Page 75

MANITOWOC COUNTY, WIS.
100 years of Wisconsin statehood.
A few    taverns  and   business
places in the two cities have in-
stalled receiving facilities. Hen-
ry Hunsader, residing north of
Manitowoc, was one of the first
county farmers to avail himself
of the television service. This
communication    infant of   the
1 9 4 0 s promises revolutionary
cnanges in We teld of communi-
cation with the opening of the
second  century  of Wisconsin's
statehood Whether it will make
telephone, telegraph, and radio
methods of communicating      as
obsolete as sending messages by
smoke signals will be watched
with interest.
       Manitowoc Electric
  The electric utility, probably
the most important industry in
the city, is indeed the lifeblood
of the community. This, the larg-
est municipal utility in the state,
was begun in 1885, just a few
years aftei the first generating
plant was built in the United
States. On Jan. 2, 1914, the city
purchased the electricity utility
from John Schuette for $146,000,
the plant having then a capacity
of 700 kilowatts.
  From earnings from the time of
purchase, the plant has become
a $3,585,000 asset, as well as con-
tributing to the general fund of
the city  over  $1,000,000. The
municipal utilities of Manitowoc,
while one of the biggest taxpay-
ers in the city, offers its users
the lowest rates in the state.
  From 700 kilowatts in 1914, the
power plant has grown to a ca-
pacity of 20,000 kilowatts, soon
to be increased to 30,000 kilo-
watts upon the installation of
another generator now on order.
In  1914, the utility  generated
1,272,000 KWH of electricity; in
1947, 48,883,889 KWH. An inc-
rease of 20 per cent in 1948 over
1947 is contemplated. As of Jan.
1, 1948, there were 9,525 cus-
tomers, 94 miles of pole lines, and
over 500 miles of wire in the dis-
tribution system within the city
limits. The streets of Manitowoc
are lighted by over 1400 units.
         Water System
  The water utility, started in
1889 arid purchased oy the city in
1911 for $250,000 has present as-
sets of over $1,819,000. The city
of Manitowoc has one of the fin-
est types of water supply. The
venture of installing the first so-
called horizontal wells proved
successful, and Manitowoc is one
of the few cities in the country
having a supply far in excess of
its present requirements.
  One of the new      horizontal
wells is located in Silver Creek
park (capacity 10,800,000 gallons
per day). 'The other well is in
Lake Michigan (capacity 5,000,-
000 gallons per day). There is
also a 11 million gallon overhead
water storage reservoir at Eighth
street and Reed avenue, and a
3,000,000 gallon underground res-
ervoir at South Seventh and Co-
lumbus stieets. The city has its
own   bacterial laboratory, but
sends samples weekly to the state
board of health's laboratory for
the customers' protection.
  Over 383,000 feet of water main
under the   city  streets serves
5,600 customers. For general city
fire protection there are 490 fire
hydrants. Gallons of w a t e r
pumped increased from over 3,-
000,000 in 1911 to over 1,000,000,-
000 gallons in 1947. The quality
of the water is without doubt one
of the finest in this territory.
    Manitowoc Gas Company
  The history of the Wisconsin
Fuel and Light company in Man-
itowoc dates from 1901 when sale
of gas and its by-products was
begun. The city council granted
a franchise to Henry Vits, Emil
Teitgen, Julius Lindstedt, and
Michael Dempsey of Manitowoc
incorporated under the name of
Manitowoc Gas Light company.
They built the plant on North
Tenth street and laid mains of
various sizes to a total of 263
customers.
  The Manitowoc concern in 1907
75
STORY OF A CENTURY
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