USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Melrose > City of Melrose annual report 1893-1895 > Part 29
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239
SEWER REPORT.
SEC. 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Ap- proved April 27, 1894.
At a town meeting held May 7, 1894, it was unanimously voted to issue under authority of the above act, 100 bonds of $1000 each, bearing date of June 1, 1894, payable in 30 years, with interest at rate of 4 per cent. per annum, payable semi- annually, and the town treasurer was authorized to sell sev- enty-five of said bonds to the highest bidder. July 16, 1894, fifty bonds were sold at a premium of 6.321, or a total pre- mium of $3,160.50 and accrued interest, amounting to $26I.II ; twenty-five bonds were sold at a premium of 6.61, or a total premium of $1,652.50 and accrued interest, amounting to $455.57, the sum total being $80,529.68.
If the construction of the sewer be continued the coming year as recommended by your commissioners, another issue of bonds will be required.
HOUSE CONNECTIONS.
Early in the season we received a request from the select- men that the service pipes connecting houses with the main drain be laid on Main street to the street line at the same time the main pipes were laid, but owing to the unsettled condition of the streets it was not deemed feasible. The board has no power to compel persons owning estates· to connect their drains with the sewer, however much it might be deemed desirable. That our citizens may understand wherein the power lies, we quote from the laws in relation to this matter.
1889. [CHAP. 108.]
AN ACT ENABLING TOWNS TO AUTHORIZE BOARDS OF HEALTH TO ENFORCE REGULATIONS CONCERNING HOUSE DRAINAGE. Be it enacted, etc., as follows:
SECT. I. Any town may authorize its board of health to
1
240
SEWER REPORT.
make and enforce in such town such regulations as said board may deem necessary for the safety and health of the people with reference to house drainage and its connection with public sewers, where a public sewer abuts the estate to be drained. Whoever violates any such regulation shall for- feit a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars.
SECT. 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Ap- proved March 13, 1889.
1890. [CHAP. 132.]
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR CONNECTING BUILDINGS WITH PUBLIC SEWERS.
Be it enacted, etc., as follows :
SECT. I. Every building situated on a public or private street, court or passageway, in which there is a public sewer, shall, when required by the board of health of the city or town in which it stands, be connected by a good and suffi- cient particular drain with such public sewer.
SECT. 2. Any person owning, leasing or maintaining any building not connected with a public sewer as provided in the preceding section shall be punished by a fine not exceed- ing two hundred dollars.
SECT. 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Ap- proved March 28, 1890.
It will be seen by the above that the town by vote can authorize the board of health to make such regulations as will abolish cesspools and privies, particularly in the thickly settled portions of the town. We respectfully suggest that action be taken at the coming meeting.
ENGINEER AND ASSISTANTS.
The plans and specifications for the entire sewer system for Melrose were prepared by Walter C. Stevens, C. E., under con-
241
SEWER REPORT.
tract with the committee appointed by the town for that purpose. For the execution of the work as planned, your commissioners found it necessary to employ an engineer with assistants to give grades, levels, etc., also to supervise the work until complete. Believing that it would be for the interest of the town if all the engineering work needed in the several departments could be combined, we conferred with the selectmen and an arrangement was made whereby we engaged the services of Mr. Stevens, to do any work required of him for one year from May I, at a salary of $1,500 per annum, with the understanding that the select- men would allow the sum of $500 from the highway or side- walk appropriations. This arrangement has not been wholly satisfactory to the selectmen, and it has cost this depart- ment much more than the amount allowed to execute the work required. The importance of having proper plans of every street, showing location not only of sewer pipes, but of water and gas pipes, street railway tracks, the grades of each street, distance of buildings, location of services, etc., will be realized in the near future.
Our purpose was to begin the establishment of an engi- neer's office, to which each department could apply for information, and the work has been carried forward with that end in view. Visiting a neighboring city we were shown plans extending over several years which were valued at many thousands of dollars. We trust that the matter will be deemed of sufficient importance as to demand action by the town that will insure an economical expenditure in the future, and as a direct result plans of record which will always be accessible. We have purchased instruments and apparatus necessary, and the engineer has a temporary office in what is known as the tower room over the main entrance to the Town Hall.
16
242
SEWER REPORT:
INSPECTORS.
The cost of inspection has been large. In the progress of the work the town has been represented on each line or trench by a competent person whose duty was to see that the work was performed according to the specifications in detail, and who also kept an accurate account of the work and the material used. We consider ourselves fortunate to have had in general charge of this important branch W. Dabney Hunter, who had previously had experience as assistant engineer in Waltham, and as inspector in Cam- bridge and Malden. He has had the oversight of all the other inspectors, and has ably assisted the engineer.
