REPORT OF THE FIFTIETH YEAR OF THE BAR HARBOR Village Improvement Association CAS Ending July 31, 1941 REPORT OF THE FIFTIETH YEAR OF THE BAR HARBOR Village Improvement Association Ending July 31, 1941 OFFICERS FOR 1941-42 VICE-PRESIDENTS Mr. Edward Browning Mr. R. Amory Thorndike Mrs. A. Murray Young SECRETARY Mr. John DeWitt Peltz TREASURER Mr. R. E. McKown Standing Committees FINANCE COMMITTEE Mr. R. Amory Thorndike, Chairman Mr. R. E. McKown Mr. Thomas Searls VILLAGE COMMITTEE Miss Frances Coleman Mrs. W. E. Patterson Mrs. A. Murray Young SANITARY COMMITTEE Dr. Stanley J. G. Nowak, Chairman Mr. Frank O. Alley Miss Bell Gurnee Dr. S. A. Coffin Mr. R. C. Masterman PATHS COMMITTEE Mr. John DeW. Peltz, Chairman Mr. Coster Gerard Mr. John Auchincloss Miss Susan Scott COMMITTEE ON ROADS Mrs. Harold Peabody, Chairman Mrs. A. Murray Young Mrs. A. Mansfield Patterson PARKS COMMITTEE Mr. Robert W. Patterson, Chairman Mrs. Shepard Fabbri Miss Susan Scott Mrs. Edgar Scott Mr. Frank Gray COMMITTEE ON PUBLICITY Mr. Asa V. Wasgatt, Chairman Mrs. John DeW. Peltz Mr. John E. Ash 4 Report of the Committee on Public Health and Sanitation of the V. I. A. as of August 1, 1941 The committee on public health and sani- tation respectfully submits the following report: - 1. VILLAGE STREETS. Condition sat- isfactory. 2. CAMPING GROUNDS. Census for the summer of 1940. Bear Brook (Morrell Park), 1,058 autos, 3,320 persons. Seawall, Southwest Harbor, 142 autos, 440 persons. These figures represent a 20 percent de- crease over those of the summer of 1939. 3. MILK SUPPLY. The source of the lo- cal milk supply was outlined in the last year's report. In the same report this com- mittee recommended an annual appropria- tion of $175.00 for tuberculin and Bang's testing of local herds. The announcement of a Federal appropriation for this purpose made this appropriation appear unneces- sary to town officials. The Federal pro- gram, however, has not gotten under way at the present writing. A second recommended appropriation of $500.00 for more frequent milk analysis was not complied with. This committee wishes to express its firm protest against the infrequency of these fundamental milk 5 measures and the lack of constructive ad- vice to, and censure of, dairymen who show consistently high bacterial counts. 4. WATER SUPPLY. The committee has found satisfactory the bacterial and chemi- cal analyses of the local water supply from Eagle Lake. 5. INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The fol- lowing infectious diseases were reported from July 1, 1940 to June 23, 1941: German Measles 34 Measles 3 Mumps 7 Pneumonia 5 Whooping Cough 4 Meningitis 1 There were no cases of Infantile Paral- ysis nor Undulant Fever reported last year. 6. RAGWEED ELIMINATION This committee appropriated $200.00 from its budget for use by the Village Committee for eradication of ragweed along the high- ways. It is to be regretted that the town failed to make necessary appropriations for this purpose this year. 7. NUISANCES. a. Black fly. The com- mittee recommends the National Park au- thorities to request Federal entomologists to study the black fly problem on this island and to adopt appropriate measures of con- trol. 6 b. Noise. Needless auto horn blowing, especially at the band concerts, noisy and poorly equipped trucks, the permission of blatant loud speakers on advertising motor vans are sources of noise which should be condemned. 8. PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER. The chairman of this committee has had fre- quent interviews with the Chairman of the Selectmen urging the appointment of a professionally trained public health officer to this office which is now vacant. The cooperation of the townships of this island for the appointment of a common public health officer has gained encourag- ing momentum. Respectfully submitted, STANLEY J. G. NOWAK, M.D. Chairman, Committee on Public Health and Sanitation. August 11, 1941, Bar Harbor, Maine 7 Report of Committee on Parks In the last year few changes or improve- ments have been undertaken in the parks owned by the Association; but maintenance work has been very satisfactorily carried out, and the general condition of the parks is good. The Committee's funds have gone almost entirely for maintenance in How Park, Woodbury and Glen Mary. Expendi- tures have remained approximately the same, but there is a prospect of substantial savings in 1941-42. Nothing has been done this year at Fawn Pond, although some further opening of vistas is desirable. The land owned by the Association near Woodbury Park is still posted for sale, exclusive of a strip to be retained for roadside protection. At Bald Rock, no startling change has been noted. During the winter Glen Mary Pond was again flooded for skating, under the joint supervision of the town and the Mt. Desert Island Outing Club, the latter paying the costs of flood-lighting as in previous years. There has been very little destruction of trees and shrubs in any of the parks, but in both Woodbury and Glen Mary the benches have undergone their annual amputations. There is not much left. New work has included the removal of a few birches and the sale of seven white 8 pines from Woodbury; the construction of a foot path on the Schelling Lot opposite the park; and the extraction from the depths of Glen Mary of several hundred Sears Roebuck catalogues. The latter episode points up the desir- abilty of thinning out the undergrowth in this area to give a pleasanter and more open appearance. Extra funds would be necessary for this work, for the further im- provement of the meadow at Woodbury, the re-painting of signs, and the con- struction of unbreakable and immovable benches. Respectfully submitted, ROBERT W. PATTERSON, Chairman, Committee on Parks. 9 Report of Committee on Paths Your Committee is pleased to report that the work on the endowed paths directly in the care of the Village Improvement Asso- ciation is being carried on faithfully with the funds specifically set aside for this pur- pose. Walkers report that all these trails are in good condition and are well looked after. At present the Gurnee Path has been closed where the new road entering Eden Street, near the Dave Hennen Morris place, crosses it. The Park authorities, however, promise that this will be rectified shortly. A dangerous situation has been produced in obliging pedestrians to walk in the road itself. The construction work is about completed there. However, it has just been learned, various bridges to the Bracken Path have also been repaired. With reference to the unendowed paths I have reported to the National Park au- thorities any trails which are found in poor shape in the hope that they may see fit to fix them before the end of the season. Your Chairman hopes that eventually certain of these paths may be designated as official by the Park and be automatically cared for each Spring, as at present there is appar- ently no system in effect to do this. Respectfully submitted, JOHN DeWITT PELTZ, Chairman, Committee on Paths. 10 Report of Committee on Roads The three subjects which seemed most important to your Road Committee this year were, first, to continue to keep open the beautiful view of Frenchman's Bay from the old Corniche Drive between the Catherwood Estate to the Wurtz place and this has been done with the cooperation of the owners of these places and Mr. Rockefeller and the National Park. Sec- ond. Our greatest effort was made to open up other views in like manner all over the island and for this Mr. Blair appointed a special committee consisting of Mrs. Eliot Wadsworth of Northeast Harbor, Mr. Ed- ward K. Dunham of Seal Harbor, Mr. Thomas Bell Sweeney and myself from Bar Harbor. This