Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-09-01
To the Norway Water Company.


As the citizens of South Paris and
Norway have now waited for nearly
three weeks for you to put your pump
ing station in repair, and give US some
protection against FIRE, and as there
seems to be no more assurance Of any
thing definite from you, am going to
ask you to answer the following ques-
tons which are perfectly proper and
right for you to answer, and to refuse to
answer would create q feeling against
you, that would be worse than at the
/ present time. For the interests of four
thousand people and two or three mil
| lion dollars worth of property to be
hazarded by a seeming lack of business
like energy is something that should not
be tolerated by even the most generous
and lenient of people. Will you please
answer the questions as given below, and
have printed in the next issue OF the
Oxford Democrat or Advertiser or both,
so that the people of this community, on
whom you depend for your existence,
will have some definite knowledge
of what we may expect for fire protec-
ton:
Please state fully what the trouble is
with your pumping station SO that you
are not able to fill your reservoir?
Please tell the public what you have
done towards remedying the trouble?
1t is reported that the suction pipe to
the old pumping station is broken off,
and that you have been intending to
start up the old pump, and have known
for two weeks the pipe was broken
and have made no effort to fix it. Is
this report true or not?
How much water is there in each one
of your reservoirs?
Can you tell the people of this COM
munity when We may expect to have
some pressure on our water mains?
TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH PARIS.
The best action that was ever taken at
any corporation meeting in this village
was when we voted to build dam across
the head waters of Stony Brook and
start a water system of our own.
Pumping water when it can be avoid
ed, is the most foolish and expensive
thing that can be imagined. Pumps are
constantly giving out, and If there is no
second supply Of water, or two pumps,
any water company is liable to get
caught with no way to supply water, as
the Norway Water Company is to-day.
This lesson has been burned into our
memories, both here aud at Norway,
during the past two weeks, and we have
stood helplessly by and watched two
houses 60 up in smoke because We could
not get any water from our hydrants.
The next time we may not be so
fortunate, for if the fire starts in a high I;
wind, when We have no water, We can |
not expect it to stop until every house !,
that stands in it's path has gone down.
OF course the events of the past two !
weeks are going to help US get our water !
system, and will influence any one that
has been opposed to it, but it is expen-
sive and needless.
When the Almighty planned for a
water supply for South Paris He gave
us two chances, Halls Pond and Stony
Brook. He evidently understood that
the Hebron people would be wiser and
more far sighted than We, and get Halls
Pond away from us, so He gave US a
second and last chance, and if we do not
lake it we must not find fault with fate
Il we wake up some morning and find
our village in ashes and "the mourners
going about the streets"
GEO. r. MORTON.