CIHM Microfiche Series (Monographs) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian d« microreproductions historiq ues rf^lQQA I ao A'b'^ V STATEMENT. As every citizen moat feel interested in the City Hall CTocfc Just placed ,n position, I consider that it is due to the Hate- payers of J^ redericton to lay before them a full statement of the whole affair from the commencement, in order that there •ball be no misunderstanding, as regards the Proposition made by myself, ,ts acceptance by the City Council, the ex- penses. and the plan for paying off" the debt. My re-election to the ofece of Mayor having failed in January last, my powers and authority ceased, in the way of being enabled to continue in the work, until I could have pkced the debt npon a solid or feasible financial basis, with a view of its being conveniently liquidated at an early day, through special nstrumentahties which I had in view. Nevertheless, there 18 no diflicuity whatever in others completing what I have undertaken. It only requires a moderate amount of enthu- Biasra and management in the way indicated in the Propo- «tion made to the Council in April, 1877. Salaries, Concerts. Tea Meetings, Lectures, I calculated upon to furnish some ot the sources of supply for paying off the debt. There is however, even if there be nothing else, a recognized provision' " ot »250 in the way of salaries, not only to meet the annual interest, but to leave quite a margin towards a sinking fund. BO that the debt is certainly placed beyond any doubtful con- tingency, or the interference of the Assessors, and therefore need form no part of the ordinary taxation of the City The work having been commenced in good faith, it will, no doubt be so continued, and the whole liability swept off in thi course of two or three years from this, I have the honor to be Yours, &c. Fredericton,June,im. ^. E. FENETY. < K ' Propuaition to the City ronncil for obtalnlnir a C'lufk. On the Srd of April, 1877, at a full meeting, I laid before tbe Lit3' Council the following, in writing :— I suppose it will scarcely be denied that when the last C,ty Council departed from the original plan o? the CU. Hull, by subsequently providing a Clock Tower it was con. fiidered that a Clock /or the Cit/was an absolute VeqSteor no such large additional expens'e would have beenTncirr'ed It th.refore seems to me to be a duty ent^iilod, and incumbont upon he present Council, to carry out to its f" lesrextent ^.e object contemplated provided there is a way of doin "it without embarrassing the revenues of the City, and "hus putting Che fanishing touch to a structure which^L not onlv ornamental but creditable to Fredericton. ^ During ray term of office my ambition is to see this work done. I have, therefore, been busily engaged for soraeTme back ,n corresponding with leading Clockmakers in ErL S and the United States, also with bill founders.-^for theVare two distinct branches of b«sine8s,-in order to arrive at as correct an estimate as it is possible to make with regard to the cost and attendant expeuses. A hell fr..m the United States, weighuig 1500 lbs, would cost about «560 o be used for a tire alarm as well as to strike the hours. A clock made in London by the makers of the clocks in the Imperial pCses of Parlmnrient, that will not vary a second in a month with clTiltt Thf a'' '*"•' ^^'" i"'*^"' '" Fredericton, ;ou 5 cost »l,3]2. The American clock, such as would be required would cost $1,535 but a clock from there couTbeZ ?.t^ a sum far beneath this-in fact, clocks may be bad a any price. But my desire is to obtain an article equal to the hZ that 18 used in London, and though the cost mVapp- larle at the outset rt will prove in the end to bethf - S The details of these calculations will be submitted for nVes tigation. I propose to have but three dial plates-the one fronting the river I would omit, although provision m Sht be made for it, in case of being required at aSy futTre tTme If any one living on the othe^side of the river feels interested ml^in Sis work.'