proved to be an interested and active committee. Mr. Sweeney, es- pecially, living in Washington, worked hard to get the attention and assistance of Mr. Newton B. Drury, the newly appointed head of the U. S. National Park Service. You will all remember the time when twenty or thirty cars lined the road from Eagle Lake to Bubble Pond to watch the gorgeous panorama of the sunset over the lake and the wavy horizon of distant blue hills. We see them no more because alders and scrub birch have grown so high all along the road (described as "scenic" in the 11 advertisements of the Park) that today only a couple of fleeting glimpses are vis- ible during its whole length. All the beau- ties of lake and mountains and sunset are hidden by this worthless growth of scrub. The same is true of the road overlooking Jordan Pond and the road from Otter Creek to Seal Harbor and in many other places where formerly we enjoyed wide views of ocean or mountains. Once having got the attention of Mr. Drury we found him most sympathetic and interested. He came to Boston and was as agreeable and cooperative as possible and after studying the problem wrote to the acting Superin- tendent: "That the problem be discussed with the Resident Landscape Architect and that he be assigned to supervise such road- side clean-up and cutting the vistas as may be required to maintain the scenic qualities of the park road system." Last Fall your chairman took several drives with the act- ing Superintendent who had acceeded to our suggestions, SO we expected much im- provement this year. Great was our dis- appointment therefore on our arrival in July to have him say that "not a single tree had been cut yet." He said however that a landscape architect was being sent from Washington shortly to advise them and he promised to let us know when he arrived. This he failed to do, in spite of several reminders on the part of your chairman, 12 and the landscape architect came and went without our knowledge. .regret, there- fore, to say, that in spite of all our efforts we stand exactly where we did a year ago. Our third project and perhaps the most important of all is the elimination of rag- weed. This had progressed SO well the last three years under the supervision of Mr. Stalford that there is very little of it left and we had hoped in a year or two more of work to again make Bar Harbor a resort for hay-fever sufferers as it was fifty years ago, and as Murray Bay is now. But owing, I presume, to the loss of Mr. Stalford, no appropriation was made for this important work at the Town Meeting this year, SO instead of finishing up the job as we ex- pected, it must of necessity fall back and be a cause of discomfort and illness to many people with sensitive throats and sinus's. Unless something is done about it it will grow worse than before owing to all the raw roadside banks and turned over earth made in the vicinity of Otter Creek and Eagle Lake by the new roads. Respectfully submitted, MARIAN L. PEABODY, Chairman, Roads Committee. 13 TREASURER'S REPORT Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association Statement of Assets and Liabilities July 31, 1941 ASSETS Cash on hand $ 287.63 General Fund Investment 6,171.73 Nolan Pamphlet and Gateway (Savings Deposit) 300.00 Sanitary Committee Fund (Savings De- posit) 646.07 $ 7,405.43 Trust Fund Investment 15,640.89 $23,046.32 LIABILITIES Nolan Pamphlet and Gateway $ 300.00 Sanitary Committee Fund 646.07 Profit and Loss 6,459.36 $ 7,405.43 Trust Funds 15,640.89 $23,046.32 TRUST FUNDS Bates Bequest $5,012.50 Canyon Brook Path Fund 1,025.00 Canyon Brook Path Fund In- terest 132.76 Green Mt. Gorge Path Fund 574.00 Green Mt. Gorge Path Fund Interest 88.67 A. C. Gurnee Bequest 5,050.00 14 A. C. Gurnee Bequest Inter- est 411.59 Gurnee Path Fund 1,000.00 Gurnee Path Fund Interest 187.49 Mary F. Higgins Trust Fund 