The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-18
MORE TERRITORY
IN REDDING TAKEN
BY HYDRAULIC co.
And Further Requirements
Along Saugatuck River
Are Looked For.

Redding, Jan. 1S-Within the last
| few days two parcels of Redding real
estate have been bought by the
| Bridgeport Hydrau Iic Co, one being
/ the Della Lyon property at the Eas-
| ton line and the other the Fred
| Crouch place at the upper part of the
Glen. Each comprises something
| more than thirty acres with a dwelling
and other buildings. Through the
Lyon tract runs Rock House brook a
famous trout stream, which flows into
: the Aspetuck river, the main supply Of
| the Memlock reservoir system. The
Crouch tract borders on the Saugatuck
| river which is to furnish the supply
for the projected reservoir in Weston.
The price for the Lyon property is
reported to be upwards of $4,000 and
that for the Crouch property about
$4,000 which is from $500 to $500
more than it cost Mr.. Crouch three
years ago. The water company agents
told Mr.. Crouch that the company
probably would not require his land
until about five years hence. AS it
| will not be submerged, being needed
! only for sanitary protective purposes,
the. natural conclusion is that the end
of five years will see the completion
of the big dam and the tunnel which
is to convey the water of the Saug-
tuck river to the Hemlock reservoir.
The' purchase of the Crouch place
is regarded as the initial step in the
acquisition by the Hydra ulic Co. of
most of the land along the river
north of the district to be flooded.
Two important parcels included In
this territory are the Harry Lounsbury
and the James L. Blackman places.
ts-ao w h
an expensive. residence has lately been
erected may also be taken although
he may bel allowed to retain it as he
keeps no live stock. On Monday
Phi1o T. Plat Of Newtown was in the
locality obtaining a list of those who
own land alongside the river and the
supposition is that in this quest he
was acting as the Hydraulic Co.'s re-
preventative.
A theory that the killing of Joseph
Meeker, aged Is, by a NOrWalk and
Danbury train about a mile above
West Redding station on Wednesday
morning of last week was a case Of
suicide instead of an accident finds
no acceptance with the young mans
parents or most Of his friends. Still
there are circumstances which in the
absence of further knowledge make
the case something of a mystery. The
young man was the only child of Mr..
and Mrs. Charles Dart Meeker. lfv-
ing near the station, and had been act
ing as a helper Of Mr.. Taylor, the1
freight agent there. He left home at
500 Wednesday morning, but was not
subsequently seen about the depot,
having evidently started to walk along
the tracks towards Bethel. His rea-
son for this action remains unexplain-
ed. The engineer of the up Z o'clock
train which ground his body into an
unrecognizable mass did not see him
or know of the accident at the time.
The crew Of the 1928 down train were
the first to discover the fatality They
found Meeker's overcoat, folded and
with the gloves inside, An pocket or
recess of the adjacent bunk, and it is
this circumstance which is considered
as furnishing the main argument in
support of the suicide theory. Att
tendant upon it is the conjecture that
Meeker after removing his coat con-
cealed himself within the banks cav
ity and as the train approached threw
himself in front Of it. This, however,
is purely speculation and on the other
there appears to have been no motive
for self destruction. He was owing
the station agent a small amount for
freight receipts but this could not be
properly described as shortage. He
had not been CALLED " account for it
by Mr.. Taylor and was in a position
to discharge the obligation without
difficulty His employer and all who
knew him regarded him as strictly
honest and say he had no bad habits.
Neither had he shown any signs Of
VI l.
fore his death he attended prayer
meeting and seemed bright and cheer
full Coroner Phelan has not yet an
.nounced his finding in the case.
On the hometown road last Friday
evening the driver of E. Dolan's auto
truck halted suddenly in answer to a
hail and Ralph Rockwell, who was
following in his new Studebaker,
crashed into the trucks rear, the lat
ter machine having failed to turn
aside before stopping. The result of
the collision was the smashing Of the
radiator and lamps of Mr.. RockwelPs
car. There were six persons in it be-
sides himself, but all escaped injury.
In the local epidemic of grip and
severe colds only one case has been
followed by serious complications, the
patient in this instance being Mrs.
Philander Ferry who was attacked
by pneumonia. She has safely pass
ed the dangerous stage of the disease.
Rev. Mr.. Cunningham had the grip
in severe form, being Frustrated more
than a week with a pronounced fever
as one of the conditions DR.. Annie
Reid and her daughter, Miss Emma,
are also grip patients. The ailment
did not appear in Georgetown until
after it became prevalent on the east
side, but the western section of the
town now has it's share of the malady. |
At the annual meeting of the Gen.
ter Congregational church, held last
week, the financial reports showed
receipts during the year Of about ST.
500 and a balance in the treasury of
about $1,000 An increase in income
came from the 25 per cent. dividend
on the $4,000 of Gilbert & Bennett
stock which forms part of the church's
endowment of $4,000. The church
membership Is practically stationary
with total Of 70. J. B. Sanford was
reelected secretary and treasurer and
ole ci,,{a 81