The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-07-31
The MeddLer
N ne sssi M, sss. pr u o.. :

~ No sesf Jus Voc, v" Tvs
ANY Il,attirloro man 1ho 10 not al
Esaly ashamed IL the loekup which this
taan maintains needs only 90 take Trip
10 Springfield, Va. and examine The quar-
ief. tssEa IN 0HiFT % aFru-e within ham
seli a seei, healthy oase Of moIiiheation,
A sUnsr oi humiliation pFutenls The Med
dlsT iIum suing into detailed description
1t the sulslrffanran sly into which iirai'
Ilsls0Tu shoVes Vasfanis, SUSPECTS and Law
hrakeHs shame seals HE laps and clogs
hls Irn when u comes 10 speaking "t
writing ~ the Trslolrnl atmosphere that
peNadrs the place and the plethora Of
| animal llIc Niih which Il teens, for
| pleasanisf iheme The Meddler turns 10
the light, Nellyenlllairi aud srIamn.
iiously neat quarters which the Village OF
Springfield supports, Situated GA the
ground iioor, mar, al the towns newest
and mnst modern business block . The
/ Springfield lookup Is literally thing OF
beauty aud ought 10 prove Joy for long
ilmc 10 come, II not forever, II consists
81 two substantial steel cages, each
cluippri with two bunks, one over the
other, and modern toilet facilities. These
cages ate separated from the village head
quarters by partition extending halfway
10 iho ceiling, this arrangement allowing
plenty ct light TO reach the cells and Per,
Knitting a steady circulation Of air. The
strange thing about this lookup 10 The
Meildrr was that II was unoccuplcd
when be- saw Il. How two such cool and
ramionablr looking rooms should be al
lowed iu go untcnaniei ia this hot weather
was mofr than he could understand.
Whoever l. responsible ior the filthy hole
under the local toxin hall ought 10 be-
Obliged 10 spend night there and then |
l. a a 10 IN
is calaboosc by way II comparison. II |
.geh an object lesson is arranged. how |
ever, The Mcddlrr would suggest 90 the |
Springfield authorities that they insist ON |
the eNpefimentrrs taking an anllscptic |
bath after their night IA the BfatIcboro |
basiile,
With Springfield in mind The Mcddlcr
would like TO call attention 10 something |
else IN which that town can give Bratile.
boro an object lesson. That j. Us Main
street That highway IN Springfield y
one continuous stretch Of well'laid con-
crete, swept early every morning aud thor,
Oughly washed once a week or more IN dry
weather 1t j. absolutely dustless, less
noisy than pavement and not 80 cXpen.
siye but what town considerably smaller
than Brattleboru can allurd It. Is cost
Il j. impcnlous Ia moisture. Bfattleboro
ia comparatively short time will be
obliged 10 build something 10 take the
place OF the humm0cky highway which
IL digniiies with the name ul Nlain street.
The experiment which Road Commissioner
Nichols Is trying IN the way oi crossing
gravel on macadam is bound to produce
a hybrid result as unsatisfactory as it Is
foolish. Why can't we put IN street
that will Ice permanent. easy 10 MAINTAIN,
easy for traffic, easy to keep clean and
A credit TO the community:
Now that the time when power from
he Connecticut river dam will be availa
bic is only q few months away, people
along the river above the damsltg are
becoming very much interested in the
question OF just how far the water will be
,et back and just how much higher It Will /
be at gwen points than II Is now. How
much Of the island Will be oyerhowcd
when the dam is done: is question that ,
: asked The Meddler repeatedly. At .
present the engineers connected with the (
lam are giving out no figures showing I
how high the water viii ,
ONE, but II is safe 10 say that the flow
ige will be greater than most people ex q
lect aud great enough TO satisfy the most I
lrdent deyotee OF boating In all pfoDa- !
,ility the ball grounds on the island viii +
le OF little use next year, for ii the water /,
Toes not lap them at ordinary height the !
pring floods viii be sure to cover them
With more or less aluvial soil. The canoe :
SIS who take delight in running the rap i
DIS at the foot OF the island Just below /,
he suspension bridge and this side OF
)ummerton station, must bld goodbye I
o them with the close OF this season for .
lext spring the water at these points will !
,e as still as it will be elsewhere between :
he dam-site and East Putney. At Hast
ngs rapids Those Just below the suspcn-
ion BRIDGE the water will be raised from "
. TO Il feet above Its present height, and n
5 there is comparatively little fall from .
Nalpole to the head OF these rapids the
tre,ch of boatable water in this direction
an easily be imagined. Between Brattle-
oro and the dam.site meadows on both
ides of the river will be overhowed, the q
IKE thus formed to be mile or more in b
'idth at certain places. In view OF the ST
for boating which the river q
/ this point will afford it might pay those W
lterested to get together and cut down Ii
he small trees which mark the dividing I
ne between the lowest meadows and the h
resent course of the river This could be Al
one easily before the water sets back \
nd would obyiate lot OF ANNOYANCE in
ne future. The Aleddler.