image wiki commons, Chicago Historical Society, Author Edward Mendel
I learnt an amazing fact last night about the history of sewage! One of those facts that are so very strange that they make you smile.
In the 1850’s Chicago’s streets were morass of mud, effluence (human and animal - mainly horse) , and rubbish. Something had to be done and Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough was appointed to be the man to do it.
After a fact finding mission in Europe, Chesbrough knew that a sewage system was the answer - the only problem was that Chicago was so flat and water level-ish that underground sewers would not drain into the lake.
Chesbrough was not a man to be defeated by trivial details - “Ok then”, he said, “we’ll raise Chicago”
And that’s exactly what they did. Starting in 1858, over a period of 20 years the entire city was raised by between 4 and 14 ft. Buildings and then entire blocks were lifted by 1000s of hydraulic jacks, sewer pipes were installed at the necessary angles, new foundations laid and then the streets were filled in to the new level. Business carried on as usual with people, living, working, shopping etc in the buildings as they were slowly jacked up.
image -wikicommons,Chicago Historical Society
Many owners of less imposing edifices simply plonked them on rollers and moved them into the suburbs replacing them them with buildings more suited to Chicago’s new status.
The sight of intact buildings trundling about the city became so common that Chicagoans became quite blasé about it.
One amazed visitor wrote of seeing 9 houses on the move in one day!
This has now become my favourite fact about sewage, replacing The Big Stink of 1858 in my affections.
Here is my favourite song with Chicago in the title - Chicago by Sufjan Stevens - it’s gorgeous
Thanks for reading