The inspection of pipe at the stock yard required much time and labor, at considerable expense but was a necessity.
LAW SUITS AND CLAIMS.
An action has been brought against the town by Mr. Thomas J. Ryder for injuries received at corner of Foster and Willow streets, alleged to have been caused by insuffi- cient lighting and proper guarding of the trench. Other suits have been brought against the contractor, who is held responsible under the contract, and has given good and sufficient bonds.
We have paid Mrs. Christina Coburn the sum of $50 in settlement of damages to her property on Grove street, claimed to have resulted from the excavating for sewer and the pumping of water, the premises having settled whereby repairs were made necessary.
ASSESSMENTS
The Statutes provide (Chapter 50, Sect. 4,) that the legal voters of a town may adopt a system of sewerage for a part or
243
SEWER REPORT.
the whole of its territory, and may provide that assessments shall be made upon owners of estates within such territory, by a fixed uniform rate, based upon the estimated cost of the sewer therein, according to the frontage of such estates on any street or way where a sewer is constructed, or accord- ing to the area of such estates within a fixed depth from such street or way, or according to both such frontage and area.
By an act passed in 1892, chapter 245, it is provided that the part to be paid by the city or town shall in no case be less than one-quarter nor more than two-thirds of the esti- mated cost. Various plans have been adopted by neighbor- ing cities and towns ; we cite the following from three cities which are regarded as progressive communities. The first city passed an ordinance in 1890 which assessed the whole of the estimated cost on the abutters, and fixed the rate of assessment at sixty cents per front foot, and six mills per square foot of area back to 180 feet from the street with an exemption for corner lots of sixty feet of frontage on sec- ond street. In 1892, after the passage of the act previously referred to, the city assumed one quarter of the cost and assessed the other three-quarters on the abutters at the rate of fifty cents per front foot and six mills per square foot back to 180 feet, with an exemption for corner lots of 100 feet frontage on second street. In 1893 another revision was made, whereby the city assumed one-half the estimated cost of the system and assessed the other half on the abutters, the rate being fixed at fifteen cents only per front foot and five and a half mills per square foot of area back to 180 feet, the question of corner lots being left to the option of the board in reference to any exemption of frontage on second street.
The second city having determined that the estimated cost of their system per running foot was $2.75, levied a
244
SEWER REPORT.
uniform assessment of fifty cents per foot of frontage and no more. They afterward made an exemption for corner lots of not exceeding sixty feet on second street or way ; estates abutting on blind courts or ways not extending through from one public street to another, an exemption of not exceeding forty feet.
The third city, by a special act of the legislature, are permitted to assess one-half of the estimated average cost of all the sewers in the system upon the estates as follows : one-half of the amount to be assessed (or a fourth of the estimated cost), is assessed according to the value of the land, and the other fourth of the estimated cost on the area of the land within a fixed depth.
It is evident that the benefits to be derived from a sewer- age system are partly public and partly private. The first must be met by general taxation and has been fixed by law at not less than one-fourth nor more than two-thirds of the total cost of the system, the problem is how to arrange that the assessment for private benefits shall be levied so that it may be fair, just and equitable. Either the frontage or area plan alone, will not meet the requirements. It can be readily seen that differences in shape of lots may allow several houses on one lot and only one or two on another, each lot having the same area or frontage as the case may be.
The acts of 1892, chapter 245, section I, provide that towns " may by vote establish just and equitable annual charges or rents for the use of such sewers to be paid by every person who enters his particular sewer into the common sewer, and may change the same from time to time." They also pro- vide for the collection of such charges or rentals and furth- ermore that money so received may be applied to the cost of maintenance and repairs or to the payment of debts con- tracted for sewer purposes. From this and kindred legisla-
245
SEWER REPORT.
tion, we conclude that the intent of the laws are to provide for the equitable apportionment of the benefits derived and the methods of payment for such benefits, which we will classify as follows :
First, the benefit to the town as a whole by having a proper sewer system, which we will designate as a " public benefit " represented by whatever sum is levied in the gen- eral tax levy without regard to the location of the sewers.
Second, the benefit to estates or "private benefits " in en- hancing the value of the estate without regard to whether the sewers are used by the owner of land or not, represented by the proportionate part of the first assessment along the lines of streets where the sewer is already laid either by the frontage or area plan or both.
Third, benefits from "actual use " of the sewer to be met by annual fixed charges or rentals in the same manner as payments are now made for the use of water, and as the charges for water vary as to the amount used, so the charges for rentals of sewers should also be varied in proportion to the amount of sewage contributed. If the town supplied water by the meter system this could be more readily ascer- tained.
