The independent-reporter., 1910-03-10

all Monday morning the heavens
wept and there was so much electri-
city in the air that lightning was
plainly visible; many people con
sidered this as surplus energy
that had been stored up for the
occasion but as the lightning was
seen in other towns. perhaps it was
really thunder shower. In the af-
ternoon it cleared UP so it wasn't
necessary to postpone the meeting.
The call was made at one o'clock and
at few minutes past that hour the
clerk. F. w. Spauldng. called the
meeting to order.
/ Practically Two complete tickets
wer to be voted for. roughly speak
/ ing-sympathizer with the toll bridge
company and the other side free
bridge men. The difference in opin
ion of these two parties came from
series of events which have oc-
Cured since the renewal of the
charter of the toll bridge some five
or six years ago at which time through
the efforts OF F. l.. Ames, who was
chairman of the board of selectmen,
clause was placed in the renewal
| by which the bridge could be taken
over by the town when the proper
time came. This clause might or
might not be of any value according
to whether 1t was left as dead let
ter or whether it was worked to Its
fullest extent Mr.. Ames Is per-
sistant fellow and when once he
starts out on an idea he holds to IL
like grub hook to an oak stump and
there's something doing until the
thing Is worked out; obstacles in the
way are but incidents in the progress
of the game and give an additional
zest to its accomplishment. AT first
he tried to establish sinking fund
by raising a thousand dollars year
until such an amount should be
raised that the bridge could be pur-
chased; this was voted down at
town meeting although there was
very close vote. A year or two later
the bridge company. through their
president and treasurer, took the
matter up and tried to sell the bridge
TO the County Commissioners for tif-
teen dollars per share which would
have amounted to S5.7l5-this failed.
MIR Ames was again on the board
/ of selectmen as the chairman when
Donigan was trying to get his bridge
measure through the Legislature and
upon the failure of that measure one
of the committee on highways before
which the Donigan bill had been, told
Mr.. Ames that he thought that the
town of Norridgewock might get
resolve through for the purchase of
Its toll bridge-at this time the treas
urer and spokesman of the bridge
company seemed to feel very favorable
| r1 tho O1nVpmQnt and two nf the
selectmen, Mr. Ames and Mr.. Gilman
went to Augusta to see about the mat
ter. They drew a resolve for five
thousand dollars to help purchase the
bridge; this was cut down to thirty
Ave hundred by the committee and
passed. A little irritation commenced
to be shown by the bridge officers at
this point and in October of last year
when special town meeting was
called to accept the thirty-five hun
dred from the State and raise enough
to pay for the balance. the bridge
company made big fuss about the
great additional expense to the spe-
cial town meeting and when the day
arrived their representatives were not
In the most pleasant frame of mind
and the president said the town
|
appraisal and that they would have
to pay for 1t too; and there wasn't
smile on his face when he said It,
Naturally people began to sit up and
take notice but they voted to buy the
| bridge Just the same. The town OF
fcers advertised for shares and finally
bought thirty-fiye shares at fifteen
dollars per share, which was consid-
t,t.tn nf
shares had been sold for so high
price for the past twenty years. Thir-
ty-five was all however that could be
bought at that price and a commits
sion was appointed after what oppo-
sition the bridge company could get
together had been overcome.
There was yet another trench where
by the company thought they could
balk MIR. Ames with whom apparent
ly they lost no love. 1t might cost the
town q few thousand dollars-ive to
ten perhaps-but no matter If they
ould only beat him. And so. although
two of the commissioners were expert
bridge men and the third brilliant
'Awvey. they brought in all of the
experts in the family and some out of
it to show that the bridge was very
valuable and the lowest possible price
that the commissioners could possi-
bly, value it was between sixteen and
seventeen thousand dollars and tried
to look as though they weren't bluffing.
On the other hand the town didn't
have any expert witnesses but
brought In some statements of facts
that they thought ought to make the
commission place the value as low as
twelve dollars a share. The commits
sion listened patiently. evidently
thinking some one wasn't telling the
truth and-went and looked at the
bridge themselves-then went home.
The attorney for the bridge company