The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-02-01
Dyappo You That You Cannot Always Depend On

st. Francis de Sales convent. Th'
house was later moved TO it's presen
location. The house now occupied b,
the convent was built by Ebert II
Putnam. The residence on the wes
side of the street, and which he oc
cupied for portion Of each year be
tween 1894 and 1889, was built by Mr.
Putnam.
The brick factory on the west side
Of the street and the stone building
on the east side of the street have
| been continually in operation ever
| since the industry came into exist
ence and the products turned out
have had prominent part in the in
dustrlal growth of the country. One
of these products was the first prac.
tical clothes wrIngor put upon the
market. The first double pointed car.
pet tacks were manufactured here as
was also the first automatic machin-
cry for the making of barb-wire fenc.
ing. At the present time the plant is
manufacturing the lightning fruit jar.
A striking feature of the many pat
ented articles which had their begin
ing here is that they were complete
when put upon the market. Some of
them have been displaced to a certain
extent, woven wire fencing is taking
the place of barb wire TO certain ex-
tent and cork caps are being used in
stead OF the rubber bottle stopper, but
the original articles are used today
Work on the water system which
gave Bennington the best supply OF
that necessary article In the state
Water company which completed the
work was capitalized at $15O000 and
bonded for $13S, 900 Before undertak
ing the work of the gravity system
Mr.. Putnam made many experiments
TO ascertain the possibilities In other
directions He had acquired the wat
er rights of the Morgan spring but
the water was too hard for domestic
use. The drilling of well 1900 feet
deep near the corner of Jefferson av-
enue and Weeks street proved that
artesian water was not available. Fol-
lowing these investigations the work
on the system was inaugurated.
Two years ago last October Mr.. !
Putnam announced the gift of this
system to the village of Bennington
and the gift became a fact the follow
ing January BY the deed of the gift
it was provided that the rates to US
ers OF the water 70. household purp-
oses should be reduced one half and
that the net income of the system
should annually be turned over to the
Henry w. Putnam Memorial Hospit-
al association, thus aifording a per
manent endowment for an institution.
which although greatly needed would
probably not other wise been realized
for many years.
Outside of the Industries which he
conducted. Mr. Putnam was large
factor In the growth of Bennington.
He furnished the capital that estab-
lished and maintained several OF the
largest industries. His charities were
but were carried out with
out ostentation and in many instanc
es were known to but few. Nearly
every church in the village has been
aided at different times
Like many men identified with
large enterprises there was a dis.
tinctly human side to Mr.. Putnams
choracte- lie loved al kinds of an
mals and birds ard was exceptional
y fond OF horses For years he NAH.
iained racing stable OF trotters ana
II one time had string Of half
! dozen valued at 100000
Mr.. Putnam's surviving relatives
Ire one son, Henry ". Putnam Of
New York, two brothers, II. A. aud
2 II. Putnam Of San Diego Cal, one
sister, Mrs. Cordelia Putnam Lyndo
II Haddenield. n D.. five nieces. Dr..
Helen Putnam OF Providence, r. l.,
Mrs. Harry Hale of Elizabethtown.
n T., tho Misses Anne Irene and
Amy Putnam of San Diego, two nep-
lew, f. p. Mo-house Of of Bennington
md Charles Harvey Of Chicago.