USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 1 > Part 56
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
In 1903, the local and State Boards of Health passed regulations pro- hibiting persons from the use of the North Watuppa Pond as follows:
No person shall bathe in, and no person shall, unless by a written permit of the Watuppa Water Board of the City of Fall River, fish in, or send, drive or put any animal into, North Watuppa Pond, so called, said pond being in the city of Fall River and the town of Westport and used by said as a source of water supply. No person other than a member, officer, agent or employee of said Watuppa Water Board, or public officer whose duties may so require, shall, unless so permitted by a written permit of said board, enter or go, in any boat, skiff, raft or other contrivance, on or upon the water of said pond, nor shall enter or go upon, or drive any animal upon the ice of said pond. No person shall enter upon North Watuppa Pond, so called, said pond being in the city of Fall River and the town of Westport and used by said city as a source of water supply, for the purpose of cutting or taking ice, or cut or take ice from said pond, without a written permit, signed by the Watuppa Water Board of the city of Fall River, stating the time and place for which such permission is given. The granting and withholding of permits required by rules 14 and 15 is hereby delegated by the State Board of Health to the Watuppa Water Board of the city of Fall River.
During the year 1912, responding to the requests of quite a number of citizens, the Water Board by a majority vote granted permission to fish in the North Watuppa pond from the wall at the Narrows, so called, dur- ing the months of August and September, under certain restrictions. It was evident to the board at the time that its action would provoke much public discussion as to the wisdom of granting such permission, in view of the fact that previous boards had repeatedly refused to grant fishing permits. The board, finding itself unable to unanimously indorse the proposition to allow fishing, decided to submit the matter to some recog- nized sanitarian in order that such expert advice might be received as would enable it to determine the best policy to pursue in the future. Prof. Milton J. Rosenau, of Harvard Medical School, was employed by the board
408
BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
to make a sanitary survey of the North Watuppa Pond and to report his findings to the board. His conclusions, briefly summarized, are as follows : "I cannot find, as the result of my studies, that there is any justification to permit fishing in North pond. Fishing from the wall may not be seri- ously dangerous, in fact, but it is wrong in principle and invites pollution and even infection. I unhesitatingly subscribe to the opinion that fishing should be prohibited. As a sanitarian I regard the permission to fish in the water of North Watuppa Pond as a bad precedent and a sorry example. [ note with pleasure that practically every annual report of the Watuppa Water Board mentions conspicuously its responsibilities in guarding the water against contamination, and has always maintained a watchfulness over the purity of the supply."
From 1912 to 1916, on several occasions limited permits to fish from the south wall of the pond have been granted, but the opinion prevails generally among the best class of citizens that no inore fishing should be permitted under any condition or restriction in this pond.
Less than a decade after the introduction of water into the homes of the inhabitants of this city, the attention of the Water Board was directed to the necessity of preventing great wastes of water through defective fix- tures. The ever-increasing consumption, caused principally, no doubt, by the sanitary legislation then beginning to be enacted, requiring modern drainage system, determined the commissioners to encourage the develop- ment of a system to supply water through measured service. The appli- cant for water might elect to take water at the prevailing or flat annual rate, or might decide to pay quarterly meter rates which would figure on a somewhat cheaper basis than the flat rates. However, after electing to take water by meter rates a regulation was established which prevented the water taker from going back to flat rates without special permission of the Water Board. Notwithstanding the oft-demonstrated accuracy of water meters, it is remarkable how frequently the correctness of registra- tion was questioned by those who would naturally be supposed to have a greater knowledge of the mechanical principles involved in the construc- tion of such a measuring device.
It is to the credit of the commissioners then in charge of the water works that they remained firm in their belief in the efficiency of the water meter to reduce water waste, besides furnishing a correct basis for the rendering of water bills, and to their determination may be attributed the fact that at the present time nearly one hundred per cent. of the services furnishing water are metered and registering practically accurately the most needed and cheapest commodity of civilization.
