content to the previous document.
  • July 31, 1907 - Bill of sale (duplicate) on Oregon Foundry stationary for "28 Howes Patent Hydrants @ $62.25 as per contract". This price is substantially higher than the Water Board was paying for hydrants at the time. The hydrants were signed for by the Fire Department's Hydrantman and Chief Campbell. Although this document is in a Water Bureau file, it appears that the purchase was undertaken by the Fire Department, and outside of the normal contract process. This may be an example of the Fire Department purchasing and installing hydrants on its own initiative after 1904.
  • September 4, 1908 - Letter from the Superintendent of the Staten Island Water Supply Company to D. D. Clarke, City Engineer, concerning "the merits of the COREY HYDRANT". The Superintendent reported that his utility's 276 Corey's were "eminently satisfactory in all respects". He especially notes their easy, low-cost maintenance.
  • November 5, 1908 - Letter from David Campbell, Chief Engineer (Fire), to Superintendent F. T. Dodge, Water Department. Campbell advises that "First Street is being improved from Pine to Burnside with stone blocks on concrete foundation" and recommends installing two fire hydrants.
  • December 15, 1908 - Handwritten notes compiled by D. D. Clarke (date is the date compiled). Reports on hydrants specifications, bids and testing.
  • December 19, 1908 - Another page of handwritten notes compiled by D. D. Clarke (date is the date compiled). The notes show bids solicited and contracts awarded by the Water Board for fire hydrants. Some items on this page contradict the 1913 list of contracts awarded, specifically:
    "Feby 17 - 1905 - "Ad" for 100 hydrants to be opened Feby 24 - 1905.
    Feby 25 - 1905 - Above awarded to Oregon Foundry Co. = 3850.00"
    The 1913 list says that this contract was awarded to Phoenix Iron Works (for $4135.00). In addition, this page shows a contract for 100 hydrants (bids opened May 9, 1906) awarded to Oregon Foundry. This contract doesn't even appear in the 1913 list.
  • Undated - "Bids Received by the Water Board of Portland, Oregon, January 3, 1910, for Fire Hydrants." Bids are shown for two types of Ludlows, Mathews, Corey, and two Phoenix designs called "Portland Fire Dept" and "Per Office Specifications". The Coreys were selected... the first 200 Coreys in Portland.
  • May 9, 1910 - Letter from J.P.Kavanaugh, City Attorney, to A.L.Barbur, City Auditor, concerning who should pay for installing and maintaining fire hydrants.
  • May 28, 1910 - Letter from Fire Department Chief Engineer David Campbell to Water Department Chief Engineer D. D. Clarke requesting fire hydrants. In addition to requesting six new hydrants on existing mains, Campbell asked Clarke to "replace the old one-way Willamette hydrants at the following locations; with new hydrants". The term "3 way" is used in other documents (see September 4, 1918) to denote a hydrant with 3 nozzles total. Could this mean that there used to be Willamettes with just one nozzle?
  • Undated - "Bids for Hydrants Opened by Water Board December 13, 1910." Summarizes seven different bids for hydrants including Ludlow, Mathews, Corey and Eddy. Also included: "Portland Standard" by Phoenix Iron Works (Out of spec because they don't have independent nozzle valves, see below); an unnamed type by Glamorgan Pipe & Foundry Company (later withdrawn); and an unnamed type produced by John Wood Iron Works Co. in Portland. The 1913 audit indicates that the city went with 175 Ludlow Slide Valves and 25 Oregon Foundry Howes hydrants.
  • December 19, 1910 - "Maintenance of Genuine Ludlow Hydrants." Actually two short documents on one page, both proclaiming the low maintenance costs of Ludlow hydrants.
  • December 19, 1910 - Letter from D. D. Clarke, Water Board Engineer, to David Campbell, Chief Engineer (PFD), concerning hydrant bids taken 12/13/1910. The low bid (by Phoenix Iron Works) was out of spec. The next lowest bid (Glamorgan Pipe & Foundry Co.) was in spec but the company wanted to be withdrawn from consideration.
  • December 19, 1910 - Response from Campbell to the letter above.

