Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-16
FOR PURE WATER.
Great Mass Meeting at City
Hall, Last Evening.
Telling Speeches in Favor Of Num-
cipaI Ownership.
Much Enthusiasm by Gathering of
1900 Voters.

| The great interest of the citizens of
| Augusta in the subject of pure water
and the municipal ownership of the
local water works was well shown.
| last evening, in the mass meeting at
| City nall. The stormy evening did not
| keep the crowd away, and the hall was
filled with a representative and en-
| thusiastic gathering. There We're fully
| 1900 in the hall, all men except for lit
| tie cluster of ladies in the east gallery
| and they listened with closest attention
| to the speakers of the evening. The
sentiment of the crowd was plainly all
one way, and the telling points of the
speakers in favor of the creation of
the Augusta Water District and the
procuring of pure water met with loud
and prolonged applause.
| On the stage were seated Mayor
| Robertson, Hon. H. NJ. Heath, Repre-
sentative w. H. Gannett, Thomas ].
Lynch, Esq, Rev. Geo. a. Degen, Rev.
II. E. Dunnack, DR. w. H. Harris and
| DR.. Wellington Johnson. 1t was $50
o'clock when the meeting was called to
| order.
| In calling the meeting to order
| Mayor Robertson said: Il am glad to
welcome so many here, this rainy even
| ing This large crowd shows by its
presence that the citizens of Augusta
are deeply interested in the subject of
pure water, and surely there is no sub
| ject which should be of more interest to
our people. one mistake was made in
issuing the call for this meeting. We
| Oh, inv, of An
! gusta to attend for they are as deeply
| interested as the men in this subject OF
pure water. Our families, our wives
and our children want pure water, and
so the ladies should have been invited
| TO join this great gathering"
Mayor Robertson then introduced
| Hon. Fl. NJ. Heath, who was greeted
with much applause. Mr.. Heath spoke
| in substance as follows:
| Mr.. Heath began by saying that he
had no speech to make, but he came
for the purpose of talking to the people
| of Augusta who having children. like
himself. are worried about the water
furnished by the Augusta Water Co.
Some 1G years ago" said Mr. Heath.
| Eve had two very imperfect water
companies in this city. Mr. George p.
Wescott, Il very wealthy man, who had
| made q success of furnishing water to
Portland, came here and bought up
| these companies, and the Legislature
brOadcned out the charter, and gave
| him power to enlarge the works. Au-
gusta then was to decide whether Mr..
Wescott should furnish the water for
| the city, or whether the city should
| do so. Augusta then had debt of
| ) per cent, and it could not increase
| the same The works would cost at
| least 100000. The city could not put
| in its own works, because it had eX-
| Coeded it's debt limit.
AT that time the opinion prevailed
among shipmasters who came to this
river that the kcnnebec river water
was the purest of any they found any
| where. Then there We're no pulp mills
above us on the river, except possibly
the pulp mill at Fairfield was then
running. The situation is different, to-
day. Pulp mills have been built along
the upper Kennebec. Waterville and
Madison have built splendid sewerage
systems and their contents are sent
down to us in the water we drink.
"Watcrville. last winter, had an cpl
demic of typhoid fever, and the wash
ings came down the river to us, ana
this city was afflicted with an epidemic
as never before in it's history. the
dam here prevents the water polluted
water, from moving along. There are
germs lodged in that mill dam, this
very hour, that will make an epidemic
for winters to come.
THE sun kills disease germs. 1t is
rot alum juice but the sun and the
air that kill the typhoid fever germs
that lurk in polluted water. When the
ice went out, last winter, and the Lords
filtration agents, the sun and air, got
to working on that water, the germs
went out
when the people of this city own
their own water works, the first thing
We will do will be to abandon the taxi
ing of water from the Kennebec river
for all time. When we say by our
votes that it is time to stop this Port
land ownership and manage our own
affairs, we will be taking a big step
in advance.
Some men make the most senseless
talk about how the property is to be
appraised. There is nothing compli-
Gated in the method proposed. If the
city desired to seize my house for
schoolhouse, the supreme court would
appoint n commission to settle the
value of it, Ny house may be worth
$4,000. Should there be a mortgage
of $4,000 thereon and 1 have been able
to sw:ndle the holder of the mortgage