History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume I, Part 56

Author: Concord (N.H.). City History Commission; Lyford, James Otis, 1853-; Hadley, Amos; Howe, Will B
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [Concord, N. H., The Rumford Press]
Number of Pages: 724


USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Concord > History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume I > Part 56


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73


Smith, Dexter D., Cr. Stevens, Josiah, Jr.


Sylvester, George P. Teel, Josialı Underhill, Charles W. Ward, John, Cr.


518


HISTORY OF CONCORD.


THIRTEENTHI REGIMENT.


Adams, John, Cr.


Anderson, James, Cr.


Batehelder, Alvin B.


Griffin, John S.


Brown, William I.


Bruee, Samuel C., Cr.


Callahan, Michael ' Carter, Frank A.,'Cr. Cilley, James A., Cr.


Clark, Edward J., Cr.


Butters, George F.


Carter, Horaee D.


Abbott, Levi C.


Colby, John A.


Carter, Weston M.


Atwood, Alvah


Curran, John, Cr.


Casavaint, Gideon


Austin, Charles E.


Davis, Timothy, Cr.


Dodge, John S., Cr.


Durgin, J. Seott


Brown, Samuel N.


Buswell, Reuben D.


Cooper, Charles S.


Crummett, George E.


Cushon, George H.


Cushon, Joel A.


Davis, Nathaniel W.


Davis, Robert S.


Dimond, Gilman H.


Happenney, James R., Cr.


Gray, William H., Cr. Ladd, Moses


Lane, John A.


Libby, Charles


Lull, John E.


Lull, John M.


Lull, Leander C.


McMann, John, Cr.


MeConney, William H.


MeMichael, Henry W.


Morgan, Charles


Morrill, Ezekiel


Nealley, Henry B.


Palmer, John C.


Peters, Benjamin F., Cr. Reid, James, Cr. Sanborn, Edwin Sargent, Frank Sehanks, Edward


Smith, John, Cr.


Smith, Thomas E., Cr.


Snare, John W., Cr. Staniels, Rufus P.


Tufts, George S., Cr.


Virgin, William W.


Weeks, George H.


Wilder, George A. Williamson, Willlam


FOURTEENTHI REGIMENT.


Alard, John, Cr.


Axman, Jolın, Cr.


Baker, Albert A.


Baker, William H.


Clode, Molliver, Cr.


Collins, Thomas, Cr. Helsey, James, Cr.


Bodwell, George


Smith, Albert W., Cr.


Smith, Daniel E., Cr. Smith, William, Cr. Stevens, Frank Tabor, William, Cr.


Adams, Charles, Cr.


Bailey, Stephen E., Cr.


Wallace, William F.


Baker, Nathaniel E.


Weleh, Joseph, Cr.


Barnett, William Whittier, Clarion T., Cr.


Batchelder, George F., Cr. Wilkins, Timothy C., Cr. Batehelder, George W., Cr. Woods, Peter


Lamprey, Clarenee S., Cr.


Lear, Thomas M., Cr.


Lowell, Joseph W., Cr. Main, Jaeob C., Cr. Marden, David, Cr.


McAloon, Thomas, Cr.


Moores, Timothy G., Cr.


Morton, Wilson E., Cr.


Murphy. John H., Cr.


Myers, Peter W., Cr. Osborn, Alverton P., Cr.


Owens, Patrick, Cr. Pelren, Severe, Cr.


Piper, Charles W., Cr.


Potter, Alvah K., Cr.


Powers, Thomas F., Cr.


Robertson, Curtis B., Cr.


Robinson, James, Cr.


Robinson, William H., Cr.


Stevens, Hiram


Summers, Charles T.


Wilson, Charles


Roby, Benjamin F. Sargent, Joseph E., Cr. Saunders, Edward, Cr. Scales, Charles F., Cr. Shanks, John


Sharples, Ralph, Cr.


SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT. Shepard, James M.


Libby, William H. Moody, William H. Moran, James, Cr. Neal, William H. Smith, Charles, Cr. Smith, Laroy Smith, Peter, Cr. Thomas, George, Cr. Tucker, George W.


Brown, George W.


Flanders, Rothois


Heath, John H.


O'Connor, John


Sargent, Joseph E.


SIXTEENTII REGIMENT.


Clark, John H., Cr.


