Vintage work crew photos

[volodar]

Standpipe construction crew. Billerica, Massachusetts. Circa 1900.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

That is a storage tank. We had one of those in our private water district, capacity 15,000 imperial gallons atop a 40 foot tower, now decommissioned. We still have standpipes at intervals along our underground watermain - 2 inch, 3 foot verticals terminated in capped firehose thread. Originally intended to serve as fire hydrants, they are still classified as such for home insurance. Now used periodically to clear watermain sediment. In the photo, the predrilled holes in the tank wall sections are temporarily registered at intervals with bolts and nuts acting as clecos clamps. The bullet hole in the pipe smoker's hat looks like the ace of spades.