Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-21
THE WATER HEARING
Continues to Cause Great In
terest at WaterviIle.
The Water District Had Number Of
Witnesses on Stand, tuesday.
Their Views, Opinions and Ideas Re.
sarding the Plant.

Waterville. Me-, Oct. 20.-(SpeciaD.
The first few minutes of Tuesday
mornings session of the water hearing
were devoted to arguing point of evil
dence which came from question put
TO Mr.. Haines, late Monday afternoon,
as to his knowledge of sources of water
supply. The commissioner ruled that
only such testimony would be admitted
as related to sources already projected.
The first witness to be called at the
morning session was II. f. Names, who
has been resident of Oakland for
about 20 years and in 1898, the year
of the construction of the sewer, was
chairman of the board of selectmen
This sewer was constructed for the
benefit of school building and is also
used by citizens owning property on
its line. This sewer empties into the
Messalonskee near the plant of the
Emerson & Stevens Manufacturing Co.
Mr. Names told about the drainage of
sewerage into a small brook emptying
into the Massachusetts, and in cross
examination pointed out the polluting
sources on a map introduced by Mr..
Baker. Mr.. Names was questioned
about the destruction of cells by the
water wheels and told of seeing 4
bunch of several dead cells and some
fishes and debris which had been
through the water wheels and was
thrown out on the bank.
The next witness was Geo. III. Wine
gar superintendent of the Cascade
Wooden Mills. He told about the pro-
cess of manufacturing wooden goods.
Some of the wool comes to this mill
| leaned but much of it is unclaimed.
| rom Is to Is per cent. in weight of
| his uncleaned wool goes into the
| stream as waste. Not only does this
| arge amount of waste which consists
| IF dirt in the wool pass into the stream.
but the dye kettles furnish a consider
| able amount of waste which is also
| thrown in. The dyes used are coal tar
| products and acids, including sulphuric
are also employed in the dyeing pro-
| cess.
| When asked if the mill could not dis
| pose of its waste In some other way
| than discharging it into the stream. Mr.
| Vinegar replied that the business
i would not warrant it and that it was
the universal custom to throw waste
materials in a stream.
! w. NJ Aver, also of Oakland, was
next called. Mr.. Aver has been con-
Injected with the Dunn Edge Tool Co
! for many years and became its super
intendent upon the death of his father
| in 1897. He told of measuring the
| water power at their mills. There is
H there head of 1914 feet and under
|lnormal conditions $50 horse power is
developed. but recently, he says, the
few has been very irregular owing Il
the handling of the water at the dan
of the Union Gas and Electric Co. Mr.
Aver said that the power is at time!
only so per cent. of what it might bt
if properly managed. Mr.. Aver con
siders this power under normal con
ditions to be one of the very best il
New England for its size. In the Edg'
Tool factory some over 100 men ar,
employed and the sewerage is deposited
in the stream. The waste from manu-
featuring edge tools is very slight. MI
Aver is also director in the Oakland
Wooden Co.. which operates an S-se
mill where the conditions are very sim
liar to those existing at the Cascad
mills. except that this mill is somewha
the smaller of the two. the Cascad
mill being 10-set mill. There is
third wooden mill on the stream, am
two other edge tool factories.
: Charles f. Barley testified that h
was born in Oakland SO years ago an
. has always lived there. For the las
, 80 years he has been engaged in catch
: ing cells. When he first began the bust
ness he caught as many as 80 barrel
!. of cells a year but since water wheel
1 have been put in the destruction Q
the cells has been so great that he nov
only gets from 10 to IL barrels per veal
Mr.. Bailey told something about tn
habits of cells and said that he had see
cells crawling over the dam. He ha
seen large numbers badly mutilate
by the wheels. These cells when dea
r sink to the bottom where they renal
. for nine days, after which in NJ
Bankers words there Is a 'resurreS
| ton"
At this point letter, sent by the at
=. torneys OF the Maine Water Co. to tn
' Oakland Wooden Co.. under date {
I Sept 16. was introduced. This letter
, the same was addressed to man
! companies and individuals in Oakland
, warming them of a bill in equity whie
would be brought in case ofnon-compl
ance with the provisions laid down 4
. this letter.
! CONTINUED on page 81