Oakland Underfoot

Linden and 21st Streets

The Oakland Water Company was founded by William Dingee in 1893 and competed vigorously — sometimes viciously — with Anthony Chabot’s Contra Costa Water Company. The infamous water war ended in 1898 when the firms merged under Chabot’s name but with Dingee in charge. It was just one episode in a cascade of bankruptcy and failure that ended with public ownership of the water system by East Bay MUD in the 1920s.

Signs of the old private water companies are rare in Oakland streets. EBMUD is interested in preserving them when feasible, and this is a prime candidate.

New Orleans has a lively streetscape, which you see a lot of because you need to watch your step in the old central city. This is a sampling of what’s there, gathered casually during a recent stay. I did not see any concrete sidewalk stamps, but they do exist.

This beautiful water meter box cover was designed by the manufacturer to replace the classic version first introduced in 1921. (The classic version serves as the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board‘s logo.) The little dome covers an antenna that transmits data to the meter readers.

A sewer cleanout cover installed by the Sewerage and Water Board, which was established in 1899.

New Orleans Public Service, Inc. was in charge of power, gas and transit from the 1920s to the 1980s, when the transit segment was taken over by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (the RTA) and the power and gas segment became Entergy New Orleans. Today the NOPSI Hotel occupies its old headquarters near City Hall.

This would be the Western Union Telegraph Company.

I’m striking out on CELP Co.

Same thing with E. E. Co.

Don’t know what PTC Co. is or was.

Finally, DRAIN lids are everywhere, along with WATER and SEWER lids.