USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Morristown > History of Morristown, Vermont > Part 23
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The next real improvement in the water supply took place in 1919, when it was found that the water in the Bugbee spring was only about twenty feet higher than the water in the little reservoir, so it was decided to dis- continue the old line over the hill through the Woodward pasture and run it down through the "Dugway" and in on Park Street. This was done and the little reservoir dis- continued. In 1921 the old pump in Slayton's store was also discontinued, and a new pump of 350 gallons per min-
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
ute capacity installed in a specially built fire-proof room under the town hall so that the water could be pumped directly from the Bugbee line into the reservoir line at their intersection at Park and Main Streets. The motor on the pump was driven through an electric line crossing Main Street at the town hall and operated at 2,300 volts, thereby eliminating the use of transformers for stepping the voltage down and the possibility of transformer damage through lightning. In 1924 a duplicate pump of 450 gal- lons per minute was installed in the pump room and as a further protection the old electric line across the street was discontinued and a new underground line run under the street so that today we have a pumping station which is fire proof, has duplicate pumping equipment to guard against failure of one pump and a source of power for the motors that is as dependable as it is possible to obtain.
There are a number of customers in the village who still take water from the old reservoir line which gets its supply directly from the Bugbee spring without going through the pumps, but in recent years a large number of these customers have changed their connections onto the new high pressure line, thus insuring better service.
The water system at this time comprises seven springs on the Elmore Road near district school No. 6, which empty directly into the reservoir on the farm occupied by Mrs. Pope. From the reservoir a twelve-inch pipe leads down into Main Street about one-half mile into the mains of the water system and from there the water is distributed all over the village. At the town hall, as explained above, the water from the Bugbee springs enters the reservoir line through the pumps which are kept in operation at all times. Under this arrangement the reservoir is kept nearly full all of the time as the water furnished to the mains is largely taken from the pumps, and water is taken from the reservoir only when the demand exceeds the capacity of the pumps. In this way adequate water for fire protection is assured at all times.
A few statistics will not come amiss at this time. The water system to 1929 represented an investment of $64,826.22, all of which is paid for, and the department is. entirely out of debt. In recent years the department has shown a yearly profit of approximately $4,500, which has been used by the trustees to purchase fire fighting equip- ment and for maintenance of streets.
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
There are fifty-three hydrants connected with the high pressure line for fire protection, with a pressure varying from forty to 100 pounds per square inch, depending upon the location. There are also two hydrants connected with the Bugbee line which are used for street sprinkling service only. There are approximately 600 residences taking water from the water system, all operating under a flat rate. There are twenty industrial plants and creameries taking water through meters.
Owing to the number of flat rate services, the income from one year to another is practically constant, the only variation being caused by the differences in amount of water used by the industrial plants.
THE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT
The history of the electric department is more color- ful than that of the water department, owing to the many improvements which have been made in electricity in the last thirty-five years. Electricity first became a commer- cial possibility when George Westinghouse, founder of the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co., introduced in 1885 machinery which could generate and utilize alter- nating current; whereas previous to that time direct cur- rent only had been used with the attendant prohibitive cost of distribution. Another factor contributing to the commercial use of electricity was the invention of the in- candescent lamp by Thomas A. Edison in 1879.
Thus it will be seen that in 1894 the electrical industry had not reached any great degree of perfection when the people of Morrisville began to talk about electric lighting for the streets, oil lamps being in use at that time. Interest was aroused to such an extent that a committee was appointed, consisting of G. M. Powers, G. W. Doty and C. H. Slocum, to investigate the situation and make a report. Their report was evidently favorable, as H. P. Munson and H. A. Slayton were added to the committee to install and operate an electric plant. To that end the village voted to bond for $45,000 to take care of the expense of the development and a contract was awarded to Almon & Sargent of Boston to build the first electric plant. Work was started on the project in September, 1894, and on May 15, 1895, the plant was placed in operation. The power house was located at Cadys Falls, the north portion
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252
HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
of the present station being the original power house. The dam was located only a few rods upstream from the power house and was connected with it by a penstock lead- ing to the water wheels, or water motor, as it was called.
