Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-10-04
THE DAM PROJECT.
CITY GOVERNMENT VOTES NEC.
ESSARY ROAD CHANGES.
PRESENT OUTLOOK MOST ENCOURAGING
FOR BUILDING OF BIG DAMS
AND POWER STATIONS.

The city government OF Ellsworth, at a
special meeting called for the purpose Sat
urday evening, voted the changes in high
ways and bridges which will be made
necessary by the building of the proposed
dams and power stations.
These changes were given in detail in
THE AMERICAN last week, and it is I'M
necessary to repeat them here in legal
verbiage. To summarize, they involve the
and Brimmer's bridges, the building of a
new bridge across the river a short dis
lance below the proposed upper dam, the
reopening of the old Mariaville road down
the west side of the river and across the
Bangor bridge, and the rebuilding or re-
location OF pieces of the Waltham road,
the Bangor road and the Shore road.
| The expense, as stated last week, would
be about 1000, against which there would
be an Offset of something like $4,000 to
$4,000 which would be required in the
next two or three years for rebuilding
Brimmer's bridge and the Infant street
bridge.
These changes of course will not be
made in case the dams are not built, ex-
cept that, as a matter OF economy and
greater convenience, the reopening of the
Mariaville road west OF the river and the
discontinuance Of Brimmer's bridge will
be done as in the plan adopted.
THE MEETING.
Saturday evenings meeting was well at
tended and entirely harmonious. There
was a representative gathering of the
voters of Ellsworth, and not dissenting
voice was raised. The aldermens room
not being large enough to accommodate the
meeting, it was adjourned to Hancock
hall.
W. II. Burlen, of Boston, George F.
West, of Portland, and Chief Engineer j.
A. Leonard, OF Ellsworth, were present in
the interest of the power company, but it
was not found necessary for them to elabo-
rate on the plans proposed.
Mr.. Leonard, however, in answer to
question as to the most expensive feature
of the road changes, said it would be the
rebuilding of the Bangor road west of the
bridge, where about 1900 yards of ma
terial would be required for fills. This
part of the work he thought, would cost
about 50, 900.
Nearly all present had been fully ac-
quainted with the proposed changes in
highways through the article in THE
AMERICAN, but Henry NJ. Hall, as at
torney, outlined briefly to the meeting
what they were.
Senator Hale was the principal speaker
of the evening, and he heartily endorsed
the dam project and the road changes.
He sand in part
This Is II matter In which all deeply
interested. In the past great many promoters
of enterprises have Visited Ellsworth, but one
of the conditions which has always confronted
US is that the city or citizens have been asked
to furnish part of the money for the enterprise.
Some of US have lost considerable money in
that way. We have gone into enterprises which
have continued for time and then ceased It
Ia not to be wondered at. therefore, that the
people of Ellsworth have become rather sker.
teal about new schemes.
"But here arc parties who propose an impor-
which Union river affords. After some investi-
CATION, believe 1t is the best in the State, be.
cause of physical conditions which make it
possible to secure an immense power with
shorter dame than on any other available river
IN Maine.
"but to develop this power will require some
thing like 81 100000; can't do it; We can't do
any part of It. For the first time in our expert
ence ca pitalists who are looking for desirable
points for industries. come forward with their
money and propose to make power. The ques.
ton for us to consider is not whether we shall
put our hands In our pockets. but whether we
shall make such changes In our roads will
be made necessary by the building Of the DAMS
and to accommodate the travelling public.
zone thing to be considered is what we shall
cave. have seen estimate of the cost of these
changes to the city as $1,000; do not think this
estimate is quite high enough-perhaps $4,000
or $1,000 would be required. But against this
there is an Offset In the saving of expenses in
rebuilding bridges"
At this point Senator Hale interrupted
himself to inquire of the mayor whether,
il the dams were not built and the
changes in roads not made, it would not
be necessary to rebuild certain bridges.
Mayor Hagerthy replied that it would be
necessary to rebuild Brimmer's bridge
and the Infant street bridge at an esti-
mated cost of $4,000. Senator Hale, con-
tinuing, said:
"If that Is the Gaze, the town viii save more
than it will spend. l can contemplate from the
plans that the changes will afford better sys-
TEN of roads and bridges than we have at
present.
81 cannot see why these gentlemen should put
their money Into this project unless they feel
sure they find a market for the power. The
market for power Is manufacturing enter
prises. These gentlemen muss believe that the
building of this power plant will bring manu-
facturers of one kind or another here.
at is our opportunity TO help secure these
future manufacturing enterprises for every in.
dustry which comes here adds to the town in
real estate valuations and taxable property.