Norwich bulletin., 1912-11-27
Flights Over Oxoboxo Water Rights
Montves Valuable Water Privilege Has Furnished Ground For Legal Contentious -Uncasville Mill Owners Had Trouble With Lorenzo Dow in 1826-He Gave Name to the Pond.

h0CenIly III NeW LOuuOus III tuS SU- perior court. the case of the Uncas- vile Manufacturing company vs. (. M Robertson company of Montville was tried The controversy was over water rights on the Oxoboxo brook in the town of Montville the plaintiffs claim ing that the defendants had raised dam, to the detriment of their inter- ests, and the papers in the case stated at great length the grounds on which the claims for damages were made. That was by no means the first contro- versy that has arisen over the water in Oxoboxo brook, the stream that is irresponsible for the location of So many manufacturing establishments In the town of Montville.
 Dow Raised the Dam.
 During the year 1926 Lorenzo Dow, the preacher, who made a reputation both in this country and on the other side of the water. by his sermons and his wit, owned a sawnill at the upper end of the brook. He added four feet to the dam, giving as his excuse that he thought it would better the inter est of the mill owners below"
 The owners of the Uncasville mill at that time. Peter and Henry A. Richards, did not seem to believe that the preacher was worried so much about their benefits as he was about his own and they brought suit against him in the county court in New Lon don, claiming that he had injured their business by withholding the water Dow won the case the first time, but the plaintiffs took 1t to the superior court, where a jury sat on the matter. The result was decision against Dow, who was ordered to pay the plaintiffs $50 and costs for having interfered with their water rights. The costs in those days were not as high as they are now, but Lorenzo had $60.94 to pay, and that seems to have injured his feelings very seriously.
 Overflowed the Valley.
 It having been adjudged that he had no right to hold the water back, he proceeded to let it flow. and while he was a very prominent exponent of 1 Christianity, he indicated that he was not without spite in his makeup, for i he raised the gate and let the water l out of the pond as fast as it could go. l The result was an overflow all along the valley and quite lot of damage. Oxoboxo brook was originally known as Sawmill brook It has been utilized | for furnishing power ever since the | settlement of the town. In his history of Montville, Henry A. Baker gives the | following facts in regard to the stream:
 Original Dam on Stream.
 At the settlement of this town a | dam was raised a few rods above the present structure, and a sawmill was set up, and afterwards a gristmill was started here by Jonathan Mynard. The mill site and a considerable portion of the adjoining land was conveyed by Owaneco, the chief of the Mohegans Dec. Il. 1898, to Thomas Stanton o1 Stonington. MT. Stanton afterwards conveyed it to James Harris, land speculator, who sold it to Joseph Otis MT. Otis conveyed it to William My nard, and MT. Mynard left it by heir ship to his son, Jonathan Mynard who by a deed of gift conveyed it tC his son, Jonathan Mynard, Jr., and ht to his son, Henry Mynard, and Henry Mynard conveyed it to Lorenzo Dow in 1925. The distance from this reser- voir to the outlet of the Oxoboxt stream, at the cove, into which i runs, is 1860 rods, or five and four fifths miles. The surface of thu water in the reservoir, when full, il about $50 feet elevation from tide water in the Thames river, it beint an average of 20 feet fall to each mil privilege on the stream"
 Dow Sold Out.
 After his unfortunate experienc with the law, Lorenzo Dow decide' that it would be better for him to sel out, and he disposed of his rights an title to Robert Bowser and Hezelkial Goddard of New London in November 1929. The new owners soon after con veyed the property to Charles A. an George R. Lewis. They had the dar raised several feet. A cotton mil was started near the dam and operate for several years in connection wit their mill at Uncasville. There was
 boarding house in connection with tn mill, but nothing has been left fo years to indicate that there was ever
 mill in that neighborhood. Since tha time the reservoir has been used fo storage purposes only. The dam is
 massive piece of masonry, larg
 enough at the top for a four-hor team to move around. For man years Deacon Ichabod Stoddard, no7 S9 years of age, now residing in Yan
 tic, had charge of the dam for tn Uncasville company, living on the com
 pany's property there.
 Dow Named the Reservoir.
 The name Oxoboxo pond was give to the reservoir by Lorenzo Dow. Th
 Indians called 1t Opsobosket, or Littl
 pond. The water privilege was orig finally capable of furnishing power fc
 all the mills along the stream, bl
 they increased in number and size an now the water would hardly start u machinery in the larger plants.
 helps, however, and as an auxilia1 assists in reducing the cost of opera tions during the time of the yes when there is enough of strea,
 available to be of value. A little ov,
 a hundred years ago, according : Bakers history, all of the property ( Sawmill brook was assessed for on
 $2,000. Those who are familiar vii ! the town at present understand wh; ? wonderful development has bee seen since that time
 Old MontviIIe Manufacturers. s Years ago everybody in this pa = of the country was familiar with Il
 virtues of Vincents flannel and Sch
 fields satinet Deacon Vincent's m y was located near the present reservo a There was a sawmill on the site fir . and afterwards an oil mill. Deact
 Vincent took charge in 1929. I
 added to the building and put in m : chinery. His product soon gained l, wide reputation. The flannel Wi 6 heavy and was used a great deal f
 making shirts for the whalemen vi
 sailed out of New London and oth d New England ports. The quality w d always excellent and the name Vii = cent was a guarantee that the pu Y chaser would get his moneys wort
 The deacon kept at the business un
 his death in 1878 and the fact that acquired a large amount of proper
 indicates that he found honesty
 manufacturing was profitable.
 Schofield's satinet mill was built
 1790. John Schofeld bought t
 property in 1874 and went to maxi
 Woolen goods. The satinet was co = sidered the most durable fabric in t a market for mems clothing and it W & utilized largely by those who engag | in rough labor, Honest materit were always used and the workma ship was of the best, a cembinati that did not fail to be appreciated