The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-16
BENNINGTON OFFERED
$4,000 WATER SYSTEM
Henry w. Putnam Makes Some Stipula-
lions Which the Village Must Abide
by Before Receiving Great Offer.

Bennington. Oct l6.--At the Office Of
the Bennington Water company ii was
announced yesterday that Henry "
Putnam, a retired manufacturer, now
ated q plan whereby the property of the
company, of which he is Practically the
sole owner, should be turned over to
the village of Bennington. The gift Is
to be made under certain conditions and
restrictions which must be accepted by
the village and a special meeting Of the
voters will be called at an early date to
take action on :he proposal.
The gift is made with the ultimate
purpose of establishing hospital i'm
Bennington Other than the institution,
which can easily be built from the in
come of the business in few years.
there is another provision which conveys
direct gift TO every user Of the water
from the system in the shape OF reduc-
tion of one-h half in the rate for all
service inside of buildings.
The property of the Bennington
Water company consists OF gravity
system which was built in 1885 and 1886
and which has been EXTENDED until at
the present time the mains ard laterals
cover over Is miles. The main source
of supply consists of two large springs
on the side of the mountain east Of the
village but there is also 4 main extend
ing to lake Hancock in the town of
Stamford, seven miles distant, 50 that
the danger OF shortage in times of
drought or because OF an unusual drain
upon the system is eliminated Lake
Hancock is circular body of water
about 1000 feet above sea level and
about one-half mile in diameter. The
company owns the land for a distance
of Is rods back from the shore in all
directions and there is not human
habitation within several miles.
The property of the company in the
town of Bennington is assessed for Sl40.-
900 but the system has a 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 hos
pital within a very few years than
would be required by the community at
the present time and to maintain the
perpetually without looking
ia any other direction for a single dol
ar
Henry w. Putnam came to Benning- |
on from New York in 1868. At the !
line he was engaged in the manufacture I
If clothes wringer and he moved the 1
business to this village. He established I
himself in single-story brick mill on
south street which is still operated in
his name. In this small mill a number
e money-msking novelties had their be-
ginning. The wire and rubber bottle
topper which was universally used on
,eer and soda water bottles until super
eded by the cork and tin cap was never
anywhere else. He in
ented and patented the double pointed
arpet tack and invented and patented
he first automatic machinery for the
of barbwire fencing.
It was his custom to live for a portion
Z the wear in New York. coming each
ummer 20 Bennington. Later he passed
is winters in California. While on his
.av 10 the Pacific coast in lsgS he had
serious attack Of pneumonia and has
ever since attempted to face the cli-
tate east Of the Rocky mountains. He /
now 80 years Of age and il is hardly
robable that he viii live 20 see more I
ian the beginning Of the institution
rat he has SO generously founded and
ndowed.