There were two generators installed in the power house connected with the water wheels by a complicated system of line shafting, clutches, and belts. One of these generators was used to furnish power for the domestic lighting and the other for the street lighting system. The domestic lighting generator had a capacity of 1,050 in- candescent lamps, or, in other words, had a capacity of about eighty horsepower, which was then considered ample for all time to come. The street lighting generator had a capacity of thirty arc lamps, which furnished power for twenty-one street lights in the village. The switch- board was made of oak, there being two vertical mem- bers to which slats were attached crossways to which were hung the various switches and instruments. At that time, as there were no electric motors in operation in Mor- risville, it was the custom to start the plant just before dark and run until morning if there was sufficient water to last through the night. There were occasions when there was not enough water to last all night, so that the plant would be forced to shut down and the village left in darkness. However, in those days people were accus- tomed to such service and were perfectly satisfied. Only one man was required in the operation of the entire system as he could trim the arc lights and repair trouble during the day and in the evening run the plant. At that time it was not an uncommon occurrence for a customer to have only one light in the house, this being on a long extension cord so that it could be carried from one room to another.
The following item taken from the Village Report of 1897 shows that the electric plant was quite successful: "Our electric plant has run very smoothly with no serious breakdowns during the year, showing efficiency as well as good luck."
By 1901 so many additions had been made to the sys- tem that it became necessary to install a new generator of double capacity in place of the old one for domestic light- ing, and, as before, this generator was then considered adequate for all time to come, but within five years it was again overloaded so it was decided to build a large con- crete dam about one-fourth mile upstream and form what
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
is now Lake Lamoille, so a contract was awarded to Doug- lass & Varnum for this construction and the work was completed in 1907. Also at this time a new generator of 350 horsepower capacity was installed and the generator purchased in 1901 discarded. The new generator was the very latest type and furnished three phase sixty cycle current in place of the old two phase current which had been previously supplied.
Also by this time several customers had begun to use electricity for power purposes so the plant was kept in continuous operation.
The report of 1908 shows that $3,425.79 was received for lighting service and $614.05 for power.
At this time there was in operation in Stowe the Mt. Mansfield Electric Railroad, which had its own steam power plant between Stowe and Waterbury, but evidently the cost of generating power was excessive, as they began to talk of buying power from some other source. Also at this time the village of Stowe began to think of public improvements and naturally electricity was one of the first things mentioned, so it immediately began negotiation for securing power. Finally arrangements were made whereby Morrisville would furnish power for Stowe and the railroad, and a line was built and suitable transformers installed in 1910, and again our plant was taxed to its capacity.
With the ever increasing load it was soon evident that something must be done to increase capacity, so in 1913 the plant was enlarged to its present size, a surge tank erected, and a 1,000 horsepower wheel and generator in- stalled, giving the plant a total capacity of 1,350 horse- power.
For the next six years no great improvements were made except for the natural growth of the system, owing to the war which made any material change excessive in cost.
In 1920 the American Mineral Co. of Johnson was in the market for power and appealed to Morrisville to fur- nish it and after due deliberation a line was built connect- ing with the mine and mill of this company and also giving the village of Johnson emergency service in the event of breakdown. Naturally, this, coupled with the normal growth of the system, made it necessary to add to the capacity of the plant, but owing to the high prices no large
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
development could be made, so the Slayton grist mill power with its seventy-five horsepower generator was purchased, and a small plant of 250 horsepower capacity erected on the site of the old pulp mill to help out until prices were lower so that a large development could be made at that point.
In 1922, in order to obtain a greater water storage, the water rights to Elmore Lake were purchased and also during the year a line was built to connect with the Hard- wick plant at Wolcott providing for an exchange of power and conservation of the water supply.