Definite plans, based on engineer's estimates, will be presented to the town for action, upon the first two methods of payment.
COURTS OR PRIVATE WAYS.
Acting under the authority given by Chapter 50, Section 2, Public Statutes, as amended by the Acts of 1893, Chapter 423, Section 24, notice having been served on the owners of the land and premises adjoining, and a hearing granted, we have laid out for public use a main drain or common sewer within the private ways known as
246
SEWER REPORT.
Allen court or place.
Benson court.
Berwick court or place.
Boston & Maine R. R. land.
Cass street.
Central terrace and land of H. A. Leonard.
Kimball court. Larrabee place.
Crescent place. Dill's Court.
Eastman and Fields courts.
Emerson place. Faulkner place. Felton place. Grove place. Ingalls court.
Perham avenue. Stevens place. Upham court.
The above will be reported to the town for acceptance at the annual meeting.
The North Metropolitan system will probably be in operation this year, possibly in April next, when this town will be allowed to discharge its sewage into the system. Connection has been made with the main line at the junction of Wyoming avenue and Pleasant street. Assuming that the town will continue the extension of its system, we recommend that section 4 and a part of section 7 which includes all that district west of the B. & M. rail- road and lying between Russell street and Spot pond brook on the south, and Perkins street on the north, be next con- structed. We append report of Mr. Stevens, engineer, and a financial statement of all expenditures to Jan. I, 1895.
Respectfully submitted,
SETH E. BENSON, L. FRANK HINCKLEY, JOHN LARRABEE,
Sewer Commissioners ..
247
SEWER REPORT.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
SALE OF BONDS.
C. R. Selee, photographing Town Hall for cut, . $1 50
Frank G. Bufford, printing bonds, 100 00
Melrose Journal, advertising sale, 3 88
Boston Journal,
26 95
Boston Transcript Co., advertising sale,
24 60
Boston Daily Advertiser,
26 00
$182 93
EXPENDED BY COMMITTEE.
Walter C. Stevens, plans as per contract,
$994 00
Globe Newspaper Co., advertising, 23 62
Boston Herald Co.,
16 25
Boston Journal,
14 00
Engineering Record,
19 20
News,
20 00
Boston Daily Advertiser,
8 00
Record,
12 00
Melrose Journal, printing reports and contracts, 223 78
$1,330 85
OFFICE FURNITURE AND EXPENSES.
Orpin Brothers, desk and chairs, $39 75
W. A. Goodno, carpenter work, 47 10
D. R. Woodward, 16 50
H. C. Dimond, rubber stamps,
2 85
A. W. Parker, sign, 2 75
Amount carried forward,
$108 95
248
SEWER REPORT.
Amount brought forward, $108 95
Melrose Journal, printing and stationery, 16 25
Dunton & Potter, printing and stationery, 100 25 King & Merrill, stationery, . 16 76
Edward A. Hammond, books, 9 00
W. D. Hunter, stationery,
12 38
J. L. Fairbanks, books, etc., .
IO 75
Geo. C. Stantial, copying,
2 00
C. S. Brainard,
1 00
O. F. Lapham, cleaning office, I 50
Telephone service, 14 25
$293 09
ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING.
Office Expenses.
Frost & Adams, instruments and material, $190 28
Chas. C. Hutchinson, instruments, 197 75
A. E. Martell & Co., material, 2 00
Little, Brown & Co., books, 2 70
Diebold Safe Co., safe, . 35 00
J. Manning & Co., moving safe,
6 00
Orpin Bros., furniture, ,
29 00
A. W. Parker, painting,
IO 35
W. A. Goodno, carpenter work,
38 85
J. J. Mccullough, hangings, .
10 80
H. C. Dimond, rubber stamp,
75
Carter & Shepherd, stationery,
3 70
Geo. E. Fuller, cleaning room, 2 00
$529 18
SEWER REPORT. 249
Engineers' Services.
Walter C. Stevens, previous to May I, .
$78 00
for assistants furnished, . 104 50
66 salary, 8 months, 1,000 00
Winslow Blanchard, plans, etc., 32 75
Charles F. Woodward, services,
528 75
Arthur G. Worthen, services,
428 20
$2,172 20
INSPECTORS,
W. D. Hunter, general inspector, services 7 mos.,
II days, . $920 21
Other inspectors on line of sewers, 2,196 80
Inspection of pipe at stock yard, 405 70
$3,522 71 LABOR, PRINCIPALLY AT STOCK YARD AND FOR TEAMING PIPE, CEMENT, ETC.
