Altruistic actions of George Westinghouse December 1904
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued a mandatory water conservation notice this month, triggered by the decline in water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir. This conservation reminded us of the following event that occurred in the year Trafford was founded.
In December 1904, George Westinghouse was notified of a water scarcity in the Turtle Creek Valley when the seven springs that covered about 80 square miles had gone dry on account of no rainfall in several weeks. The water shortage affected about 23,000 people in the seven boroughs that provided Westinghouse with its workforce. One newspaper reported that “businessmen of these towns went to their offices with unwashed faces, as there was no water in the pipes when they arose, and most of the schools in the territory were closed during the day because there was no water.”
George Westinghouse instructed his managers to close down the big plants until the water shortage could be relieved, and he asked his management to furnish water to the residents of these communities. Seven foundries at Trafford City were closed down to permit the company to pump water for the benefit of the residents instead of taking the water to operate his plants, even if there was a project that was on a “rush order.”
Pumps were taken from the plants housed at the bank of Turtle Creek and water was pumped from the creek into tanks erected in the mills. The residents then got water from the tanks. It was reported that the company lost from $200,000 to $250,000 within a week through his remarkable altruistic action. Is there any wonder why the people of Trafford and the entire Turtle Creek Valley held such high regard for Mr. Westinghouse?
Photo source: George Westinghouse & associates [Photograph]. ([ca. 1900–1912]). Retrieved from https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/rj430t981
