The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-03-04

THE hay scale lot is now paying the city in
terest and taxes. The price paid, 81 cents per
foot, considering the depth OF the lot (l70 feet)
was fair one. The city soon after bought the
ward room lot on India street, only eighty
feet deep, at As cents, and we're offered lots on
Congress street at the same price. The secu-
rity taken will fall due in season to meet the
loan made for the ward room, which 1t VIII
more than pay. The lot was sold on time pe
cause otherwise it would not have been soid
un ess at lar . reduc i,n in prce-Aryus'
The assumption in the first two sentences
of the above is that the sale OF the lot was
necessary. or at least expedient. We deny
this The predecessors Of Mayor Putnam,
since the fire, refused, though often solicited
by Bishop Bacon, to dispose of the property,
wisely deciding that the time was not far dis
tant when the city would require it for the
accommodation of public building of some
sort; and Bishop Bacon, at one time, after
an interview with Mayor Stevens upon the
subject, closed the conversation by saying
that he desired to purchase the lot, and it
was only question of time. We do not COM
plain that the land fell into the hands of
Bishop Bacon as an individual He had
as good right to drive a sharp bargain
as any other citizen; and be succeed.
ed at length in doing so. The fault of the
transfer does not lie with him. Admitting
for moment that the sale of the land was
necessary, we ask the argus the question if
the city authorities had advertised it at public
sale, on a term of not less than three nor
more than ten years, with interest semi-annu-
ally, no cash payment down, with the right
OF the purchaser to pay in installments at his
pleasure Of not less than $1,000 each, would
not purchasers have been plenty at price far
above SO cents per foot? There was money
in that lot to Spectators at go or even Is cts.
per foot on the above terms of payment. But
Bishop Bacon coveted the land, and threw all
the power of his prelacy in favor of the ''citi-
zens ticket" and won bis point.
The argus says the price, considering
the depth of the lot (170 feet)
was fair one. Let us see. On the
10th day of October last, a lot of land
on Franklin street, between Congress and
Cumberland, measuring IS feet front and 1OS
deep, running back and joining the Bishops
property, was sold under the hammer at Y
cents per square foot. At the same time an
other lot on Franklin street, between Con-
gress and Federal, fronting the Park, meas
uring So feet front by IS in depth, brought 70
cents. Building lots on Hampshire street, in
front Of the Bishops house are held at lar
ger price than 60 cents per foot, and those
figures have been refused within the past two
years. The lot on which st. Paul's church
stands was considered good purchase at so
cents per foot, and the parish had no difficult
| ty in disposipg of the rear part of it on Lo-
Gust street at the same price. We quote
these facts to show what land is actually con-
sidered worth in that immediate vicinity by
buyers and sellers; and will leave this part of
one subject with two items copied from the
records:
Bishop Bacon bought Dec. 8, 1867, of Mary
westerly side of Congress street, containing
three thousand five hundred and fifty seven
feet, for which he paid the sum of three thous-
and five hundred and forty. seven dollars. CSee
Cumberland Registry of Deeds, Book 1857. p
| 525.
Bishop Bacon bought of Jane G. Burns,
Nancy Ellen Worth of Portland and others a
certain lot of land adjoining the above lot con-
tanning three thousand five hundred and forty
seven feet-for which he paid the sum of three
thousand five hundred and forty-seven dollars
Book 357 526
The hay-scale lot joined Bishop Bacon's
residence on the northeast; the Conner and
Burns estate had like location on the south
west. Voters, how do you like the parallel {?
The pretence that the Barstow lot on In
da street, on which the Ward room is placed,
was equally valuable, is all nonsense, and is
scarcely worth the words it would take to re-
flute it. The lot is narrow, crowded under the
brow of the hill, one of tier of lots that has
been held at a low figure ever since the fire,
non-improved and not in demand. The price
paid was not low, and as long as the city was
forced into the market as purchaser we do
| not know that any one finds fault with the
price paid. The suggestion of the argus that
the proceeds of the hay-scale lot will become
available so as to meet the liabilities on the
Barstow lot and have something left over for
the city treasury is humorous enough for the
T0nahQack