Hartford Board of Water Commissioners votes to offer Garden Street Reservoir to the Hartford Fire Insurance Company

1. There was a motion to reconsider the motions on the reservoir, but ultimately the motions were re-affirmed.
2. Every vote taken at this meeting had been a tie, and each tie had been broken by Richard Kinsella in favor of the motions.
3. Arthur McManus suggested at the end of the meeting that Kinsella should ask for the resignations of all of the commissioners.

1. The price of $22,000 had apparently been decided upon at an earlier meeting.
2. At least one of the other matters before the commission at this meeting involved whether the city should manufacture ice. The commissioners may also have considered setting salaries for employees of the water department.
3. The motion to reconsider led to a heated discussion between John Purcell and Benedict Holden, with Purcell accusing Holden having gone back on his word and Holden stating that Purcell should not have proposed that the reservoir property be put on the grand list. The coverage becomes a bit muddled at this point, as Purcell and Holden seemed to have been talking about three separate matters before the commission, but the end result of all of this was that the initial votes on the reservoir stood.
4. Of course, only two of the motions on the reservoir were reconsidered, and the article didn’t specify which two were.

The Hartford Fire Insurance Company made its offer to buy the reservoir property on August 4, 1919.

1. The Hartford Board of Fire Commissioners voted to oppose the sale of the reservoir on September 29, 1919.
2. The board of directors of Hartford Fire Insurance Company approved the purchase on September 30, 1919.
3. An explanation for the extra $2,000 in the water board’s offer is given on October 20, 1919.

1. The Courant article described this special meeting as “lively throughout.” It noted that the “temper of the board was shown at the opening of the meeting,” and the first two subheads were “Objects to Mayor” and “Clash No. 1.”
2. The discussion on manufacturing ice was no less contentious: “Commissioner Purcell claimed Mr. Holden had changed everything in the matter in the last three months but his name.”

“Mayor Kinsella attempted to soothe the ruffled waters, declaring he could see no sue for fighting over city problems and creating hard feelings that would be carried over a long period of time, the public meanwhile laughing.”

1. The water commissioners were James Freeman; Benedict Holden; Frank Howard; John McKone, who was also president; Arthur McManus; and John Purcell.
2. Richard Kinsella was mayor.

Unattributed.  “Reservoir offered to Hartford Fire company for $22,000.”  Hartford Courant, September 26, 1919, page 8.