Casavaint, Michael Clark, John, Cr. Conklin, George, Cr. Coranney, Cornelius, Cr. Davis, William S. Delaney, John F., Cr. Dickerman, Joseph W. Durgin, James, Cr. Flanders, Robert K. Gallagher, James. Glover, Charles F.


Glover, George A.


Dow, Nathan M.


Drown, Albert H. Elliott, Alfred


Elliott, Hall F.


Elliott, James C., Jr.


Elliott, John H.


Elliott, Lewis B.


Emery, Asa


Jones, James, Cr.


Kimball, Nathaniel O.


Fuller, Henry W.


Kimball, Willis G. C.


Gerald, Edward


Hall, Charles I.


Hall, Frank P.


Herbert, Charles H.


Holden, Samuel E.


Lamprey, Maitland C.


Lang, Charles W.


McCartey, Patrick


Merrill, James O.


Noyes, George


Orne, William H. Perkins, Jerauld Powell, Alvin C.


Powell, Sylvester H.


Quimby, Parchust D.


Sargent, David W.


Shallies, Joseph I.


Shepard, George W. Smart, Albert H. Smith, David D. Stevens, David


Harris, Henry L., Cr. Hayden, Charles M., Cr.


Hill, Edwin, Cr. Hilton, Jackson, Cr.


Hunt, Frank S., Cr. Jameson, William E.


Farnum, Andrew S.


Eastınan, Rendall, Cr.


Farley, Edwin R., Cr.


Fifield, Charles W., Cr.


Flanders, Robert K. Gove, Nathan W .. Cr. Grimes, Edwin H., Cr. Hall, Frank P., Cr. Hancock, Nathan P., Cr.


Barnes, Jefferson


Boucher, Joseph R.


Eastman, Edson A., Cr.


Batehelder, Josiah Bissertt, John, Cr. Bradley, Charles O. Brown, George, Cr. Burns, George


FIFTEENTH REGIMENT. Bateman, John H., Cr. Boyle, Henry, Cr. Brown, Henry S. Brown, Samuel N.


Smart, Thomas J., Cr.


EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT.


Laeomb, Simon M., Cr.


519


CONCORD SOLDIERS IN THE CIVIL WAR.


FIRST HEAVY ARTILLERY. Rowell, Frank G., Cr.


Abbott, Abial C.


Ballou, Samuel H., Cr.


Bates, Sidney T., Cr.


Bean, George W., Cr. Biron, Chester J., Cr. Blake, Jolın B., Cr. Bodwell, John H., Cr. Brackett, Henry J.


Bradley, Enoch N., Cr.


Briley, Thomas, Cr.


Welsh, Richard E., Cr.


Wilkins, George H.


Wilson, John W., Cr.


Winn, William F., Cr.


Wright, Renselear O., Cr.


FIRST REGIMENT SHARP-


SHOOTERS.


Andrews, Charles E.


Brown, Benjamin F.


Barr, Elbridge, Cr.


Bean, Darius K., Cr.


Bowen, James C.


Bunnell, Lucius D., Cr.


Cross, James M., Cr.


Dorr, Simon L., Cr.


Drew, Curtis D.


Perry, Leonard L., Cr.


Quinby, Elisha T., Cr.


Robinson, Henry M., Cr.


Rowe, David B., Cr.


Severance, Benjamin, Cr.


Farnum, Henry H. Fletcher, Cyrus F., Cr.


Ford, James E., Cr. Foster, Sidney A., Cr.


Rolfe, Joseph H.


Billings, Liberty


Cooper, Charles S.


Dinsmore, Albert


Drew, Enos G.


Fuller, Henry W.


Gerrish, Hiram F.


SECOND REGIMENT SHARP- Jones, Abraham, Cr. SHOOTERS. Abbott, Amos S. Lotter, William


Hanscom, Charles E., Cr.


Heckman, John H., Cr.


Howe, Solon M., Cr.


Barnes, George J.


Merrill, Rufus I.


Moore, James B.


Thompson, Joseph, Cr.


Winston, George, Cr.


Farnum, Cyrus R. Farnum, Isaac H.


Graham, Benjamin F. Hanks, Charles, Cr. Lougee, Walter, Cr. Marston, David C., Cr.


Lincoln, Beza H., Cr.


Lincoln, Edwin S., Cr. Loyde, Robert Malurin, William C., Cr. Marslı, George


May, William, Cr.


