573

Joseph Wiggan
Edward Fose

Benj Fose

Sam Chapman

John Talor

Jo" Palmer
Groth. Palmer

Ephraim Folsom
Ephraim Folsom Jr.

To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr. Governor and Commander in Chief in over His Majestys province of new hampshier in new England in America and the Honorable His majestys Council & the Honorable House of Representatives in Court Convened.

We the Subscribers Conceiving it will be for the Great advantag of this province in general as well as for our one Perticlar Intreest & for the Benefit of the Inhabitants of the Several Towas to which we respectively belong that there should be a Bridg over the river which divides Stratham and new market where the Ferry is now Kept or a little higher up the river at the place called the new field wee do humbly Petition this honorable Court for Leicence to Build a Strong & Substantile Bridg sufficient for tams to pass & Repase, to take the matter under your Consideration & permit us to offer to your Consideration the resons Inducing us to offer this our petition, we Doubt not you will readiely Grant us the Licence for which we hearby make humble Request by which Grant you will Greatly oblige your most humble supplicats, the Inhabitants as in Duty Bound Shall Ever pray.

James Johnson
Anthony Pickrein
Nath' Doe

Nath Grow

Abithar Sanborn
John Hoag Jun

Nathaniel rite White
Samuel Haines

Thomas Ains

Charley Johnson

Jonathan Thomas

Stephen Gilman
Anthony Pickerin
Abner Haines
Sam' Nutter

Pitman Colbath

James Berry

William Samson

Robart Bryen

John Allen
Daniel Doues
John Johnson

read & ordered to be sent Down to the Honble House togeather with the three other Petitions for the same affair here unto annexed

Prov of

Theod Atkinson Secy

New Hampre} In the House of Representatives Dec 6th 1746

Voted That the within Petitioners be heard on their Petition ye second Day of y setting of y Gen Assembly after y seventeenth Day of Jan. next & that y Petitioners at their own expence advertise y publick three Weeks successively between this Day & ye aforesaid 17th of Janu3 (in y Postboy & Evening Post News Papers so called) of y Tenor of ye Prayer of said Petitions (Viz) that there may Liberty be granted for Building a good sufficient Draw Bridge over Exeter River at Wiggin's Ferry so called or at y New Field at y proper Cost & charge of y Petitioners that any or every one may have opportunity to shew Cause if any they have why y Prayer of s Petitions should not be granted. D. Peirce Clr

In Council December 7th 1746

read & Concurr'd

Theodore Atkinson Sec

December 11th 1746

Assented to

B. WENTWORTH

Where as Sum of the Inhabitence of Several townes within this Provence have Petitioned the Gen Court to Grant Liberty for the bulding of a bridge over Exeter River Between Stratham and New market and the Gen Court having apointed a Day for the hearing of sd Petitioners, Leberty being Given for all persons to apear that are against said Bredge being bult to Shew ther Resons against the same.

At a Leagal parish meeting held at Brintwood on Monday the 16th Day of March 1747 at the hous of Nicolas Gorden in sd parish Voted that there be no bredge bult between Stratham and Newmarkit by Reson we apprehend it will be a Great Dammeag both to the trade and fishere Copy Exam'd

Biley Hardie parish Clarck

May ye 18th 1747. Province of In Pursuance of a vote of General Assembly of ye New Hample} 4 Instant We the Committee Have been and Viewed the places as mentioned in a petition for building a Suficient Draw bridge over the River between new market and Stratham and we have unanemusley agreed that the bridge be built over said River to begin to be built about twenty foote below a white Pine tree Standing about the ferry place on Wigginses land and so to Run as straight over or across said River to Robert Smarts land as it can be built for Conveniency of Setting Said bridge. The Distance between the Peers under the Draw bridge to be twenty six foote and the Distance between the Pears for Rafts and other Necessary to be forty or fifty foot and the tops of the Caps between these vacancies to be Seven foot above high water mark in a middling tide the width of the aforesaid bridge to be Eighteen foote wide between The rails of sd bridge from end to end.

This is our Report In this affair of said Bridge

Sam Smith
John Downing
Richard Jenness
Jonathan Chase
Joseph Wadleigh

Committee

In Council May 27, 1747

The above report read & ordered to be sent to the Honble House
Theode Atkinson sec.

