The Portland daily press., 1897-11-10

essary to Guard Against Danger from
Fire During Break in the Main Sup
ply Pipe-Ihe Trouble Was Due to the
Fact That Water Takers Did Not Re-
ceive Sufficient Notice-The Trouble Is
Now Over.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREsS.I
Brunswick, November Recent occur
rences in this college town are an object
lesson in the necessity of the greatest care
on the part of those who have charge of
the systems which supply villages and
cities with water. Brunswick has learned
its lesson with no very serious results, for
the sickness which followed the running
of Androscoggin water into the pipes in
the village, except, perhaps, in few
cases, has been of mild type with no
danger of fatal termination. What might
have been the sequel had there been cases
of such diseases as typhoid fever or diph-
liberia in the town may be only matter of
conjecture but it certainly suggests the
probability of very serious trouble.
The town Of Brunswick is supplied with
water Lby the Maine Water company which
also supplies the city of Bath. The source
of the supply is Nequasset lake, situated
in the town of Woolwich, several miles
from Bath and on the other side of the
Kennebeo river. At the lake the company
has pumping station in which is the
largest pump In the state. From this
station the water is forced through the
ro1,o a ~
to stand pipes in the city of Bath and the
town of Brunswick, the latter place being
aboutssten miles from Bath. The pipe I'M
der the Kennebec is liable to be broken by
the anchors of vessels lying in the stream
at Bath. Under. the law it is an offence for
vessel to come to anchor where she is
likely to do injury TO the pipe, but the
law is not always observed and it so hap
rened that in October of this year big
schooner dragged her anchor against the
pipe at the bottom of the river and bad
break was the result. Between Bath and
Brunswick the company have an auxiliary
source of supply in Thompson's brook,
and they have pump here. At about. the
time of the break in the pipe under the
Kennebeo, there were a number of fires
in Bath and in conseouencelthe brook was
pumped out SO that 1t could not be relied
upon to supply both towns. Such state
of affairs had been foreseen in Brunswick,
and in order to secure protection against
fire, arrangements had been made to use
the water of the Androscoggin river. The
Cabot company, the largest of the manu-
featuring industries in Brunswick, have
at their mill private system for fighting
fire. This consists of a powerful pump
which is connected with the. river. at a
point near mill fume. From the pump
in the mill, a branch pipe connects with
the town water system so that in case of
necessity the mill pump can force the
river water into the pipes of the water
company and the standpipe. The contract
of the water company with the village re-
Quires them to maintain certain pres
sure in the pipes. 1t was on Tuesday, Oc-
tobers.26, that the time came when the
water company could not, for the reasons
already stated continue to supply Bruins
wick from the usual sources and the
g pump at the Cabot mill was called into
use, the water being turned on in accord
ance with the instructions from the
selectmen who acted upon the representa-
lions of the agent of the company that he
could no longer keep up the supply in
any other way. The pump was in use for
about five days. Citizens with whom the
PRESS correspondent talked today agree
that in order to protect the village from
fire it was necessary to take this action.
The mistake which was made, and one
whic.: is now generally admitted, was
that the water takers did not receive
sufficient notice of the fact that they were
to have in their houses Androscoggin
water Instead of that from Nequasset lake
or Thompson's brook. Just above where
the inlet to the mill pump is located two
sewers empty into the Androscoggin. One
of these is a town sewer with only two
houses connected with 1t. The other ia
owned by individuals, but into it dis
charges the sewage from as many as half
dozen buildings, one of them a convent
where there are considerable number of
persons living. In addition to the matter
discharged into the river from the sewers
there are number of tenement houses on
the hank above the mill and the drainage
from these also makes its way into the
river. The fact that the current is yerv
swift at this point of the river, just below
the falls, it is said has tendency TO
sweep this refuse matter along the surface
instead of allowing it to sink to the level
OF the inlet Of the pump, but the mere
statement of the case makes it apparent
that the water is unfit for domestic use
and this fact is shown by the analysis
made of it in the laboratory of Bowdoin
college.
At the time the Androscoggin water