Merrill, Joseph F., Cr.


Mitchell, Frank. Cr. Moody, William H. Morlier, James E., Cr. Morrill, Ezckiel Murphy, Thomas, Cr. Pace, Charles, Cr. Provancher, Felix, Cr. Puffer, Charles H. Quimby, Parchust D. Quinn, Jeremiah, Cr. Riley, Michael, Cr. Rix, Eugene A., Cr. Rorke, Cornelius, Cr.


Spead, Leonard Spead, William F.


UNATTACHED CO. N. H. VOL. INFANTRY.


Gove, James B. Kidder, William W.


Hunt, Peter, C'r. King, James, Cr.


Leighton, George A., Cr. Randall, Elisha N., Cr.


SECOND BRIGADE BAND.


Allison, James, Cr. Batchelder, Freeman D., Ст. Brown, Samuel F.


Currier, Cyrus C.


Currier, Lorenzo M.


Gove, Nathan M.


Hoffman, Frederick, Cr.


Ingalls, Gustavus W.


Lane, Andrew L.


Lane, Jonathan C., Cr. Trussell, Samuel D.


Clough, Horace R., Cr. Collins, William H., Cr.


Crosby, Jackson, Cr.


Crummett, George E.


Cutting, Daniel, Cr. Davis, James S., Cr. Davis, Robert S.


De Irish, Cortez, Cr. De Wolf, Henry H., Cr. Dimond, Gilman H. Drew, Frank P., Cr.


Dunbar, David P., Cr. Durgin, Fred W. Durkee, Paine, Cr. Fagan, Owen, Cr.


Floyd, Jonathan E.


Gilman, John H.


Holmes, Francis


Manning, Elisha R. Morey, Peter Morse, James W.


Taylor, Joseplı


French, John L., Cr.


French, William H. Gardner, Albeit G., Cr. Gilmore, Asa D. Griffin, Dennis. Cr. Hadrick, David, Cr.


Ingalls, Melvin L., Cr. Jackman, James M., Cr. Jemery, Joseplı Jemery, Lawrence


Jennings, George L., Cr. Johnson, Edward A. Lawrence, Henry A. Leary, Jolın


U. S. ARMY, U. S. VOLUN- TEERS, AND ORGAN- IZATIONS FROM OTHER STATES.


Allen, Charles H. Baker, Charles E. Batchelder, John T.


Bates, George Bethel, Richard


Bradley, Charles O.


Bresney, Dennis Brierton, Abraham


Brown, Daniel Brown, Henry S. Bruce, Samuel C. Burnett, George Carleton, Charles A.


Carleton, George C. Carpenter, Harrison


VOL. INFANTRY. NATIONAL GUARDS N. II. Cass, Benjamin Q. Chandler, Horace W. Clifford, Joseph W. Cloutman, Thomas J.


Brown, George A., Cr.


Butters, George F.


Campbell, William, Cr.


Caswell, John H., Cr. Chase, Mark


Colby, Willis T.


Collins, George A.


Collins, William H.


Davis, Isaac


Day, Alonzo L.


Ferrin, Stephen H.


Tyler, James S.


Walker, Alfred


Ward, Thomas


VETERAN RESERVE CORPS.


U. S. COLORED TROOPS.


Kendall, Frederick A.


Collins, George Dow, Edward


Eastman, Frank A.


Matthies, Henry McPherson, William D. Mc Vicar, Alexander Quimby, Moses M. Rowell, Edward T. Shepard, George W.


Rushlow, Alfred, Cr. Sanborn, Alfred L., Cr. Sargent, J. Sidney, Cr. Shallies, Joseph I., Cr. Smith, George T., Cr. Smith, John, Cr. Stevens, James H. Summers, Charles T. Sweatt, Laroy A. Walker, Edward, Cr.


520


HISTORY OF CONCORD.


Colby, Albert P. Corning, Warren H. Coyle, James Dadmun, Leander Dale, John Davis, Nathaniel W. Douglas, Charles A., Cr. Dowd, James Flanders, George C. Flynn, Dennis Gear, Alonzo S. Gerrish, Hiram F. Glover, Frederick Goodwin, William F. Gove, Jesse A. Green, Edward, Cr. Griffin, Daniel Griffin, Simon G. Haines, Samuel


Haynes, Timothy


Herbert, Charles H. Hildreth, Charles F. P. Huley, Peter Hutchins, Edward R. Hutchins, Robert A. Johnson, Benjamin F. Kendall, Frederick A. Kenneson, Josiah Kenniston, Charles Kerley, Charles Kimball, Hiram


Kimball, Howard A. Kimball, Richard H.


