Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-01-19

! forenoon at the court house, for tho
purpose Of listening to petitioners ask
E, ing that the Patterson Toll Bridge at
| North Arson, be taken over by SOM
! erset county. The State by resolve OF
I its Legislature appropriated the sum OF
$4,000 to repair the bridge which con-
/ meets the towns of Arson and Madison
! across the Kennebec river. provided
/ that before the repairs shall be COM
menced the proprierors of the bridge
I surrender all their right, title and in
! tereSt in the bridge TO the county COM
I missioners of Somerset county ana
t that right. title and interest in the
j bridge shall have been accepted by the
/ commissioners. the commissioners
/ having agreed 10 make the bridge
7 free bridge thereafter. The proprietors
/ OF the bridge are anxious to have TINS
/ step taken and are willing TO surren-
/ der their right and title in the bridge
+ to the county commissioners provid-
\ ing they will accept the same under
4 the conditions heretofore related
The session lasted for about two
| hours and was attended by a number
! of prominent up-river men. Hon. +.
w. Bunker Of the Governors council
and a prominent resident of North An
son was the first of the bridge stock
/ holders to speak He told something
4 OF the condition Of the bridge. anG eX-
/ planned the situation SO far as the
I stockholders We're concerned. He told
, Of the usefulness Of the bridge and
! suggested that repairs he made upon
/ the structure with the amount that
was now accessible providing the coun-
-l,1 IL .ol-
/ Frank HoIley Of North Arson repre-
( sentative to the Legislature. then
spoke of the conditions as he viewed
/ them, considering the legal, the moral
and financial questions involved. lie
\ brought out the fact that North Arson
! and Arson have a free bridge: that the
1 farmers Were saved many miles Of
! travel in delivering their produce by
! having the bridge as a crossing point
f! at that iunrture and the value OF the
| corn factory ut North Arson To the
| community This industry he claimed
owed much to the farms located in a
| neighhorhood where crossing the
i bridge was an absolute necessity. He
considered that il would he a financial
| saving to the people of the county if
the county commissioners took over|
the bridge. Fred $. Parsons of North
! Arson. treasurer of the Corporation
spoke briefly along similar line, es
pecialy commenting upon the neces-
| sity Of the bridge and Tilson d. Salley,
one Of the farmers living in the Pat
terSon toll bridge neighborhood. eX-
pressed conriSeiy the need Of a bridge
; at tile point in question relating incl
dents cf his own knowledge. W. C.
| Emery Of North Arson, manager of
! the corn factory said 1T means life or
death to the corn factory" and told Of
! the value Of the factory to that section
| in which it is located. II. II. MarSton
of North Arson was another speaker
! heartily in favor of the movement on
| the part of the county commissioners,
while other North Arson men in at
| tendance were Wallace Emery and Jas.
| II. Thorn.
| T.. b. Jones. bridge engineer of the
| Highway Commission, was present to
give estimates and results of his pre-
vious investigation of the bridge He
described it as an old STYLED wooden
bridge with two spans ana one pier.
raised on one side and lowered on the
other side to a point considerably out
/ Oh me Ol Nilstt II Silouiu be. MI. Jones
considers the timbers in fairly sound
shane. but the timbers are not so built
as to transmit strength to the struc-
ture entire. The timbers he considers
sound. however. and the joists in good
shape. II would seem. according to
Mr.. Jones. that quite a portion of
the bridge could be saved The view
of the highway commission would be
probably not to put much money out
! in repairs owing to the present con-
ditions and Mr.. Jones suggested that
in case the county commissioners took
the bridge over one pier be built on
| the Arson side Of the bridge while
probably the pier on the Madison side
! Of the bridge would not be needed
| for six or seven years. Mr. Jones es-
timated the cost of the pier at s432O
but was very vague on the question
Of the repairs Of the wood work of
the bridge suggesting that the ex-
pense might range from 500 or 5000
to $4,000. Reckoning it, however, at
| the extreme, it would total but 1920.
| He suggested that the repairs might
/ be possibly made within the s5Uov an
propriated by the State.
Inc Hidtler VI arranging with the
towns for the building of the bridge
at some future time when repairs
would not ansWc1 providing the coun-
! ~ took the same over provoked quite
q discussion. the North l.nson men
being Of the opinion that State aid
could be procured on the part of the
towns where the structure was to be
built.
/ Chairman Osborn called for remarks
from persons opposed to the county