USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1889 > Part 12
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
dens, and which since the removal of the houses has never been improved heretofore, was ploughed, cleared of rocks and rubbish, and carefully graded to make a gradually undulating surface for 2 handsome lawn. This area contains a surface of about 28,000 square feet, and is bounded by the Pond street sidewalk and a gravel path eight feet wide, following in a gradual curve the brink of the southerly embankment. This lawn was smoothed, rolled and sown late in the autumn. It is the only large and unbroken lawn in the park, and should be carefully protected from being trespassed upon for walking or playing, for some years, at least, until the sod becomes firm and strong.
The embankment on the southerly side of the pond was broken down and entirely rebuilt, from the east end to the point where the culvert from Pond street enters the park. This was wholly re turfed ; but as some of the turfing was done late in the season, it had not sufficient time to become thoroughly rooted before the close of the growing season. As a result it has been somewhat in- jured by the subsequent rains, and about thirty five feet of it was washed away by the unprecedently heavy rain of the morning of Thanksgiving Day. This experience has made it evident that a gutter should be laid to take care of the water from the Pond street lawn, and that some provision is necessary in order to con- duct it to the pond without allowing it to flow over the bank.
GREENLEAF STREET.
On this street the sidewalk was straightened near the southerly end, and was cut down a few inches to make the slope more uni- form. A large excavation was made at the point where the side- walk formerly curved to meet the steps descending to the lower terrace, and where an extensive ridge ran out obliquely from the sidewalk on to the lawn. Here the embankment was rebuilt so as
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MALL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.
to make a straight line and uniform slope from the point of its be- ginning near Pond street to the beginning of the curve on Green- leaf street. This was turfed for a distance of about 150 feet, to the point where the new construction met the old bank. At the Auburn street end the sidewalk was also cut away for a distance of about 150 feet, so as to maintain a nearly uniform width, and the embankment was rebuilt correspondingly and was turfed.
TERRACE PATII.
A path eight feet wide was cut out along the whole length of the lower terrace, from the Auburn street end, to meet the path bordering the Pond street lawn, and extending to enter the Green- leaf street sidewalk at the end of the embankment, where the two grades came together near Pond street. This path was graded with fine gravel, and (as were the others previously mentioned) marked with a border of turf.
The lower embankment was rebuilt and turfed for a distance of about 125 feet from the Auburn street end of the terrace path.
THE PLAYGROUND.
In the northerly portion of the park, near the junction of High and Auburn streets, an open space, as large as could be conven- iently obtained, was realized to be a necessity for the accommoda- tion of the children of the neighboring schools. Accordingly an extensive filling was made at this point, on the side toward the pond ; and the area formerly occupied by the West Male Grammar School, and which had remained at a lower level than the Mall ever since, was brought up to the grade of the Mall and rounded out toward the pond, so as to make a level playground, 150 feet long by 125 feet wide. This was graded with coarse gravel, but
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
will probably need some more of the same material this year to counteract the settling that has occurred during the winter. The embankment of this area was not turfed, as it was deemed certain that so deep a filling (over eleven feet on the edge) must settle considerably during the winter. This expectation has already been thoroughly justified.
The Auburn street approach to the pond was graded so as to obtain a more uniform slope. The roadway is now sixteen feet wide for the upper half of its length, then branching into two diverging arms, each twelve feet wide and running to the shore of the pond. The borders of these paths were marked out with turf, and the triangular space between the two branches was raised and carefully graded with very rich loam, and sown with the finest quality of lawn grass. With proper attention this should become a beautiful piece of lawn.
THE BEACH, OR POND SHORE.
The outline of the pond was corrected by such excavations and fillings as were required to make the curves more symmetrical and better conformed to the general shape of the basin. Hundreds of loads of gravel were then distributed around this border, making a level beach, twelve feet wide, around the entire contour of the pond, at a grade corresponding, as nearly as could be ascertained, to the normal height of the water.
The edge of this beach toward the pond was protected, as far as possible, by coarser material ; and in many places it was covered with stones, as a defence against the washing of the water. This was not expected to be entirely adequate to the purpose, but was the best thing that could be done under the circumstances ; and it is sincerely hoped that in the near future it may become possible to substantially enclose the pond with a heavy granite curb, and
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MALL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.
thus effectually prevent the further erosion of the beach. Between the beach and the foot of the embankment, on every side, the slop- ing spaces were graded with loam, marked with a border of turf, and sown with grass seed.
