October 5, 1959 Water Shortage

In 1934 the Village of Interlaken was installing the first water works system. Wheeler A. Bassett, Village Historian, wrote an article for the August 31, 1934 Interlaken Review on the progress of the water system.

He first reported that “pipes have now been laid on all the streets excepting Main, and Main street was finished from the south end as far as the Baptist Church on Saturday night, August 25.”

The bulk of the article describes the work of building the water tower. “Six separate cones or pyramids of concrete are being poured, forming a circle…about 38 feet. In the center of the circle a seventh cone will be placed. About six feet of earth is excavated for the foundation of the cones…The cones are pyramidal shape, 10 feet square at the base, 4 feet square at the top, and 7½ feet high. It requires about five hours work for seven men to fill one.”

Barbara Stewart, then Water Commissioner for the Village, wrote an article for the January 2008 Interlaken Historical Society newsletter. It included a timeline of events with the local water system, and the more recent events.

1933 Water System started

1934 Board borrows $60,000 for improvements

1936 Board borrows $15,000 for improvements.

First water shortage. School closed Mason-Harris Springs infiltration gallery areas obtained

1944 First recommended to tap into Cayuga Lake

1948 Second water shortage

1949 Sheffield Well hooked up

1951 Third water shortage - school closed.

Mason Spring area closed

1952 Proposal to tap Cayuga Lake with Trumansburg for $78,000. Rejected by Trumansburg

1952 Proposal to tap Cayuga Lake for $170,450 Rejected by Interlaken due to high cost

1953 Pond dug at Mason-Harris Springs

1954 Pond closed

1955 Halstead Fields leased

1959 Halstead Fields purchased for $55,000 Fourth water shortage.

1960 Unsuccessful drilling of new well at Goodman Hotel.

1962 Fifth water shortage

1963 Halstead line and building installed for $25,000. Tank trailer purchased

1964 Sixth water shortage

1966 Seventh water shortage

1967 Purchase of Wilson Well investigated

1969 Eighth water shortage

1971 System tie-in to lake investigated.

1972 Wells drilled at VanArsdale and Halstead Springs without success

1973 Ninth water shortage

1974 Water study completed, with recommendations to increase ground water sources and go to Cayuga Lake

1976 Tenth water shortage

1980 Eleventh water shortage. Complete system depletion. Water trucked in. Wilson Well used with permission of owner. Parrott & Wolff geologic survey complete

1981 Gowdy & Hunt Water Supply Study complete with recommendations to drill test wells at Mason area and Halstead Fields and to purchase Wilson Well. Test wells dug with no success at Mason and Halstead. Wilson Well purchased for $60,000

Two wells at Mason area pumped dry Leaks in system cut from 33% to 7% by Village Repair Program

1983 Production from Wilson Well begins to decline. FmHA joint water project with Lodi and Covert rejected by FmHA due to lack of funds

Harris Springs closed

1984 Twelfth water shortage. O'Brien & Gere Water System Study complete with recommendation to develop new source at Cayuga Lake.

1985 Thirteenth water shortage. Complete system depletion barely avoided. HUD grant for $400,000 received.

The total project cost was $800,000. $400,000 coming from the HUD grant and the additional $400,000 from local monies.

By the spring of 1988, the project was well under way. The shore well had been drilled and the lines were laid along Cemetery Road for transmission to the water tower. A pump house had to be built, housing the chlorination equipment.

Along with the very visible activity, behind the scenes were the completion of hydrogeologic studies, purchase of land and easements, surveying, design, engineering and the final project inspection. This was a big step for the village and one all were proud of.

Once the system was up and running and proved itself, the village decided to allow those residents along the Cemetery Road to hook into the system.

The added revenue would help to defray the cost of the system. The village had a backup system consisting of some wells west of the village; they could be used in case of an emergency. (Or in the case of renovations to the water tower in the early 1990s). In 1992 Capital Reserve monies were used to paint, treat and repair leaks to the water storage tank.

Today, the topic of water within the village is an ongoing discussion. A new tower is being planned and the funding needs are being reviewed.

Dewitt’s Diary, Monday, October 5, 1959

Temperature 60, cloudy, still.

The village is badly pressed for water enough to keep the school going and the town too. They have been drawing some from the lake.

We raked up one chunk of beans this morning.

Rain and wet this afternoon. We have not had a good drying day since the big rain last Thursday. Beans are in bad shape and there is not many beans that are more than a half crop.

Rain and mild tonight.

Rode up on the hill with Ed Hayward and Bob Akins this afternoon. 

October 1, 1890 Our Little Harold

Genealogists sometimes get obsessed with finding proof for a statement, the house where someone was born or lived, or in some cases, where a person is buried.

I can safely say, “I’ve done all three,” either for myself or when researching for others.

One case was the 18-month old son of D.C. and Mary Bassette. I had a name and dates from Wheeler A. Bassett’s A Bassett Book, but I had no idea where Harold was buried.

I borrowed the library’s copy of the Lake View Cemetery listing and input all of the information into a data base. Still no answers. All of this was back in the mid-1990s. One afternoon I took Dad and headed to the cemetery. My thought being that he might recall something if we looked over family sites.

The Jared Bassette lot at Lake  View Cemetery. Little Harold is to the right of the tall Bassette Stone.
Dewitt (Sr.) and Mary are to the left. Photo by the author

 After checking several family lots, we arrived at Jared Bassette’s family lot. In the middle of the lot is the large marker for Jared and his wife. To the north of that is the headstone for D.C. and Mary and other members of the family. Then just south of the large stone was a small “log shaped” stone. 

It looked like a tree branch, cut but un-split as if for the wood stove. We couldn’t read the carved-out letters and had to feel each one, “Our Little Harold.” Finally, a marker, unique in many ways, a place that could be identified.

Stone before cleaning. Photo by the author

 Dewitt Clinton Bassette, son of Jared and Mary Wheeler Bassette married Mary Catherine Peterson, daughter of Abram D. and Mary Jane Wintersteen Peterson on October 5, 1887. Jared retired to live in the village of Farmer and D.C. took over the family farm.

The Farmer Review, May 18, 1889 recorded the news of Harold Ditmars Bassette’s arrival. “Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Bassette rejoice in the advent of a son—last Sunday.”

Eighteen months later, the paper shared the sad news, “D. C. Bassette and wife have the sympathy of the community in the loss of their child, about eighteen months of age, whose death occurred Wednesday night. Funeral was held yesterday.” [Farmer Review, October 4, 1890]

Log ring detail on Harold Bassette's headstone
Photo by the author

On a follow-up visit to the site, while clearing leaves from around the “log,” we discovered that it was actually sitting on a base. A little digging and we were able to raise the base back to ground level.

Recently, I visited the site with the plan to clean moss and dirt from the stone. Some scrubbing with a soft brush, tub and tile cleaner, and fresh water and the stone was beginning to look clean and fresh again.

 Photo by the author.

Dewitt’s Diary, Tuesday, October 1, 1940

Edna and Frances at the canning factory.

I am picking my sweet corn. Corn is very late. Beans and corn do not ripen up because of the exceptionally cold summer.

No corn cut expect silo corn. My field corn needs two weeks.