^' ^""""'' ^' '^^"'"'''^ *° ^^-^Perate with The total cost forelock and bell, when placed in position Horn '"w/'h" «?'PT"^.Pf\'^' ^"'"'^ ^UimJ'TZy if^,WO). We have in hand (the nrocepds nf th^ ihn • thtTmLt^il Llcilt .t:;''-"-"'A?™» - -1^ V/ •r as BOOB as the Articles are made; but there need b« n* ii|'l>rphpnpinii in rogiird to ohtintiinjj: ii lonn, tin I will liolfj Divrtflt ri'H|ii'iiniliK' Tiir thiit piirt ot the Jtijsnicss. A Imin 1» (II, t' tliihif, hciwcxtT, im«l ihf rin'iiiirt of pii.yin^ it i>ii'. tin well HH tilt' ihttTtft, i^ iinnfliiT; ill tiiet, ever) thin j; liinjjert u|miii the liitti'f }>ro|pi'sitinn. Tlif iicntil tnetlinti dK ent; unless they have a better method of raising the money, or other source of incotue, to pay it off; for the debt and assesi- ment caunot b'^ repudiated or set aside. And in answer to the BecoDd queBtion, viz i is it good taste in tne to ask the 4 v/ Council to abolish the salary because I mTPsIf am vrilliniBf H servo as Mayor, like an Aldorman, without componsHiion ? I wiiiiicl ruiiiurk that, an I know no ptirrtun looking in the direction (tt thot'ivic (Jhair — althdiiijh. of courdo, there will be Cundi «\P«"«««' ^^^y would cost here «128 each The advantage .d l.avn.g the dials of cunper is, that th„v c^.n be n.ude concave, which allows the p. J If the minute ha d I nr ine nour ha nd. ihis could not, of course, bo done with B ate or wood dials, which being necessarilv flat th« oi.T, ^ the hand would stand further out from u . I;l ' v"^ parallax would therefore be increased '''"' ""'^ '^" "I would also mention that the hands of the Amnr!no« Clocks were made of wood, but the EngHsh hanlrbl n^ •' f Ztr '""T' !"^'«' ^''"'•^ ^' better^and more durable^ 'I therefore beg to say, that in consideration of the for!' jroing crcumstatices, I am of opinion that the Cit^ Hall" Clock had better be ordered of Messrs. Qillet & Bl,„ 7 ™ :::a:Si^o-;;,;^S:'^r^r-'«'"^ ^ ^.^^ori^^nra^:^^^ Beils rung, and found their lone and other qu'ut;;! ve^V / superior ; and there can be no question that should the City Hall Bell be ordered from them it will prove perfectly satia- fttctory. " I am truly yours, &c. JAMES WHITE." After this Report wns read and ad 'pted, the following Resolutions were offered : — Movt'd by Alderman Beek, seconded by Alderman Sim- mons, and adopted : — Besolved, That His Worship the Mayor be authorized to borrow on the security of the City, a sum of money, not ex- ceeding dollars, for the purpose of purchasing and placing in the Tower of the City tiall a Clock and Bell. Moved by Aldera>an Beek, seconded by Alderman Sim- mons, and adopted : — Mesolved, That the blank in the aforegoing Resolution be filled with the sum of $2,000. Alderman Beek moved the following Resolutions, which were seconded by Alderman Simmons, and adopted : — Whereas a loan has been authorized to be contracted on the credit of the (-ity, fur a sum not exceeding $2,000, for the purpose of purchasing and placing a Clock and Bell in the Tow'^r of the City Hall ; and Whereas His Worship the Mayor has generously offered by his statement in writing, to allow his salary as Mayor to be appropriated towards the payment of the said loan, and it is in the opinion of this Council prudent to appropriate the sum paid as salary to the Mayor hereafter to the liquida- tion of the said loan ; therefore JResolved, That the sum of $200, the amount of the Mayor's salary for the current year, be applied towards the payment of the said loan ; and further Besolved, That in the opinion of this Council, it is advisa- ble that the Mayor shall in future serve without salary, and that the sum of $200, which has heretofore been paid to the Mayor v^ salary, should be applied to the liquidation of the said loan, until the same is fully paid off. Moved by Alderman Beek, seconded and adopted — Besolved, That