This completes the details of the work of grading, etc., and it should be remarked in passing that the small portions of the park, immediately in the front and rear of the Court House and within twenty feet on each side of it, were not touched, and should be excepted from the above enumeration where applicable, as the property belongs to the county of Essex, and the county commis- sioners assured us that they would assume that portion of the work.
STEPS.
Three new flights of wooden steps were constructed from the top to the bottom of the high embankments, at locations where there were none before, viz : Opposite the head of Court street ; in front of the Putnam Free School building ; and from the path bordering the east end of the Pond street lawn.
MASONRY.
The end of the Pond street culvert, where it opened through the embankment, was rebuilt and the opening finished with brick, and a gutter three feet wide laid from the foot of the bank to the shore of the pond. Gutters two feet wide were paved (as stated above) on each side of the path in the East Valley, each about 200 feet in length. A crib was strongly built of brick laid in Portland cement, to protect the strainer at the end of the water main. This crib is built on a stone foundation at the bottom of the pond, is three feet in inside diameter at the bottom and arches over at the top, leaving a circular opening about two feet in diameter, which is closed by a cast-iron cover weighing 100 pounds. The crib has
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two 8x8 openings on the side toward the center of the pond, and forms the first substantial protection the water pipe has ever had against dirt washing down and clogging the strainer.
CLEANING THE POND.
Almost the entire volume of the water has been twice removed, and the pond has been filled up with pure water from the mains of the water company. At the time when the water was at its lowest level the bed, for a long distance from the shore on every side, was thoroughly cleaned and scraped, and the refuse thus gathered up was deposited where it was subsequently covered un- der several feet of gravel.
In conclusion we would respectfully urge upon your honora- ble body the necessity of sufficient appropriations from year to year for the proper maintenance of the improvements that have been made. We feel, indeed, that our citizens have a right, in view of their voluntary gift, to demand its preservation by the proper authorities. A sum of money should be devoted every year to the continuous employment, during the growing season, of a competent man, or men, (who should also be clothed with police authority), to take care of the park, keep the grass cut, the paths cleaned, the borders trimmed, and the numerous other small de- tails attended to, that will render the park attractive as a place of resort and a credit to our beautiful city.
The experience of the past having amply demonstrated that the water of Frog Pond cannot be kept pure while it is allowed to remain stagnant, we would urge that a service pipe connecting with the city water supply be laid to enter the upper end of the pond through a simple vertical jet, and that a sufficient sum be devoted to the purchase of an adequate supply of water therefor, the Green street reservoir main to be used for an overflow conduit if necessary.
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MALL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.
A further appropriation should be made the present year for the completion of the play ground, the repair of such damages as have occurred through the winter, the construction of one short flight of steps, and of such gutters as may be found necessary, and the purchase of a suitable number of park settees. An additional electric light should be maintained at some point (preferably on the northern border of the Pond street lawn, opposite the Court House) near the center of the park.
A few feet of dwarf fencing should guard the ends and angles of the grass plats at points where the course of travel has a tendency to deface the same.
We would also call your attention to the question of the advisa- bility of erecting railings at the side of the steps running down the embankment, and also along the edge of the Greenleaf street sidewalk.
A code of rules and regulations for the government of the park should be enacted immediately, and the police department should be instructed to see that the same are rigidly observed.
Very respectfully submitted,
For the Mall Improvement Association,
FRANCIS V. PIKE, President
FRED E. SMITH, Secretary.
REPORTS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
PUBLIC LIBRARY.
IN BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Dec. 9, 1889.
ORDERED, that the report of the directors be signed, and together with the accompanying reports, transmitted to the city council, agreeably to the requirements of section 5th of the ordinance concerning the Public Library.
JOHN D. PARSONS, Secretary
TRUSTEES OF THE LIBRARY-1890.
ELISHA P. DODGE, Mayor.
ALDERMEN.