Province of In the House of Representatives 29th May 1747 New Hampshire J Voted That ye within Report be received & approved with ye following amendments, that ye Draw Part of s Bridge be twenty eight feet wide & y Passage for Rafts forty five feet wide that the Petitioners build ye Bridge Keep it in Repair & procure convenient Ways to & from ye Bridge & all at their own

expence.

D. Peirce Clr.

Anno Regni Regis Georgii Secundi magnæ Britanniæ Franciæ & Hiberniæ Vicessimo.

An Act for Erecting and maintaining a Bridge over the River at New Market.

Whereas Many of the Inhabitants of New Market Stratham and other Places within this Province have Petitioned the General Assembly Representing that the Passing over the ferry at New Market is attended with Great Difficulty for a Considerable part of the year by Reason of the frost, That a Bridge over the River there would be of Great use to those Places and all the Neighboring Towns And Praying that they might have Liberty to Erect a Bridge there accordingly which they would do at their own Cost. Which Petition having Been Considered and it appearing that a Good Bridge at the Said Place will be of General Service and Conveniency:

Be it therefore Enacted By His Excellency the Governor Council and Representatives in General Assembly Convened and by the Authority of the Same, That the Petitioners aforesaid and Such others as shall join with them therein shall have Liberty to Erect and Build a Good Strong and Convenient Bridge over the River at New Market and Stratham to run from about Twenty foot below a white pine Tree Standing a Little way above the Ferry place on the Land of Andrew Wiggin strait a Cross the River to the Land of Robert Smart on New Market Side on the following Terms and Directions that is to say that it Run as Strait a Cross the River from and to the Place aforesaid as it may be for the Conveniency of Setting and Laying the foundation thereof in the River, that the Said Bridge be Built on Peers set at Convenient Distance form'd in the Best manner for passage Between them that a Passage for Vessels Gundelos Rafts and other water Carriage be Left where the Deepest water is of forty five feet wide Between the Peers, that a part of the said Bridge be made to Draw in the most Convenient manner twenty eight feet wide for the Passage of Vessels That the said bridge be built with Rails on the Top on Each Side and to be eigh teen feet wide between the Rails that the Tops of the Caps between the Vacancies be seven feet above high Water in a Middleing Tide and that all the said Bridge be Built in a strong workmanlike manner at the Cost of the Petitioners and others as aforesaid and so maintained and Kept in Repair and that they Procure and get Laid out all such Convenient Ways and Passages to and from Said Bridge as shall be wanting and Necessary and that the Draw Part of sad Bridge be made so that it may Conveniently be Drawn by two men.

Province of In the House of Representatives 31 June 1747
New Hamp The foregoing Bill having been Read three Times
Voted That it pass to be enacted.

In Council June the 4th 1747

John Sanborn Speaker pro Tempore

The foregoing Bill Read three Times and past to be enacted.

Exeter's Answers to Stratham and New Market's Petition for a Bridge.

Province of To his Excellency Benning Wentworth New Hampshire Esq Captain-Generall, Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire, To the Honble his Majesty's Councill And house of Representatives Convened in Generall Assembly.

Humbly Shews

The Freeholders & Inhabitants of Exeter by their Agents the Subscribers hereof That whereas Notice hath lately been given in the Publick Prints That the Towns of Newmarket Stratham & Towns Adjacent have Petitioned your Excellency and this Honble Court Praying Liberty to Build a Strong Substantiall Draw Bridge over the river that Divides said Stratham and New Market at the Ferry place in Said Stratham or a Little above, And your Excellency & hon's having ordered said Petitioners a hearing of their Petitions on the Second day of the Sitting of this Court after the Seventeenth day of January then next and that said Petitioners give Public notice Thereof.

Whereupon we the Subscribers agents as aforesaid on behalf of our Constituants as well as for our Selves Most Humbly Crave Leave to offer the Following reasons why the Prayer of said Petitions Should not be Granted, (Viz :)

It For that the building such a Bridge would in a Great measure Stop the Course of the Fish Especially the Bass which Providence has hitherto yearly supplyd us with great Quantitys of to the Great Support of our selves and Towns above us, and many Poor Familys, if the Course of the Fish be Stopped will be Likely thereby to be Great sufferers.

2dly For that whereas the said river having been free Ever since The settling the Town of Exeter (upwards of one hundred years) for the passing and repassing of Vessels from