His Worship the Mayor shall, with the view of carrying out his proposed plan for purchasing and placing a Clock and Bell in the Tower of the City Hall, as soon as practicable, be appointed to attend to the same, and when all the work is completed to submit to the Council an Account with Vouchers for the expenditure; and further Besolved, That the Clock and Bell be furnished with not less than three dials, but may be provided with four. r The llevlsor* surrender (heir Nularies. At the same meeting the Revisors (Aldermen Dykeman, Beek, Neville, Estey, and Moore,) very generously proposed \ 9 to surrender their salnriea likewise, viz: $10 each $50 iu' all— as will be seen by the following Resolutions : Moverl by Alderman Beek, seconded by Aidernian Dyke- man, and adopted : — Whereiis the Hevisors for the present year having tendered theiimunht to which tfiey are entitled, being tifiy dollHPS, towards liqnidntion of the Loan to l)e contracted for the piir- cliHse of a VAo'ik and licU to be placed in the Tower of the City IIhII ; ♦herefore Resolved, That the same be accepted ; and that in the opinion of the City Council the amount to be paid the lie- visora in future should be applied in the same way. Acting upon the best information I could obtain, as well as the suggestions of Mr. White, and considering the style of the article required as well as the cost, I thought it best to send to London for the Clock, even should it exceed the estimate in cost, and to order it of one of the first, if not the very tirst makers, the work as it progressed to be supervised by Sir Edmund Beckett, a man ot the highest scientific at- tainments in such matters, and in some way connected with the Greenwich Observatory. [I may remark here tL. .he Bell was ordered from Boston, and placed in the Tower in the month of June, 1877.] In reply to my order for the Clock, I received the follow- ing:— "Steam Clock Factory, London, 8. E., _ June 6(h, 1877. " Drar Sir,— " We are in receipt of your esteemed order for the Turret Clock, as per our estimate of April 27, 1877. ^£205 10s. Od., and as described in our letter of March 6. 1877, sent to Sir Edmund Beckett, for which we are much obliged. The Clock will be made strictly according to Sir E. Beckett's in- structions, and we will put it in hand at once, and let you have it as soon as possible. You may fully rely upon our making such a Clock as will not fail to be a credit to us and j;ive entire satisfaction. Our terms for all shipping transac- tions are net cash, and payment to be made in London on presentation of Bills of Lading, so that you would have to give your Banker in London instructions to pay us (m pre- sentation of nnr Account and Bills of Lading. Please let us know whether yon have yonr own Shifiping Agents in London, or whether we are to do the shipping and pay insu- rance and all Dock charges, and charge these items in our Account with the cost of packing and packing cases, which was not included in our Account. If so, you will have to 10 give the Bankers instruction to pay these Arfra. above onr estimate of £205 lOs Od '' *°^ •' We remain yours most respocrfullj, n V 1, tilLLETT & BLAND , 0. E. F«K„r, Esq.. Frederlcton. N. B., Canada." ^'^AT^D. An observation is reoiiirflfl hoi.^ t months from date of rece pt of ol ^'?,'? '" «*""' ^•^''^e that time. Instead of thi< the ri™.l, ,„ ... Liverpool m,til the 20th ..fVi, " ""' ""PP""' «« «,„„ J ' M''i'«h. so: math l,rw,r thai, ih. time agreed upon-w that the word "aS„„," l"' ,""' "'<' aiderable pla, i„ ,he tra,«.eti„", and h .h„„,d be ' -"h" guarded agaiuat in anj. future uedert.ki.Tn?,h '^ It is no. my intention or deBtr^to d»e| ° ' „ 1^ '"''"'""' exeaae. given for .he d.la, b^M^afrGi I^^B aT"ThI X'timeThar' ° "',"'" '''" "°«*^ •"Xt.aL'"t nc'eranT r",,"""" "" ""^''^ ♦hatlmag'an^re'e .eaj:.t::TZo7trLirxtrz:.rahr.^t: " Yours of June 6th receiver^ w.-ii !