Knowing how to do things thoroughly and soundly was not a vogue but natural behavior for old-time Mykolaiv residents, when they had to reclaim a living space from the wild steppe. For example, the water supply pipeline, which makes it possible for one to live and work, was laid in our city as long ago as in the first century of its existence. 105 years ago Mykolaiv’s water supply system also received a unique civil engineering structure – the water tower designed by Vladimir Shukhov.
Nature unusually generously endowed Vladimir Shukhov with all kinds of brilliant and multifaceted talents. Shukhov’s system was used to build steam boilers, oil-distillation units, pipelines, fuel injectors; oil, kerosene, gasoline, spirit and acid storage tanks; pumps, gas holders, water towers, oil barges, blast furnaces, shop-floor and public buildings’ metallic overhead covers, grain elevators, railway bridges, cableways, lighthouses, tram depots, refrigerating plants, landing stages, mines, etc.
Mykolaiv’s monument to the engineering thought, an open-worked tower on Riumin St., is lucky. It has been in operation for 55 years and was not scrapped, which is unique in itself. Last week a City Hall roundtable tried to decide what should be done with it now.