Laborers' pay rolls, . $1,009 81
Teamsters and teams, pay rolls, ,
720 80
$1,730 61
CONTRACT AND MATERIAL.
Frank L. Allen, contractor, on acct., .
$39,536 40
Pipe.
Kennedy, Kling & Co., . $7,796 67
Portland Stone Ware Co.,
671 21
Waldo Brothers, .
13 09
Perrin, Seamans & Co., .
86 99
E. E. Locke,
63
David W. Lewis,
56 73
C. B. & F. H. Goss,
12 02
G. F. Frost,
7 50
8,644 84
Amount carried forward,
$48, 18 24
250
SEWER REPORT.
Cement.
Amount brought forward, . $48,181 24
Waldo Brothers, 1,445 bbls. Portland, $2,832 20
Bryant & Kent, IIO
228 00
E. E. Locke, 23
59 80
Bryant & Kent, 550 bbls. Rosendale,
500 50
E. E. Locke, 20
24 00
S. E. Benson, 71 74 23
3,718 73
Bricks.
Bay State Brick Co., 151,200 bricks, $1,375 52
S. E. Benson, 3,000 bricks, 21 90
Edmond Page, 176,923 bricks,
884 63
2,282 05
Freight.
Boston & Maine R. R. Co., on pipe, cement and bricks,
4,294 58
Expressing.
Eastman's Express,
$57 15
American Express,
I 65
W. A. Cole,
3 25
62 05
Perrin, Seamans & Co., 1,851 lbs. jute,
88 33
IRON WORK AND SUNDRIES.
Osgood & Hart, regulator, $95 00
Rings and covers,
828 66
40 sets arches,
347 75
51 20-gallon flusher tanks,
77 50
29 50-gallon flusher tanks,
348 00
1,696 91
Amount carried forward,
$60,323 89
25I
SEWER REPORT.
Amount brought forward, $60,323 89 Lockwood Mfg. Co., 5 flusher tanks, 68 85
Brock Bros., repairs, 2 15
D. R. Woodward, carpenter work, 5 18
N. E. Water Pipe Co., pipe and couplings, . 7 52
Scrannage Bros., bibb cocks, 15 00
Water department, labor and material, 122 85
Thos. McCoubry, manhole rods and bolts, 169 10
S. M. Scribner, hardware, 6 05
H. J. Perry, hardware and paints, - 52 87
Joseph Edwards, pipe hangers and irons, 34 90
S. E. Benson, lime, etc., 4 70
W. H. Wells, 14 loads gravel, I 40
F. G. Houghton, cheese cloth, 5 84
G. L. Westgate & Son, cheese cloth, 22 83
Hurd & Co., cheese cloth,
I 50
S. D. Farrar, oil suit, 4 00
O. R. Chase, carriage hire, 6 00
J. P. Deering, lumber, . 65 26
$60,919 89
CLAIMS.
Mrs. Christina Coburn, damages, .
50 00
SALARIES.
S. E. Benson, commissioner one year, $50 00 L. Frank Hinckley, commissioner one year, 50 00 John Larrabee, commissioner one year, 50 00 $150 00
INTEREST.
$75,000.00 bonds, six months, 4 per cent., . $1,500 00
252
SEWER REPORT.
RECAPITULATION.
Sale of bonds,
$182 93
Expended by committee,
1,330 85
Office furniture and expenses,
293 09
Engineer, office expenses,
529 18
Engineers, services,
2,172 20
Inspectors, services,
3,522 71
Labor and teams, .
1,730 61
Contract and material, .
. 60,919 89
Claims, .
50 00
Salaries of commissioners,
150 00
Interest on bonds, .
. $1,500 00
$72,381 46
CONTRA.
Bonds issued,
$75,000 00
From premiums, .
4,813 00
From accrued interest, .
716 68
$80,529 68
Received on account of engineer's
services to other departments,
$375 00
$80,904 68
Balance unexpended,
$8,523 22
$80,904 68
There is due F. L. Allen, contractor, for work performed in January and February the sum of $3,584.58, and upon completion of the contract the amount held in reserve, viz : $6,986.42, making a total sum due him of $10,571.00
Estimated value of pipe, cement, etc., on hand. . $2,597 18 Office furniture, 100 00
Engineer's instruments, etc., 450 00
$3,147 18
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
MELROSE, Jan. 21, 1895.
To SETH E. BENSON, L. FRANK HINCKLEY and JOHN LARRA- BEE, Board of Sewer Commissioners of the town of Melrose :
GENTLEMEN : - I herewith offer for your consideration a report of the construction of sewers in Melrose during the past season.