From the beginning of the water works to 1897, the city government appropriated from the general funds of the city the sum of $773,000, in yearly appropriations ranging from $7,000 to $70,000. These sums were supposed to be in lieu of the payment of water for the use of the city, and as the water department became more. self-sustaining the appropriations were discontinued. In 1907-1908, the Water Department then having sur- plus receipts of more than $100,000, an order was introduced in the City Council to transfer these receipts to the general revenue of the city, and to appropriate so much of the water receipts as the Board of Aldermen deemed necessary to carry on the work of the Water Department. There is no
FALL RIVER- PUBLIC LIBRARY
409
PUBLIC UTILITIES
doubt that this order had its origin in resentment to the Water Board's (now a majority of the Reservoir Commission) policies in matters pertain- ing to the restrictions placed upon the use of North Watuppa Pond and the development of the water shed. The idea of expending water revenue for general city purposes did not meet with popular favor, and it should be stated that the indorsement of this plan by the Board of Aldermen was by no means unanimous. The Legislature was appealed to by the Water Board to forbid the unwise diversion of water revenue, and in March, 1908, an act was passed restoring the water ordinance relative to revenue to its former force, and forbade the City Council from amending or repealing it in any way until the entire water debt should be extinguished and any improvements contemplated carried into effect. Since the passage of this act the following improvements have been made to the works.
A new machine shop was added to the pumping station and a new bat- tery of boilers with supplementary steam lines installed. An auxiliary pumping station with an 8,000,000 gallon electrically driven pump has been placed in operation and new force mains laid. A sewerage system for the pumping station has been laid. A 6.000,000 gallon Platt steam pump has been installed in the main pumping station, and a general storage building is in process of construction.
Since the beginning of the works the following commissioners have served on the Watuppa Water Board: Philip D. Borden, 1871-82; William Lindsey. 1871-79; Joseph A. Bowen, 1871-74; John Butler, 1874-78; Weaver Osborn. 1878-93; Joseph O. Neill, 1879-82; William M. Hawes. 1882-94; Joseph Watters, 1883-98; Michael T. Coffey, 1893-96; William B. Hawes. 1894-1906; Andrew Holden, 1896-99; George I. Field, 1898-1901 ; Nathan B. Everett, 1899-1905; Joseph Watters, 1901-07; William Biltcliffe. 1905-08; Daniel J. Sullivan, 1906-12; Fred J. McLane, 1907-10; Thomas Taylor, 1908-11; Edmond Coté, 1910; Albert J. Brunelle, 1910 -; Harry Greenhalgh, 1911-14; T. Duncan Kelly, 1912-18; R. F. Haffenreffer, Jr., 1914-23; H. F. McGrady, 1918-21; Charles B. Chase, 1921 -; Joseph P. Phelan, 1923 -.
The following superintendents have served: George A. Briggs, May 22, 1871-Jan. 1. 1875; William Rotch, Jan. 1, 1875-Jan. 1, 1880; Wm. Carr, Jr. (acting), Jan. 1, 1880-Jan. 1, 1881; A. H. Martins, Jan. 1, 1881-May 20. 1884; Patrick Kiernan, May 10. 1886-Oct. 1. 1914; John W. Moran. May 2. 1915 -.
The following water registrars have served: Charles H. Churchill, May 1. 1872-Feb. 6, 1879; William W. Robertson, Feb. 10, 1879-Apr. 15, 1907; James J. Kirby, Apr. 15. 1907 --.
The Public Library .- Of far-reaching and abundant service, not only to this community but also to a large portion of the southeastern part of the State, the Public Library of Fall River has a greater number of visitors, students, readers, researchers, than any other institution in the city in the course of a year. Situated on the main thoroughfare, and at a point where many roads meet, the library doubtless is the central temple of learning for the multitude. George W. Rankin, officially connected with the library since 1873, and librarian since 1905, possesses a range of information con- cerning both the contents and the management of the library that cannot be over-estimated. and when one speaks of the library and the superin-
.
410
BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
tendence and the watch-care of its every department, it is to the librarian one refers, as well. The library's value has become more than city-wide; the worth of the library is acknowledged by every department of life and by all creeds.
To the days of the Lyceum we turn for signs of the beginning's of the Fall River Library-the lyceum that in the 1830's was the chief incentive outside of the church services for the popular gathering. Every town es- tablished its lyceum, with all noted speakers of the day as message-bearers of topics that most interested their times. The postoffice and custom house building once stood where the City Hall now is, and therein a room was fitted up for the first public library in the town.
