The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-11-26
WARM DEBATE.

No warmer debate has ensued over
any matter during the present session
than occurred Tuesday evening over
House bill 242, an act relating to the
water supply of the city of Montpelier
a public hearing was given the bill
by the committee on corporations,
which was held in the Supreme Court
room. Both Montpelier and Berlin
were represented in the audience
Montpelier's interests were looked af-
ter by John II. Senter and r. NJ. Har-
vey. Frank Plumley of Mortified
and Alex Dunnett of st. Johnsbury
represented the town of Berlin.
Mr.. Senter was the first speaker.
He asid that Montpelier was not at
| tempting to rob Berlin but intended
to pay for every dollars worth of
property taken, and that all the city
| wanted was the right to prevent the
further pollution of the water supply.
| He could not see why Berlin should
| object to Montpelier's controlling the
land about Berlin pond. so long as the
city of Montpelier had always used
Berlin right and paid for every inch
of ground it had taken for its use
Mr.. Senter severely criticized those
who allow the drainage of their cot
tages near the pond to enter the
pond. He advocated taking water
| from the upper pond.
Frank Plumley for the town of Ber-
lin read the bill under discussion and
said it was the most drastic measure
ever presented for the consideration of
human beings. He called attention to
the phraseology of the bill and claim
ed that it would give Montpelier pow
er over fifteen square miles of water
| shed.
Alexander Dunnett, Mr.. Plumley's
colleague called attention to the re-
marks of Mr.. Senter in which the lat
ter gentleman had said that Montpe.
lier only wanted a little strip of land.
He also said that Montpelier did not
need to raise the water in the pond as
the city already had enough
Mr.. Harvey said that every charter
in Vermont relating to water supple
contained the same provisions as APP
ear in that now under discussion.
He maintained that it was perfectly
proper for the city of Montpelier to
take fifteen square miles or any num-
Der of miles of water shed providing
it paid for the same and men must
have vivid imagination who could
see anything wrong i'll the bill before
the General Assembly.
Mr.. Dunnett replied that Montpelier
had enough water now and that no
law could be made to give the city
the right to take private property
such as water rights from the town of
Berlin and use the water thus acquir-
ed for the purpose of running water
motors. Mr. Plumley added hat the
water could be freed from contamina
ton by sand filter basin and that
the city of Montpelier had refused to
adopt such plan upon the ground of
expense. An offer had been made, he
said, to the city TO install such a fill
ter at a figure less than the yearly
earnings of the water system, to
which Mr.. Harvey retorted with sar-
casm, denying the latter statement.
Mr.. Plumley argued that raising the
dam two feet would submerge many
acres unnecessarily.
Mr.. Dunnett asked the superintend-
ent of water works to come forward.
and Mr. Foster took seat near the
attorneys where he answered many
water used in the city, he stated, as
, an estimate offhand, about 800, 600
gallons daily in the winter and l, 800,
600 in summer Mr. Dunnett piled
: Mr.. Foster with innumerable ques-
tions as to the number of water mo-
tors in use and the amount of water
! used by them daily. Mr.. Foster also,
told of the analysis made of Berlin
, water and the condition of the same.
, The hearing was adjourned until
today, after Mr.. Dunnett said that
Berlin would show the committee
that Montpelier was using 800, 900
, gallons of water where 476, 900 would
be sufficient.