This summary of Eureka’s utilities was written in 1929 by R. Kenneth Evans for The Eureka Herald.
“With a water supply testing first class and tying with six other cities in the Board of Health rating, in a purity test for highest grade, and her other utilities on a par with any city in Kansas, Eureka offers all the modern conveniences for a home city.
The supply of city water comes from Fall River, a clear spring fed river, furnishing an ample supply from the underground water courses of the Flint Hills, which has very little chance of contamination. The water is pumped through modern pumping machinery into a treating basin where it undergoes a treatment prescribed by the State Board of Health and later into two large stand pipes of 90,000- and 185,000-gallons capacity from which it is distributed over the city through a system of mains permitting every building the use of water and numbering over 1,000 consumers. The Eureka city water is far superior to the average city water in Kansas because of its low mineral content and lack of chemicals which leaves it soft and nice to use for all purposes.
The water system of Eureka is a municipally owned and operated plant. It is always kept in excellent condition by the city and has been paying its own way. Samples of the water are sent weekly to the state laboratories at the Kansas University for test as to foreign matter and bacteria and with this weekly check showing just the condition of the water there is never any chance of an epidemic of disease as a result of contaminated water.
Augmenting the protection against contamination is the excellent sewer system which has been installed by the city and provides sewer connections to the majority of buildings in the city. A city ordinance makes connection with the sewer mandatory.
While streets are not necessarily classed as a public utility in their maintenance, they rightfully come under the class of city conveniences. The streets are wide and generally paved. In fact, there is not a city in Kansas the size of Eureka that can boast of a better system of street containing more than twenty-five miles of good and substantial asphalt pavement. The streets that are not paved are generally well graveled. Wide sidewalks are provided over the entire city and with the wide parking , foliage adornment and general clean condition of the streets, Eureka presents a metropolitan appearance which pleases everyone.
In conjunction with the water system a paid and volunteer fire department is maintained with adequate fire fighting equipment and which conforms with the specifications of the insurance underwriters, lowering the insurance rates. The equipment of the fire department includes one hose and chemical truck, one chemical wagon and an American LaFrance pumper with 600-gallon capacity per minute. More than 2,000 feet of hose is on hand at all times and is in good condition. Seventy-five fire hydrants are placed at positions over the city which affords protection to every building , with the possible exception of a few minor buildings in the extreme outlying sections. The fire department is manned by eighteen men, two paid and sixteen volunteers. The chief has spent 29 years of service in fire fighting and has served as chief for 12 years.
The electric current for both domestic consumption and power is furnished the City of Eureka and this entire trade territory by the Kansas Electric Power Company. Current for the pumping and drilling of the oil wells for which Greenwood County is famous, lighting the streets, operating industrial motors and plants and for any purpose whatsoever is furnished. The company also maintains a payroll of approximately $2,000 monthly in Eureka, employing 20 people, sixteen of whom are the heads of families. The Kansas Electric Power Company also operates the Eureka Ice Company maintain a modern 16-ton plant with truck delivery serving the entire city.
The gas supplied in inexhaustible quantities, to the City of Eureka, is handled through the Western Natural Gas Company, a privately owned utility with headquarters in Salina. The source of gas comes from two different sections of this territory with wells located 22 miles east of Eureka and another 10 miles southwest. New wells are constantly being drilled and held in reserve. The rates charged for gas are remarkably low for cities of this size. The city is connected with a four -inch service main. There are 850 consumers of gas. A pipe is being laid from the wells to the city to cost $60,000 and all done with local labor.
Telephone service in Eureka is supplied by the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company which maintains an adequate exchange here. Twenty regular employees are used including sixteen women and four men. All winter three gangs of state employees, construction men, have been working out of Eureka repairing and rebuilding lines, which makes a very substantial payroll from this company.
The exchange is what is known as the “common battery” type, eliminating the necessity of ringing to connect with central. There are 285 business telephones operated from this exchange, as well as 117 telephones from private exchanges and 815 residence telephones. The rural districts are served with 516 telephones from the Eureka exchange. The toll out of Eureka is far superior to many cities of this size with 25 direct toll lines to other cities. There is also uptown service by the Western Union Telegraph Company.”