The Fall River Athenaeum gave the library its existence, the Atheneum being established in 1835 "by a few individuals desirous of having a library of well-selected standard and miscellaneous books always at hand for the purpose of general reading and reference"-this being in accordance with an, act of the Commonwealth which authorized the creation of library and lyceum corporations. Several hundred dollars were raised on the sale of shares of the corporation, whose first meeting was held on the first Monday in April, 1835, the price of their shares, unlimited in number, being placed at five dollars each, subject to the annual assessment of one dollar a share. During the first year of the Athenaeum, the library accumulated five hun- dred books, with a circulation of fifty volumes a week. From the sale of shares and from the fines and assessments, $702 were received, and the ex- penditures amounted to $646.
Fall River has the honor of standing among the first communities in the State to appropriate a sum of money whereby the public library and the public school might be of aid to each other, the town appropriating the sum of eight hundred dollars therefor, at town meeting, April 3, 1837; and the town treasurer was given leave to subscribe for one hundred and sixty shares in the Atheneum for the school committee, wherewith the committee might issue certificates that should entitle worthy pupils in the schools to the use of the shares. This was brought about as a result of the receipt by the town of the sum of $10,102 in 1837, the town's share of the surplus revenue from the government.
How often the fire of 1843 is referred to as the destructive element whereby so many institutions were lost to town and city! It was so in the case of the library, its few books, not quite two thousand, being burned, together with the noted relic, the "skeleton in armor." With the fortunate preservation of a few books that were in the hands of borrowers, and the application of a small sum of money received from insurance, the library was again started, at first in the Town Hall, and later in Music Hall, on Franklin street. The number of volumes had increased in 1860 to 2,362.
The Free Public Library as it is today entered upon the local scene in 1860. It came about through the acceptance by the city of the generous offer of the Athenaeum Association to transfer their library to the former, and the city council ordinance therefor was passed July 23, 1860. The agreement to the transfer was signed on the part of the Athenaeum by Walter C. Durfee, Charles O. Shove, Foster Hooper, A. S. Tripp, Henry Lyon, Isaac B. Chace, Benjamin Earl, Jesse Eddy; and on the part of the city by E. P. Buffinton, Walter Paine (3rd), Samuel M. Brown, Simeon
411
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Borden, P. W. Leland, Henry Lyon, Charles J. Holmes. This library then was opened to the public May 1, 1861, in the southwest room on the second floor of City Hall, the old Atheneum library being added to by over two hundred books that had been the property of the Ocean Fire Company. The library has been moved about to quite an extent from the beginning. During the remodelling of City Hall, Pocasset Hall, on Market Square, was its headquarters, and it was again located there for eight years, after City Hall was burned. Later, it was at Flint's Exchange, on South Main street, at the skating rink, on Danforth street, and in the Brown building, on North Main street, it remaining there thirteen years.
Nearly five thousand of the library's books were destroyed in the City Hall fire, March 19, 1886. The requirements of a city library building were set forth January 7, 1895, by Hon. William S. Greene in his inaugural address. His recommendation that the mayor be authorized to petition the Legislature for authority to create indebtedness outside the debt limit, to be known as the Public Library Loan, for the purpose of purchasing land and erecting a fireproof building for that purpose, was approved by the Gov- ernor March 22, 1895, in an act authorizing Fall River to incur indebtedness to an amount not exceeding $150,000 beyond the limit fixed by law, for the purpose of erecting a library building under the power and control of the trustees of the public library. Among the many excellent sites that were then offered for the proposed building was that of Miss Sarah S. Brayton of the homestead of Mrs. Mary B. Young, whose value was more than one hundred thousand dollars. The offer of the site for $50,000 was accepted by the library trustees. Of the plans of eighteen architects, those of Cram, Wentworth and Goodhue were adopted, but their bid for construction exceeding the appropriation, other bids were called for. That of $133,900 from W. L. Rutan was accepted, and with the stipulation that Fall River granite be used, and that the contract be secured, that firm accepted the work. To facilitate the financial burden, by act of the General Court, and approval of the Governor, March 4, 1896, an additional public library loan amounting to $75,000 was authorized. The cornerstone of the present library building was laid September 30, 1896, in an informal manner, by Mayor Greene, in the presence of the members of the board of trustees and members of the city government. The constructing engineer was Frank W. Ferguson, and the superintendent of work was Valentine Mason. With the addition of appropriations of $25,000 in 1898, and $2000 in 1899, the total cost of the land and building amounted to $252,000.
