USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > South Boston > History of South Boston : formerly Dorchester Neck, now ward XII of the city of Boston > Part 6
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In January, 1807, a petition was again presented, praying that leave might be granted for the building of a bridge from this same Point to South Boston. Again there was a long discussion, both in the public prints and in the halls of legislation. Sometimes the disputants even came to blows, and it is said that a leader of one of the parties, being in conversation with a member of the legislature, was offended at something said, and gave the law-maker a sound kick with the toe of his boot. The most bitter feeling ex- isted among the parties, and a feud was made which even now occasionally shows itself. Several town
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meetings were held about this time to discuss the matter ; and it is said that at one of them the excite- ment was so great it was feared there would be a riot. The meeting at that time was held in the Old South Church, and as the leaders of one party were attempting to address the assembly, one of the oppo- nents with all the noise possible was attempting, in another part of the church, to drown the voice of the other speaker. Confusion reigned supreme, and all was in an uproar. At this juneture an aged and respected citizen forced his way through the crowd, entered the pulpit, and calling for silence, said :
" Citizens, I demand to be heard. ] declare my- self moderator of this meeting, and call it to order. Citizens, out of respect to my age, in deference to my snowy locks, I call on you to listen. Let the mob be quiet and refrain from any injudicious acts."
After a time the meeting was adjourned to a fu- ture period, when similar disorderly scenes were enacted, and similar attempts to quell the disturbance were made.
In February, 1807, the Senate passed a bill author- izing the building of a bridge from Wheeler's Point, and it was sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence. The latter body, however, refused to concur, but a notice of reconsideration was made, and on the next day the matter was again discussed. As, however, there were only 226 present, 38 less than when the bill was rejected, a vote could not be taken, and the bill was returned to the Senate. This body non-concurred in the rejection, and a Commit- tee of Conference was chosen. After a lengthy dis- cussion the bill was voted down, and the project of building the South Street Bridge was again de- ferred.
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HISTORY OF SOUTH BOSTON.
The Dorchester and Milton Turnpike, which was another important work connected with the growth and prosperity of South Boston, was constructed in 1805, by a corporation entirely distinct from the one which built the bridge. It extended from the bridge to Milton Lower Mills ; and toll, as established by law, was taken for all carriages and beasts passing over it. It continued in the hands of the Company till 1854, when all its right therein was purchased with money raised by subscription, and the road accepted by the town of Dorchester, as a public highway, which is now known as Dorchester Avenue.
During the time of the dispute respecting the brid- ges, one of the land-holders at South Boston built out a wharf in the line of the Dorchester Turnpike. He did not perform the whole off-hand, but accomplished the work a few feet at a time, until at last it extend- ed nearly to the channel. One night, a cob-wharf was floated around from the North End, and moored at Wheeler's Point, reaching to the South Boston wharf, and thus making an avenue from shore to shorc.
The object of this latter act was very obvious ; and no sooner did the morning dawn than the South- End people saw the bridge which had been built in a night, and, greatly exasperated, a party of them, dressed as Indians, went and cut away the cob-wharf, and giving it a push into the current, sent it sailing . down the harbor.
About two weeks after, in the night time, another party, disguised in the same manner, cut away the wharf on the South Boston side. The remains of some of the piles of which this wharf was construct- ed, could long be seen on the easterly side of the bridge, nearly opposite the Fulton Iron Foundry.
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No prosecution was made, although the names of the persons who instigated these acts were well known. Both parties were very rash, and committed many acts which they undoubtedly lamented afterwards. The public feeling ran very high. Rarely has there been a subject which so absorbed the attention of the whole community, the Bridge and the Anti-Bridge parties being at that time as well known as the dif- ferent political parties are at present.
