The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-08-25
BruttLebOrO Local
MIR. CALVIN TO THE BAILIFFS.
In Reply to Peremptory Note from
the Village Officials.

Editor Reformer Pardon me for ask
ing space in your valuable paper. for The
! following correspondence which | submit
'''' f John Calvin.
Mr.. John Calvin, Chairman Selectmen,
| Dear Sir:-Nou are hereby forbidden by
| the board Of bailitfs TO use the hydrants OF
the village of Bratteboro for any purpose
whatsoever, or to allow any of the help IN
your employ to use said hydrants, save
| when written permission for such use i
given by Chief Engineer Harvey w
Sanders,
Respectfully,
w. II. Perry, Village Clerk,
| By Order Board OF Bailitfs,
Aug II, 1911.
To the Honorable Board Of Bailiffs OF the
Village of Brattleboro,
Nv II Perry, Clerk
| Gentlemen II beg to acknowledge re
ceipt Of your esteemed favor OF Aug. II
and advise your Honorable Board that
| have given the same careful consideration
| | am somewhat at sea in interpreting the
same. II is addressed to the chairman OF
the seectmen but the body of the letter
seems to be personal II it is intended as a
personal letter, | will say that | have no
use for the hydrants OF the village and
never had. Ii intended for the board OF
selectmen, which, with the local health
officer constitutes the local board OF
health, | have considerable to say. This
waking up of your honorable board seems
to have been the result of the local board
of health's action in attempting to clean
up that portion of the Milestone brook
in the vicinity of Main street bridge.
Comment on the conditions existing
there is unnecessary as everyone who had
occasion to pass this beauty spot, including
the travelling public, stopped and inhaled
its fragrant odors. Attention had been d.
rected to the matter several times by the
local papers and the local health officer but
nothing was done by your honorable board
whose duty it was and is to clean up and
care for all such places within the village
limits. You provide for the disposal of
sewage. post notices to prevent dumping
of rubbish, furnish and pay for a public
dump, etc, yet this place has been used for
all the above purposes and you have posted
no notices prohibiting it. Twenty-Five
years ago the late DR.. Gale, who was chair
man of the board of bailitfs, gave this sec.
ton of the brook most thorough cleaning
and nearly every board since that time has
cleaned and kept the brook in very good
shape, but the cleaning process has been
wholly neglected for the last two or three
years and the resultant condition was
what prompted the local board of health
to take hold Of the matter
On Monday evening, Aug. l. the presl-
dent of the local board of health called on
the chief engineer of the fire department,
III. w. Sanders, who, under the village
charter, has supreme control and care at
all times of all the fire fighting apparatus
including the hydrants, and obtained per-
mission from him to use the hose and by
drant for the above mentioned purpose.
You are hereby notified to clean and
keep in proper sanitary condition this part
of the Milestone brook after this date
Should you fail to do so the local board of
health will use such means and apparatus,
including hydrants, as in their Judgment
seems necessary to do this work. This they
have ample authority to do under the law.
The board hopes it will not be necessary to
exercise this authority. Your attention is
also called to the fact that house drainage
is somewhere connected with the surface
drain that empties into the brook under
the north end of Main street bridge
Please separate this. You are also re-
minded that your honorable board enjoys
several privileges such as the use of the
lookup, the selectmen's room for the hous
ing and care of your police department. in
Guiding lights, heat, janitor service and
about everything except the care of their
clothes and shoe shining parlors. These
privileges you are welcome to as long as
you do not get too fussy
If | have transgressed upon any of the
prerogatives of your honorable board I am
ready to be forgiven.
Very respectfully yours,
John Calvin.
President of the Local Board of Health
and Acting Health Officer.