- Section 2 -

City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center, Water Bureau, Subject Files, A2001-021, 14/1   Hydrants, 1911
  • Undated - "Bids for Fire Hydrants Opened by the Water Board June 13, 1911." Shows proposals from Gilbert Hunt, Eddy Valve, Hoge & Swift (Ludlow), R. D. Wood, and two by Phoenix Iron Works. The Phoenix "Name of Bidder" entry says "Phoenix Iron Works, By J. E. Wolff, Portland, Ore.". Note connection to Wolff & Zwicker.
  • Undated - "Tabulated Bids On 500 Fire Hydrants, Opened by the Water Board Sept. 12, 1911." In the bottom margin is written "Accompanying report of D. D. Clarke. Sept 13/11." This looks like the first page of a longer document since only three companies (Caldwell Machinery Co. (Coreys), R. D. Wood & Co., and Hoge & Swift (Ludlows) are shown.
  • Undated - "500 Fire Hydrants. Specifications furnished following named firms for hydrants, bids for which were opened on September 12, 1911." Lists the following firms:
    • John Wood Iron Works Co.
    • Hoge & Swift
    • F. T. Crowe & Co.
    • G. F. Kuentzel
    • Durham, Carrigan & Hayden Co.
    • Eddy Valve Co.
    • Phoenix Iron Works
    • Hesse Martin Iron Works
    • Meese & Gottfried Co., 67 Front St
    • Lupton-Ferrell Co. & Strowe . . . 322 Abington Bldg.
    • Roe Stephens Mfg. Co.
    • Mr. Minto, "Corey" hydrant
    • A. G. Long, 16 & Marshall Sts
    • Zimmerman-Wells-Brown Co.

- Section 3 -

City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center, Water Bureau, Subject Files, A2001-021, 14/2   Hydrants, 1912
  • Undated - "Hydrants." A list of bidders and dates in the usual format. The last entry is dated 03/28/12. Firms included in this list:
    • Geo. F. Kuentzel
    • The Gauld Co.
    • Hoge & Swift
    • Crane Company
    • John. Wood Iron Works
    • F. T. Crowe & Co.
    • Dunham, Carrigan & Hayden Co.
    • Eddy Valve Co.
    • Phoenix Iron Works
    • Hesse-Martin Iron Works
    • Roe Stephens Mfg. Co.
    • Zimmerman-Wells Brown Co.
    • Coffin Valve Company
    • Portland Iron Works
    • Hallidie Machinery Co. Seattle
    • Jas. B. Clowe & Sons
    • Independent Foundry Co.
  • Undated - "Proposals for Fire Hydrants. Opened by the Water Board April 1st, 1912." Shows details of six of the bids above (Phoenix Iron Works, Roe-Stephens, Eddy, Ludlow, R. D. Wood, and Corey hydrants) including weights, prices, and delivery schedules. The Eddy hydrant bid notes "Goverment [SIC] mixture to be substituted for Tobin bronze for stems." [This document is duplicated in 14/3 Hydrants, 1912.]

