Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-08
Bar H3rbOf.
THE LAST A SUCCESSFUL SEAsoN-BRILLIArr
PROSPECTS, AHEAD-RIsE OF REAL ESTATE
-IMPoRTANT IAPRovENENTs TO BE MADE.
Correspondence Ellsworth American

The season has been the most prosperous
of any in the history of Bar Harbor. The
wea her throughout has been all that could
be desired Scarcely fog bank. the one
great enemy to Mt. Desert, has shown its un-
welcome presence during the summer.
The namber of guests TO the place has far
exceeded that of any previous year, and dur
ing the month of August every hotel and cot
tage was filled to overlooking Not few VS.
iiors came with the expectation of remaining
the season, bur finding every place full turned
awav to some less crowded resort, fully de-
termined, in most instances, to be in season
another year or make their engagements IN
advance. Consequently, more rooms are en-
gagged for another wear than at the close OF
any previous season, and at prices consider
able higher than have ever been paid before
One very notice aole characteristic of the
company has been the great number OF
strangers from the West, who go away with
enthusiastic praise for Mt. Desert They
have found the famous MT. Desert air" all
and more than thev expected. In fact, if Mt
Desert could have been furnished an atmos
phefe according to the idea of her most ardent
lover, he could not have conceived of any
thing better or more salubrious than she has
furnished her stranger guests this summer.
The outlook for another season is very en-
couraging. More cottages will be erected
during the winter and spring than ever before
in the same time, and it is said, more costly
than any which have yet been built here.
Real estate continues to boom. Prices have
long since reached almost fabulous proper
tons and are still advancing. During the
past three weeks real property, to the amount
Of half a million, has changed hands In
cluded in these transfers is five acre tract
that brought $4,000; alse a lot of four
acres that brought the colossal sum of $780,
900. The latter has been cut up and sold in
lots, for business purposes and cottages, at
an advance Of at least fifty per cent. A
strong move is being made in the general
improvement of the village. This
is indeed a move in the right direction.
just criticism, always made upon Bar
Harbor, has been the lack of public improve
ment. While fortunes have been expended
in laying out of private grounds and erection
of costly villas, there has always been far
too stinted expenditure of money r the i'm
proyement of the village, con-dered as a
whole. Now the streets are to be widened,
new sewers constructed and probably very
soon parks and bouleavrds will be laid out for
the use of the public. Heretofore, the gen.
eral tourist has been obliged TO trespass upon
private grounds or promenade the dusty
streets 10 see anything of Bar Harbor. This
has led to great deal of complaint, both on
the part of private property owners and the
pleasure seeking public. 1t is now evident
that the time has fully arrived, when more
attention should be paid to the general i'm
provement of the place. if il be hoped to
maintain its rapid growth, or long remain a
rival with other fashionable resorts.
The village has grown up BY additions,
here and there, upon the outskirts of the
former little fishing hamlet, as the demands
for more room to accommodate the iucreas-
ing number of visitors became apparent.
The result is that improvements are attended
with much greater expense to the town, than
would have been the case had large village
or a city been laid out at the commencement
and the plan followed in the building up of
the place.
1t was serious mistake upon the part of
the original owners of the land, or perhaps,
more so upon the part of the town, that
wide boulevard had not been reserved around
the shore front of the village The land is
now in possession of the visitors, who have
so improved their grounds, that their claim
for damage will be enormous when it be-
comes a necessity to extend streets through
them. as it certainly will before many years.
One of the mos, attractive resorts of the
village is this shore front, which at any ex-
pense must soon be opened to the plllic.
which has already waited 100 long for its
legitimate rights and privileges. 1t may,
however, be SAID, that the taxable property
in town has increased in similar ratio to the
advancement in price of these monopolzed
estates and that when it becomes necessary
to encroach upon them for public purposes,
the tax PAYERS will be as well able TO bear the
expense of land damages, as they would have
been ten or fifteen years ago. The sewers of
the village are to- be thoroughly overhauled
before another year, and many new ones
constructed. Good sewerage is term al
most SYNONYMOUS with good health, and
while but little complaint has been made
about the drainage, it is now proposed to
make it as perfect as liberal outlay of
money can make it. Sanitary engineers are
now at work making a thorough survey of
every district in the village, and it ia hoped
before cold weather begins to have the work
completed
Another matter of vastest Importance is
the water supply. This subject is being
pretty thoroughly Investigated. and has led to
the organization of new water company,
who will apply to the legislature this winter
for the granting of charter.
This scheme is one originated by the visit
ors, and the company is made up largely of
the nonresident property owners.
As it is anticipated that severe contest
will BIZ made in the Legislature by the new
company for a charter, and that it will be OPP
posed by the old company, it may not be
smss to state the principles involved in the
pending coufict and the arguments each will
use to show why its own requests should be
granted.
The Water Company is now composed
chiefly, if not solely, of the Rodicks. to
whom, until very recently, has been conced-
ed Identification with every great undertake
ing that has been for the good of Bar Har-
Dor.
TIE old company will claim that it would
have been impossible for Bar Harbor to have
attained anything like its present proportions
il il had not been long since supplied with
pure water: that seeing the need of the pub
lie for better water supply they came to
the rescue, and at an enormous outlay,
brought Eagle lake water into every street IN
the village, both for public and private use,
and at time when the enterprise was
almost booted at by capitalists and
financiers; that since pioneering their
way into this enterprise, fraught with such
expense ard uncertainty, and that has proven
of such incalculable benefit TO the place, that
now it has proven financial success. that
their company ought to enjoy the benefits of
il. They further claim that their improve
ments have always been made in advance of