After the failure of the various attempts for the passage of a bill granting a bridge from Wheeler's Point to South Boston, the public seemed for a time to have concluded that it was useless to make any further exertions in favor of the project, and the matter rested for nearly fifteen years. There were some, however, who were still firm in the belief that a bridge was absolutely necessary for the interests both of South Boston and of Boston itself, and who embraced every opportunity to agitate the question. Among these, none were more zealous than Joseph Woodward, Esq., a gentleman well known to most of the " oldest citizens" of South Boston, and he to whom is due the credit of originating the plan of annexing South Boston to Boston. During the period which has been appropriately called " The Dark Ages of the Bridge Question," he endeavored by every pos- sible means to bring the subject again before the public mind.
In 1823, the land proprietors at South Boston began again publicly to agitate the subject. Public meetings were held in the city, and quite a number of meetings of the citizens of South Boston were held in the Hawes School-house. Nothing definite was done, however, till at a meeting of the Board of Al- dermen (for Boston had now been a city for two 8*
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years), held on Monday evening, March 8, 1824 :- " On petition of Lot Wheelwright and others, a warrant was issued for calling a general meeting of the citizens, on Monday next, at 10 o'clock, in Fa- neuil Hall, to give in their yeas and nays on the question-
" Is it for the interest and convenience of the city to have a free bridge or dam, from Wheeler's Point to South Boston, provided the same can be effected without any expense to the city, and whether they will instruct the City Government to petition for the same, and instruct their Senators and Represen- tatives in the next Legislature to labor to support such a measure."
We find in the Columbian Centinel, of March 13, 1824, the following article on the subject, which speaks for itself :-
" Meeting on Monday. No less than five articles, pro and con, on the subject which is to be voted on at the public meeting notified for Monday next, are on our table. To insert them would occupy some columns, to select might give offence; and the sub- ject having been before the public for years, and most minds made up on it, we ask leave to let them lie on the table."
On Monday, March 15th, the meeting of the citi- zens was held. We copy an account of it, ad verba- tim, from one of the newspapers of the day.
" GENERAL MEETING.
" On Monday a general meeting of the citizens was held at Faneuil Hall, on notification of the Mayor and Aldermen, on the petition of a competent num- ber of citizens, to determine, by yeas and nays, whether, in the opinion of the citizens at large, it is
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for the interest and convenience of the city to have a Free Bridge or Dam, from Wheeler's Point to South Boston, provided the same can be effected without any expense to the city-and whether they will instruct the City Council to petition for the same, and their Senators and Representatives in the next Legislature to support such a measure.
" The warrant for the meeting was read by the City Clerk, and Francis J. Oliver, Esq., was chosen moderator. The Mayor and Aldermen occupied the old Selectmen's seats. The notification of the meet- ing having expressed that the citizens were convened for the purpose of giving their yeas and nays on the question propounded in the notification, much impa- tience was exhibited by a very crowded Hall, and a great reluctance to attend to any debate on the subject.
" It was moved by Mr. Kendall, that the ballot for the yeas and nays be opened.
" Before this was put, A. Townsend, Esq., moved the indefinite postponement of the whole subject, and spoke atsome length in opposition to the project of the Bridge. [He was frequently interrupted with cries of ' Ques- tion, Question.'] Judge Orne opposed the postpone- ment, and advocated the proposition for the Bridge. He was followed by Hon. Mr. Gorham, who consi- dered himself obliged to explain the principle which induced him to oppose the project when before the Senate during the last session. The call for the question then became general; and the motion to postpone the subject indefinitely was negatived by a large majority. The ballot by yeas and nays was then commenced, a vote having been passed to close it at 5 o'clock, P. M. At the close of the poll, the following result was announced-
Yeas .
Nays . · · ·
· 2847
779
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301
had lowh
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" The question having been determined in favor of a Free Bridge, the meeting was dissolved. We have seldom seen a political excitement more intense than that exhibited on the present occasion."