- Section 4 -

City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center, Water Bureau, Subject Files, A2001-021, 14/3   Hydrants, 1912
  • Undated - "Proposals for Fire Hydrants. Opened by the Water Board April 1st, 1912." Shows details of six bids (Phoenix Iron Works, Roe-Stephens, Eddy, Ludlow, R. D. Wood, and Corey hydrants) including weights, prices, and delivery schedules. The Eddy hydrant bid notes "Goverment [SIC] mixture to be substituted for Tobin bronze for stems." [This document is duplicated in 14/2 Hydrants, 1912.]
  • September 4, 1912 - Installation records for August 1912. There are some July installations mixed in. All the hydrants installed were described as "Phoenix" except for one "Corey". Many of the locations use old street names (showing intersections of numbered streets and avenues).
  • October 10, 1912 - "Proposals for Fire Hydrants. Opened by the Water Board October 8, 1912." Shows details of six bids (John Wood Iron Works, Phoenix Iron Works, Gilbert Hunt Co., Columbia Engineering Wks. (Ludlows), and two different bids for Corey hydrants from Caldwell Machinery Co.) including weights, prices, and delivery schedules.
  • October 10, 1912 - Unsigned letter on Water Board letterhead to "Messrs J. C. Ainsworth, W. B. Mackay, and D. D. Clarke, Engineer, Special Committee of the Water Board, Portland, Oregon." The letter compares the prices of the six bids in the previous document. It recommends that the lowest bid, that of the John Wood Iron Works Company, be accepted. The letter is unsigned and has two spaces for approval signatures, also blank. The list of hydrant contracts awarded (1913 Audit) says that Oregon Foundry won this contract and produced 200 "Spl. Design" hydrants. However, Oregon Foundry never submitted a bid for this contract and their name never appears in any documents related to this contract.
  • October 15, 1912 - Letter from D. D. Clarke (Water Board Engineer) to Fire Chief B. F. Dowell asking for details on the "threads at the bottom of the column on the Portland hydrants Nos. 1 and 2 so that we may order the threads on this new contract to be interchangeable [SIC] with the bowls of the hydrants now in place". Clarke said the specs would "facilitate getting out the first lot of hydrants under this contract". Which contract was he referring to? The next hydrants purchased by the city (Jan 15, 1913) would be Coreys, not frost jacket hydrants. The previous order (five days earlier on Oct 10, 1912) were already purchased, though they were probably a frost jacket variety. Did the Water Board install the threads at the bases themselves? At least we can make a reasonable assumption that Portland Nos 1 and 2 hydrants had frost jackets.
  • November 20, 1912 - Installation records for October 1912. Most were "Phoenix", a few "Woods" (placed in November), two 4" Willamettes and a Ludlow.