The librarians have been as follows: George A. Bullard, December 7, 1860, to February 14, 1864, and upon whose resignation Charles G. Reming- ton held the position a few months; William R. Ballard, November 28, 1864, to the time of his death, November 30, 1905; George W. Rankin, from December 9, 1905, to the present.
The library building, one of the most attractive in the city, is of Italian Renaissance design, and built of Fall River dressed granite; is fireproof throughout, the partitions being of brick and the floors of concrete. The book stack is seven stories in height, and has a capacity of three hundred and twenty-five thousand volumes. There is a large general reading room, and a children's library, the latter containing many thousands of volumes. There are also librarian's room, trustees' rooms, picture gallery, catalogue
412
BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
room, rooms for special libraries, and general workrooms. This library was opened to the public in March, 1899. The library board of trustees in 1923 consisted of Leontine Lincoln, William S. Greene, Henry F. Nicker- son, Randall N. Durfee, James H. Mahoney, Dr. Thomas F. Gunning, Hugo A. Dubuque, Jerome C. Borden, Thomas B. Bassett. President, Leontine Lincoln; vice-president, Randall N. Durfee; secretary. George W. Rankin. The assistant librarian is Miss Marjorie Wetherbee.
The Press .- The Fall River of today is known by and through its newspapers, that have become as much a part of the home and the shop as any portion of their daily routine. The friendly rivalry of the press that for years has existed here, coupled with the insistent search for news of the day and the hour, have in themselves eliminated everything that would prevent a healthy speed and a lucid and satisfactory method of the presentation of the day's events. The people are reading the News, the Herald, the Globe and L'Independent, because these newspapers generally provide a first-page way of telling Fall River's story. The press is the voice of the increasing city, of its industries chiefly, and thoroughly of its everyday life.
The Fall River News began to tell the story of the town away back in 1845, in the era of the weekly newspaper, and on April 2 of that year, a little less than two years following the fire, Thomas Almy and John C. Milne-family names that have remained with the firm to this day-began the publication of the then Democratic weekly at No. 5 Bedford street. There are few newspapers in New England that have not changed their political principles as time has passed, and as entire communities have made similar change; but there are few, like the News, that have retained the original heading and the firm name, the News itself going over to the Re- publican camp in 1853. As an exponent of the Anti-Slavery and the Union cause, this newspaper throughout that critical period remained firm and steady.
Accretions have been made to the News, and changes of location. B. W. Pearce's paper, the Evening Star, was sold to Noel A. Tripp, publisher of the Daily Beacon, and this succession became the property of the News publishers, who in 1859, in connection with the weekly edition, began to publish the daily that has kept on providing the news of the city to this hour. In the early seventies this newspaper removed its plant to the present location, the News building on Pleasant street, that is looked upon as a landmark in newspaperdom in this part of the State. The death of Thomas Almy, Mr. Milne's first partner, took place in May, 1882. Frank- lin L. Almy has been a member of the firm since 1854. John C. Milne is still a member of the firm, and his son, Joseph D. Milne, is managing editor. Frank S. Almy, son of Thomas Almy, is advertising manager and has charge of the circulation department.
The Fall River Daily Globe has a large constituency, gradually and substantially secured since the date of its launching in 1885, at the old office in Court Square. An advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, its editorial policy has been upon those lines, and its news-getting system is enterprising and thorough. Up to April, 1906, the Globe was issued from the old office in Court Square, and in that month the new five- story building on North Main street, erected as the Globe building, was
413
PUBLIC UTILITIES
completed and ready for the use of the publication. The offices and the plant are up-to-date. The Fall River Daily Globe Publishing Company has been fortunate in its editorial management and supervision from the first. At the time of the publication at the old location, on Granite and Purchase streets, the business manager was David F. Lingane, and the editor was Allen P. Kelly, while Charles F. Cummings was the business manager. Mr. Lingane succeeded Mr. Kelly as the editor, and so con- tinued until 1889, when William F. Brennan became editor, Charles R. Cummings having the business management of the paper during that period. William F. Kennedy was given the managing editorship of the newspaper in 1891. Few men were better known in the newspaper world in this part of the State. Mr. Kennedy was succeeded by James D. O'Neill, after which Charles J. Leary, Jr., was managing editor for two years. Thomas A. McDonald in 1921 became managing editor and city editor. William J. McGrath has been the telegraph editor many years. Business managers since Mr. Cummings have been George R. H. Buffinton, W. H. Hanscom, Cornelius F. Kelly, James F. Driscoll. Michael Sweeney, Henry F. Nickerson.