Leavitt, Jonathan D., Cr. Lee, Wallace Little, George W. Lord, James F. McCabe, J. T.


McFarland, Henry


Mckinstry, Levi C. Mclaughlin, John Merrell, John Miller, Henry


Noyes, Charles H.


Parks, James H., Cr.


Perkins, Francis W. Pillsbury, Thomas A. Potter, Joseph H. Powell, Alfred D. Prescott, William H. Quinn, James H.


Roach, Jeremialı P. W. Rolfe, Horace H.


Sargent, Charles Sargent, Harrison S. Savage, John Somerville, Thomas Spearman, Frank Thompson, Ai B. Thompson, George H. Tonkin, Gustavus D. Treadwell, Thomas J. Wentworth, George C. Western, William Willard, Person S. Winslow, Charles H.


DARTMOUTII CAVALRY.


Blodgett, John H1. Clement, Nathaniel H. Gage, William T.


Graves, Frank W. Nutter, David R.


UNITED STATES NAVY.


Anderson, James, Cr. Balch, Frank K., Cr.


Barnes, William, Cr.


Bradbury, James T., Cr. Bright, George A.


Brown, George, Cr. Burns, Francis, Cr. Buzzell, Henry G.


Cheney, William I., Cr.


Chesley, George H., Cr. Clay, George H.


Crockett, Waldo, Cr. Edgerly, Orin A. Cr. Elkins, Curtis W., Cr.


Emerson, Israel, Cr.


Emery, Alfred E., Cr. Emery, Asa


Fernald, Charles C.


Ferrin, Alvah C., Cr.


Forrest, John, Cr.


Foster, Jolın, Cr.


Gately, Richard K., Cr. Hackett, Philip Hadley, Austin W., Cr. Hayes, Ralph, Cr. Hazeltine, Edward C., Cr. Herne, Peter, Cr. Hildreth, Charles F. P. Hosmer, Charles T., Cr. Hutchins, Edward R. Ireland, William, Cr. Kendall, John A. Kenney, William H.


Kenny, Peter, Cr. Kerley, Charles Laughton, John


Lewis, Charles, Cr. Locke, Amos S.


Lopez, Antonio, Cr.


Low, William F. March, Joseph, Cr.


Messer, John P. Messer, J. P. Minot, Henry C. Morrill, Ruel G.


Packard, Robert A., Cr.


Parker, Alfred W., Cr.


Perkins, Hamilton Eaton, William H. Perkins, Roger E. Perry, Charles, Cr. Coffin, William H. Pidgeon, Joseph, Cr. Rand, Douglass M. Rand, Herbert J. Ranken, Jolın F., Cr. Robinson, William, Cr. Smith, William, 2d Stewart, Robert, Cr. Sullivan, Thomas, Cr. Sweet, Henry, Cr. Tallant, Charles H. Thompson, Charles, Cr. Bean, Leonard W. Thompson, Joseph P., Cr. Belmont, John, Cr.


Trainor, Thomas, Cr. Treadwell, Pasmore, Cr. Vogler, John S., Cr. Ward, Thomas, Cr. Wells, Martin


Williams, Robert, Cr. Wright, James, Cr. Wyman, Horace G., Cr.


UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.


Bowen, James C. Brannan, Thomas Gahagan, James Smith, Robert C.


STATE SERVICE.


Abbott, Warren S.


Bartlett, Stephen H.


Bickford, Charles W.


Clark, George


Clark, Horace


Cooney, Stephen


Currier, Joseph H.


Dorr, Simeon L.


Drew, Frank P. Flanders, John K.


Gilman, John H.


Haines, Samuel


Hildreth, William L.


Hoyt, Jason R. C. Jones, Moses Leavitt, Charles S. Martin, Addison S. McClintock, Moses Miller, John R. Mining, Thomas W. Moores, Timothy G. Porter, Charles


Pratt, Benjamin F.


Quimby, Parchust D. Sawyer, Joseph Sleeper, James M. Thompson, James Ward, Thomas Whitney, James H.


Young, George N.


