St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-07

pump, so that all the water throughout
the village Except in the pipes con-
nected with the Fairbanks aqueduct)
stopped. "What ~ we hear some one
enquire, sis there not water enough in
the Pdssumpsic river to run one small
punIpP" The answer to this involves
the interesting and remarkable state OF
things to which we alluded in the first
of this article.
Some five years ago, more or less,
the board of village trustees purchased
four. fortieths of an interest in the wa
ter power at Paddock village, bought a
Flanders pump and some Buzzell wa
ter wheels, built a pump house, and
laid pipe throughout the village to
supply water for domestic, and more
especially for fire purposes. Up to the
drouth of the past summer the supply
had been sufficient; but the low state
of water then, and the increased activi-
ty in the business of the parties ThO
Ocn the other Hirty-Sir .fortiethS of the
mater, made scarcity for some two
months. This was relieved 10y the fall
rains, but now it is upon US again worse
than ever.
One fact in regard to the water sup
ply has been developed by the drouth,
which few were aware of previous, and
that is that the bulkheads of the mill
owners on both sides of the river, are
lower than the village bulkhead, SO that
when there is a small water supply, the
manufacturing establishments drdlC it
all d,cay from the rilIage pump, as has
been done this week. AS some of the
mills run both night and day, the sup
ply is constantly exhausted.
Last summer the present village
trustees procured a competent hydraul-
ic engineer to examine matters here
and give advice. After a careful eX
animation of water supply and the
amount of work done in the different
shops, Mr.. Emerson gave as his opinion
that there was sufficient water in the
stream at low water to do all the work
done at the dam provided economical
wheels were used and all the head aud
fall utilized. He said that the dividing
of the water would he attended with
considerable expense with the appli-
ances then in use. In view of these
facts Mr.. Emerson recommended the
village to lower their bulkhead, ena-
bling the village to draw water as low
as possible at the dam, giving the viii
lage equal rights to the water with the
other shareholders. Mr.. Emerson also
recommended the village to change
wheels. The estimated cost of the
above Improvements by Mr.. Emerson
was from $1,000 to $500.
Nothing has been done either in re-
gard to lowering bulkhead or dividing
water. We understand the mill own
ers will not shut down their works ex-
cept at large pay for loss of time, etc,
so our village is virtually without pro-
lection against fire. Especially has this
been true the past fortnight, as the main
pipe of the Fairbanks aqueduct has
been broken, so in case of emergency
that supply could not have been had to
fall back upon. AS if to illustrate that
misfOrtunes never come singly, we M
derstand that the suit of Holley agai lst
the Flanders pump, has been decided
against the Flanders, so that most like
ly our village will have to pay royal
ty for using the pump the past five
years, and in the future, so long as it
shall decide to use it. This too is re-
freshing. We understand also, that
when ~" trustees were talking about
putting III 49,. works some six years
ago, Mr.. Holley -. N that the
Flanders pump was an Infringement of
his patent, that the matter was in lii
CATION, and that lie should surely hold
the users of pumps with his patent re
sponsible. As the Flanders concern is
bankrupt, we do not see but what our
village is in for it.