Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-10
GARDENERS Building Season Has
Been Remarkably Quiet One.


of one hand. Bu: there has been
great deal OF repair work done and
this has given the carpenters a good
seasons work. In some instances the
work mounted up into sums consid-
erably over thousand dollars and
practically new buildings resulted.
BY far the largest job done this
summer was that for the Kennebec
Light & Heat Company on Water
street The new plant consists of a
store house ard construction building
a gas holder and the main office build
ing, the total cost being close to sl0,-
900.
The workshop, store house and line
construction building is of wood, one
and one-half stories high with a Dig
basement and is % by As feet. 1t is
used for the pipe shop and line con-
struction work in the main floor ana
upper story. In the basement is ~
horse power tubular boiler for neal.
ing the entire plant. The boiler was
made by the p. NJ. Dillon Boiler
Works, Fitchburg, Mass. The build
ing was erected by Charles b. Witham
OF Gardiner and the foundation work
was done by Timothy Kelley. The
cost Of the building is estimated at
1920.
The new gas holder is one of the
best in the state. The foundation was
laid by the yard on a contract JOB ana
256 barrels Of cement were used. Inc
foundation is so feet, nine inches IN
diameter and varies in thickness
from two feet to five feet. The holder
was built by the Cruise kemper COM
pany, Amber, Pa. Joseph r. POT
ner being the foreman in charge OF the
work.
II is "A -trussed, singled lift hold
er with working capacity of 4o,ooo
cubic feet. 1t is adapted for future
telescoping and can therefore be made
larger. It Is built with steel tank on
the foundation and the holder on that
The tank measures "a feet, nine inches
in diameter and is 20 feet, six inches
deep. The inside section OF the holder
Is 80 feet ten and one-half inches in
diameter and 90 feet deep. 1t can be
enlarged to double or triple its pres
ent capacity without disturbing any
thing now in place. The tank when
completed cost $4,000.
In the steel tank is 100000 gallons of
water and it took two fire streams
eleven hours to fill it. The steel
plates average one quarter of an inch
in thickness and weigh 1912 pounds to
the square foot. The inner section OF
the holder Is made of No. rolled steel
and weighs SIS pounds to the square
foot. The rivets for the steel tank
were driven by pressure from an air
compressor and steam boiler. All the
rivets in the inner section were driven
by hand. The holder was completed IN
22 working days, which is quick time
for holder OF this size,
The main Office building was built
by l.. f. Bradstreet of Hallowell. 1t is
one story, brick building, II foot
posted 1t consists of the main office,
show room, test room, private ONCE
for the manager. gas room for the
meter and governor and electric room
for the substation from which are
distributed all the lights used in Gardt-
ner.
The cost of the building was 5000.
1t Is finished entirely in cypress with
hardwood floors and steel ceilings. II
is heated from the plant in the store
house, the steam fitting being done by
Wiley & Calhoun of Portland.
The gas holder Is heated and the
water is kept from freezing by live
steam jets from pipe four inches un-
der the surface from which the steam
is expelled through one-quarter inch
holes. The small holes with the high
pressure keeps the water circulating
and therefore from freezing.
The entire plant of the company is
located al! on the same lot. Work
was started April 18th and gas was
turned into the Gardiner pipes from
the holder November 23d. The COM
pany has a Waterman at the plant all
night to look after all reports which
come in and to keep things running.
In connection with the building of
the new plant four miles of new pipe
line were laid to connect this station
with the substation in Hallowell. At
the latter place an air compressor
driven by an electric motor sucks the
gas from the Augusta plant and then
drives 1t to Gardiner Everything
about the plant is modern, up-to-date
and works automatically. There is
fire protection in both the store house
and main office building In the for
mer there Is an inch and one half
hose and in the latter another hose of
the same size. both on reels of 100 feet
of hose. Fire extinguishers are also
handy in both buildings. Next spring
the land around the buildings will be
graded. buildings. lawns and terraces
will be made and concrete driveways
laid out.
The following summary shows the
other new buildings erected in the city
the past season and the repair work
done:
r. w. Blanchard had his share of
the building operations during the
past summer and fall. The new home
of j. Frank Holt on Brunswick ave-
nue.. built at an estimated cost of
$35oo. was built by Mr.. Blanchard
A new wooden store house. shed
and sand house was built by him for
the Vannah Hardware Company. 1t
is two-story building 20 by 60 feet,
and cost about $1,000.
Mr.. Blanchard built thu garage on
Maine avenue. which was1 Earted last
fall and completed this Spring. the
estimated cost of the work was $4,000
Mr.. Blanchard occupies part of the