Wooden water pipe, circa 1900

"When I moved into Alan Henderson's job he passed on a water pipe that Don Compton excavated near Charles Austin Drive when a new Water Vault was being installed for one of the facilities at the Strahan/Jowers complex. It is about 12" tall, 8" in diameter, constructed of wooden staves (oak inner circle and perhaps cypress outer rim) with tin the middle. It has 8 gauge wire spiraling around it to keep the parts in place. It also has a tar exterior to keep ground water away, thereby giving the underground "pipe" a longer life.

When you lay it down such that the tin seam is at the top you can actually see the water line imprint. I think this belongs in your historical collection as a simple example of former times which established a model for underground utility infrastructure."

Description: February 12, 2016 e-mail from Michael Petty, Architect Emeritus, Director Facilities, Planning, Design & Construction