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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES
Jam es M a^ e* I. L . Rabb, W. Koshncr* C W. Runyon* C. A . Pursel, H . C . Rulon. 19 10 — Presideni* Joseph L . T ow n sen d; members, L L, Rabb* C. A . Pursel* C* W . Runyon* Thom as Gunier* H . C. Pollock* H. C . Rulon. i p i i — President* Jam es M agee; members, G . H. Wclliver* C . A . Pursel* R . R . Hartman* O scar [.owcnberg* J . W . Bruner* Isaaah Ohl. 19 12 — Under amendments to the State con stitution last year’s council held over. 10 13 — President, O scar l^ w cn b e rg; mem bers, fc jr l F . Wirt* C A . Pursel, A . C Hidlay, J . H . Coleman* H . C . Rulon. Dr. G . H . w ellivcr. George Nathan Wagner* chief o f police of Bloomsburg, elected in 1912* is a native of Conyngham, Luzcm c county. Previous to his assuming his present office he served one en listment in Battery E* 4th Coast Artillery* and two enlistments in Troop D of the State Con stabulary. M U N IC IP A L lU rgO V E M eN TS
The election of the first town couhcil was the beginning o f municipal improvements. Most of the repairs to the streets and town bridges had previously been made by the town ship supervisors, or by benevolent and enter prising citizens who paid for them out of their own pockets. In 1874 Sfarket street was finally opened clear through by the removal of the house o f M artha Wells* below Third street. In the following year the brick "F o rk s Hotel” was removed and Second street extended to the Normal grounds. Center street was also opened and extended from Second to First. 5 %nmucl Nc>*hard drew the plans in 2^72 for the grading o f E ast street. H e afterw ards drew the plans for the rcgrading o f almost cverv street in the town. |M r. Ncyhard died Oct.* 27. I 9 M -1 Contemporary with the street improvements the problem o f water supply was solved by the organization of the Bloomsburg W ater Com pany in 1874 for the purpose of procuring a supply o f water from Stony brook, and a prop osition made to the town council. However* an act of the Legislature w as passed prohibit ing an increase of the bonded indebtedness of the town* and the company dissolved. In 1877 a second company w as organized, the directors being D . J . vallcr* L . N. M oyer, M. S. Apple man, E . H. Little, R . C . N eal. C . G . Barkley, J . A . Funston, George E . Elw cll and H . J . Clark.
A s no springs o f sufficient height above the level of the town could be found, a reservoir was dug on the hill immediately north o f town* the water taken from Fishing creek to a brick well and from there pumped to the reservoir* whence it w as distributed over the town by means o f iron pipes. The waterworks have been greatly improved and enlai^ed since )886* notably by the build ing o f a second reservoir, enlarging the power house and adding new ntachinery, and in March* 1913* a filtering plant w as completed at a cost o f $50*000. Paoi E . W irt is president of the company* Fran k P. Zarr* secretary* and the directors are Paul E . W irt, A . Z . Schoch* B . F, Sharpless* L. N . Moyer* W . H. Hidlay* A . B . Grotz* L . E . Waller, E llis Eves* Dr. J . J . Brown. In M ay, 1874. the Bloomsburg Gas Com pany was formed* and in October o f that year the streets were first illuminated by tliis method. Col. S. K norr w as the first presi dent* and C . W. M iller the first secretary, of the company. T he nrst public sewers were introduced in 1884 and since then a complete system o f drainage has been installed. T he first paving done in Bloomsburg w as on Main street* from M arket ^ u a r e to Iro n street* in 1906* J . R . Fow ler being the con tractor. In 19 (4 the paving was extended from Iron street to East street, and also from M arket Square to West street, under the supervision of the council. A n interesting and novel plant is that of the Bloomsburg Ileating Company, which pro vides heat for many of the public buildings* business houses and residences o f Hloomsburg. T his comparatively modern method o f heat ing was introduced in the town as early as if§ 5 by the incorporation of the Bloomsburg Steam & Klectric Light Company. In con nection with their electric light plant they in tended to use the waste steam fo r heating p u r poses, but the heating department w as d evel oped first. Pipes arc laid to the homes and stores, and steam at a good pressure is su p plied even in the coldest weather. In 1 9 ^ the plant w as purchased by J, T . T racy and A . W. Sharpless, who soon made it an im portant business investment. Since (he death o f M r. T racy the sole ownership has been vested in M r. Sharpless. Having a num ber o f coal dredges in operation in the summer, he is assured o f an abundant and cheaply obtained supply of fuel, taken from the bed of the Susquehanna river.