N. H. BATTALION, FIRST REGIMENT N. E. VOLUN- TEER CAVALRY.


Babcock, Jolın C. Caldwell, William H.


Chapman, Joshua


Coffin, John S.


Estabrook, George W.


Prentiss, Charles B.


Rand, David E. Sessions, Myron H. Shepard, John W. Thompson, George H. Thompson, Joseplı P.


FIRST REGIMENT N. II. VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.


Bickford, John W., Cr. Bradford, John, Cr. Burnes, James, Cr. Carter, James N. Clark, William, Cr.


521


CONCORD SOLDIERS IN THE CIVIL WAR.


Cressey, Willis E., Cr. Cross, Ezra, Cr. Daney, Thomas, Cr. Downing, James L., Cr. Driscoll, William, Cr. Estabrook, Aaron G.


Flint, Henry A.


Gardner, Freeman R., Cr. Greenley, Frank I., Cr.


Crowther, Robert


Dillon, James, Cr.


Coffin, John P.


Hutchins, Benjamin T.


Cushion, George H.


Johnson, Caleb L., Cr. Marshall, John, Cr. Merrill, Charles H., Cr. Monards, Jules, Cr.


Pearson, Henry


Perley, Walter, Cr.


Rankin, Oscar F.


Bean, Thomas P.


Sullivan, Morris


Ruiz, George, Cr.


Rutter, John, Cr.


Dow, George W.


Somerville, Arthur, Cr. Dow, William A. Drew, George W.


Walsh, Henry A., Cr.


Willoughby, Fred'k J., Cr. Scott, John


N. II. VOLUNTEER LIGIIT BATTERY.


SECOND COMPANY N. H. VOLUNTEER HEAVY AR- TILLERY.


Brassau, John


Hide, William, Cr.


Ham, Joseph E., Cr.


Morozoviez, Adelbert, Cr.


Stevens, Charles, Cr.


FIRST COMPANY N. H. VOL- UNTEER HEAVY ARTIL- LERY.


Floyd, Mark Hughes, Peter Lear, John L. Leavitt, George M. Merrill, John J. Mitchell, George A. Quimby, Hiram M.


Raymond, Stephen L., Cr. Carter, Hiram J.


Carter, Orin T.


Tilton, William


CHAPTER XV.


THE CITY OF CONCORD .- AFTER THE WAR .- IMPORTANT MEANS ADOPTED WHEREBY THE GENERAL ADVANTAGE OF THE COMMUNITY WAS SUBSERVED.


1865-1880.


Concord had reason to rejoice not only over the national result, but over an important local one, whereby its prestige and advantage as the capital of the state were maintained. It had saved the state house from removal to Manchester, though at an expense enhanced by the financial conditions of war. But this event has been fully treated in a special chapter, and requires here only passing mention. There was reason, also, to be thankful that the material progress of the city had not been seriously retarded by the war. Said Mayor Abbott, in his inaugural in 1866,-"Our city, while promptly fur- nishing her full proportion of men and money, has suffered financially but little, comparatively, from the ravages of war. The agricultural and manufacturing interests have received slight, if any, check ; and but for those who will never cease to mourn their friends fallen in battle, and but for our heavy taxation, we might, in looking over our thriving, prosperous city, with the new buildings being erected, and other indications of thrift, almost doubt that a terrific conflict had been raging in our borders."


Narration, in resuming the topics of peace, first names, for the sake of clearness, the mayors of the city and their dates of service, during the period of fifteen years, the events of which are now to be sketched. They were: John Abbott, 1866-'67; Lyman D. Stevens, 1868-'69 ; Abraham G. Jones, 1870-'71 ; John Kimball, 1872-'75; George A. Pillsbury, 1876-'77 ; Horace A. Brown, 1878-'80-serv- ing, by the change to the biennial system, two years and eight months.