„*. i . l8t tiepte.nber what steamerto ship C , i* C y""^ ^tl' BO kind as to infonn n.e, should Clock be re^dv To «r 'k^' lore that t ine arul r win u , "^ re^iuy to ship be- An order will be g ie.f on B. k.rw „:: T """ '" T"'- mg to bin, Bill ot-LadioK I wonid /„ L °"2"' "" >"'"'■ one BUI, if I oonid le.r„W.r."i;"olr u"^laZ t t 4 i f 11 li'Hie up in the ..r.l ,mr. „ .„^ ?"""«'' Protected if meolth^ :„e '^'"'^''" '""'«"«)"''««' loappme OttLBTT & Bland." ^' E- F., Mayor. " 7b ^w TrorsAj> the Mayor, and City Council, Fredericton. "Gentlemen, — in 'l^fw' dt??„d 'l^ir hi^' S'-"°^ '"/ ^''^ ^'^y "-" Tower whether itTtbe wish o th/fr^"^.r"r^"' '"f'^''"' '"e the work to cornpTei'tn S ha^'f I'^"*^ '^''" ^""t'""« lars at that time or « i't thAh. ' Vu ^TT^^ ^"^ P'*''ficu- Accunrs as .ar is ^o e I'd trnatf ^ ''^"" "'"^« "P ^''^ ^ '• I have np to this da te puiH? ' ' h«N '"'"IT ^' ""*^« ' have also sent a Mill ,»f p i "'e iJell, and haiisr i.ff. I Theshippi'^Lda otherlSf,?/? ^""'^"" ^^ "^-^^^ 1«« will require to be oaid nn ''"-'.^""t"' expenses of importation " Respectfully yours, Fredericton, Jan. 2l8t, 1878." ^^ ^' ^^^^TY. "City Clerk's Office, FREDERrcroN, " To Qborob e. Fekett, Esq. Janmry Uth, 1878, nicatlf. n'7t^2'i:t1n s't' thh^rl? l"'"''"/\" '^^' ^'^^ --™»- was laid before t|^^e(3irvP,'-['i''^ ^" ^^^ ^'^y "«" ^''ook, be accfSKW^ hit t'bi:^^^^^^^^ P-P-tion mehts for placing Clock in cfrClTnw^'^^-^K"* "'''•''"g^- cessary moneys and rennrL ^ Uall Tower, disbursing ne- to the City crundl.' ^ ^ '°'*' '^'^'^ «° Account thfreof "I have the honor to be, Sir, ■ niTAo „, ^""'' "•^«»l'ei.t servant, CUAS. W. LECKWITII, City derk." -.."i::^^:'::^ ;: Sei:ilit--^ - 1 1 12 ■9th, and Btruck for tbe first time, at 12 o'clock on the Ist day or' May, 1878. The cost and charg. > f Bell and Clock are given at the end of this Report; and although the ex- cess over the estimate is somewhat larger, it must be takea into coi.oideralioD also that since my proposition was made, the Kevisors most kindly and generously stepped forward and surrendered iheir salaries, as before shewn, th'is giving us 850 more fl year towards paying off the debt, which source ofrevenue will far outweigh or counterbalance the extra cost and "unforeseen expenses;" and therefore, we are in aa good position now, and better, to pay for the Clock, with its increased charge, aa --ve were in April 1877, when the original calculation of cost was made. Of course I take no credit to myself for this improved condition of the case. If there is any credit it is due to the Revisors. An llliiiulniiteil Dial. Some of our friends have spoken warmly in favor of an illuminated dial, fronting on York Street. This is an ira- p'-ovement that may be made at any future time, when the Citizens feel that they can better afford it. But I did not feel warranted in go-ng to that expense now. The cost of a crystal dial (size required, 8 feet diameter) would be $250 ; and the expense of lighting, or for gas, may be judged by what is now paid for each street lamp, viz., $30 a year. It would require four such jets to give sufficient illumination— or $120 a year. And then the gas would have to be lighted every night and extinguished in the morning, thus involving an additional expense in this way. The Hints. It is my decided opinion, and has been ever since the Tower was completed, that those wooden, barny-looking slats, im- mediately beneath the dial plates, are anything but creditable to the building. They remind one of the ventilating arrange- ments in Brewories, or places of distillation. It may be that my architectural taste is defective, or my conception of what is due to the genius of the age, in such matters, is altogether at fault. But, it is my opinion, that a neat upright railing, or ornamental iron lattice work, would have been more in keep.ing and in harmony with the building. I hope the day is not far distant when the City Counoi' n^ill see their way < lenr to make an alteration in this work. If those slats