JOHN J. PUTNAM, HENRY C. PLUMMER,
GEORGE E. ROSS,
W. HERBERT NOYES, CHARLES H. DEROCHEMONT. ISRAEL A. MORSE.
DIRECTORS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
ELISHA P. DODGE, Mayor ORRIN J. GURNEY, President of Common Council . EDWARD S. MOSELEY, Trustee of Building fund . SAMUEL J. SPALDING, Trustee of Building Fund . DANIEL T. FISKE, Trustee of Building Fund
Ex officio·
66
LAWRENCE B. CUSHING, Term of office expires
1890.
*FRANK W. HALE, 6:
1891.
NATHAN N. WITHINGTON,
1892.
WILLIAM R. JOHNSON,
1893.
AMOS NOYES, 1894.
JAMES PARTON,
1895.
ENOCH C. ADAMS
1896.
TRUSTEES OF THE PEABODY FUND.
EDWARD S. MOSELEY,
EBEN F. STONE,
WILLIAM H. SWASEY. DANIEL T. FISKE,
JOHN J. CURRIER.
LIBRARIAN . .
JOHN D. PARSONS.
ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN
EFFIE A. TENNEY.
EXTRA ASSISTANT . E. S. THURSTON. SUPERINTENDENT OF READING ROOM MARTHA P. LUNT.
JANITOR
DANIEL P. DONNEL,
*Died February 14.
66
ORGANIZATION
OF THE
Board of Directors of the Public Library,
FOR 1890.
President, ELISHA P. DODGE.
Secretary, JOHN D. PARSONS.
Committee on Library, SAMUEL J. SPALDING, JAMES PARTON, WM. R. JOHNSON.
Committee on Librarian,
AMOS NOYES, DANIEL T. FISKE, N. N. WITHINGTON.
Committee on Library Room,
EDW. S. MOSELEY, S. J. SPALDING, ORRIN J. GURNEY.
Committee on Reading Room,
EDW. S. MOSELEY, ENOCH C. ADAMS.
Committee on Finance and Accounts,
E. P. DODGE, W. R. JOHNSON, LAWRENCE B. CUSHING. Committee on Bradbury Fund, LAWRENCE B. CUSHING, N. N. WITHINGTON.
DIRECTORS' REPORT.
To HIS HONOR THE MAYOR, AND CITY COUNCIL OF NEWBURY- PORT :
GENTLEMEN-The directors of the Public Library submit to you their thirty-fourth annual report.
Early in the year, our esteemed librarian, Hiram A. Tenney, was suddenly removed from his office by death. The following resolutions, unanimously adopted by the board of directors, show the high regard in which he was held by those intimately asso- ciated with him in his work :
RESOLVED, that in the death of Hiram A. Tenney, for thirty-four years librarian of the Newburyport Public Library, the directors recog- nize the loss of a faithful public servant, an upright man, and a good cit- izen; and one whose long experience and intimate knowledge of the library had increased his usefulness with each successive year. We desire to put upon the records a testimonial of our esteem for his virtues, and our affection for him as a friend; and to his family we extend our cordial sympathy in their bereavement, by which they have lost a wise and affectionate father. Yet we feel that the fact that he was so long in the public service, annually re-elected to the office he held, is a more impressive memorial than any which we could formulate in words, or than could be expressed in phrases.
For the condition of the library we refer you to the report of Mr. Parsons, our present librarian. The suggestions which he
(19)
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
makes in regard to some changes in heating the library room call for immediate attention. And we refer again to the matter of additional protection against fires from without. If our library should be destroyed, it would be impossible to replace the large amount of historical matter which has been collected.
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT C. TITCOMB,
MOSES BROWN, EDWARD S. MOSELEY, SAMUEL J. SPALDING,
Directors
DANIEL T. FISKE,
BENJAMIN HALE,
LAWRENCE B. CUSHING,
of the
FRANK W. HALE,
Public Library.
NATHAN N. WITHINGTON,
WILLIAM R. JOHNSON,
AMOS NOYES, JAMES PARTON.
Newburyport, November 30, 1889.
LIBRARIAN'S REPORT.
TO THE COMMITTEE ON LIBRARY :
GENTLEMEN-I have the honor of submitting to you my first annual report as librarian of the Public Library of Newburyport.
INTRODUCTORY.
