The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-07-06
THE CORNER STONE LAID
FOR THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE
MARBLE BUILDING

/
ings Bank-Very Interesting Exer-
cises Accompanied the Ceremony
Fine Address Delivered by President
Burton Observation-Disclosures Deposited
in Corner Stone Box.
A very interesting occasion yesterday
was the laying of the cornerstone of the
new building for the Connecticut Saw
ings bank, corner of Church and Crown
streets, with the attendant exercises.
/ Some time previous to the occasion the
annual meeting of the incorporators of
the bank was held and the old officers
were reelected, viz; Burton Mansfield,
president; Henry f. English, vice-pres-
ident, and Elliott H. Morse, secretary
and treasurer. Frank D. Trowbridge,
president of the National New Haven
bank. was added to the incorporators.
Just previous to the cornerstone lay
| ing the old board of trustees was re-
elected, Their names appear below.
The cornerstone laying and the liter
airy exercises took place at o'clock in
the afternoon. The trustees and other
guests, including several ladies, occu-
pied chairs upon temporary platform,
and overhead was a canvas canopy
erected in view of the preponderance Of
thunder showers recently
Burton Mansfield, president of the
bank, presided with mucn satisfaction
to all, and in opening announced that
each of the trustees would, in accord
ance with previous arrangements, de-
post some article in the cornerstone
box. In response deposits were made
as follows:
City Directory, 1905, desopited by ex-
Mayor Farnsworth.
City Directory, 1856, deposited by Joel
A. Sperry.
State Register, 1906, deposited by AL
fred Z. Hammer.
State Register 1856, deposited by Eli
Whitney
Presidents Address, deposited by
Burton Mansfield.
Chamber of Commerce Pamphlet, de-
posted by Wilson H. Lee.
Maps of City Of New Haven, deposit
ed by James T. Moran.
Blank forms Of the bank, deposited by
Eugene K. Beecher.
Annual statements and annual re-
ports, deposited by Charles E. Curtis.
Morning Palladium, Courier, Herald
Evening Register and Evening Leader
deposited by Michael Sonnenberg.
Bank Commissioners Report, deposit
ed by Albert S. Holt
Photograph of model of old bank and
of his father, deposited by Henry f.
English.
Deposit book, deposited by Elliott H.
Morse.
Photograph of present building, de-
posted by Benjamin r. English.
With B. r. English's contribution was
penny Of 1856 and one Of 1906, with a
note accompanying directing that
whenever the cornerstone box should be
opened (say 200 years from now, as
President Mansfield suggested), the
ceina ho given to his (Mr English'sl
heirs.
President Mansfield then read an ad-
mirable address entitled History of
Savings Banks in the United States"
The paper gave evidence of much care
full preparation and extensive research.
Mr.. Mansfield began with the earliest
known utilizing of the savings bank
Idea, back in the time of the Roman
empire, and then spoke of the founding
Of the first savings bank, which was In
Hamburg, Germany. Once started, the
savings bank idea spread rapidly over
Europe. Since 1910 the savings banks
of England have been divorced from
religious or church control. There were
four distinct kinds or classes of savings
banks, viz, the trustee bank, the COOP
erative, the municipal and the national
or postal savings bank. The first saw
ings bank in this country under legisla-
tive enactment was established in Bos-
ton in 1916. The Society for Savings in
Hartford was established In 1918 and
this is the Oldest as we'll as the largest
savings bank in Connecticut. Mr. |
Mansfield than gave interesting figures
showing the vast growth in the number |
of and deposits in the savings banks of |
the United States.
In closing he added that even yet the |
general public fails to grasp to the full |
extent the mutual character Of the
work of the savings banks Under trus-
teeships, the devotion of the trustees in |
their tiduciary capacity and the unset |
tishness Of their unremunerated labors.
Henry F. English was then designated
to take care Of the cornerstone box and
its contents, and Eli Whitney and Ben |
jamin r. English were designated to |
lower the stone when the box-a copper |
box which had been soldered and sealed |
had been deposited in the hole in the |
stone. Elliott H. Morse was designated |
to handle the trowel for the final seal |
ing-up act All Of these gentlemen Of
ticiated with great success in their re-
spective parts, although in the lowering
Of the great block of stone Messrs.
and English were called upon
to show their muscular prowess in
handling the crank of the windlass
The ceremony over, Mr. Mansfield
added a word, in closing, of eongratu-
ation and bespeaking the future fur
Their usefulness of the bank.
Among those present, besides those
above, were ]. L. Ward and
9. s. Barlow, representing the Hedden
Contracting company, of New York.
md L. C. Hall, representing Gordon,
Tracy & Swartout, of New York, the
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