It will be recollected that in 1862 the first steam fire engine-the "Gov. Hill "-was obtained for the fire department. Four years later, upon a proposition of the board of engineers and a recom- mendation of the mayor, the purchase of another-the " Kearsarge," -was ordered. This was accompanied by a reorganization of the department, with a reduction of its working force, and decrease in its expenditures ; leaving the citizens of the fire precinct-or com- pact part of the city-to rely upon the steamers and hydrants for


523


REORGANIZATION OF FIRE DEPARTMENT.


protection against fire. On the 16th of October, 1867, the ordi- nance of reorganization was passed. It provided that the fire department should consist of a chief engineer, seven (subsequently for some years, eight) assistant engineers ; with engine men, hose men, and hook-and-ladder men, to be divided into companies. The two steamers were to have twelve men each, including an engineer; the Eagle Hose company was to have twelve ; of the two Hydrant and Hose companies, Nos. 1 and 2, the first was to have twenty-four mien, the second, twelve; the Hook and Ladder company, twenty- four; of the engine companies outside the precinct, " Pioneer," in Ward 1, was to have not less than forty, nor more than fifty, men ; "Old Fort," in Ward 2, and "Cataract," in Ward 3, not less than twenty-five, nor more than thirty-five, each. Under this system the first board of engineers consisted of Abel B. Holt, chief ; John D. Teel, John M. Hill, Alonzo Downing, Joseph S. Merrill, Chandler Eastman, James Frye, and David A. Brown, assistants. The num- ber of men employed under the old ordinance was three hundred fifty-three ; and the amount of their pay, each man receiving twenty- five cents for an hour of service, was indefinite, being dependent upon the frequency of fires and alarms and their time of continuance. The slightest alarm frequently cost the city one hundred dollars. Under the new system the number of men became one hundred ninety-five, not varying much for years. Their compensation was a fixed annual sum not affected by length of service-an arrangement proving more economical than the old. After obtaining the second steamer, and under the ordinance of 1867, the hand companies in the precinet left the service, "sundering," as Chief Engineer Holt report- ed, " the pleasant ties cemented by an association of many years, with no expression of ill-feeling, but in a manner reflecting the highest credit upon themselves, personally, and upon their organizations."


After more than ten years' agitation as to locating and building a central fire station, one was so far completed as to be occupied on the 25th of November, 1875. On the 30th of May, 1874, a committee of the city council was appointed to purchase land adjoining the old No. 4 engine house on the north side of Warren street, between State and Green streets, where the steam fire engines had been kept for several years. The city council had appropriated ten thousand dol- lars, but the committee obtained, at a total cost of seven thousand seven hundred forty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents, the Warren street lot, comprising, with that of No. 4, other adjacent lots. It was about one hundred twenty-five feet in length on Warren street by ninety-eight and a half feet in width, with projection on the north- west corner for a tower twelve by nineteen and a half feet. After


524


HISTORY OF CONCORD.


some ineffectual opposition by citizens to the location, the city coun- cil, on the 3d of April, 1875, appropriated thirty thousand dollars for the erection of buildings for the Central Fire Station on the Warren street lot, and appointed Mayor John Kimball, James L. Mason, and Henry Churchill, as a building committee. Within seven months the station was ready for occupancy. The main building was sixty- two feet in length, fifty-two in width, and two stories in height, with a tower on the northwest corner twelve feet square and ninety feet high. A two-storied barn adjoined the east end, fifty-seven by thirty- six feet, with a one-storied shed at right angles southward, of dimen- sions twenty-six by forty-six feet. All the buildings were of brick, as were those of the "Alert " and "Good Will" hose companies recent- ly erected,-the former on Wash- ington street, and the latter on the corner of Cross (afterwards Con- cord) and State streets,-and all well adapted to the wants of the department. In 1880, during the administration of Mayor Brown, Central Fire Station. an important need, long felt, was supplied, when, at the expense of five thousand dollars, the Gamewell Fire Alarm apparatus was purchased and put in operation, whereby- at first, in its four districts with their twenty-one alarm boxes- - through the subtle electric touch, the location of fires was to be instantaneously and exactly indicated.


During the period now under review, the highways, streets, and bridges felt the touch of improvement. The repairs of highways necessarily became more and more exacting and expensive, till it was found that systematic and economical effort in that direction required the abolishing of old highway district lines and constituting the whole territory of the city one highway district, to be in charge of an officer known as commissioner of highways and elected annually by the city council. This was done in 1878, and Mayor Brown became, by elec- tion, the first commissioner.


