Water-works. 265 



experience of many towns to guide us, and as material, labor, and money 

 can now be obtained at unusually low rates, we earnestly recommend the 

 adoption of such means as will with judicious economy carry on to com- 

 pletion the proposed water-works, thus furnishing three fourths of our 

 citizens with a constant flow of pure water, and be a means of protecting 

 our town from the devastating effects of fire and drought. 



The report was accepted, and the thanks of the town were ten- 

 dered to the committee for the able manner in which the duties 

 assigned them had been performed. 



Upon a vote being taken, the meeting refused to accept the 

 provisions of the act entitled " An Act to supply the town of 

 Hingham with pure water," — one hundred and thirty voting in 

 the affirmative, and one hundred and forty-one in the negative. 



A second meeting was called, October 3, 1876. At this meeting 

 the question was again decided in the negative, written ballots 

 and the check-list being used, with a result of one hundred and 

 forty-three yeas and one hundred and sixty-six nays. 



At the annual town meeting, March 5, 1877, action on the 

 same question was " indefinitely postponed." 



The question was twice submitted to the people in the year 

 1878, with the following results : on August 19, nays, two hundred 

 and eighty-five ; yeas, two hundred and forty-nine ; and on Sep- 

 tember 2, nays, three hundred and twenty-three ; yeas, one hun- 

 dred and eighty-two. 



This concluded the efforts of those interested to induce the 

 voters of the town to avail themselves of the privileges of an 

 act which would give them control of one of the finest sources 

 of water supply in the State, and which would have secured to 

 them, and their successors for .all time, an ample supply of pure 

 water. Subsequent events have proved the estimates of the engi- 

 neers, and the conclusions of those who advocated the scheme, to 

 be practically correct, and that the citizens of the town made a 

 mistake when they so persistently refused what experience has 

 shown to be a blessing. 



'a* 



The Hingham Water Company was incorporated by act of the 

 Legislature, approved March 21, 1879, the corporate members 

 being John D. Long, Samuel Downer, Charles B. Barnes, E. Waters 

 Burr, David Cushing, Junior, William J. Nelson, George P. Hay- 

 ward, Ebed L. Ripley, Starkes Whiton, Elijah Shute, Edmund 

 Hersey, and George Cushing. 



The act of incorporation gave the company the right to take 

 and hold the waters of Accord Pond and the waters which flow 

 into and from the same, with any water rights connected there- 

 with, to convey said waters into and through the town of Hing- 

 ham, or any part thereof, and to supply that part of Hull called 

 Nantasket and Nantasket Beach, whenever the voters of Hull 

 should accept the provisions of the act applicable to them. 



