The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-07-28
THE OLD AND THE NEW
INTERESTING HISTORY OFTHE OLD
 LIBERTY POLE.
Which Was Erected August s, 1885. by Howard Hanscomb-Yesterd Di. rector Troup Ordered the Advc. ttstnp ofthe Bids for Taking it Down.

i oA the oius fDr Taking 1t Down,
 Director Troup yesterday afternoon
 ordered the city engineer to advertise
 for bids for the work of taking down
 the old liberty pole on the Green. The
 pole was put in place on August 8, 1885. l the day General Grant was buried. and | the United States flag was flying at | half-mast in commemoration of the great general.
 On an examination of the pole recently it was found that it was very rotten
 inside and if it was not for the big
 band stand erected around it, 1t is very
 probable that it would have blown down long before this.
 It was stated in an afternoon naner
 yesterday that the pole was erected by
 Captain Charles Prindle, but this is er-
 roneous as the city records will show
 that the bill for the work was paid to
 the late Howard Hanscomb, the well
 known shipbuilder and contractor of
 Fair Haven for many years
 A piece of history is connected with the erection of the present pole that will
 no doubt be of interest to great num-
 Der of New Haveners It seems that
 when the old pole was taken down the
 spirit of great many city officials went
 down with it and for some time it look
 ed as though there would be rlo more
 liberty pole on the Green. The officials
 took no stride in the direction and for
 a long time nothing was done. Finally
 the patriotic spirit in eX-Town Clerk
 William Hillhouse began to boil and finally oozed out, together with a de-
 termination that a liberty pole should be erected, if he had to get the money for doing So out of his own pocket MT. Hillhouse repaired to the office of the late ex-Mayor Harmanus S. Welch who was then president of the First National bank, which was at the time situated on Orange street, opposite the office of the present firm of Kimberly, Root & Day. The ex-town clerk urged the ex-mayor to concentrate his thoughts for minute or so and to think that from all indications there would be no pole on the Green as long as the city had anything to say about the matter. MT. Hillhouse then spring ing from his chair said: "Welch, I'll pay $100 for the erection of a new pole on the Green. It has got to be done and I will start the movement, regard less of the city's action" This moved the ex-mayor who, with stamp of his foot, volunteered the following: Well, sir, I will pay the balance to have it built, no matter what it is.' The gen. tlemen then separated ex-Town Clerk Hillhouse going to the office of Mayor who was then in office. The mayor could not be found at his office SO MT. Hillhouse, without delay, inter- viewed the then city auditor, the late John w. Lake.
 MT Hillhouse asked MT. Lake if the city was going to do anything about putting up pole on the Green. MT. Lake said nothing of the kind was in sight MT. Hillhouse then said that if he city wouldn't put up the money for the pole he would see that the sum necessary for it's erection would be from private sources and all hat he wanted was a permit to go ahead.
 MT. Lake then said: "Well, MT. Hill louse think we better defer the put ing up of the pole for short while anyway and see if the city will do any, hing about it."
 Finally after little deliberation the ,ity agreed to furnish the funds and he work was commenced, the contract tipulating that it should be in place by August 8, 1885, at o'clock, the hour set or Grants funeral
 MT Hllhouse. if the pole had been rected at private expense, intended to save a weather vane with the points f the compass at the top of the pole. 1r Lake thought the cap of liberty yould be more appropriate. The delay d generosity of the city being consid- red, the latter form of crowning the ,p of the pole was adopted.
 The contract was given to Howard Ianscomb and the pole was set a few minutes before the hour of o'clock on 4ugust 8, 1885.