Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-10
WATER SUPPLY.
Continued from page 81


nothing compared to Nequasset-
Q. Do you know something of Nequas-
set lake? Can you tell the committee
something OF the size OF the pong a ,.h
boat that is all. / never have gone very
far back Mr.. Sewall was very famliiar
with the whole matter and MI. Wakefield
was, and they were perfectly satisfied.
O. Do you know anything about
whether any buildings whatever are
around this whole area of the lake?
A Not to my knowledge, there are
none. There are none nearby where the
drainage would affect it. -
Cross examined by Mr.. Thompson:
O. Do you know what the pumping sta
| ton at Brunswick cost?
A. j don't know, no sir. l had nothing
| to do with the building Of it.
| @. Do you consider it at the present
time wholly valueless?
A. 1t is valueless so far as pumping
from the Androscoggin is concerned. be-
cause the people of Brunswick will not
consent to use that water.
@. 1 understand that you would not
lhave extended the system to Nequasset if
Brunswick had not been part of it. How
would you have supplied Bath?
A. If We hadn't gone to Nequasset?
O. Yes sir.
have supplied it, l think the company
would have gone into insolvency. 1 know
of no other source Of supply.
9. Is it not a fact that Thompson brook
| A. Yes sir.
O. Why shouldn't it in other years?
A. The explanation given to us by Mr..
Taylor whom l considered as good a man
as existed i'll New England. was this.
There was a certain quantity of water
Il that the ground was saturated with, that
is, the water area of Thompson brook.
i There was no sub-drainage whereas
there was just whatever water run down
upon that area and settled in the sand.
When they first built the pumping station
1T Thompson brook in 1887, Mr.. Sewall
himself said that he couldn't put shovel
down two feet without finding water
throughout that whole area; the ground
was filled with it. The consumption the
/ first year or two in Bath was small; it
was ample for the supply of Bath. AS the
| consumption increased-of course you
would receive the rain each year. but
not sufficient rain to take care of the con-
sumption. 1t kept lowering and the water
. level kept going down lower and lower. SC
t much so that We had none at all until We
commenced to drive the wells, and then
VIZ drove those and the water flowed ur
through those. and then after time II
was exhausted almost completely.
Q. 1t was first used to supply Bath in
A / think so. yes sir.
Q. And in what year was Brunswick
connected?
A In 1892 or 1Se3-one of those years.
q And it was 1895 that you went owe,
| to NeIuasset?
A. Yes sir, We commenced working
there in 1894; we commenced laying oui
pipe in 1894
c. Did you turn the water on in 1896
| A. We had that pipe line at work ir
| the winter of 1894 and spring of 1895.
q. From what source were you taking
water from 1887 to 1895? That is, fol
A We took it from Thompson brool
Ientirely.
Mr.. Baker: You drove wells in tn,
Ineishborhood of Thompson brook?
A Yes sir, right close to the pumping
station. We run them three or four o.
| five hundred feet.
Mr.. Guernsey: When you connected
with the lake how did the number of ser
vices in Bath compare with those in tn
& town of Brunswick?
A. Roughly speaking / should sa,
there were nearly double as many il
], Bath as there were in Brunswick.
,. should think so. Possibly it is 60 per cent
/ and 40 per cent. or something like that
Q. Do you remember approximately
the number in each place?
= a. No: l should say possibly 700 an,
1905 or 100 and perhaps HOO.
@. Seven and eleven?
A. Yes sir; that would be for rougl
lestimate.
M. Weeks: How many driven we'll
did you have dug down at Thompson
brook?
A. We must have had hundred a
least. We run pipes out in different di
L a SOf
of clearinghouse fashion. We run one BIZ
main out and then drove branches on
from that and put well down at the en-,
of each branch.
O. And You got supply from eacl
one?
Yes sir, until it kept sinking lowe
and lower
Mr.. Potter: You said Thompson brool
supply was inadequate for Bath alone
A. No. ! don't know as said for tina
lalone. l don't think it was until W.
ihitched on Brunswick.
Q. It was sufficient for Bath alone?
A 1t kept giving out. l think we pu
the wells down after Brunswick was con
nected up.
nj Q. Whether or not it was necessary t,
go to Nequasset irrespective of Bruins
A. If Brunswick had not been con
nected up.
@. Have you Prof. Robinson's origina
A. No. 1t has been published and
think we can get it for you. 1t was pub
lished in the Bath papers and also il
the Brunswick papers / think.
9. VIII you procure it and furnish it?
A. 1t was published in the papers O
Bath, and l think We can find it, ye
sir.
Mr.. Thompson: / understood you t.
say that after few years and when tn
consumption of water in Bath had in
creased the Thompson brook supply wa
= Inadequate for that one city?
A | don't think that gave out unit
after We went to Brunswick, because i
it had We wouldn't have gone to Bruins
n wick.
G. I am asking you what you thinl
now.
A. With the consump ton at Bath a
the present time?
9. Yes.
A. 1 don't know what the consumption
lat Bath is today. l should question
whether it is or not.
Q. You think it is doubtful If tha
brook is sufficient supply for Bath alone
A. don't think it would be today.
Q, Bath then would have been com
lpelled either to have gone into insolvenc,
Tor go to Nequasset if Brunswick had mo-
been connected?
I A. | think they would have beer
obliged to have some other source of sup
lply,
4 Q. You mean by that that Brunswick is
saving the Bath plant from Insolvency
2 now?
{ A. No. / don't mean that at all ]
4 mean that they would have to have more
water. | don't think there is water
1 enough for Bath alone In Thompson
brook. OF course 1900 people can AFFORD
to go where 5000 or 5000 can't -
a