Radio Scripts #801

Little Talks on Common Things

March 30, 1969

From time to time I have referred to old reports of the town or the city of Waterville. Let us today look at such a report made when the city was only two years old in 1890.

As most of you know, the town was already 85 years old when it obtained a city charter in 1887, and became fully organized as a city in 1888. The report printed in 1890 was actually for city business conducted in 1889. That year the mayor was Nathaniel Meader and the city clerk was the man who would later be U.S. Senator and Federal Judge, Charles F. Johnson. Best known among the aldermen were Dr. F.C. Thayer and Charles Redington. The city marshall was the fiery Ben Bunker, whose “Kennebec Democrat” was already stirring trouble with its vitriolic attacks on the Republicans. The superintendent of schools was a young Colby graduate, William Cranford, who would later rise to a prominent position in the Boston school system. One city officer in 1889 that we don’t find listed today was “Driver of the City Team”. That office was held by John Fardy. Taxes committed to the Collector of Taxes for his collection amounted to $67.040. He had succeeded in taking in only $59.450, leaving uncollected $7.590.

Year after year, ever since Waterville was separated from Winslow in 1802, uncollected taxes continued to be a burden on this community, and we are not free from that burden even today.

Support of the poor accounted for $10.630. or almost one-seventh of the entire cost of operating the city. including the schools. Since every cost item had to be entered in the city report for the citizens to read, those items occupy almost a dozen pages. One-fifth of the cost for the poor was expended on the City Poor Farm, four-fifths for poor relief of people in their homes. And the report tells us just who were the people who received help, or who in the obnoxious words of the time were said to be “on the town”. Here is the way some of the items read: “Supplies provided Barney Ronco, wood for Isaac Morency, board and care of Ellen Dusty, two months’ rent for Sophie Mayo, coffin and robe for Peter Gereau.” One item says: “Paid to City Liquor Agency, $19.18 for liquors for medicinal purposes.”

Two pages are filled with an alphabetical list of names headed IIUst of persons receiving support outside the City Farm, with amount paid for each.” That list contains 136 names, not all of them heads of families or even adults. For instance one item says Gotts Peters’ child $20; another, Rogers’ child $4.00; still another, Toulouse boy $2.50. While many of the women are designated only by given name and surname, there are a few other designations. as “Frank Vallier’s widow $36.87”.

Most expensive case to the City was that of the already mentioned Isaac Morency. He got help to the amount of $156. He was closely followed by Lizzie Blanchard, $155 and Archie Blair $152. Only twelve of the 136 cases are more than $100 each, and many of the others were under $10.

The cost of roads and bridges to the city in1889 totaled $8.281. The commissioner was George Healey. Especially interesting are some of the credits received from the Horse Rail Road Co., the city’s original street car line. In 1889 the largest expenditure was for a rebuilding of Elm Street. $448. Similar repairs on Water Street cost $313. and $267 was spent in Eben Wood’s district on the River Road.

Does anyone now living know where was situated Will Bodge Street? In 1889 repairs there cost $26. Another now unintelligible item was “Stone Crossing $56”. At the end of his report the commissioner recommended that a concrete sidewalk be laid on Upper Main Street from the Hanscom Block to the Railroad Crossing, also a suitable sidewalk, not necessarily concrete. from Crommett’s Mills Bridge to the First Rangeway; another on Oakland Street as far as Henry Williams’ house; and another on Cool Street as far as the Mathews house. The report also says: “I think it necessary that a culvert be built in the place known as the Hollow on Silver Street. ”  I wonder if, now in 1969, anyone remembers where the Silver Street Hollow was.

While the commissioner considered the Cedar Bridge, the Emerson Bridge and the Crommett’s Mills Bridge to be in good condition, he wanted the Ticonic Bridge to have a new coat of paint. Monument Park was considered a real show place of the town in 1889. William Ray was paid $40 for the full year to take care of it. It cost $1,600 to take care of City Hall, which was, of course, the old Armory in 1889. $350 of that expense was offset by rent of the hall for entertainments and dances. Electric lights had been in town for several years, and it cost about $25 a month for the Armory illumination during the winter, and considerably less in the summer. Street lights in 1889 cost $2,700, an average of $225 a month.

It is interesting to note how the Pine Grove Cemetery was operated in 1889. It had already reached the stage where it required no appropriation from the City, though it was still operated by a public committee appointed by the City Government. In 1889 the members of that committee were Fred Arnold, Everett Getchell and Frank Redington. Cemetery costs in that year had been $1,720, but they took in more than that, so that there was a comfortable balance of $520. Interested persons had, through the 36 years since the cemetery had been established, given various amounts so that in 1889 the committee controlled invested funds of more than $10,000, which were prudently invested in stocks of the Ticonic Bank and of the lockwood Company, and in bonds of the Maine Central and the Androscoggin and Kennebec railroads.

