Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-04-07


pie. inhabitants of the State of
Maine.
Many years ago, when Auburn
alone was taking its water, at the
time the old Auburn Aqueduct Com
pany was sold to the city, bathing
in the lake was stopped. In later
years, as more attention has been
paid to hygiene and health, the
shores have been patrolled. campers
have been moved back from the
margins, and an attempt has been
made by the purchase of different
lots of land as fast as the water
board had the money so to do. to get
the campers and the people away
as far as possible from the lake, so
that the drinking supply, the source
of all the drinking water in Lewis
ton and Auburn would not be con-
taminated and the residents of the
two cities would not be put in fear
of an epidemic. Patrols are now
established and the shores are in
fair condition, but we find, or the
authorities find that the lake Is used
very largely for boating and fishing.
1t has a hatchery there; there is
more or less fishing; there are
camps around it, the owners of the
Camps So W anu IL olli tiiCll Noi II
and go out in the evening in their
canoes or boats. That part of it.
that phase of it goes to the public
enjoyment of the few, but beyond
that the health and hygiene. during
tie summer months particularly, of
$4,000 people are tied into that lake.
There is scarcely a year goes by but
what one or more people are drown
ed in the lake. 1t is a deep lake,
and many times the bodies are un-
recovered for days in the lake, and
although it may be big enough SO
that q corpse shows not in the chem
ical analysis, still there are $4,000
people at Lewiston and Auburn that
| are drinking water that flows over
that parboiled. putrid corpse into
the main of the drinking water to
the citizens of Lewiston and Au-
burn. And l maintain, gentlemen,
even if there has been no epidemic
of typhoid fever in Lewiston and
Auburn. even if there has been no
sickness from our drinking water
SUPPLY maintain that it is a pro-
per exercise of the police power of
this state to close that lake to boat
ing and fishing so that these people
who live in Auburn and who live in
Lev lobOii, anu WI Ill Tie tOllOll
mills and factories. and many of
! them living in very restricted quar-
tiers. have got to drink water which
runs over corpses into their mains
! from a lake which is used as a sew
er and a dumping place for offal by
/ the few people who enjoy fishing in
the spring. l do. But / think that
L can go somewhere else to fish in
order that the eXcretions of my body
do not pass into the mains which
furnish the drinking water to the
10000 inhabitants of Lewiston and
Auburn, and | hope this Senate will
accept report A on this bill.
Mr.. ALLEN of York: l would like
to inquire, Mr.. President. of the Sen
ator from Androscoggin, Senator
Carter, just how many people are
drowned there is years time.
Mr.. CARTER: Mr. President, if l
could give the information, | would
but certainly | know of instances
where they have been drowned. and
| would not say as TO the regularity
with which they are drowned. but if
no one was ever drowned again,
think that the Inhabitants of Lewis
ton and Auburn are entitled to feel
that their drinking water supply is
free from that contingency
Mr.. ALLEN: Mr. President and
gentlemen, | feel that | can sub
scribe perhaps to most everything
Senator Carter has said. ! live on
the shore OF pond very similar to
this, and I should feel if the town of
Sanford some day felt as though
they wanted the water there-it is
about seven miles long and
about a mile wide-that the water
company should in some way make
some provision that | should be
recompensed for my loss. |
have no objections perhaps to
their closing Lake Auburn to fishing
and boating and that sort of thing,
II they in some way-the water COM
pany themselves, or the cities of
Lewiston and Auburn, pay back to
these people some of the money that
they have there in those cottages
and boats. | never was on Lake Au-
burn in my life, but it seems to me
that is the way I should look at it,
Mr.. HlNCkLEY of Cumberland:
Mr.. President. this matter came be-
fore the judiciary committee We
had long hearing and the matter
was gone into very carefully and
very fully. with counsel representing
NAtiicl S4bc- IItl HAS IlOl DGen Il
matter before the Legislature that |
have listened TO with more interest
than | did that particular matter. be-
cause j knew that the situation
meant much to those interested. |
of course have no particular interest
in the outcome. I listened there to
determine what the real facts were
and what the real necessity IS. | do
not blame the Senator from Andres
cogSin for taking the position he
has taken, but | want to tell you.
gentlemen, that it was contrary to
the evidence produced at our hear
ings. and ] could not, in spite of the
pleadings for the women and chill
dren and the health of the commun-
ity and protection from the colon
bacillus and every other ina Sinable
alarm-I could not help feeling that
they miserably failed in making out
any kind of case on their PROPOSE
ton.
The situation is this. in nut
shell. The water district, comprs-
ing Auburn and Lewiston, or parts
of those cities, desire to do some
thing to prevent possible contamin-
alton. AS to contamination at the
present time. the evidence showed
that there IS none. The evidence
showed that some time in the fall of
1928 there was litigation with GER
tain party who had farm on the
shore of the lake and who hauled
stable manure out and spread it on
the Ground-ploughed ground, near
the shore of the lake. The evidence
showed that the authorities repre-
senting. | presume. the water district.
went there they dug Il hole in the sand
not out in the lake but they dug II
hole in the sand where the drainage