From this account we can understand the feeling of the public upon the subject. There were, as we have before said, two parties. The one interest- ed in Front street and in the South Toll Bridge- the other, land-holders at South Boston, owners of flats in the vicinity of Wheeler's Point, and the citi- zens of the towns on the South Shore. Agreeably to the vote passed at the meeting of the citizens, the City Government petitioned the General Court, at its session in May, 1824, to have a free bridge from Wheeler's Point to South Boston in a line with South Street. Instructions were given the Senators and Representatives to aid by every possible means the passage of the bill, and now came a struggle per- haps unparalleled in the legislature of our State. Each party endeavored to influence all who came in their way, and lobbying was all in vogue. The mat- ter, although seemingly of a sectional nature, never- theless excited the feelings of the Representa- tives from all parts of the State, and the discussions of the Anti-Bridge and the Bridge parties occupied the attention and a greater part of the time of the Legislature.
Notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts of some of the most influential citizens of Boston, the subject took a political turn, and while the party now known as Whigs, favored the Bridge, the Demo- crats were as utterly opposed to it. Even the clec- tion of municipal officers in Boston was based on the famous Bridge question, and the inquiry, " Is he in favor of the Bridge ?" was made by hundreds previous to casting a vote for City Officers.
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At that time Ward XII. consisted of the South End and South Boston, the two antagonists in the struggle. As may be supposed, under the state of feeling which then existed, there was very little union, and when a meeting was called to nominate four Common Councilmen to represent the Ward, there was great excitement. The South Bostonians contended for two of the four Councilmen, while the South-Enders were only willing to grant one. A caucus was held, and two South-Enders and one South Boston man were nominated, while the fourth was left as a point of dispute. Both parties were dissatisfied, and both hield private caucuses. The South-Enders nominated four persons from their dis- trict, while the South Eostonians nominated as their candidates four men wito resided in South Boston. The day for election cume, and the South-End voters succeeded in electing their four men, much to the chagrin of the people of South Boston, who were thus left unrepresented in the City Council.
At the State House. the discussions on the subject of the new bridge wane carnest and exciting, and often quite personal. To show the state of feeling, we will relate the following incident. A warm up- holder of the project was one day speaking very earnestly on the subject, much to the discomfort of the opposite side. The speaker chanced to have left a fine blue broaddbth cloak hanging in the back part of the hall. When he had finished his speech, he retired, and on taking down his cloak, he found that some one with & jack-knife, in the heat of pas- sion, had cut it into sireds. Who it was that com- mitted this act, was never known. The cloak is still in existence, and is preserved as a memorial of the struggle for the South Street Bridge.
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At another time, one of the Representatives was making an eloquent appeal in favor of the bridge, when an opponent seated near, and exasperated by his words, shouted with an oath, "That's a lie !" The speaker then proceeded a few sentences farther, when again, " That's a lie !! " and yet again, "That's another lie !! " was shouted by the person sitting near, and thus was the pleader rudely disturbed till he had concluded his address.
CHAPTER IX.
BRIDGES AND AVENUES.
SUCH is an account of the struggle which took place before the bill authorizing the building of the North Free Bridge was passed. Over twenty years clapsed from the time the question was first discuss- ed, cre the Legislature decided to grant the request of the landholders of South Boston for a new avenue. Hard had been the struggle, but it was now over, and seemingly a new era for the interests of South Boston was about to dawn. With increased facili- ties for intercourse, it was expected that business would be improved. (See Appendix F.)
But now, a new difficulty presented itself. Who was to build the bridge ? The city was unwilling to move in the matter; no single individual was able to take hold and build it. The lowest estimated cost was $30,000, and how could this sum be raised ? A committee was chosen to select the best method of obtaining the required amount, and they proposed a direct tax on all the inhabitants and landholders
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of South Boston. A tax was accordingly levied, and a large proportion took hold in good earnest. The tax, however, was binding on no one, and after col- lecting all that was possible, the sum total amounted to much less than the required amount. It was evi- dent that resort must be had to some other plan in order to obtain the desired end. Accordingly, a proposition was made to have the stock divided into shares, and to solicit subscriptions from all interest- ed. Again did the South Bostonians, eagerly desi- rous of securing the benefit of the proposed bridge, come forward and contribute largely. Still, the sum was not sufficient to warrant the Committee to pro- ceed and build the Bridge. Things looked dark. Every attempt had been made to obtain the desired amount, but as yet the sum was far from sufficient.
