Sewers

One of my 16 greatgreatgreat grandfathers, Michael Von Essen, came from Bavaria to the United States in 1852. With such a distinguished name, I speculate that he was a second, third ... son, and in those days the opportunities for such a son was as a soldier or a priest as the inheritance all went to the first son.

In China/Taiwan the inheritance is better in that the wealth is divided among the sons, with the oldest given an extra portion and generally in charge of family affairs. Of course, the daughters get nothing because they have married into other families. This seems to be the default position if the father doesn't make arrangements before death. Asians in general, I think don't like to talk about death so this custom is often the case. But I also think nowadays Asian families value daughters more than in the past. But if there is one thing certain in this world it is: WE ALL WILL DIE. So not making plans is the height of idiocy. I welcome readers to add their own thoughts.

Anyway, a helpful U.S. immigration official helped Michael VonEssen become Michael Ess and ever since everyone in America that has Ess as a last name has Michael VonEssen as an ancestor. One of a kind. I, Michael Arthur Ess, was named after my Irish Grandfather, Michael McMahon and my German Grandfather, Arthur Ess).


Joseph Ess, one of Michael VonEssen's sons, started a foundry in Chaska Minnesota. The continuing story of Ess Brothers and Sons Inc is found at:

 
http://www.essbrothers.com/new_page_2.htm

One of the major products of the Ess foundry has been manhole covers.

My father's father was Arthur Ess, a younger brother of Edmund Ess, one of the 6 generation of owners of the foundry. I speculate that Arthur Ess, being a younger son was not going to be an owner of the Ess foundry because the foundry stayed in the hands of the oldest son following the old German tradition. Gruss Gott for that, who wants to grow up in a hick town like Chaska anyway?

I use to go out to Chaska for Ess family reunions, I remember meeting Edmund as the first person I ever saw who actually wore suspenders. I went to the Ess foundry once as a kid, I never saw so much rust in one place. Rust is actually a pretty color.

The story of the confrontation between the EPA and the Ess foundry at the Ess foundry website is definitely onesided. I'm sure that the rest of Chaska was cheering when the Ess foundry moved out of downtown Chaska.

If there is one technology that hasn't changed much in more that 100 years, it has to be manhole covers. I would guess that in every country in the world they look the same. Here's what they look like in Tainan.

But there are some structures still left from Japanese time, like these sewer culverts. Japanese construction often uses an arch whereas Chinese construction uses a lentil.