The Somerset reporter., 1909-01-14
Committee ON Fire Protection Holds
Hearing.

Hearing.
AT the last annual meeting there
were articles in the warrant pro-
vidiGg for the establishment of fire
district within which no wooden
buildings were thereafter to be
built, for connecting the fire alarm
system, with the church bells, az an
auxiliary alarm, for the providing Of
drop harnesses, and the keeping Of
horses and men at the IRE station.
and for certain other changes in our
fire lighting equipment. These
articles were placed there at the re-
quest of the insurance companies or
their representatives.. They received
due consideration but none OF their
suggestions were adopted. Instead,
Messrs. +. +. Greenwood, G. J. Abbey
and John II. Steward were appointed
committee to consider the subjects
named in these articles and to
recommend to the town such changes
in our system of fire protection as
they found advisable.
This committee has been conduct.
ing Its Investigations as opportunity
offered, since the date of the annual
meeting, and will make a report to
the special town meeting which is
called for Saturday afternoon next.
Feeling that a conference with the
citizens of the town would be of
advantage, they called a meeting in
the hall of the Fire Department build
ing on Monday evening OF the present
week. A large proportion of the
me ership in the various companies
of the Skownegan Fire Department
were present and considerable
number of citizens outside the de-
partment. The three gentlemen of
the committee named above, Messrs.
Greenwood, Abbey and Steward, told
something of what they had found
the study of the local fire situation
and the manner and purposes of their
Investigations. They seemed to be
unanimously VI VIC OpihlOI CHdJ llo
equipment of the Skowhegan Water
Company, with whom the town has
had contract for hydrant rent Il
during the past twenty years, is not
such that it can be depended upon
for protection in the higher areas of
the town, even when maintained at
its best. This being the case, even if
the contract is renewed, they recon-
mended the establishment of several
additional reservoirs, to provide
water supply in situations where the
pressure III the city water mains has
not been and cannot be expected to
De efficient. The locations which
seemed to them the most advan-
tageous were at the corner of Madison
avenue and Jewett street, corner of
North avenue and Cowett street,
corner of Main and Bloom field streets,
and ON either Mount Pleasant avenue
or Mllburn street.
They also called attention to the
fact that the Keenvllle section of the
town, owing to the distance from the
pumps and standpipe of the water
system, and the size of the water
mains supplying that territory, was
outside OF the area within which good
pressure could be depended upon and
that a reservoir there was necessary.
The committee believed that this
could be built near the point where
the stream or marsh drains across the
Waterville road and that it could be
SO constructed that it will fill and
/ keep full from this stream.
The question of establishing fire
district, within which no wooden
buildings should hereafter be built,
was taken up and, after some dis
cussion the sense OF the meeting was
taken by vote on the question and
/ the establishment of such district, to
! include the square or triangle in the
business center of the town, bounded
by Water street, Madison avenue and
| Russell street. Some of the members
of the fire department urged that this
be extended to include the area on
the south side of Water street, from
the North channel bridge to the rail
road bridge, but, on the consideration
that, if this was attempted, the whole
thing might fail of adoption, it was
decided to pass the vote on the
smaller area.
Vote on Payments to Water Company.
In the various discussions of the
earlier part of the evening so much
was said about the necessity of pro-
viding fire protection, independent of
and in addition to that supposed to be
provided by the Skowhegan Water
Company, that the question was
finally raised as why the payments
had been made by the town to that
corporation if they had failed to keep
their contract, to such an extent, as
was apparent by the remarks of the
various speakers. After some debate
on this point it was finally voted to
advise the municipal officers to
Withhold the payment now due the
Water Company, and all future pay
ments, until such time as that cor
poration shall comply with the terms
of its contract aud demonstrate its
ability to furnish 'su'iicient pressure
for the extingulshment of fires"
A wide field for debate was opened