Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-17
GIVES BENNINGTON
WATER SYSTEM
Henry w. Putnam, Retired Manu-
facturer and Inventor, Pro.
Hdes for a Hospital.

Remington, Oct. i5.-At the office of
the Bennington Water company 1t was
announced to-day that H. w. Putnam,
a retired manufacturer now living in San
Diego. Cal, had inaugurated a plan
whereby the property OF the company. Of
which he is practically the sole owner,
Should be turned over to the village of
Pennington. The gift Is to be made UNI
der certain conditions and restrictions
which must he accepted by the village and
a special meeting Of the voters will be
called at an early date to take action on
the proposal.
The gift is made with the ultimate pur-
| pose of establishing a hospital in Ben
| nington. Other than the institution,
which can easily be built from the income
Of the business i'm n few years. there Is
another provision which conveys a lirect
gift to every user Of the water from the
system In the shape of reduction of
| one-half In the rate for all service inside
| OF buildings.
| The property of the bennington Water
company consists OF n gravity system
which was built in 1885 and 1886 and which
has been extended until at the present
time the mains and lateras cover over
IS miles. The main source of supply con-
ssts of two large springs on the side
of the mountain east of the village but
there Is also main extending to Lake
Hancock in the town of Stamford, seven
miles distant. so that the danger of
shortage In times of drouth or because
of an unusual drain upon the system
is eliminated. Lake Hancock is a circular
body Of water about 1000 feet above sea
L., it,
The company owns the land for
distance Of Is rods back from the shore
In all directions and there Is not human
hahtation within several miles.
GIFT MORE THAN $4,000.
The property of the company in the
town OF Bennington is assessed for $780,
eco but the system has value far in
excess of this amount. The officials de-
cline to give out any figures at the
present time bearing upon the annual in
come. This data, they say, ought not to
| become public until the time of the
transfer of the property but one of them,
who is in the best position to know,
stated to-day that it was large enough
to build and equip a larger hospital within
"A very few years than would be required
| by the community at the present time,
and to maintain the institution perpetual
| ly without looking in any other direction
for single dollar.
/ Henry W. Putnam came to Benniny
ton from New York in 1868 At the
time he was engaged in tne manufar-
ture of a clothes wringer AMI ne moved
the business to this village. He
tablished himself in singlestor,'
brick mill on South street which is
still operated in his name. In this
small mill a number of money-makinE
novelties had their beginning. The
wire and rubber bottle stopper watch
was universally usel on beer and
soda water bottles until superseded
by the cork and tin cap was never
manufactured anywhere else. He in
vented and patented the double point
ed carpet tack and invented and pat
ented the first automatic machinery
for the manufacture of barbwtre
fencing.
! 1t was his custom to live for a por
ton of the year In New York, coming
each summer to Bennington. Later
he passed his winters In California.
While on his way to the Pacific coast
in 1898 he had "A serious attack OF
tempted to face the climate east of
the Rocky mountains. He Is now "a
years of age and it Is hardly probable
that he will live to see more than the
IbeeinninE of the institution that hs
has so generously founded and en-
dowc1