A meeting of those most interested in the matter was held, and after long debate, the Chairman re- marked, " Gentlemen, there is but one way to do ; either the bridge project must be given up, the char- ter cast aside, and the labor of long years lost, or we must contribute a sufficient sum to erect the ave- nue. Gentlemen, I hold in my hand a list of names against each of which is placed a certain sum, which you are invited to loan to the Bridge Company, with the proviso that the lenders shall be entitled to re- ceive all that remains after the completion of the bridge." Some of the men were "doomed," as it was called, to $1,000, some $1,500, and one or two as high as $2,000. No time was given for delibera- tion, and it was requested that each give his promise before he left the room. One gentleman, a zealous friend of the bridge, but one who felt unwilling to put his hand into his purse in the manner proposed, was seen to creep towards the door. The Chairman
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had his attention directed to the person, and with loud voice, he said, " It is of no use ; either you must make the loan or give up the project." At last, all, save one, agreed to loan the amount for which they were " doomed," although it was known at the time that it was extremely doubtful whether any return would be made.
The Committee then proceeded to erect a bridge. Proposals were solicited, and at last the Messrs. Newcombs, of Quincy, were selected to erect the abutments on the South Boston side; Wm. Wright and A. A. Dame, the abutments on the Boston side ; and Samuel Chittendon was engaged to erect the wood work. And here a new difficulty presented itself. The act of incorporation did not specifically define the position of the bridge, and there were different opinions as to the best site. At last, a wealthy gentleman of South Boston, the owner of much real estate in the vicinity of the proposed bridge, and the proprietor of the flats on the west- erly side of Turnpike street, offered, if they would run the bridge directly to his flats in a line with Turnpike street, to erect at his own expense the necessary sea wall on the westerly side. The pro- position was accepted, and the abutments of the bridge were run in a direct line with Turnpike street, and then a turn was made, and the wood work was laid directly in a line with Sea street. Those in the least conversant with the situation of the bridge re- member the turn near the Fulton Iron Foundry, and this is the cause of its occurrence.
But at last the bridge was completed, and seem- ingly the long struggle was over. Not so, however, for one night the piles on which the bridge was placed slid an inch or so, and made it impossible to
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open the draw. Vessels were waiting for a passage ; and after repeated attempts an axe was procured, and sufficient cut off from the draw to make it possi- ble to open it. The next night it moved again ; again was the axe brought into requisition, and it was found necessary to make some extensive alterations before the bridge stood firm.
On the 5th of February, 1827, the City Council had passed a resolve, that, in case the Boston Free Bridge Corporation should build a bridge, such as the City Council should direct and approve, and should locate it to the satisfaction of said Council, it would be expedient for the City to accept the same, and to assume the care and obligation of keeping said bridge in repair, and to provide for lighting the same, and for raising the draw or draws thereof, as long as South Boston should remain a part of the City of Boston, upon such terms and con- ditions as should be required by the City Council. On the 11th of August, 1828, a committee was ap. pointed by the City Council, with full power to ac- cept from the Boston Free Bridge Corporation the surrender of the bridge, with its abutments, on the compliance by the Corporation with the terms and conditions prescribed, and to submit all matters in dispute to arbitration. The committee reported, October 7, 1828, that they had submitted the same to the arbitration of Loammi Baldwin, Samuel Hub- bard and Willard Phillips, Esqrs., who had made an award; that the requisite deeds had been delivered, on the second of October, and the sum of sixteen hundred and seven dollars paid to the City by the Corporation, upon which delivery and payment, the obligation of the care and superintendence of the bridge and streets devolved upon the City, by force 9
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of said award. The Corporation also gave notice of their election to complete the northerly abutment. and claimed the return of four hundred and seventy- four dollars, according to the award, which was re- turned accordingly. By the deed of the Corpora- tion, which was executed by Francis J. Oliver, the President, on September 26th, 1828, pursuant to a vote of the Corporation passed September 24th, the Boston Free Bridge Corporation surrendered and conveyed the said bridge and abutments, wharves, &c. to the City of Boston, upon the terms and con- ditions on which the said City agreed to accept the same, by the resolve of February 5, 1827; and also assigned to the City a deed from Gardiner Greene, dated August 1, 1828, and a deed from John T. Ap- thorp and others, dated August 21, 1828, and convey- ed to the City all the lands and flats, rights and privi- leges, acquired thereby.
