Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-04-06

vile and he was met by those gentle
men in the kindest manner and after
the pleasant interview went away feel
ing that new bridge to accommodate
the highway travel and for the electric
cars was a settled matter; that the
city wanted a new bridge and would
help build one. A few days later, how
ever, there seemed to be change and
when the gentlmen We're seen again
they said they wanted the new bridge
but as Waterville was growing so fast
that it had some very hard growing
pains, like the schoolboy who out
grows his suits of clothes before they
are half worn out, and could not help
| build that bridge. Well, they were so
sincere about it and seemed to know
what was best, that it was decided fin
ally to help the Street Railway in any
other way that they could and hope
that they would build the bridge them
selves, which they did, and it was done
quickly, too, and no fuss was made
about it. The officials of Waterville
and the citizens individually did what
they could to help the railway and
give them room to work. The result is,
I believe, very satisfactory to all the
citizens of Waterville and Winslow,
who also contributed more in propor-
ton to the building of the bridge. Now.
the lesson learned from this co-opera- :
ton is that in order to grow and keep
abreast OF the times, encouragement
should be held out to those who can
come among you and spend their money
to make your city bigger and even
more beautiful and white. In the case
of the new bridge the city could do
little under the circumstances. The
ofllcials met us fairly and today all
the merchants are benefitting by the
extra trade that comes to their stores.
Il was surprised to see, upon the
completion of the bridge, how easv il
was for few active men to raise
$1,000 to celebrate the occasion of the
first car to enter Waterville from Vas
salboro and Augusta. 1T may be that
If they had kent on they could have
swelled the fund enough to have built
the other half of the bridge and | am
sure the people of Waterville will do
that some day after the new schools
and public buildings are well under
way.
"Waterville is so prosperous that
no one ever drew the gold spike that
completed the construction of the
track"
Mr.. Ivers told about ex-Mayor Red
ington getting left at East VassalbOro
Whe' the party of business men
visited that place on the day the bridge
was opened and the manner i'm which
he told this story at the expense of
the eX-mayor was the cause of much
laughter and led to other interesting
and funny stories which proved Mr..
Ivers an interesting story teller.
Continuing. but along more serious
lines, Mr.. Ivers told what his company
was doing to develop the agricultural
resources along the lines of it's railway
and in this matter he was well qualified
to talk, and has an idea that farming
has many attractions now if conducted
by the modern methods now employed
and this fact means that more young
mer will he content to stay at home
and be producers that will find a mar
ket in other states and result in bring
ing more cash into Maine; also that
in holding the young men at home
great difference will be noticed in the
development and government of the
mary districts that have heretofore
been deserted and allowed to run
down.
with the new means of transporta-
ton and the extension of the telephone
and mail~deliveries, the home on the
farm is made a comfortable and desir-
abie one and its owner prosperous and
hapnv