Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-01

| foot and continued that valuation until
] he reached the Whitman & Adams store.
This he raised So, making $225. The
| next site he dropped back to $500 again
and continued that rate until the Allen
|block was reached This site he valued
at $1S5 per front foot. In his opinion
| the Allen block was not worth so much
| because of the opening there and the.
| fact that that was the end of the
| stores.
Going back to the bridge and return
ing along the west side of Water street,
the first site mentioned was that of the
George Reynolds property This he plac-
| ed at $50 per foot of frontage The
ffext property. that of the John Cutler es-
| tate. was placed ut $50 and this valua-
| ton continued to the Cushnoc house. The
| Cushnoc house site and that Of the
Getchell building and others to the
| property of the Augusta Real Estate
| Co. was all at $50 per front foot. The
| Augusta Real Estate Cos. lot
was valued ut sl9o per front
| foot, the next lot at $115. With the cx-
| ception of the lot on the opposite corner
| Of Bridge street the other lots from
there to the Granite National Bank
| building were all valued at 5000 per
| front foot.
| Comparing the east side with the
west side of Water street in values of
| frontage, he considered the west side
the most valuable.
The Augusta steam laundry was dis
cussed at some length and its real value
as a building site was reviewed. The
| witness declined to change his original
! figures.
The Purinton block was valued at
| $4,000 and is 10 or II years old. The
| witness had examined it and was well
| acquainted with the building. he said,
| though he did not know that a retain
ing wall costing $1,000 was necessary be-
fore the building could be erected. nor
did he know that the building had set
tied and the rear wall had become
| cracked.
On the Kennebec Journal building the
| Witness placed Il value of $4,000. or
| this, $500 was in the lot Attorney
Dutton asked: assuming that it cost
| $4,000 to build the kennebec Journal
| building IS years ago. considering that
| the rear walls are cracked and that the
| two sides walls are party walls VIVA,
| is it fairly worth?"
| ooh, you mustn't assume that it
would cost $4,000; it wodId cost Il great
| deal more than that" was the reply.
| When confronted with the fact that
| that sum, as matter of fact, was the
actual contract price. MI. Downing still
| declined to alter his figures Of $4,000.
Among other valuati' MS to which his
attention was called and which he de-
| clined to alter We're, the +. ID. Morton
property on Winthrop street. the Lizzie
Mann ana l.. Titcomb properties on the
cast side of State street
The Blaine mansion valuation was
| taken as a basis for comparison with
the Hendec property and the vacant lot
| Of Gov Burlcigh at the corner or
| State street and Western avenue. The
| former property was valued at $4,000
and the latter at $4,000. The Hcndce
house is small and the combined lots
are smaller than the Blaine lot, yet the
witness declared that there was $1,000
difference on account Of the location Of
the Blaine property.
! A similar comparison was made with
| the r. r. Goodwin house and lot as -
basis The witness couldn't see over
| $1,000 difference between the Goodwin
| property and the combined Hcndee and
Burleigh properties. In his valuations
lie put the Goodwin place at $1,000.
! He gave as his reason that residences
could seldom be valued for more than
$1,000.
The +. l.. Weber place on Sewcll
street and the c. X. Partridge house
also on Sewell street. were discussed
The witness considered the locations as
good as the Blaine location
series of questions relating to how
| the witness fixed the value of brick
! buildings was brought to a close by OBJ
jections from the Edwards COS. coun-
sell The witness said that he did not
reckon the cubcal contents, or by
square feet Of floor space. lie said that
he couldn't explain just how it was
| done. so that others could understand il
On redirect examination. conducted by
| Attorney Heath the witness said that IT
going over the valuations he had used
| his fire charts and that he carried IT
| his head the constructions of many OF
the buildings in the city. The replace
ment value idea is incorporated in the
| insurance contract.
The next witness to be called by the
| Edwards Co. was Melvin S. Holway OF
this city. He stated that he had beer
| n lawyer here for Il years and had beer
connected with the Loan and Building
Association for - years
| He began his valuations with tbs
| property on Water street and completed
that section just as court adjourned
His valuations for the Water street
property are approximately $4,000