The previous annual report ended with November 26, 1888. Hardly had the new year opened when the honored librarian, of nearly thirty-five years' service, Mr. Hiram A. Tenney, was sud- denly removed by death. At the regular meeting the last Mon- day in January the present librarian was chosen as his successor, and entered upon his duties February 1. Beginning work under the disadvantage of no previous practical experience in library management, shortly after my appointment, by vote of the board of directors, I visited some of the well known and successfully conducted public libraries of the State-those of Boston, Worces- ter, Lowell and Haverhill-at each of which I was cordially received by the librarians and other officers, and was accorded by them much valuable information and many practical suggestions. Since that time I have devoted considerable study to library econ- omy as set forth in well known technical publications, notably the Library Journal-current and back volumes,-the valuable special report on the libraries of the country, compiled by the national board of education, and works on library classification and cata- loging by Dewey, Cutter and others. At the same time I have endeavored to apply the information thus obtained to our own
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
library, and by close observation and study learn what defects, if any, detract from its otherwise general excellence.
NUMBER OF VOLUMES.
Before entering upon the above subject, however, I will give a summary of the present condition of the library as regards the number of books. The last annual report stated that the library contained 25,000 volumes. Since the close of the last library year 800 books have been added by purchase and 193 by dona- tion, a total of 993. There have been withdrawn and condemned, by reason of their worn and tattered condition, 389 volumes, of which 34 were replaced from new purchases, leaving the total number of volumes at present in the library 25,604, a net increase of 604. (For a more detailed statement see appendix E.) Of the total number of volumes purchased 399, or almost exactly one- half, were added from the income of the Peabody fund, while their cost exceeded that of the balance by a large proportion. The character of these books, as in the past, is of the best grade of literature, and their value is generally of a permanent kind, an enduring monument to the memory of George Peabody.
DONATIONS.
The principal donation received during the year was a bequest of $1000, from the late Abram Williams of Boston. A check for this sum and accrued income, amounting to $1065.33, payable to the trustees of the library, was received early the present year. This was forwarded to the mayor and aldermen, trustees of the library, and the principal is now invested in the form of a city note, at 4 per cent. interest annually, the surplus having been expended in the purchase of new books.
Another large portrait in oil now adorns the walls of the Simp- son annex, that of Col. Moses Titcomb, one of the pre-Revolu- tionary heroes of Newburyport, who participated in the French war at the siege and capture of Louisburg, and who subsequently gave his life to the colonies at the battle of Lake George. The portrait was the gift of Mr. Robert I. Frothingham, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and was received through Hon. Eben F. Stone.
The library is also indebted to the latter gentleman for a large number of valuable government publications, and the continuous issues of the "Official Records of the Rebellion" are received
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PUBLIC LIBRARY.
from Washington, credited to him, the library being originally made a beneficiary at his request. Our present representative in congress, Hon. William Cogswell, has given the library every pos- sible aid in securing government works. The chief signal officer of the army, Brig .- Gen. A. W. Greely, has caused to be sent all the publications of his department, and those of the common- wealth have been received from the office of the secretary. A set of "Cassell's Illustrated History of England " was given to the library by Mrs. Fred A. Nield, in fulfilment of a request by her late husband, and from various individuals donations of books, mementoes and relics, of greater or lesser value, have been received. (See appendix G.)
BACK NUMBERS OF MAGAZINES DESIRED.
Our periodical literature is very incomplete. Many of our sets of magazines, quarterlies and reviews begin with the establish- ment of the reading room, or later. Others are but partially filled, and hundreds of numbers are needed to complete sets. As the value of Poole's index to periodical literature becomes better known to the users of the library, and its no less valuable adjunct, the co-operative index, issued quarterly, the calls for works of this class for reference becomes greater. Ordinary books, as a rule, treat of subjects more in general than in detail, but it is hard to conceive of a subject, of however slight importance it seems at first sight, that has not been handled or discussed in the great collection of periodicals published during the present century. Early in the year the librarian made an appeal through the press for donations of bound or unbound numbers of any magazine. There have been some generous responses (see appendix G), but still there is a large gap to be filled. (See appendix H.)
The appeal is here renewed. Any magazine, bound or unbound, will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged, more espec- ially any mentioned in appendix H.