By 1924, prices were down to normal so a contract was awarded to J. M. Swan & Son of St. Johnsbury to build a concrete dam and power house capable of developing 2,500 horsepower. Work on this project was started in May, 1924, and the small unit was placed in operation January 10, 1925. This plant automatically did away with the grist mill power and pulp mill power, but gave the system a total capacity of 3,850 horsepower, which is the capacity of the system today.
In 1926, in order to make the system more efficient, an outdoor sub-station was erected on the grounds of the new station and a large bank of transformers installed to take care of the outside villages. This work was not much more than completed when the flood of 1927 descended and carried away the sub-station, and did considerable damage to the two electric plants. Through desperate effort, the Morrisville plant was again started only two days after the flood and the Cadys Falls plant placed in operation in about a month.
In spite of its crippled condition, the plants put out more power immediately following the flood than ever before, thus making the income for the year larger than it had previously been.
In 1928 a group of influential business men in Water- ville formed a corporation, built a line to Johnson connect- ing with the Morrisville system and installed lights throughout the village, and have entered into a contract with Morrisville to furnish them with power. Also, dur- ing the latter part of 1928 a contract was made between the Green Mountain Power Corporation, operating plants in Hardwick, Marshfield, Danville, Montpelier, Bolton, Bur- lington, and Vergennes, and the village of Morrisville whereby the Green Mountain Power Corporation agreed to
HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
255
take $550 per month of prime power at a primary rate and as much more as the village could furnish at a secondary rate. Accordingly a line was built to Green River to con- nect with this company and to date this has made a very satisfactory arrangement, as the power sold to this con- cern is generated from water that would otherwise run over the dam and be wasted.
The sub-station which was carried away by the flood has been replaced and three transformers of double the capacity of those in the former station installed:
A few figures are here given to show the progress which the electric system has made.
The gross income by decades is as follows: 1899, $3,574.32; 1909, $8,755.42; 1919, $23,170.89; 1928, $75,549.09; 1934, $83,970.41.
The capacity of the plants by decades: 1899, eighty horsepower; 1909, 350 horsepower; 1919, 1,350 horse- power; 1928, 3,850 horsepower.
The village has now a demand of approximately 1,600 horsepower during the day and 500 horsepower during the night, as compared with no load during the day and 100 horsepower during the night in 1898. This demand in- cludes only what the village is obliged to furnish and not what they do furnish when selling power to the Green Mountain Power Corporation.
The village now serves the following regular custom- ers : Village of Stowe, Village of Elmore, Morristown Corners, Cadys Falls, Waterville, and the Eastern Magnesia Talc Co., besides its own domestic and rural customers. It furnishes emergency power to the Villages of Hyde Park and Johnson, and is connected for mutual benefit with the Village of Hardwick, and the Green Mountain Power Corporation.
An idea of the progress made in the two departments can be gained from what has been written about them and the success of them is due in large part to the public spirit which has prevailed among the men who have served as Water and Light Commissioners. During the nearly forty years of its existence, the commissioners have not received any remuneration whatever for their services, but have given freely of their time and advice.
Other factors contributing to the success of the enter- prise are the fact that a municipal plant is exempt from taxation, can borrow money at low interest rates, and has
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
no large salaries. All bills are a lien on the property and collectable the same as taxes, so there are no lost accounts.
One of the advantages which has come from the municipal lighting system has been the cement streets which the village enjoys. In 1929 it was voted to adopt a plan of permanent road construction to cover Copley Ave- nue, Main Street from Maple Street to its foot, Portland Street, Bridge Street, Park Street and Congress Street to Union Street. The roadways, curbings, gutters, and side- walks were to be of cement, constructed according to plans prepared by competent engineers, and all the expenses for the same were to be met from the profits of the Water and Light Departments.
In accordance with this vote Copley Avenue was com- pleted in the fall of 1929, a thirty-two foot roadway being constructed with grass plots and sidewalks on either side. In 1930 a forty-foot road was laid on Portland and Bridge Streets, and in 1931 a fifty-foot road was laid on lower Main Street and a forty-foot one on upper Main Street to the foot of Academy Park. Cement was also placed on Park Street, with grass plots on either side, thus giving a beautiful entrance to the village from the east.
