History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

time numbered eighty -five. At the meeting ilay 4,
1871, it was voted to hold meetings quarterly, commencing
with May. At the meeting November 10,
1871, Alfred Oilman was chosen secretary and
treasurer in place of Z. E. Stone, resigned. As
evidence of the interest felt in the objects of the
Association, the number of members has increased
from eighty-five in 1869 to three hundred and
twenty-four in 1879.^ The meetings have been
well attended, and four numbers of the Contribit-
tioHS have been printed, containing historical mat-
ter of great interest.
February 20, 1869, the question in regard to a
supply of pure water was again agitated. An esti-
mate, by the engineer, gave the cost at S 740,000.
J. B. Francis in a pamphlet discussed the matter,
and gave, as his opinion, that the cost would
amount to $2,000,000. February 23, the vote
was in favor of the introduction of water; yeas
1,866, nays 1,418.
The council sanctioned the natural-filter plan,
and authorized the commissioners to sink test- wells.
This was done, and proved so satisfactory that the
water-works were constructed accordingly. They
were completed in 1873; in 1879 the whole cost,
including everything, was §2,682,493.01, from
which deduct the income, S 566,322.88, leaving net
cost, $2,116,107.13.
Lowell is provided with the only complete system
in the country for obtaining pure water by
natural filtration. Subsequent eH'orts to increase
the quantity by artificial filtration are liable to tlie
criticism that an extension of the gallery would
have effected the same result.
May 26, 1869, the Lowell Hosiery Company
was incorporated with a capital stock limited to
$200,000. The company started with $100,000,
which was increased to $175,000. January 15,
1872, the charter was granted to William F. Salmon,
Thomas Nesmith, Hocum Hosford, and their asso-
ciates and successors.
June, 1870, the Thorndike Manufacturing Com-
pany commenced operations on Thorndike Street,
extending back to Hale's Brook. The mill is of
wood, three stories high, with a flat roof. The
specialty of this company is the manufacture of
suspenders. A. C. Russell is superintendent, D. C.
G. Field, treasurer.
July 31, 1870, Colonel Thomas Nesmith died.
In his will he gave $25,000, to be held in trust,
the income to be expended for the benefit of the
1 Since the organization aeventy-seven members have died.
LOWELL. 97
poor in the city of Lowell; $3,000 to the towni of
Windham, New Hampsliire, for the purchase of a
library ; and § 1,000 to be lield in trust, the income
to be expended for the benefit of the Sabbath school
of High Street Church.
March 14, 1871, the city council appropriated
•$15,000 to establish a fire-alarm telegraph; and
voted to rebuild Pawtucket Bridge.
ized.
April 11, the Central Savings Bank was organ-
This year the heirs of Zadock Rogers offered the
city thirty acres of land, on Fort Hill, as a gift.
August 22, the cars commenced running on the
Lowell and Framingham Railroad.
The first case of small-pox appeared February 8,
and gradually spread throughout the city until
September, when the measures taken to check its
spread were so inadequate that great dissatisfaction
was manifested. The old board of health resigned,
and a new one was elected, with a board of con-
sulting physicians. Measures were promptly taken
to check the ravages of the epidemic, which were
successful. The whole number of cases was 570,
of deaths 172.
November 25, the new iron bridge across the
Merrimack River, at Pawtucket Falls, was com-
pleted.
A new bridge was completed at Tyngsborough,
and the cost assessed by the county commissioners
as follows : ^liddlesex County thirty-eight, Tyngs-
borough forty, Lowell sixteen, Dunstable three,
and Chelmsford three per cent of the amount.
May 6, John W. Tilton found a skeleton two
feet below the surface in excavating on the high
land at the corner of Central and Whipple streets.
It is supposed to be that of an Indian. In March,
1874, another was found in Belvidere, while excavating
on the line of the Lowell and Andover
Railroad.
Lowell, in 1873, received a large accession of
territory. That portion of Chelmsford called Mid-
dlesex Village was annexed, with an area of one
thousand acres, estimated to contain fifty-five fami-
lies, two hundred and sixteen inhabitants, and fortyseven
voters. The valuation was $200,000. One
thousand acres were annexed from Dracut, and
six hundred and sixty acres from Tewksbury.
December 1, 1874, the new railroad to Boston
via Andover ruu its first passenger train.
March 1, 1876, the celebration of the semi-cen-
tennial of the incorporation of the town of Lowell
occurred.