409.00 Mary F. Higgins Trust Fund Interest 124.93 Mrs. C. Morton Smith Path Fund 467.58 Mrs. C. Morton Smith Path Fund Interest 7.50 Mrs. A. Murray Young Path Fund 1,050.00 Mrs. A. Murray Young Path Fund Interest 99.87 $15,640.89 Bonds and Prin. Acct. 14,588.08 Savings-Income Deposit 1,052.81 $15,640.89 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements For the Fiscal Year Ending July 31, 1941 RECEIPTS Donations: General Funds $ 945.50 Special (Park Committee) 25.00 $ 970.50 Interest: General Fund $ 496.42 Mary F. Higgins Trust Fund 8.22 Gurnee Path Fund 55.00 A. C. Gurnee Bequest 158.50 Mrs. A. Murray Young Path Fund 37.50 15 Canyon Brook Path Fund 55.00 Green Mt. Gorge Path Path Fund 42.00 Mrs. C. Morton Smith Path Fund 22.50 875.14 Transferred from Sanitary Committee Funds 147.00 Total Receipts $ 1,992.64 Cash on hand August 1, 1940 326.17 $ 2,318.81 DISBURSEMENTS Village Committee Expense $327.20 How Memorial (A. C. Gurnee Bequest) 209.00 Woodbury Park 209.00 Glen Mary 181.00 Paths: General 212.00 Gurnee Path Fund Expense 4.00 Canyon Brook Path Fund Ex- pense 40.00 Mrs. A. Murray Young Path Fund Expense 28.00 Mrs. C. Morton Smith Path Fund Expense 16.00 Green Mt. Gorge Path Fund Expense 8.00 Mary F. Higgins Cemetery Ex- pense 2.00 Schelling Lot 75.00 Miscellaneous: Salaries $200.00 Bar Harbor Bank- ing and Trust Co. Agent 26.38 Bar Harbor Bank- ing and Trust Co. Box Rent 8.84 16 Auditing 20.00 Printing 130.98 Stamps and Post- age 5.31 Painting 5.00 Sundry Items 4.75 401.26 Special Projects Sanitary Commit- tee (Ragweed) $147.00 Roads Committee 100.00 247.00 Balance of Income from Trust investments trans- ferred to Savings Deposit 71.72 $2,031.18 Cash on hand July 31, 1941 287.63 $2,318.81 17 Auditor's Report Bar Harbor, Maine August 8, 1941 I hereby certify that I have audited the accounts of the Treasurer of the Bar Har- bor Village Improvement Association for the fiscal year ending July 31, 1941 and find them correct and the cash on deposit in the Bar Harbor Banking and Trust Com- pany to agree with the balance on hand. I have also verified the investments and find the amount invested agrees with the amount as stated in the Treasurer's report. FRED L. HADLEY, Auditor. 18 Members Ex-Officio Selectmen Assessors Seth Libby Hugh Kelly Edgar Higgins Mark C. Morrison John B. Ells Jack R. Jellison Cecil Higgins Alton Carter Mr. Warren J. Tribou, Treasurer and Collector of Taxes Mr. Harold P. Whitmore, Town Clerk Mr. F. O. Alley, Health Officer Mr. George H. Beard, Superintendent of Schools Mr. Leslie Hamor, Road Commissioner Mr. Merrill F. Brewer, Jr., Overseer of Poor Mr. Arthur McQuinn, Fire Chief Mr. George Abbott, Chief of Police Mr. J. Melvin Milliken, Building Inspector Mr. Fred Hadley, Town Auditor Dr. S. A. Coffin Dr. R. W. Wakefield Dr. E. J. Morrison Dr. R. E. Weymouth Dr. C. C. Morrison, Jr. Dr. C. F. Larrabee Dr R. G. Higgins Rev. Philip Kierstead Rev. John L. Quigg Rev. Edward F. Fitzpatrick Rev. J. Homer Nelson Rev. Dwight H. McMahon Dr. G. R. Hagerthy 19 Life Members Anson, Mrs. Alfred Archbold, Mrs. Anne Babcock, Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Barney, Mrs. Barret, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Biddle, Miss Christine W. Blagden, Mrs. Donald P. Blair, Mrs. Gist Bowdoin, Miss Edith G. Bowen, Mrs. Joseph T. Bradley, Mrs. J. D. C. Brooks, Mrs. H. Mortimer Burnham, Miss Nina Burrill, Mr. and Mrs. M. S. Carnegie, Mrs. Andrew Carpenter, Miss Agnes Miles Carpenter, Mrs. Charles L. Cassatt, Mrs. A. J. Clark, Mrs. Anna M. Chew, Mrs. Benjamin Coats, Mrs. Alfred M. Cochran, Miss Mary N. Coles, Miss Mary R. Coxe, Mrs. Alexander B. Crafts, Mr. E. C. Dane, Mrs. John Denby, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin H. Dorr, Mr. George B. Draper, Mr. and Mrs. William P. DuPont, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred I. Fabbri, Mrs. Shepard