In connection with this work the sewers were relaid as the ones originally installed were now inadequate and the water pipes, where the cement was used, had to be replaced by more permanent ones of copper. All of this work entailed an outlay of more than $172,000, which would never have been met by taxation, but is one of the fruits of the foresight of the citizens of yesterday.
At the annual village meeting of 1933 a resolution was passed setting aside $15,000 from the profits of the Water and Light Department to be represented by a promissory note bearing interest at five percent for the benefit of the Copley Hospital. The note was paid the year following and became a part of the permanent endowment. Thus once more this department acted the part of the fairy god- mother to one of the worthwhile institutions of the town.
At the annual village meeting in 1934 it was voted not to levy a village tax that year, but to meet the current expenses from this department, thus helping to relieve the tax situation which was acute because of the business depression.
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Another step taken soon after the village was incor- porated was that of increasing the fire protection. Up to that time the water supply had been inadequate and the equipment, although as good probably as most small towns enjoyed, consisted of a hand cart and a hook and ladder team. The installation of the village water system marked a distinct advance, for hydrants were located at different points. In 1897 there were thirty-three such, with pressure sufficient to drench the highest points. As the village grew this number was increased until at present there are more than fifty.
In 1900 the fire department was reorganized under the direction of George W. Doty, chief engineer, and since then its chief engineer and two assistants have been elected by the village and its members by the company. Weekly practice meetings are held during the summer months and in the winter they meet monthly. The department in- cludes twenty-five men. In 1924 a new Maxim combina- tion pump and fire engine was bought from the profits of the Water and Light Department and this, together with added hose and the hook and ladder equipment, gives adequate protection.
The first fire alarm was the ringing of the Universalist bell, and for years the key to that church hung on the out- side of the building to permit entrance for the purpose of ringing the alarm. In 1910 it was decided to make the tannery whistle, a particularly sonorous one which was audible for a long distance, the official alarm. This served until 1922, when a new siren, also purchased by the Water and Light Department, was installed on the engine house and the village was divided into districts with different signals for each.
Among the men who have been long and honorably connected with the department are C. W. Fitch, Horatio Cram, George W. Doty, E. W. Webster, E. M. Davis, A. J. Smith, W. H. Towne, and J. S. Bannister, who have served as chief engineers or assistants. In addition to these men many others have given freely of their time and strength and deserve praise for their public service.
The most serious fires in the history of the village have been the burning of the Universalist Church with
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
an adjacent dwelling in 1852, the Morrisville House in 1879, the Vermont House in 1893, and The Lamoille House in 1909. The fact that these fires did not spread is due in large part to the efficiency of the fire company. Its fire protection is one of the great assets of the village as a place of residence or of business.
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CHAPTER XVII
INDUSTRIES IN MORRISTOWN
A GLANCE at the industrial life of this country town in the early part of the nineteenth century reveals an amazingly independent, self-supporting community. The various enterprises were small, but ample to meet the needs of the citizens which was all they thought of doing. They were concerned only with a local market.
If a settler wished to build a house, the mill of a neigh- bor prepared lumber in case he didn't use logs; if he pre- ferred brick, a local brickyard could supply that material from the clay which prevailed in and near the Corners. Tanneries which were established early in the history of the town provided leather for the shoe and harness maker. A carding and woolen mill furnished heavy cloth for the busy housewife whose dye came from the butternut tree
and sumac bush. Grist mills ground the corn and wheat raised by every farmer whose meat was grown on his premises, and his sugar came from the abundant maples. Cabinet makers could shape furniture from woods as beautiful as grew anywhere, while the cooper fashioned pails, tubs, and such utensils from the timber at hand. The affairs of the world outside the circle of their lives were a matter of interest, but not of vital concern. A war in Europe or a decline in the stock market, had there been such, would not have affected the fortunes of any one here.
Mention has been made of many of the early indus- tries in connection with the development of different sec- tions of the town and the enumeration of the principal ones is made here to show their diversification in regard to both character and location.
