Subjects Technology

Oak Lane Reservoir pipeline, 1904

The Water and Drainage History of Philadelphia

Bird's eye color view of reservoirs, green areas of foliage, pink roads and blue water, with a dam prominent

Fairmount and vicinity, 1839

Frederick Graff’s drawing of the 1815 steam engine, adapted from a design by Englishmen Matthew Boulton and James Watt, shows the engine from the north, with Faire Mount and the reservoirs to the left of the drawing and the river to the right. The 1815 engine sat on the south side of the Engine House and was thus called the South Engine. As Graff indicated in his drawing, the Engine House was essentially open from river level to the roof in order to accommodate the massive beam and fly wheel of the two engines. While Graff showed the crank attached to the axle of the fly wheel, he left the crank shaft and the pump out of the drawing. The North Engine, designed and built in 1816 by Philadelphian Oliver Evans, advanced steam engines’ operating pressures from 2 pounds per square inch (psi) to 200 psi, a significant technological achievement.

Steam engine drawing, Frederick Graff Sr., 1815

1903 Engineers' Club Report title page

1903 Proceedings of the Engineers’ Club title page

Lab tech at Philly Home Show, 1960

Lab tech, water cleaning demo, Philly Home Show, 1960

Laboratory Alkalinity test, ca. 1943

Laboratory Alkalinity test, ca. 1943

1914 map showing the plan for the collection and treatment of sewage in Philadelphia.

Plan for the Collection, Treatment and Disposal of Sewage, 1914