Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-03-12
Greater Boston's New Reservoir.

I VUU,UUU, ana perhaps SoO,UOO,VUV'
/ A gloom like death has settled over the
valley of the upper Nashua, with its fertile
| farms and busy manufactures. The state
will take by right of eminent domain the
homes of III people. Homes, farms,
/ churches, schoos-all will be swept away
to make way for what will be the largest
lake in Massachusetts,. The spindles and
looms in the busy cotton and wooden mills
must cease Their humming, and the opera
tives must seek places of employment else
where
The new reservoir is to lie in the towns
of Clinton, Sterling, Boylston, and West
Bovston, with the big dam in the edge of
Clinton. 1t will be nearly nine miles long,
and will cover no less than 4l95 acres to an
average depth of 46 feet will contain 3d.
06S 900, 900 gallons of excellent water, and
is expected to supply III, 100000 gallons
per day to the Metropolitan district. The
dam site is distant about 30 miles from
Boston. The water will be conducted
through an immense aqueduct, that tunnels
hills and bridges rivers a distance of l3.4S
miles, till it reaches a point where it enters
the basin of part of the present supply
system of Boston. The surface of the new
reservoir will be $50 feet above high-water
mark in Boston harbor. The dam will be
across a narrow gorge a maximum dis
lance of 1850 feet, and maximum height
of l49 feet.
This action on the part of the state novel
in its conception, and stupendous in its en-
cheering problems aud possibilities, is the
result of much research by the state board
of health in the matter Of finding a suitable
water-supply for all time for Boston and
surrounding cities 1t is authorized by
special and vouminous act of legislature.
The first estimate of the cost was S25, B21,-
500, and the state has authority to float ~
year bonds aggregating $50, 600, 900 to car
ry on the work and to settle claims The
state carries on the work. IL conhscates
the property; it settles damages; it builds
the big dam; it constructs the aqueduct: it
tunnels the hills; it lays out and builds
many miles of highways and railroads to
take the places of those to be flooded out
The towns and cities that are to use the
water will settle later, pro rata.
This immense reservoir is expected to
supply the greatest possible demands for
water from the towns in the Metropolitan
district for a term variously estimated at
from 20 70 10 years after its completion.
six years hence Should a further supply
be necessary, there is an inexhaustible
source to the westward, in the valleys of
the Ware and Swift rivers, easily made
tributary to the Nashua system. So Bos-
tons watersupply seems settled for all
time.
The Quinapoxet, or, as it is more com
monty known, the south branch of the
Nashua river is the source of supply for the
reservoir. The dam will be about 5000 |
feet south of the immense Lancaster cling
ham-mills, in Clinton, spanning the mill
pond at its narrowest point, where the wa
ter is 4j feet in depth.
Work upon the great aqueduct and tun-
mel, which will carry the water from the |
mouth of the reservoir into tine Sudbury |
basin has been in progress during the sum
mer and fall, giving employment to 5000 |
laborers. The surface of the great basin
will be stripped throughout its whole area
to depth of from six to 10 inches. Work
upon this and the construction of the dam
will begin in the early summer, employing
10000 men.
The work of destruction and removal of
property begins at tidewater of the Merri-
mac river, into which the Nashua flows.
Above Clinton the ruin is widespread
Boylston is first. Its mill village, Saw
yers Mills, will be 100 feet under water.
+ orty-siX dwellings, including the corpora
ton houses, with a church and three school
houses, are below the death line a total
Or Sl65, POO taxable property as estimated,
1r 80 per cent of all in the town, must be
West Boylston, with its two mill villages.
les directly in the valley. In the main
lart West Boylston proper, churches
mills-all must go: 151 dwell
ngs, three churches and four schoolhouses
must be destroyed The entire taxable
value of the town is 1851 ,610. OF this 60
Der cent, or 500, 49, has been condemned. !
SO great is the prospective loss to prop
'rty in these two towns thai the state has
provided fund which is to be used for sup
'ort of poor and to pay town debts, under
'ertainprovisions, as it is considered unjust
o compel towns so greatly diminished in
property holdings to support paupers who
nave become town charges, and to pay
iebts contracted when the towns had much |
greater valuations
\ law entirely without precedent in the
nited States, was enacted by the Massa-
'husetts legislature of 1896, providing that
he state shall pay to such employees of the
mills to be taken as were employed at the
line of the passage of the act authorizing
he construction of the reservoir an amount
.qual to six months wages if the employees
are still at work for the same parties at the
line the mills are actually confiscated by
he state.
The Central Massachusetts railroad runs
through the Nashua valley. The water
will cover $50 miles of its tracks, the
greatest depth being 90 feet. at Sawvers
Mills The state must furnish the railroad
company new location, and must build it
racks to replace those to be destroyed.
Within the reservoir limits are 1921
niles of town and county highways which
he state must make good. Immense
bridges spanning the reservoir at its mar
'ow points are thus added to the engineer
ne problems.
The entire work of construction. to.
yether with the apportionment of damages
md settlement of all claims, is under the
supervision of a special commission, ap-
pointed by the governor of the state.
In etfecting settlements the appraisers
md commissioners are expected to take
nto consideration prospective or cumula-
i've damages, such as might result to a
torekeeper from being compelled to give {
Up an established business, or whose Gus {
omers might be compelled to move away {
1Ge marked case of an application of this l
ule is in the town of Marlborough, where {
market gardener has a valuable aspara
Jus bed directly on the line of the aaue- I
uct. 1t takes six years for bed to reach {
is most productive stage. He is likely to
ret $1,000 cumulative damages
1t would be hard to find a community so
depressed as are the residents of the sec I
rHFRF LSA cIhSS ne pEnpIE l