Reddick dam

Reddick dam

Reddick Dam
Former type	Dam
Industry	Recreation
Fate	Dissolved
Founded	Wooster, Ohio (1875 (1875))
Defunct	1913 (1913)
Headquarters	Wooster, Ohio, United States
Number of locations	1
Services	The main use of this dam was to protect the city in the event of a fire. A secondary use was to supply the city with water.

Locations

• 0000 Unknown St., Wooster, Ohio 44691

Comprehensive History

Reddick's Dam was constructed during the summer of 1875. It was located on Mr. Reddick's property just north of the town of Wooster with water. It was 18 feet deep and created a reservoir to supply Wooster with spring water. The construction of the dam was supervised by Mr G. Gow, civil engineer. The cost of the entire project to pipe the natural spring water to Wooster, including later updates, totaled $86,000. This system served Wooster until 1907, when the Applecreek pumping station was placed in operation.

Timeline

• 1874 - May 14, G. Gow and John Brinkerhoff, City engineers gauged the stream found it to be sufficient to protect the city against fire.
• 1875 - Summer, Work began building the reservoir under the supervision of G. Gow. Building a dam across the ravine right below the springs raising thee water to 18 feet.
• 1876 - Spring - Summer, More work ensued under the energetic supervision of John Brinkerhoff, city engineer
• 1884 - June, "Since last Friday the water in Reddick's dam has fallen an inch and a half daily, and if the decrease continues it will be necessary to shut off all consumers next Tuesday, July 1st."

Newspaper articles

Newspaper full-text articles

Two-hour Downpour Causes Much Damage

Two-hour Downpour Causes Much Damage: Wooster Streets Flooded, Bridges Carried Away and Railroad Traffic Tied Up Several Hours; Break in Redick's Dam Causes Big Raise of Christmas Run and Much Damage at Fair Grounds

A two hour downpour of rain, the heaviest in Wooster this year, and as heavy as any rain in several years completely tied up everything in this city and vicinity late Saturday afternoon.

The storm caused a postponement of the Wayne County Fair until next month, tied up traffic on the Pennsylvania lines for several hours, causes Redick's dam to burst, carried away numerous bridges, and did damage amounting to thousands of dollars to Wooster streets and private property.

It was not a bloudburst, but simply a heavy rain, which came in from the east. There was some lightning and thunder.

The Lloyd Berry home on North Grant street was struck, a hole being torn through the wall. Little damage was done. Lightning Saturday struct the McClelland home on Beall Avenue, throwing bricks many feet away.

________________________________________ away the water and it boiled out of the manholes at Liberty and other cross streets.

At the Archer corner the water went over the curbing, and caused some little damage. At the Beaver and Liberty street intersection, conditions were worse. The water went in on the first floor of the Johnstone grocery, and did considerable damage, both there and in the basement. Other business places right in the vicinity were also affected. The basement at Annat's store was the scene of some fast work, much goods being hurriedly removed. Some goods were damaged.

In the south end of the city many cellars were flooded.

When the water was at its height, Redick's dam burst, letting the torrent surge down Christmas run valley. At the culvert on West Bowman street, it banked up making a temporary lake above. The water at one time was clear over the road.

The rain began to fall in Wooster a few minutes after four o'clock. In fifteen minutes the streets looked like rivers, and in an hour the condition was much worse. From 5 until 6 o'clock the water was at it's height. Market, Buckeye, Bever and Beall were veritable rivers, while the cross streets were a little better. In the south end the water was even higher, Spruce street and Madison avenue being among the hardest hit.

The sewers were unable to carry some twenty-five feet higher than the valley. A hole ten feet deep was washed just below the culvert. Going on down the valley the water did considerable damage to crops, and at the fair grounds tore things up so bad that the fair association, after going over the grounds Monday decided to postpone the fair until October 8, 9 and 10.

Below the fair grounds the B. and O. track was torn up, causing much work for section men Monday.

There were several washouts between Wooster and Smithville on the Pennsylvania ______ , the worst one being just east of the depot, where the water comes down from the Board of Trade allotment section. A passageway as big as a house was washed out under the tracks. The six o'clock trains were delayed more than four hours. Several places up over the hill gravel was two feet deep on the tracks, and only the quick work of a large force of section men enabled traffic to be resumed before Sunday morning.

