Thursday, June 18, 2020

THE MOUNT DESERT BRIDGE CORPORATION

The following was taken from the hand written notes of Eben M. Hamor, which he complied a few years before his death.  A large amount of his notes appeared in the Bar Harbor Times over a two year period.

Orginal Stockholders of Mount Desert Bridge Corporation, A.D. 1836.

NAME                        # of shares Taken     AMT.

Edward Brewer                    four               $200
Edward Hamor                     two                 100
Joel Emery                          three               150
Eben L. Higgins                   two                  100
John Salisbury                     one                  50
Leonard J. and
Nicholas J. Thomas              one                  50
William Thompson               seven               350
John Haynes                        seven               350
Isaac Somes                         two                   100
Daniel Somes                        two                  100
Andrew Haynes                    one                    50
Nathan Salisbury                  one                    50
George B. Somes                  two                    100
William B. Stevens               one                    50
John Somes Jr.                    two                    100
Jacob Somes                        two                    100
Josiah Brewer                      two                     100
Richard Higgins                   two                     100
Andrew Petewrs                   two                     100
Thomas Robinson                one                      50
R. Long                                one                      50
Newell Adams                      one                      50
Samuel Dutton                     one                     50
John Black                          four                      200
Charles Jarvis                      one                      50
Richard Tinker                     one                     50
William Bennett                   two                     100
John M. Hale                       one                      50
C. Lowell                               one                     50
David Dyer                            one                     50
Charles Peters                      one                      50
James Whiting                      one                     50
Edward S. Jarvis                   one                     50
Joseph A. Wood                    one                      50
Henry S. Jones                     two                      100
Nathan Haynes                     one                      50
William Haynes                    one                       50
Seth Hopkins                        one                      50
John M. Noyes                     one                       50
Eben Harden                        two                       100
John Mcfarland                    one                        50
Isaac Hopkins                       one                       50
Benjamin S. Freeman            one                      50
Abraham Thomas                  one                       50
C. Thompson                         one                      50
Charles Branscom                  one                     50
David Hooper                        one                       50
Lewis Freeman                       one                      50
John Black Jr.                       one                       50
Henry Black                           one                      50
Willian H. Black                     one                      50
George N. Black                      one                     50
Thomas I. Lillie by
James Whiting                       one                     50
Alfred Hopkins                       one                     50
Asa Edwards                           one                     50
George Hathaway                   one                     50
Daniel Foster                         one                     50
Enoch Spurling by
Willaim Thompson                 three                   150
William Thompson                 seven                  350

Capitol Stock                                                  $5,000

Number of Stockholders in 1906                      21




The following was not part of Eben M. Hamors hand written notes, the following appeared in the Bar Harbor Times.



Bar Harbor Times
April 14, 1917

STATE OF MAINE

An Act To Establish the Mount Desert Bridge District for the Purpose of Acquiring, Freeing and Reconstruction the Mount Desert Toll Bridge in the Town of Trenton in Hancock County

Whereas the Mount Desert Toll Bridge which this act contemplates making a free bridge, is the only means of access by land to the large and populous island of Mount Desert, and
Whereas said bridge is in a dilapidated, weak and unsafe condition and wholly inadequate to accommodate the large summer traffic, and from reasons both os public safety and convenience the work of reconstruction should begin forthwith, and
Whereas by reason of the foregoing facts an emergency exists such as is immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety, now therefore
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Maine as follows,
Section 1.  The towns of Eden, Mount desert, Southwest Harbor, Tremont, and Trenton, in the county of Hancock, and the people within the same, shall constitute public municipal corporation under the name of the Mount Desert Bridge District, for the purpose of acquiring the Toll Bridge Co. extending across the narrows, so called, from the main land to Thompson Island all in the town of Trenton, or for the construction of a bridge in a new location across this narrows.
Section 2.  Said Bridge District is hereby empowered, if the trustees hereinafter provided for deem best, to purchase said existing bridge, and pay therefor a sum not exceeding five thousand dollars.
Section 3.  Said Mount Desert Bridge District shall have the right of eminent domain to take all land necessary for laying out a location for a new bridge, approaches and buildings for tools, draw tender and any other buildings necessary for use of said district, should the construction of a new bridge be deemed more expedient than the acquisition of the now existing bridge.
Section 4.  All the affairs of said bridge district shall be managed by a board of trustees composed of ten members, five chosen by Eden, two by Mount Desert, one by Southwest harbor, one by Tremont and one by Trenton;  said trustees may choose a treasurer, clerk, and such other officers and agents as they deem necessary for the proper management of the affairs of the district, and may establish a code of by-laws and all necessary rules and regulations for the proper conduct of the affairs of said district.
Section 5.  Said bridge district is hereby authorized and empowered to acquire by purchase or by the exercise of the right of eminent domain, which rights is hereby expressly delegated to said bridge district for said purpose, the toll bridge approaches and toll house, together with all franchises belonging to the same, owned by the Mount Desert Bridge company extending across the Narrows, so called, from the mainland to Thompson Island in the town of Trenton.  Said Mount Desert Bridge company is hereby authorized to sell and transfer all its franchises and property to said Mount Desert Bridge District.
Section 6.  For accomplishing the purposes of this act said bridge district, through its trustees, is authorized to borrow money temporarily and issue therefor the interest bearing negotiable notes of the district and for the purpose of refunding or paying said indebtedness, may from time to time issue negotiable bonds of the district to an amount necessary in the judgment of the trustees therefor;  said negotiable notes and bonds shall be legal obligations of the Bridge district which is hereby declared a quasi-municipal corporation within the meaning of the revised statues.
Section 7.  The property of said district shall be exempt from all taxation in the town or towns which said bridge district is located.
Section 8.  Said bridge shall be a free bridge.
Section 9.  All incidental powers, rights and privileges necessary to the accomplishment of the main object herein set forth are granted to the public municipal corporation hereby created.
Section 10.  Seven or more of said trustees shall have full power to act notwithstanding any vacancy in the board caused by failure of any town to choose a member thereof, or however otherwise caused.  In each year the trustees shall determine the amount required for interest and sinking fund and shall apportion said amount among the towns in the district in accordance with their respective valuations as fixed by the  board of state assessors.  On or before April first in each year the trustees shall certify the sum apportioned to each of said towns to the assessors thereof.  It shall be the duty of the assessors to include said sum in their commitment and each town shall be liable to pay said trustees its said proportion on or before august first.
Section 11.  The bridge shall be maintained as provided under chapter seventy-two of the private and special laws of nineteen hundred fifteen and in the same manner as though said bridge district had not been formed.
Section 12.  Chapter three hundred and nineteen of the public laws of nineteen hundred fifteen known as the "Bridge Law" shall apply to said bridge district in the same manner as it does to a town or city and said bridge district shall furnish fifty per cent of the cost of construction, the county thirty per cent and the state twenty per cent.
Section 13.  The board provided by section two of said chapter three hundred nineteen shall consist of said trustees together with the county commissioners for said county of Hancock, and the state highway commission..
Section 14.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this act shall take effect when approved.

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