- Section 5 -

City of Portland, Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center, Water Bureau, Subject Files, A2001-021, 14/4   Hydrants, 1913
  • Undated - "Specifications and Forms of Proposal Furnished the Following: (Bids opened by the Water Board 1/2/13) Fire Hydrants." The list of bidders:
    • Columbia Elevator Company
    • National Iron & Foundry Company, E. 7th and Madison
    • Peninsula Iron Works
    • J. M. Leach Iron Works, 162 E. 3rd St.
    • Caldwell Machinery Company
    • Gauld Company
    • Hoge & Swift (2 copies)
    • Crane Company
    • John Wood Iron Works
    • F. T. Crowe & Co.
    • Eddy Valve Co.
    • Phoenix Iron Works
    • Hesse-Martin Iron Works
    • Roe Stephens Mfg. Co.
    • Independent Foundry Co.
    • Gilbert Hunt Co., Walla Walla
    • Jas. B. Clowe & Sons, Chicago
    • Tomlinson Company, 308 Glisan
    • M. L. Kline
    • D. L. Herman, 503 Maritime Bldg., Seattle
    • Geo. C. Strowe
  • January 6, 1913 - "Bids on 350 Fire Hydrants. Opened by the Water Board January 2nd, 1913." Summarizes 10 of the bids (Helser & Unden, Columbia Engineering Works (Ludlows), R. D. Wood & Co., Caldwell Machinery Co. (Coreys), John Wood Iron Works, Eddy Valve Co., Columbia Elevator Company, M. L. Kline (Roe-Stephens), and two bids from Phoenix Iron Works. The Columbia Engineering Works bid seems to have come with a blank check instead of the customary 10%.
  • January 6, 1913 - Duplicate of a letter from D. D. Clarke, Water Board Engineer, to "Messrs, F. W. Winn, J. C. Ainsworth and B. F. Dowell, Special Committee of the Water Board, Portland, Oregon." summarizing bids received for fire hydrants. Clarke lists 10 of the bids and their prices, recommending that the low bidder, Helser & Unden, be awarded the contract. He notes that "the proposed hydrant [is] similar in design to that heretofore furnished the City by the Phoenix Iron Works."
  • January 15, 1913 - "Summary of Contracts Awarded by the Water Board for Fire Hydrants." Lists the bidder, hydrant type, date, quantity, weight, and cost of all hydrants purchased by the Water Board since it started buying hydrants in 1904. (Some inaccuracies have been noted, however.) Everything except weight and cost are listed below:
    Date Bidder Type Quantity
    07/21/1904 Oregon Foundry Howe 100
    02/17/1905 Phoenix Iron Works Fire Dept. 100
    03/14/1905 Phoenix Iron Works Fire Dept. 100
    06/12/1907 Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co. Balanced Valve 200
    01/03/1910 Caldwell Brothers Corey 200
    12/13/1910 Ludlow Valve Mfg. Co. Slide Valve 175
    Oregon Foundry Howe 25
    06/13/1911 Caldwell Brothers Corey 190
    Gilbert Hunt Co. Hunt 10
    09/12/1911 Caldwell Brothers Corey 500
    04/05/1912 Phoenix Iron Works Phoenix 400
    10/10/1912 Oregon Foundry Spl. Design 200
    01/15/1913 Caldwell Brothers Corey 350
    TOTAL 2,550
  • January 15, 1913 - Handwritten list of hydrant types and quantities in use at the end of 1912. Compiled from a 1911 Fire Department Report and a 1912 Water Department Report. This is the rough draft for the document below.
  • January 15, 1913 - "Hydrants in Use at End of Year 1912." Lists hydrant types and quantities. Compiled by D. D. Clarke. This is the complete list, though it has been reformatted to list by order of frequency.
    Hydrant Type Quantity
    Corey 1,602
    Phoenix 885
    Waterous 274
    Portland #2 263
    Portland #1 204
    Ludlow #2 197
    Ludlow #1 191
    R.D.Wood 191
    Willamette 119
    Ludlow #3 95
    Woods 55
    A.G.Long 1
    Salem 1
    TOTAL 3,905
  • March 4, 1913 - Installation records for February 1913. There were 25 "Woods" installed and one Corey moved across the street from it's original location and reinstalled.
  • April 2, 1913 - Memo from the Fire Department that was accompanied by blueprints (not present) showing existing and proposed mains and hydrants. There seemed to be some disagreement over the number of hydrants that were really needed, and which were unnecessary expenditures.
  • April 10, 1913 - Letter from B. F. Dowell, Fire Department Chief Engineer, to D. D. Clarke, Water Department Engineer. "Please replace the old Willamette hydrant at East 12th and Belmont Sts. with a modern hydrant."
  • May 6, 1913 - Installation records for April 1913. Only 16 hydrants were set on public mains, all of them Helser & Unden. Six Phoenix were set for a private contract.
  • July 3, 1913 - Installation records for June 1913. All hydrants installed were "Helser & Unden" except for one 4" Willamette.
  • November 10, 1913 - Installation records for October 1913. All of them are "Helser & Unden".
  • Undated - "Prospective Bidders. Hydrants." All the dates on the list are 1914, so this document appears to be mis-filed. The bidders were:
    • Smith & Watson Iron Works
    • Crane Comnay [SIC]
    • Washington Pipe & Fdry. Co.
    • J. W. Blair
    • John Wood Iron Works
    • Coffin Valve Company
    • Roe Stephens Mfg. Co.
    • M. L. Kline
    • Chas. C. Moore & Company
    • F. T. Crowe & Company
    • Phoenix Iron Works
    • Hesse-Martin Iron Works
    • Independent Foundry Co.
    • Gilbert Hunt Co., Walla Walla
    • Power Equipment Company, Brd. Of Trade
    • American Fdry. Company, St. Louis
    • Eddy Valve Co.
    • Chapman Valve Mfg. Co. (A. J. Warren, San Francisco)
    • U. S. Commerce Company (Board of Trade)
    • Columbia Iron Works, Chattanooga, Tenn
    • D. C. & H. Co., San Francisco
    • Darling Pump Mfg. Co. (H. M. Williams, 304 By [?] Ex.)
    • Rensselaer Valve Mfg. Company (512 Colman Bldg.) Seattle
    • Portland Equipment Company
    • Oregon Brass Co.
    • H. A. Heppner & Company (for Columbia Iron Works)
    Note that the "n" has been dropped from the end of Columbian Iron Works' name. This continues in numerous other documents.

Source Material, Part 1   Source Material, Part 2   Source Material, Part 3

Portland Oregon Fire Hydrants