By a subsequent act, the City of Boston is author- ized to construct and maintain such wharves or piers, on either or both sides of the Free Bridge, as shall be necessary for the preservation and safety of said bridge, provided, however, that the said wharves or piers shall not extend in width from the sides of said bridge more than twenty-five feet. Also, " If any person shall wilfully do any injury or damage to said bridge, said wharves or piers, or shall disturb or hinder the said City in the occupation of said wharves or piers, for the purpose aforesaid, the per- son so offending shall forfeit and pay, for each of- fence, a penalty not less than fifty dollars, nor more than one hundred dollars, to the use of the Common- wealth, to be recovered by indictment, or informa- tion in any court of competent jurisdiction, and such person so offending shall be further liable to answer
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in damages to the City of Boston; provided, that nothing in this act shall be construed as intending to impair or affect the lawful rights of any person whatsoever.
". Whenever the wharves or piers erected, or which shall be erected by the authority of the said act, shall be used or improved for any other purpose or purposes than those therein specified, all right and authority to maintain them shall cease, and be void.
" No part of the wharves or piers, which the City of Boston is authorized to construct by virtue of the act last cited, shall be maintained within the distance of forty-five feet of any wharf or pier which shall have been or may hereafter be lawfully constructed by any individual or individuals."
Much opposition was made to the project of mak- the bridge city property, but at last all difficulty was amicably settled.
Thus was opened a new avenue between Boston and South Boston. Wearisome days and sleepless nights, hard labor and unceasing exertions, were necessary to effect the desired end, and it was not accomplished until twenty-five years had elapsed from the time that the first movement was made in the matter. In 1832, after the affairs of the compa- ny had been duly audited, it was found that $2,431 13 remained to be divided among those who loaned to the company, or about 41 per cent. on the whole loan. We have seen a list of all who contributed to the bridge, and find on it the names of nearly all those who were citizens of South Boston at that time.
On the 12th of March, 1830, an act was passed by the Legislature repealing the provision for a pay. ment to vessels passing the South Bridge draw. On
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the 23d of June, 1831, after the North Bridge had been built, and the South Bridge had been greatly diminished in value in consequence thereof, an act was passed, authorizing and empowering the propri- etors of the South Bridge to sell, assign and trans- fer to the City of Boston, the franchise and materials of said Bridge, to have and to hold the same to the City and its successors forever.
Provisions were made, however, that no toll or duty should be exacted or paid for any travel over said bridge, or passing the draw of the same, and that the City should keep the bridge in repair, and provide a keeper who should raise the draw, and afford all necessary and proper accommodation to vessels that might have occasion to pass. Also, the City was to keep the bridge sufficiently lighted.
In case the City did not buy the bridge before the 13th of September, 1831, authority was given the proprietors to surrender the franchise to the Com- monwealth.
The City and the proprietors could not come to an agreement; and on the 16th of March, 1832, an additional act was passed, by which the proprictors of the South Bridge were authorized to discontinue said Bridge as a pass way, at any time between the passage of this act and the 1st day of August, 1832, if the City should not, before the 1st day of May, pay to the proprietors such a sum of money as might be agreed upon by them and the City.
Matters did not wear a very favorable aspect ; and as the proprietors of the bridge seemed resolved to take advantage of the privilege granted them, the joint Committee of the City Council on the subject was authorized, on the 12th of March, 1832, to agree with the proprietors for the purchase of their fran-
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chise. On the 2d of April, they made their report, that the proprietors were willing to sell for a sum not less than thirty-five hundred dollars, and recom- mended that the offer be accepted.
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