The City liquor Agency, whose 1847 record I talked about on this program several years ago, was still going strong in 1889. H.G. Tozier was the agent and he did a year’s business of $8,900. Besides $8,750 handed over to the City Treasurer in cash, he had provided $19 worth of liquor for paupers, and $3.75 for the fire department. It may be that 80 years ago our fire department needed some fire water. The liquor report ends with this significant note: “During the year $2,500 of the profits of the agency were transferred by vote of the City Council to support of the poor.”

An important city department, though not an expensive one in 1889, was that of bells and clocks. The man who had charge, especially of winding the clocks was W.A. Light. It might have been more appropriate to put him in charge of street lighting, but he probably earned on the bells and clocks the $100 that was paid him for his year’s work.

Now let us turn to some of the incidental expenses recorded in the general report. E. Gilpatrick got $27 for building a fence and wooden sidewalk. $28 was paid for piping and labor to set up a drinking fountain and the basin for it cost $30. The charge for closing up the entrance to the rear of the Gilman store was $4.64. I.S. Bangs collected $27 for setting up four gate posts.

The report of the City Marshall in 1889 was long and detailed. It reveals considerable information about crime in Waterville 80 years ago. The police force consisted of 35 men, some part time. The marshall reported that, during the year, 85 tramps had applied for lodging; the police had ~ared for seven stray teams, killed 19 roving dogs, found 29 places of business left unlocked. Arrests had included 74 for drunkenness. 11 for assault, and three for disturbance on horse cars. Now let us see what specifically the marshall had to say about conditions in Waterville. He first referred to the City Jail. saying: “The lockup is a small building (remember. this was 15 years before City Hall was built) without ventilation, dangerous on account of fire. and utterly unfit for the detention of persons arrested. The place is so small that police must sometimes let prisoners out to make room for others. There is no separate room for females.”

Another complaint of the marshall was this: “The city ordinances require the Mayor and Aldermen to apPoint stands for wagons, carts and sleds. and that the drivers of such, including coaches and hacks. shall remain near their teams when they stand in the street unhitched. so as not to obstruct the streets. We should. as in other cities. require the drivers of coaches. hacks and trucks to take out licenses. We persistently receive complaints against the drivers of trucks. who continue. to block the streets and sidewalks in the vicinity of City Hall. and this practice should be stopped.”

Now let us see what the marshall had to say about the ever-present liquor problem: “We have served 23 warrants for violation of the liquor laws. In our attempts to enforce the statutes. we have been hindered by the deputy sheriffs of the county. who make special efforts only to watch the trains to make seizures. leaving to the local police the trouble and responsibility of breaking up the traffic in places of sale. In many cases the deputy sheriffs have obstructed us by claiming packages and then releasing them. In the month of June the efforts of the City Marshall and his assistant were persistently interfered with by Deputy Sheriff Hill. who compelled the Marshall to obtain legal defense against a charge of assault. and has made it extremely difficult for us to stop wide-open sale of liquors in this city.”

Leading Waterville families were frequently involved in lawsuits in the 19th century. We should therefore not be surprised by this statement in the report of the City Solicitor in 1889: “There has been prolonged controversy between the City and Charles B. Gilman concerning the north line of City Hall Park. Mr. Gilman’s claimed right of passage of vehicles across the park to his property has not yet been fully cleared in the courts. but we expect an early decision.”

Finally let us turn to the report on Waterville schools in 1889. Teaching had cost $10.861. which included the salary of the superintendent at $1.500. The highest pay for any classroom teacher was received by Elizabeth and Emma Hodgdon. each of whom got $437. Some of the teachers whose names are in that list of 80 years ago are well remembered by older inhabitants today. Hannah Powell was paid $341. Cora Lincoln $389. Mary Redington $90. and Alice Drummond $360. The department paid $627 for textbooks and $544 for supplies and furnishings. which included towels. cloths and soap. as well as $2.25 for pens and $1.00 for ink wells. The largest single supply expense was $131 labeled for geographicalies. Fuel for the schools cost $586. janitors were paid $635. and repairs cost $900.

All of the above items were for the common schools. High school was a separate account. The salary of five regular teachers and one substitute had been altogether $2.800. High school books had cost $192. and $189 had been spent to heat the building.

Well, all this has been gleaned from the city report of 1889. to show how we lived in Waterville. especially in respect to public expenses, eighty years ago.

Year: 1969