The contract was let to Mr. Frank L. Allen, of Worces- ter, who commenced work with a small gang of men at the junction of Main and Grove streets in May, 1894. This intro- duction to the subterranean conditions of the centre of our town proved that they were worse than was anticipated, for even in the dry weather that then prevailed we found an abundance of ground water, and this, together with very fine sand which easily gives way and runs with the slightest pressure of water. Owing to these conditions, in addition to the presence of two old abandoned culverts that held quite a body of water dangerously near; the well at this point was sunk with difficulty, the bottom of same being reached twice when with a rush of water (from these old waterways), the sand boiled up in the bottom and filled the well from two to three feet with the fine sand which had to be removed the third time, when it was finally secured with a good foundation of concrete, where brick manholes were built. The excavation for the sewer at this point was about eleven feet deep.
The work of laying the twenty inch sewer up Main street was carried on from here. The brook was dammed off with sand bags at the pond and again just east of Main street, and
254
SEWER REPORT.
all the water coming down the brooks was turned up the small brook in land of Mr. Geist, to a point just west of his driveway, thence it was turned through a trench three feet wide (excavated for the purpose), to the centre of Grove street, thence westerly around the manholes in Main street, and entering the brook proper just below the Grove street culvert. This allowed of the work being done in Main and Grove streets under the culverts in dry digging. In these and in all cases where sewers were laid under the brook and the railroad, the pipe was laid in and covered with concrete.
As the work proceeded northerly on Main street it ran into deeper cutting, and with this into the worst kind of material to work in. Between Foster and Upham streets the excavation averaged a little over eighteen feet in depth. After the surface gravel was taken off the balance of the cut was in sand, which became very fine as we went down; the ground water appearing at a depth of about seven feet, this, when the bottom was reached, left a head of about eleven feet of water, which, moving through this very fine sand, made things lively and dangerous at times. These condi- tions were aggravated by the pressure of the heavy business blocks on both sides of the street.
At a point near Foster street, just in front of Bugbee & Barrett's brick building, there seemed to be nothing that would prevent the quicksand boiling up in the trench; the banks on both sides sank from two to three feet. To cope with these difficulties I had two inch tongued and grooved plank used for second sheeting, driven about three feet below sewer grade, and this was buckled in at the bottom by the pressure all it would safely stand. It was found that it was almost impossible to drive the second sheeting deep enough by hand and the contractor procured a novel steam plank driver, which sets on top of the plank and works on the prin- ciple of a steam drill; this was a very satisfactory machine, and was used extensively throughout the deep trenches.
The accompanying illustrations show this driving machine in operation, also the hand method of driving. [See plates Nos. I and 2.]
(Plate No. I.)
STEAM PLANK DRIVER.
( Plate No. 2.) MAIN STREET SEWER TRENCH.
255
SEWER REPORT.
For foundation at this place, above referred to, the exca- vation was carried two feet below grade, bagging was then placed on the bottom and sides and filled nearly to grade with screened gravel in which was laid an eight-inch under- drain. This gravel and drain was covered with bagging, the pipe bed being made on top of this with fine gravel. As a necessary precaution all plank was left in, properly braced, from Foster to Upham streets. I am glad to say that a re- cent inspection of the sewer in this place found everything in good condition.
The plan of using the bagging and about eight inches deep of screened gravel around the underdrain the full width of the trench, was carried out through the whole length of Main, Myrtle, Grove and Essex streets, where pipe from eighteen to twenty-four inches in diameter were laid. This was done for foundation and drainage, as there was everywhere very fine sand and too much water (espe- cially when settlements would occasionally break the water mains.)
The Carson trench machine was used on Main, Myrtle, Essex and Tremont streets. The operation and advantages of these machines are so familiar to everybody in this sec- tion (where they are used so extensively), that I will sim- ply give a view of the machine as it appeared on Main street, in July, 1894. [See plate No. 3.]
I have paid considerable attention to the laying of the underdrains, so as to have them of some practical benefit to us in the future instead of abandoning them entirely upon the completion of the sewers, as is usually done. There has been quite a large sum of money unavoidably spent for underdraining the sewers during construction ; about one- half of it, I should say, is well invested for permanent good. There has been built at Main and Grove streets, a well (close to the sewer manhole in the centre of the streets) ,
256
SEWER REPORT.
the bottom of which is about two feet below the level of the underdrains. Into this well the water from the under- drains which are laid in Grove and Lebanon streets and a portion of Main street runs. This rises to the level of the water in the brook and then runs through an overflow pipe from this well into the brook, thus reducing the height of the ground water to about the level of the water in the brook. This level, if carried through Grove street, easterly, becomes about the level of the sewer at Dell avenue, and from here easterly the ground water is practically reduced to below the sewer.
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