Second in order of the time of the publication of the four large daily newspapers here, the Fall River Daily Herald stands well up at the front with the live publications of the county. The Border City Herald saw its beginnings in 1872, with the organization of the Border City Herald Pub- lishing Company, the stock company having such men at the head of it as Judge Louis Lapham, Nicholas T. Geagan, Southard H. Miller, Jeremiah R. Leary, John Southworth. John Campbell. The first headquarters of the Herald were in the Nichols building, on Pocasset street, but at the close of the year 1889, the newspaper removed to its new building, at 231 to 233 Pocasset street. The first editor was Louis Lapham, and the management of the paper was under the direction of Walter Scott. From 1872 the paper preferred the Democratic policy, so continuing for twenty-one years, under such editors as William Hovey, Frederick R. Burton, William B. Wright, Joseph E. Chamberlain. Ernest King, George Salisbury, Michael Reagan.
The corporation became the Fall River Daily Herald Publishing Com- pany in 1876. and again in 1888 a syndicate obtained control, with Dr. John W. Coughlin at its head. The treasurer and manager at this time was Nicholas T. Geagan, and his successor was James T. O'Connor, their asso- ciates being John Cuttle, John Stanton. Michael Mooney, James Lawlor, Dr. J. B. Chagnon, James H. Hoar. As has been inferred, the Republican policy of the paper was adopted in 1893, with John D. Munroe as president of the corporation, G. R. H. Buffinton treasurer and manager, and Thatcher T. Thurston editor. Clarence Berry became the editor in 1904, and Edward D. Toohill in 1910, with Mr. Berry as associate editor. Benjamin F. Hath- away became treasurer of the company in 1906.
The large section of the city composing the French-speaking citizens have their own newspaper, L'Independent, that began to be published as a weekly journal by A. Houde and Company, March 27, 1885. Four years afterwards, in 1889, O. Thibault purchased this newspaper. The daily edition was started October 13, 1893, with Remi Tremblay as the editor. Godefroi de Tonnancour, appointed Fall River postmaster in 1923, began
-
414
BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
his editorship of the newspaper, September 6, 1894. In 1902, L'Independent Publishing Company obtained control, with O. Thibault as treasurer and manager. Its politics are Republican. Philippe Armand-Lajoie, is the present business manager, and Jean B. Paradis is the editor. At first the office was at 25 Purchase street, and removal was made to the present office in 1915.
The Fall River Monitor was the first newspaper to be published here, Nathan Hall issuing the first number January 6, 1826, in a brick building on the south side of Bedford street, halfway between Main and Second streets. Benjamin Earl, who was an apprentice on the paper from its beginning, bought the Monitor July 1, 1830, and he associated with him J. S. Hammond. James Ford, Esq., was the editor. Earl and Hammond sold their interest in the paper in March, 1838, to N. A. Tripp and Alfred Pearce, and the same year, Henry Pratt succeeding Mr. Pearce, the firm was known as Tripp and Pratt. The latter continued to publish the paper upon the retirement of Mr. Tripp in 1857. The weekly came into the hands of William S. Robertson in December, 1868, who continued as owner until January 25, 1897, upon the suspension of the paper. The Monitor espoused successively Whig and Republican principles. For two years or so, a daily edition was published. Among its editors, also, were Joseph Hathaway, Esq., Charles F. Townsend, Matthew C. Durfee, James Ford, Esq., Hon. William P. Sheffield, Hon. Joseph E. Dawley, William S. Robertson. Other publications that lived here for a brief space were the Moral Envoy, started in 1830 by George Wheaton Allen, which the following year was succeeded by the Village Recorder, Noel A. Tripp publisher. This newspaper was issued fortnightly until 1832, when it began to be issued once a week. The Patriot, the first Democratic paper here, a weekly, was issued in 1836 by William N. Canfield, B. Ellery Hale editor. This paper was succeeded by the Archetype in 1841, Thomas Almy and Louis Lapham managers. It was followed in 1842 by the Gazette, Abraham Bowen publisher and Ste- phen Hart editor. The Argus was the next newspaper in order, with Thomas Almy as publisher and Jonathan Slade as editor. The paper was suspended in 1843, its plant being destroyed in the fire of that year.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.