Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-21

| tainS a very cOmmOdlOuS DOlIef room,
| a very neat and convenient laundry.
| and about thirty-two large rooms. to-
| gether with a bathroom which had al
| ways been very much needed. And /
| want to say to you right here, 1t would
seem to be almost impossible to have
this department in better hands than
| it is today. and / hope for the benefit of
the poor of our city that they will live
long and be continued in control. This
\ building cost about $4,000.
The next large improvement was to
| finish up the Palm street schOolhouse,
| SO we'll begun by the Hon. Charles
| Snow, who served as mayor in 1895.
This building cost about $4,000. In
| this connection it might be we'll to say
| that many improvements have been
made during my term of Office in the
| school department as n whole. Two
new schoolhouses have been built and
many others remodelled. and while we
have very nice school buildings as a
| whole. there still remains a grand OPP
| portunity for further improvements.
A new school building should be built
| in the near future in Ward ,. but with
my observations l should hardly think
it advisable to build one with more
| tiidti 10 IttIliS III II llltl Woulu Holu
about 10 scholars each. | wish to con-
graduate the good citizens of Bangor.
and my young school friends in par
| ticular. of their good luck in having
at the head of this DEPARTMENT one
whose whole life is given up To the
work. There is no one stands higher
today in the profession than does your
own faithful superintendent Miss
Mary s. Snow.
Next we come to our water works.
This is probably the most gigantic
piece Of work undertaken by the city.
/ While in cost it is not quite up to the
4 first cost Of the dam and waterworks.
lyet Il careful inspection of the works
Twill convince any one of its ponderous
proportions l have not the time or
space to go into this in detail, but will
briefly speak Of some of it's advan-
tages. 1t has a capacity for
city of at least $4,000 inhab-
itants 1t has one of the best flterng
plants to be found in the country it
has for an auxiliary large stand pipe
on Thomas hill, capable of holding
L. OO.O0O gallons of water. With the aid
of this stand-pipe. the pressure IS
maintained throughout the city day
and night whether there is no water
water being used al all, or whether
there is large fire raging. This is of
itself a great protection again damage
by fire. The stand-pipe is also con-
Structed SO it is used by our citizens as
an observatory, being easy of access,
| and one beholds one of the most beau
tiful views from its top to be found
, anywhere in the country. Gentlemen.
for this great and needed improvement
, you are largely indebted to your ever
faithful and accomplished water board
who have given to this matter very
much of their valuable time and
thought, who have felt a personal re-
neutrality-suspicious. | have thought
possibly more than they would have
had it been their own property-With
no hope of reward except the criticisms
which have at times been rendered
them by some parties who are appar-
emily never satisfied for the sun to rise
in the east. This great Improvement
has caused somewhere in the neigh
, borhood of 1000, making total cost
of the water works of some over $780,
; O00 And | am authorized to say to
you. as representing the citizens Of
| Bangor, that parties stand ready today
to take the works if the city should
desire, for $l,250, 900, a profit to the city
of $450.000.
And while all this has been going
on the other departments have been
keeping pace with improvements in
their line. Take our street depart
ment There has been more paving
done in the past seven years than was
: ever done before. Harlow street,
which was one of the worst streets in
the city, has been paved from Morses
mill to Central street; West Market
square, Broad and Front streets to the
Maine Central depot; Railroad street
from depot to Hampden road; the
? | Hampden road from Union street to
Cedar street has been macadamZed;
Hammond Street hill and Columbia
street have had considerable paving
/ done upon them. A large number II
streets have been built, principally.
, nerhaps. the extension OF Garland
. street from Howard street to the water
G works. Extensive improvements nave
. haan jnaugurated on the park system.
0 principally the Forest Avenue ana
Broadway parks.
"Our sewer department has been re-
! ORGANIZED and Il very large amount or
= sewer has been built. / think that you
@ will find that in the near future Il
. trunl, sewer will have to be built from