were removed the Clock, when striking, could be better heard, as the wave of sound is now broken upon the wood work and Jbas not free egress. M t. 18 i As soon as the Clock was completed in the Tower I snb- mitted the following Report : — " Fredbr.oto\, May llh, 1878. " To His Worship the Mayor, and Members of the City Council, Fredericion. "Gentlemen,— I herewith submit to you a Statementof the AccDuntrt between the City Coijiiuil and myself in reference to the City Hall Cluck, the purchase of which was authorized at a Meeting of the Council on the 17th of May, 1877. In my Proposition made to the Council ou the 3rd April, I stated as ray opinion that a Clock and Bell could be placed in the Tower, all complete, for an amount not exceeding $2,000. When going into particulars as minutely as it was possible, the Committee estimated the cost at $1,893.44, exclusive of placing Clock and Bell in position. The actual coH \s $2,012.69. or $119 25 over the sum estimated. A large por- tion of this diff'tnvce is caused by what seems to me to be an exrrHonliiiarily large charge ot £19 Hs. 6d. sterling for ^mr lined packing cases, which the manufacturers thonght neces- sary for protective purposes for such fine works, but which did not enter (so largely) into the calculations of the Com- mittee. (I intimated myself, as will be seen in one of my let- ters to the makers, that I thought the zinc might be dispensed with). There were also four circular openings, fitted witb doors, in the dial plates, which were recommended by Mr. White after the order went forward— for the purpose of getl ting out and clearing away the ice and snow— which cost £6 additional. And Mr. Wbiie also recommended a Patent Meridian Sun Dial, in order to obtain correct time— which cost ,£3 6s. 6d. All of which are highly necessary, and rea- der the Clock perfect. '• Taking those additional expenses together amount to $144.87. Now if the packing cases had coat what would seem to bo a fair price— viz., $40— and the other additions had not been made, there would have been no ditierence, or very little, between the estimate and actual cost for Clock and Bell. " Then, again, with regard to the expense of placing the Clock and Bell in position, certain unforeseen expenses have to be considered. For example, upwards of $60 had to be expended upon the Bell Tower, (in the way of providing brick work and timbers to give the requisite solidity to the structure,) and the expense of the delegation trip to Boston —$40 more — should be deducted. _ " But, taking the whole work together, from first to last It 18 my opinion that the Citizens hhve now. all completed, a Clock which is all that can be desired, and at a cost which has been brought about in the most ecouomical way it was possible for me to conceive. I have the honor to be yours, &c. G. E. FENETY." f ^he City of Fredericton, BELL. No. 1. Draft on Hoston 2- Duty, S. Freight, 4. Cartage, 5- Alex. Mitchell, u In Account with An. George E. Fenety, No. 6. 7. 8. 9. 7. JO. 11. 12. 13. 14. 11. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 23. 21. 25. 2tj. 27. Total eo8t of Bell, and hanging, CLOCK. 6. Bill Ex. on London, je205 10.. Stg freight to St. John, £IQ 2 ] •' Duty, H«zelhur8f« Bill, Casiings, Weighto' Mr, Maraters Broker, St*" John. ^.: Freight, ht^John to Frederictori, .. Cartage at Fredericton, , Telegraraa and Postage James White, expenses' to Bos'ton, ;;; TV„' B"fi' work in Tower, „ Do. Corbels do fl WK^""*^ '"''^' 'r°''«' Arch, James White, superintending, Hi.rxrL«:£^^^^^«-^>-*2. Wm. M'Crea, 2 days, it 81 50, "" James Darcus, hauling, Lemuel Stephenson, work Orphwood & Hailey, stone ;ork, ;:; M-Jarlane, Thompson & Anderson, .. T^ °- "^O. do Davis ADibblee, glyoerene, ' ';* Henry Chestnut, nails, &o Mr. K.steen's bill for sheathing, ;;; Mr. Winter's bill, painting, ^ 8449 59 76 90 14 30 1 00 30 Ou 8995 63 156 58 78 73 190 26 28 45 5 25 14 J5 3 25 3 00 40 00 44 21 9 00 4 88 