The photos we are posting today are focused on a special and unusual project. Team Leader Jim Herron and team member Doug Christensen are working on a project called "Masonry Pointing" at the Lava Pump House. This involves replacing missing mortar in the stones which comprise the Lava Pump House which was erected in 1883. The stone structure has walls that are one-foot thick. There was a smaller pump house at this location before this beautiful stone structure was constructed. Information provided in these captions is information I obtained from Jim and Doug today and I thank them very much.
We will cover all of the on-going projects tomorrow, but of special interest is the completion of the roof paneling on the Antonito Car Storage facility. Team Leader Jim Florey and his talented team report that the last panel was installed on the roof at 10:24 a.m. this morning!
Ted Smith
- Team Leader Jim Florey's hard-working volunteers have now completed the roof paneling on the Car Storage Facility in Antonito! They will be ridge- capping the roof tomorrow. CONGRATULATIONS!
- Team Leader Jim Herron and Doug Christiansen load tools and equipment needed for the masonry pointing at the Lava Pump House. (Information provided in these captions is information I obtained from Jim and Doug today and I thank them very much--Ted Smith)
- The Rio de Los Pinos River is the source of water that was pumped to the Lava water tank.
- The Lava Pump House was erected in 1883; however, water was pumped up to the Lava water tank starting in 1881. There was a smaller pump house before this beautiful stone structure was constructed.
- This photo shows the historic pump house; notice the sharpness of the corner. The stone was chiseled to make right angles on the corners. Superior workmanship is evident for this building - amazing to consider at this remote location where it was rarely seen.
- This is the arched stone work over a window. There doesn't seem to be an explanation why the stone on the right side of the window was chiseled fairly flat while on the left side some of the stone sticks out in natural form.
- This is the inside of the pump house, showing the actual pump that was used. Jim Herron believes it goes back to at least 1883 and possibly was the original pump used in 1881. The boiler was fired by coal until around 1923 when a diesel engine was brought in.
- This photo, taken out of one of the windows, shows how close the structure was built to the river.
- This picture, out of an opposite window, shows the hill the water line went over. Jim and Doug said there is another rise you can't see beyond the top of the hill that the pipe went up - and then on to the water tank. They say the exact rise from the pump house to the bottom of the water tank is not known but somewhere between 400 and 600 feet. Doug estimates the pipe ran one mile or a little more from the pump house to the bottom of the water tank.