I would suggest to the board that steps be taken whereby, as in every large library, sets of the more popular magazines may be provided for general circulation, aside from a regular set to be retained for reference. To this end it would be well that extra copies of Harpers', the Century, Scribner's and Lippincott's be purchased by the library from the Bradbury fund (which is unre-
-
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
stricted in its purposes), beginning with the coming year, to be retained for binding, and added to the sets kept for reference, while the copies from the reading room, always more or less injured, be bound for general distribution. If this is done, I think there will be no difficulty in procuring back numbers (of which a duplicate set of Harpers' is now practically complete) free of expense, and thus a large collection of valuable and popular literature will be added to the circulating department of the library, at a very small cost.
SYSTEM OF KEEPING ACCOUNTS.
Early in the year I was authorized by the directors to change the system of keeping borrowers' accounts. At that time we were, alone of all the libraries in New England so far as I have been able to learn, using the old-fashioned ledger system ; that is, charging a book to an account on a ledger with a lead pencil when borrowed, and erasing the charge when the book was returned. It was left discretionary with me to select a system from the many in use, and the one finally adopted was the Boston Library bureau system, the principal feature of which is the sloping slip case. The method can better be explained orally than by a written report. Suffice it to say that it shows at a glance just what books from any alcove are in circulation, and who has each book. When a book becomes overdue, by a system of progression the slip on which it is charged arrives at a certain compartment. By the old system the ledger account of every borrower had to be exam ined. By preserving and arranging the slips, a record of the cir- culation in every department is obtained (see appendix F), even to the number of times each book has been taken out. The sys- tem has now been in operation three months, and the results are appended.
REGISTRATION.
A new registration was ordered by the board, and went into effect at the reopening of the library, in August. Authorities agree that a new registration should take place in public libraries at least as often as once in ten years, if not once in five. At this institution there had been but one registration since it was founded, and accordingly all accounts were cancelled and new ones opened. For the three months ending *November 25, 1281 persons signed
*At the date of printing this report, March 5, the number is 1760.
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PUBLIC LIBRARY.
the rules and regulations, the great majority of whom at once became active borrowers. The registration continues at the rate of about thirty a week, a large number of those registering having recently become citizens.
THE LIBRARY AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Within the past few years a closer adaptation of the services the public library can render the public schools has been put in practice by various New England institutions, with the most unqualified success. School text books at the best are but rudi- mentary, and, under the guidance of teachers, from the material in a public library the student can be led to obtain a broader view of the subject in hand, a more complete information. The plan, it can hardly now be called an experiment, is now in operation in this city. Each teacher in a public school is allowed to draw at one time five books on topics connected with the studies in his or her department. The teachers are freely availing themselves, in many cases, of the opportunity thus presented, and its effects are seen in the increased number of solid books called for by the stu- dents themselves, on their own or parents' cards. It is not only of a present advantage to the students, but it is forming in them a habit of reading the best in literature in distinction from that apparent in so many young people, of not being satisfied with any- thing but fiction, and that the newest and latest, regardless of author, title or subject.
PRESERVATION OF BOOKS.
I desire to call the attention of the board to a very important subject, the preservation of the books now in the library. As stated above, there have been withdrawn and discarded, during the past ten months, 389 volumes, and the number is short of what should be withdrawn. While this is a larger quantity than was ever disposed of in any previous year, each and every book had become so mutilated by the loss of pages as to render it worthless. The large majority, almost the entire lot, were works of fiction ; but even those we could ill afford to lose, although it would be hardly worth while to attempt to replace them. I believe that nearly all of these books would have been on the shelves intact today, had proper steps for their preservation been taken in season. When the threads break and the leaves are loosened
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
from the binding, it is very easy for a leaf, or even an entire fold, to be lost, and the book thus rendered worthless. They cannot be properly repaired at the library, in many cases, and should be sent to the bindery at once. In examining the reports of other libraries I find that about eleven dollars is expended annually for each 1000 books owned, in binding and rebinding. Applying the average obtained to this library, it would call for an expenditure of about $285 a year, at present. The records show that the aver- age bill for binding and rebinding of books belonging to this library, for the past ten years, not including the present, has been but $86.30. The expense of binding our magazines and period- icals alone now amounts to nearly this sum.
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