45 00 60 00 15 80 8 00 76 8 25 6 75 11 30 8571 79 22 83 14 75 11 19 2 00 •^f > 4' *''r p*i ^- ^«n«ty. Mayor's salary, EL. Wetmore, Esq., proceeds Concert, ine tity jRevisors, year 1877 8200 00 315 89 62 90 50 00 1,748 88 t2,820 62 Balan ice. r . ^' - "• ^^ months and 23 davs Way, m^, 4 iaontia and ten days, 628 79 01,691 83 •1,746 64 1 I Ii B Ci ail atl to Ml Con i the jud| a C( grea that —to and a mo piece gettii dissui I c tbanb and i fhiety. $571 79 8 83 62 79 83 81 64 of Aldermen Cliff, Smith, and BuUy ^' '°'"'''^'''g of the Citj H„„, beg to repor" l^t thil^'''*'"' '" '^^ '^"'^«'' Account, and find it correct SJh * tt^ ^^^ «^a"''ned the for all the payments ' ^ **""* Vouchers are furnished Deduct amount received by Mr. Fenety, Interest on money borrowed to Ist May 1878 Balance, Principal and Interest. 1st May 1878,' $2,820 62 628 79 54 81 81.746^ cfy "ou^crbf p^e's'^.Lvrrr ^'^^^ '^^^ than wi;; Respectfully submitted. & A. CLIFF, THOS. W. SMITH CommiUee Room, Fredericion, 29.A May, Is'tS,'^'"^^ ^^^ PULLEY. judges) as England can produce' w^'rj""'^'-™*^ "^^ a Clock at a much 1«« pSoe fui " . "'^ ^''' ^^^'''^^'^ great public operation ifkTthis in'Jh ""\'' ^"'"^ '"*« » that is required to lust and 1^71^1 f^"''"^?''^^"" *■•»'«'« -to consider the saving of Tfew 7. , ^'''"^"'•^«"^™'>'-e, and thus run the risk fhrou.h Tf ' ""' '""" >^nn^v^A^, a.mockery of the who"; bus tlblrr?' ^' "^^'"^ piece have onlv a oretenrr ^'"'^''^''^t^-'asstime. getting out of order en ul Lr °" V '"''" S^''^^' f^"- -e^ d'ssatisfaction to everybody '^ ''"''""* '^P^''^^' ^'^'^ great thanS:::LrmLtofrcfr '^*"^"^"^ ™^ '^-ty ^ te 16 9 encouraging every effort put forth for the obtainment of the Clock. Indeed I may say that during my twelve months', intercouree with the Council, it was the most pleasant period, of my public life, especially because I found among the raep- bers, without an exception, a responsive disposition to hayft the City improved and embellished in sundry ways outlined' last summer, to be carried out this summer,— among thesft may be mentioned the removal of the old Barrack fences oi Queen Street, and planting of the Square with trees, &o. tv!..,. Nor can I finish this Report without bearing testimony ti-> the zeal and great services rendered to the City by Mr, JameB White. I may say that I am indebted to him for every step I have taken in the business after laying my 'plans before the City Council — in the advice and information be has af- forded— -for his intelligence in Clock mechanism, for his sug- gestions, for his earnestness in the correspondence we have both kept up with ihe makers, when we felt that there was too much delay — and, for his singleness of purpose and self denial, in devoting so much of his time as a private citizen (time he has made no charge for,) in the public service, in order that the City Hall of Fredericton should have a Clock placed within its Tower, second to none in America. Mr. John Babbit and Mr. Henry Chestnut have also ren- dered valuable assistance. Both of these gentlemen took a lively interest in the Clock from the commencement, and have encouraged the progress of the work throughout by their counsel and sound practical suggestions. Mr. Chestnut was present and assisted in raising the Bell to the Tower in June last. While the Clock was being put up he devoted day after day in assisting Mr. White, in adjusting the works, the weights, the pulleys, &c., and for which time he made no charge. In conclusion, J Tteg to remark that I make this Report to the Citizens on my own account, — and am alone answerable for any mistakes or omissions it may contain, — in deference to tbem as well as in justice to myself. It is also to prevent any misunderstanding on the part of future Councils as to the manner in which the debt was contracted, and the means suggested for paying it off, without its ever becoming a part of the ordinary taxes of the City. Q. E. FKNETY. "■"^gi- '^1