Fenno, Mr. and Mrs. J. Brooks Farrand, Mrs. Max Gould, Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Griswold, Mrs. F. Gray Hale, Mrs. Chandler Hale, Mrs. Richard W. Hatfield, Mr. Henry R. 20 Hawkes, Mrs. Morris Hoffman, Miss Mary U. Howard, Mr. Edgar B. Hunt, Mrs. Platt Johnson, Mrs. F. H. Kahn, Mrs. Otto H. Kingsland, Mrs. William M. Kierman, Miss Isabel Kutz, Miss Lucy A. Ladd, Mrs. Walter G. LaMontagne, Mrs. Edward LaMontagne, Mrs. Maurice Langhorne, Mr. Marshall Lawrence, Rt. Rev. William Livingston, Mrs. John C. Livingston, Mrs. Philip Loew, Mrs. Victor Luquer, Mrs. Lea McIlvane MacLeod, Mrs. Norman McCagg, Mrs. Louis B. McMichael, Mrs. Charles B. McCormick, Miss Mildred McCormick, Mrs. Robert H. McNair, Mrs. William Miller, Miss Edith Macculloch Miller, Mrs. Henry Irving Minot, Miss Montgomery, Mrs. Thomas L. Moore, Mr. Barrington Moore, Mr. William S. Morgan, Miss C. L. Morgenthau, Hon. and Mrs. Henry Morris, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Hennen Opdycke, Mrs. L. E. Palmer, Mr. Courtlandt Peabody, Mr. F. H. Peabody, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Pearson, Mrs. Frederick Pike, Mrs. Charles B. Place, Mrs. George Polk, Mrs. William 21 Pratt, Mr. John T. Procter, Mr. and Mrs. William Rosen, Mr. Walter T. Rowell, Mrs. Frank B. Ryle, Mr. Arthur Sampson, Miss Gertrude Sampson, Mr. Charles E. Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Scott, Mrs. Edgar Satterlee, Col. and Mrs. Herbert L. Schieffelin, Mr. and Mrs. William Jay Slattery, Mrs. Charles L. Smith, Mrs. C. Morton Smith, Mrs. Edward A. Smith, Mrs. Josephine C. Speyer, Mr. James Stotesbury, Mrs. Edward T. Sweeney, Mr. Thomas B. Thompson, Mrs. George L. Vanderbilt, Mrs. George W. Weekes, Mr. Frederic Delano Winthrop, Miss Marie Wright, Mrs. C. K. Young, Mrs. A. Murray 22 Contributing Members for Fiscal Year Ending July 31, 1941 Donations *Miss Mary U. Hoffman $ 5.00 Fred C. Lynam 10.00 Mr. George M. Scott 5.00 Mr. Jack R. Jellison 1.00 Mr. Gist Blair 25.00 Mrs. William Sterling 25.00 * Miss Christine W. Biddle 5.00 Mrs. Edith M. Goodrich 1.00 Bar Harbor Banking & Trust Co. 10.00 Mrs. Edward Porter May 10.00 R. W. Wakefield, M. D. 5.00 Mr. and Mrs. Henry Morgenthau 25.00 * Mrs. John Dane 10.00 Mr. J. Austin Furfey 2.00 * Mrs. Edgar Scott 25.00 Mr. Robert H. Stevenson 10.00 Fred C. Lynam & Co. 5.00 Mr. A. Atwater Kent 100.00 Mrs. Jay Cooke 10.00 Mrs. Peter A. Jay 25.00 Mr. Dwight Blaney 2.00 Mrs. Mabel V. R. Johnson 5.00 Mrs. Reginald de Koven 10.00 Mr. Arden M. Robbins 5.00 * Rt. Rev. Wm. Lawrence 10.00 * Miss Miles Carpenter 25.00 Mrs. Henry O. Tallmadge 5.00 Hon. Dave H. Morris 10.00 Mrs. James Byrne 50.00 Mrs. John Brown, Jr. 10.00 * Miss Mildred McCormick 5.00 Mr. John DeWitt Peltz 5.00 Rev. J. Homer Nelson 2.00 * Mrs. Harold Peabody 10.00 Mr. Theodore Marburg 20.00 23 * Miss Mary Roberts Coles 10.00 * Miss Edith G. Bowdoin 10.00 Mr. John Hampton Barnes 25.00 F. E. Sherman Co. 5.00 Mr. R. Amory Thorndike 5.00 Viscountess d'Alte 10.00 Mrs. Lea McI. Luquer 10.00 Mrs. Frank B. Rowell 10.00 Mrs. Arthur Train 10.00 Mrs. George C. McKay 3.00 Mrs. Morris Hawkes 10.00 Mrs. S. A. Coffin 5.00 A. B. & J. R. Hodgkins 5.00 Mr. R. C. Masterman 2.00 Mrs. Edward Browning 10.00 * Mrs. Charles L. Slattery 5.00 Mrs. Harry Hill Thorndike 10.00 Miss Helen S. Jones 5.00 Lady Eunice M. Oakes 50.00 Miss Alice E. Hall 15.00 Madame Florence C. de Hedry 10.00 * Mrs. Shepard Fabbri 25.00 Rev. and Mrs. W. E. Patterson 10.00 * Mrs. Walter G. Ladd 50.00 Miss K. Frances Coleman 10.00 * Mrs. A. Murray Young 25.00 Mrs. George S. Robbins 10.00 Mrs. Walter Damrosch 10.00 Mr. Douglas Leffingwell 2.50 Miss M. M. Leffingwell 5.00 * Mrs. Max Farrand 10.00 Mrs. William Sterling 25.00 * Mrs. C. Morton Smith 25.00 Mrs. Timothee Adamowski 5.00 Mr. R. E. McKown 10.00 *Life Members 24 L129 LBar_ Harbor Historical Society From KadC. Lynema a Co.