Applecreek was higher than it has been for several years. The rain was largely in the territory drained by this creek, and the storm approached from the head waters of the stream, thus making it raise doubly as fast as ordinary. The water would rush down the hillsides to the stream, only to be augmented as it flowed, by equal amounts from every little tributary. The water was so high over the way across the valley that Experiment Station employees could not get to the city until 10 p.m., at which time the water had receded sufficiently to enable wagons and buggies to get through.

Waterworks Supt. Miller and Service Director Johnston and their men will be busy many days taking care of damage done by the storm. The cost to the city will be much in excess of $1,000.

Immediately following the storm, there were many amusing incidents. Persons employed down town were anxious to get to their homes, because supper was waiting for them. The streets were running full of water. The water receded quickly, and soon as the stream on each side of the paved street seemed _______________ narrow, the crowd started. People jumped across, some of them getting wet feet.

Before the storm had ended, taxi-cabs were very busy hauling persons to and from the depot. When they got to the depot they were disappointed, for a river was doming down the tracks, and there was no chance to get away. The depot was surrounded by water.

County Commissioner Jos. Whitman was one of scores of out-of-town people who were caught in Wooster or on the way home. Mr. Whitman and his wife reached the distillery before it began to rain. They halted under the railroad arch. One other buggy was there. When the rain slackened up, the creek had raised nearly to the railroad arch, and for several miles up the road they drove though water, sometimes several feet deep. At Smithville, Mr. and Mrs. Whitman found the end of the storm.

Reports from other directions_______________________

Kistler Has Second Article With Figures About Annexation

• Kistler Has Second Article With Figures About Annexation: Editor Wooster Record, Wooster, O.

I will give you my second article on the cost of annexation of Bloomington to Wooster. But I first want to prove part of my first article which just happened to come about. In my first article I stated the extra cost would be for pumping water around $6.00 for 3 hours extra pumping, which I tried to keep within a conservative figure. Then on Saturday, July 31, Service Director Adams gives the cost of operation at the plant at $2.59 per hour, which would be $7.50 for 3 hours, so you see I did not over estimate when I said $6. However, each of our articles were separate, but I only want to show the people I mean to tell the truth. If we annex Bloomington we must place a standpipe at the highest point possible to get best results near the old No. 8 school house would be an elevation of 1200 feet. Our old standpipe at Reddick dam is 1144 feet now; we would have a difference of 56 feet of elevation to raise the water and then the standpipe should be elevated on stilts, which would be more extra cost in the way of pumping water to such a high point. We would have about a mile of 12 in. main at $3.50 per foot or $18,480 for one mile, plus the right of way across property from Reddick's dam to the standpipe. The cost of a 2 million standpipe would be $30,000. The cost of one square mile of water mains for Bloomington would be around $63,000 and water mains are paid out of the general fund of a city or out of special water bonds and are not paid for by the abutting property owners, as some people have told me was the case. Now I will give more articles from time to time on this cost and will try to have the figures very conservative, and if any interested bidding firm gives any lower figures I will try to hold those bidders to their figures if they get the work, if annexation should carry. I will give you a tabulated gross cost and Wooster's cost will be 20 times bigger than Bloomington's cost. My next article will tell about new school house in Bloomington, extra teachers, fire and police protection. -- Jos F. Kistler, Councilman 1st Ward.

Newspaper citations with no attached images

• September 17, 1903: "Board of Public Service: "The board of public service ordered that the damage done in the Reddick dam by the storm be repaid. ...."", Wayne County Herald, p. 3.

• January 18, 1905: "Board of Public Service Decides Such Action is Necessary: ".... George Bogner superintendent of water works, reported that the supply of water in the Reddick dam was very low and that water consumers would have to be very careful as to waste of supply or it might be necessary to shut off the water...."", Wooster Republican, p. w.

What Links Here

• Highland Park ‎ (← links)
• Water Production & Recovery (Wooster, Ohio) ‎ (← links)
• Portal:Business/Recreation ‎ (← links)
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• Newspaper clipping:Page 3 of Wayne County Democrat,published in Wooster, Ohio on Wednesday, July 31st, 1907 (1) - March 21 2023 ‎ (← links)
• File:Page 2 of Wooster Republican,published in Wooster, Ohio on Wednesday, May 11th, 1904 (1).jpeg ‎ (← links)
• Newspaper article:Page 2 of Wooster Republican,published in Wooster, Ohio on Wednesday, May 11th, 1904 (1) - Wooster Republican May 11 1904 ‎ (← links)