The first saw mill was erected by John Safford at Morrisville, but not many years later Luther Bingham had built a saw mill and starch factory in the southern part of the town near the Stowe line on the Shaw or Mill Brook, Nathan Gates was operating a saw mill at Cadys Falls, Samuel Rood at the Corners, and Jacob Walker on Cook's Brook. £ Potashes on Potash Brook and near the Corners supplied pearlash.
The Saffords at Morrisville and Nathan Gates at the Falls were running grist mills; tanneries were established by Ebenezer Shaw on the Plains, by Calvin Burnett at Mor-
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
risville and Walter White on the brook above the Corners, while later in the 60's George Eddy was manufacturing leather at Cadys Falls; starch factories both at the Falls and at the Corners flourished and disposed of the surplus potato crop. In fact, the abundant water power in all parts of the town was early utilized to produce a variety of products.
In the half century following the Civil War, which may be called the middle period, one notes some changes that indicate the passing of the old order. Better means of communication with the outside world had made pos- sible the bringing in of many of the necessities of life more cheaply than they could be produced locally.
The following account taken from the 1869 daybook of M. C. Mower, who kept a general store at Morristown Corners, shows that the modern department store does not offer a much greater variety of goods than did the old general store. It also makes an interesting record of the prices then prevailing and of the needs of the average family of the period :
MOSES WOOD
1 bbl. flour
$9.50
1/2 lb. tea
55
1 lb. soda
08
1 plug tobacco
56
2 qts. oil
20
1 lb. candles
15
1 spool thread
04
2 lbs. nails
14
1/4 lb. snuff
22
1 oz. indigo
15
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2 30 wgt. tubs
60
1
lamp chimney
10
1 bottle linament
25
1 paper navy clippings
11
1/4 lb. pepper
10
matches
06
1 scythe and two rakes
1.95
2 doz. crackers
16
2 lbs. loaf sugar
30
1 rake
25
1 50 wgt. tub
50
8 sticks candy
08
1 lamp wick
01
1 box pills
25
1 hammer
12
£
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HISTORY OF MORRISTOWN
The candles, snuff and indigo speak of bygone days and some of the other articles would find little market there today.
A page from the daybook of Curtis Mower, shoemaker at the Corners at this time, shows that the boot and shoe problem, even with a family of growing children, was not a serious one :
A. B. TINKER, Dr.
Mar. 13 To mending 1 pr. boots .17
Mar. 26
To taping and caping 1 pr. boots 34
Mar. 27 To mending 1 boot 17
Apr. 12 To mending Albert's boot 06
Apr. 19 To mending boy's boot
13
May 30 To taping 1 shoe
17
May 31 To mending 1 shoe 20
Je. 20 To mending boy's shoe 17
Jy. 18 To mending 1 shoe
17
Aug. 17 To taping and heeling 1 pr. boots
50
Sept. 23 To taping 1 pr. boots
50
Nov. 29 To mending 1 pr. boots 58
Dec. 14 To mending boy's boots 17
We hear no more of the potash and except for one subsequent attempt to manufacture brick for a short time on the Ryder farm, they are imported, while some of the smaller mills have disappeared. Little manufacturing is found at the Corners. A clothes rack factory did busi- ness for a time and the starch factory, situated on the brook not far from the schoolhouse, was run by W. S. Cheney until carried away by high water, after which it was not rebuilt.
Cadys Falls still keeps its cluster of mills, grist mill, chair stock and fulling, carding, and dressing mill. In the southern part of the town in the 80's by far the most important industry is the clapboard mill established by James J. Billings on the Shaw Brook, while farther north near the base of Sterling Mountain W. W. Peck's steam saw mill is doing a thriving business.
At Morrisville, three-quarters of a century after the wheels of the first mill were set in motion, the Saffords were still running a grist mill and turning out chair stock, house furnishing stock, etc., and above them Clark & Daniels were manufacturing sugar and butter tubs. George Elmore for some time met more than local needs for wagons, carriages, and sleighs.
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