Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-02


| s14.2s704 on March l. 1904, though higher
than the 1903 valuations of Mr.. Allen and
| Mr.. Shedd AS to depreciation~it is fair
to average between Mr.. Allen and Mr.
Gray and call it $7.657.s5 on March l, 1901.
Now I take up the matter extra for
| river crossing and submerged pipe, viz
| the 16 inch force main under Bond Brook
and the 20 inch main. The net values of
| the different engineers come out very
| nearly alike and I have selected in my
table Mr. Gray at s2,S54.76.
Rock excavation admitted is agreed to
as 81, 2S2SS. Rock excavation in dispute,
adding Il % upon which all are agreed,
| Mr.. Allen 49, 1864. Mr.. Shedd s9,24O.0O, Mr..
Gray and Mr.. Herring $6124.16. Taking the
| preponderance of evidence $40 would be
large price and adding 1910 would give
| s6,SSs6s.
Next as to the hydrants. Mr. Alien'
| s5,13S56; Mr.. Shedd the same; Mr.. Gray
and Mr.. Herring s4642.OO. 1t is a question
of date of price as before. Taking INTO
account the peculiar machine that a ny
drant is, it is fair to adopt Mr.. Gray
depreciation which would give the net
present value of the hydrants as s5'so4oi
! Now gates, valves, etc. Mr. Allen,
| u, MI 0Eeuu, St,ofo.oo Wi NAA"S 1880
Mr.. Herring, s5,257.2s. Here again the dis
trict losses by using the date of March l.
1904 as we submit you ought. These gates
| and valves and their boxes are machines
and the depreciation given by Mr.. Gray
and Mr.. Herring represent the fairer judy
! ment, giving the net value on March l.,
1904 of $4,4S9.72.
| Gate boxes and attachments. On the
! testimony it seems we must adopt the
| figures of Mr.. Allen and Mr.. Gray OF
sl,624.OO. A great part of these gate
! boxes are of wood; the company has
! failed to testify, as they might have
| done, how many were of iron. There
fore Mr.. Gray's depreciation is liberal
at "a lilo per cent, giving the net pre-
sent value as $1O7O.32.
| Now the special castings, the rs and
the bends and those matters. Mr..
! Allen s2,S67.20; Mr.. Shedd $2,439.5S; Mr..
| Gray and Mr.. Herring $2,553.60. The
quota was forty tens. Mr.. Allen is of
course clearly wrong. l nave selected
, Mr.. Gray's full value and his depre-
/ citation with the result of $2423.377.
| Now the addition to the pumping sta
| ton. l submit that Mr.. Bradstreet has
| given a fair estimate and that if they
own it, it is worth net March l, 1904,
$3,4lS.56.
| Next take up the original pumping
| station. / submit that Mr.. Bradstreet' :
schedule was the most carefully made.
1t was all carpenter work. He was the
most competent man to judge it and
carpenters Noyes. Purinton. Bradstreet
and Gray give the depreciation at 10
| Sha11 At
5 per cent 1t is safer to follow the
| carpenters than the ''vagaries of eX-
perts' who must testify with sufficient
| liberality to show their faith in their
| cause. The company broke faith with
| the people when they started and took
the risk of internal fire and of fire from
| that mill and did what 1 believe no
| water company ever did in the history
| of the world, set up a pump in the cor
ner Of 4 mill, lathed it in, and then
! started out to call that Il fire-prOOf
| building with a slate or metal roof.
| The highest valuation made by any
body is $73305 which l accept, reservng
| the question of title TO be discussed
later.
| The present net value of the gate
house on all the evidence should be
$2S2. 80.
| Now the filter plant, the filter shed
and the filter house. 1t is fair to adopt
| Mr.. Bradstreets estimate. AS to de-
probation. all the engineers are agreed
| that the plant is useless as a filter and
that it is useful only as a screen for
the pump, so that Mr.. Allen, Mr.. Shedd
Mr.. Gray and Mr.. Herring have depre-
| <lr c.to nd
point of the theory OF useful life, a
thing that under one name or another
| is done in every mechanical business
| in a business way and rs Il business
necessity. Think of cotton mill that
| would divide all of its net earnings and
| make no provision for the day that is
! sure to come--as it has repeatedly come
| in the history of the Edwards Company
when all it's machinery must go out
physically good, kept in repair
mechanically as good as the day it was
put in, but useless in business because
making the cost of production too high
I believe that Mr.. BradstreetS judg-
ment of IS per cent. depreciation be-
| cause Of it's worthlessness should be
adopted. leaving us s1,016.S4.
There is no question about the bridge
| over the canal; If they own it, it is
$o71.OO.
On the pump at Togus there is nc
dispute: $S11.50.
On the meters there is no dispute
S207.48
| Now the reservoir. The agreed price
new is $S4,3S2.15. 1t is part of an en-
tire plant and should contribute its
| share of the annual depreciation. Ac-
| cepting Gray and Hering's depreciation
of and $40 per cent. gives net value
of $33.419.46.
Filter house specials and washing APP
paratus. Here there are differences in
estimating weights and in depreciating,
| and I adopt Mr.. Gray's estimate OF
$S6S.74; the highest on the other side
was $1,069.91. The same thing might he
said Of the pump house suction, and the
pump house specials. Holly pump
specials, the wood pump. and the spe-
Gals in the balance valve house. 1t is
a question of judgment and Mr.. Grays
estimate is s2.037.47, only about $4,000
below Mr.. Aliens.
The balance valve house is on the hos