Concrete pavement for sidewalks and street crossings was intro- duced in 1867, in the administration of Mayor Abbott; and the next year his successor, Mayor Stevens, recommended the macada- mizing of streets. Increasing amounts of concrete sidewalk were laid in 1868 and 1869 ; and Mayor Jones reported an unprecedented amount for each of the years 1870 and 1871. Mayor Brown reported


525


SEWERAGE.


five thousand seven hundred thirty square yards of concrete sidewalk laid in 1878 ; two thousand feet of edgestone set; thirteen hundred thirty-five square yards of granite pavement put down on Main street ; and fourteen hundred square yards of cobble paving laid in the gutters of various streets.1 In caring for the streets, the sprinkling of those most frequented was not neglected, and in 1873, after the introduc- tion of Long pond water, private subscriptions for street sprinkling, offset by expenditures for city teams, water, apparatus, and minor items, began to be annually reported by the superintendent of high- ways.


Bridges demanded large appropriations for repair and rebuilding. When the ice freshet of March, 1865, destroyed Horse Hill bridge on the Contoocook, and damaged more or less seriously the four bridges on the Merrimack, the first was rebuilt and the others repaired within a few months. When, in April, 1873, another freshet swept away Federal bridge, not only was a new bridge built, under the efficient agency of Mayor Kimball, within a year, but at the lib- eral expense of twenty-seven thousand dollars, the old structure of wood was replaced by one of iron-the first in Concord. In an earl- ier chapter, mention was made of the erection of the bridge over the Contoocook, at Fisherville, in 1823. This was succeeded by a new one in 1849, which remained in use about twenty-five years. The structure becoming somewhat the worse for wear and out of date, the city council, on the 31st of May, 1873, appropriated twelve thousand dollars for building another, and in October authorized Mayor Kim- ball to contract for a wrought iron bridge, which was completed on the 6th of November, 1874, at a cost of a little more than seventeen thousand dollars. The next day, the bridge was formally opened to use, by the city council, invited guests, and many citizens from the city and neighboring towns. It was to answer, to a good degree, for nearly twenty-five years, the purpose of its erection, but was finally to be superseded, in 1898, by a safer structure. About 1874, Sewall's Falls bridge was rebuilt for the second time, under an appropria- tion of fourteen thousand five hundred dollars.


The subject of Sewerage began in 1868 seriously to engage public thought. Mayor Lyman D. Stevens made the first official and practical recommendation upon this important matter. In that year he brought the subject of providing a proper system of removing the surplus water and refuse matter from that portion of the city com- prised within the limits of the gas precinct to the attention of the city council, and urged immediate action. At once, on the 6th of June, 1868, in approval of the mayor's views, suitable provision was made


1 Twenty-sixth Annual City Report, p. 28.


526


HISTORY OF CONCORD.


for a survey of the streets preliminary to the purpose of drainage. James A. Weston, of Manchester, a civil engineer, was put in charge of the survey. The engineer's report, accompanied by a plan embrac- ing the territory to be drained, and profiles of the streets, showing size and grade of sewers, was adopted by the city council, and printed for examination by citizens.


At the commencement of his second official year Mayor Stevens did not fail to call the immediate and most serious attention of the city council to the subject of sewerage. "There is," declared he, "no part of the administration of civil affairs more important to the welfare of the city or the health and comfort of its inhabitants. And yet no subject is approached through more neglect and opposi- tion than this. There is not a European or American city whose his- tory does not show that serious evils have resulted from the neglect to provide complete and systematic sewerage. . . The question


now presents itself, Shall this new system of sewerage be commenced? I say commenced, because our financial situation would not allow us to do more than to begin this great improvement, the present year." There was, outside the city council, considerable opposition to the movement, for popular ideas of sanitation were somewhat crude, and fears of expense were exaggerated. But the work was soon begun, and, during the year, there were laid nearly thirty-seven hundred feet of brick sewer, of larger or smaller dimensions, as parts of the main sewer from Merrimack river through Freight street to Main, thence up Main to Capitol street, and up Warren street to the brook or ditch between Green and Spring streets.1 The net cost of this work was nearly thirteen thousand one hundred dollars. Thus was started, in charge of Lyman R. Fellows, and under the engineering of Charles A. Lund, the work of a systematic, effectual drainage, with brick and cement to supersede the temporary, inefficient plank-ditching hitherto in use. For a short time after the introduction of sewerage, the at- tempt was made to exact an entrance fee, proportioned to the front- age of premises upon the sewer. But people naturally objected to being taxed for sewer construction, and then paying such a fee. Accordingly, the exaction was withdrawn. Years later, however, persons living along the line of a public sewer were required to drain their premises into it.




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.