Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-07-24
4 FERRY TROUBLE.
Continued from page 1.)

the bridge, this forenoon, at $50, just
as the last plank connecting with the
Benton shore was being laid. AS we
sat down on pile Of lumber to talk
over matters, an old gentleman came
across the bridge and halting in the
road, said to the man Of the ferry: II
can only say, / am much obliged to
you, Bert Brown. You have helped
me a good deal and ! am grateful for
It,"
Whats he grateful for?" we asked.
"Oh, he is an old man that has been
sick most of the time for years, and /
have carried him free And Mr..
Brown said it in a tone that indicated
that he actually believed he was
obliged to carry the man free.
The ferry in question was set in OPP
Grafton, May Q, and not more than 20
minutes in that whole time has it been
disabled. Good river men. like Charles
Loubier. w. n. Brown, Hartwell Ward
and John Williams were employed to
handle the craft. They are men that
are well known and with whom the
public could trust their lives and prop
erty to be ferried some of them hav-
ing been in the employ of Mr.. Brown
for 10 years
II did not come here to rob anyone, y
said Mr.. Brown. this morning. ''All
ask and want is justice and what is
right. nothing more. | hold this license
to run ferry here until a permanent
bridge is opened for the public. Any
other ferry or free temporary bridge
here is an infringement upon my
rights under that license, and ! have
objected to it. | have been misreprc-
sented in the newspapers and put in Il
bad light. A certain. party who got
mad with me because | changed the
location of my ferry, attempted to
raise money to build temporary
bridge. and the reporters came up here
and interviewed him. They told his
side Of the story but misrepresented
my side.
My bond to the county commits
sioners is for the sum of 5000 and my
bondsmcn are 5. II. Blackwell and @.
a Savage of this town. ! believe !
could get out an injunction against
their opening this bridge. but ! don't
want to do that | don't want to do
anything mean. My rights are clear
in this piece Of paper which / have
SflfMH Nhu- NOW II IilAl lS SODl lpl
nothing. ] want to know it.
Mr.. McFadden, the first selectman
of Fairfield, came To me, yesterday.
and wanted 10 know what ] would
take 10 give up ferrying when the
temporary bridge was done but keep
my boats here for use in ferrying when
they come to put in the permanent
bridge l told him l would take $3.50
and | think that is reasonable.
"Thc permanent bridge cannot be
put up until some time in October. and
| hold a license to run a ferry until
the permanent bridge is constructed
and opened for the public. / under
stand that they are raising the money.
They tell me that the temporary bridge
will not be opened until | am satisfied
financially"
Mr.. Benton has made a little money
with his ferry he says but sees where
he could make about $40 per week un-
til the permanent bridge is put in.
q. w. Bradstreet. foreman of con-
struction for the Boston Bridge Com
pany, and who is in charge Of building
the temporary bridge says the bridge is
all done except building some turnouts
around the piers so that work on the
piers may be continued.
Selectman McF'adden was seen by the
Journal and that gentleman said:
We don't want to say anything about
this matter but as long as the news
papers have gone into it in the way
they have. and il you are disposed to
publish the facts just as they are
might as well say that MIR. Brown will
probably he settled with right away
The selectnen have nothing to do with
it, the citizens have taken itupon them
selves to raise the money that Brown
asks and | have no doubt that he will
be satisfied.
As matter of justice and equity
We all think that Mr.. Brown should |
have something. He stepped in at a
time when we sorely needed something
and he has been help to us. AS re-
CARDS his legal right have nothing to
say. The temporary bridge will be |
opened right away for think the sub |
Scription to meet Browns demand will |
be completed and the bridge will be |
opened at once.
Some turnouts are to be built on the
bridge over the piers that will cause |
little delay. but by another day |
think the bridge Will be open"
The Journal could not find any one
who wanted to deprive Mr.. Brown of |
any of his rights in spite of the fact |
that so much has been said in the
papers of late that tended to show that
a bridge war" and ferry war" was
going on here. 1t seems to be the senti-
ment here that the towns of Fairfield
and Benton have attained a reputation
abroard of being uncrupulous and I'M
fair in business transactions with the
individual citizen and there Is not the
ground for it,
AT 10 O'Clock A. M, today. thetem-
porary bridge was completed but the
selectmen notified the master builder
that they intended to make the turn
outs over the piers SO that the bridge
viii not be opened to travel until