USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1889 > Part 7
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It is evident that to deliver the sewage of Quincy at either of these two points, pumping machinery must be employed for the purpose But this is not an insurmountable obstacle by any means, or an objection not easily offset by the failure of an alternative plan from a sanitary point of view. Only a
171
small amount of power will be required to overcome the deficiency in grade elevations, while the cost of providing and maintaining this power should hardly be considered, if by its provision a thoroughly successful plan of sewerage could be made available for the present and future City of Quincy.
It is evident that many practical and valuable advantages will be gained by having one central collecting point for all the sewage gathered from the extensive territory to be pro- vided for in this case.
By no other plan than the one I have outlined can the sewage of Quincy be delivered in deep water.
It would be practicable to add a pumping-station to what I will term for convenience the Clarke plan, such a pumping- station to be located at the lower end of the main sewer at Quincy Point, and to pump the sewage thence to an outlet at Gull Point ; but such a plan would leave out the Wollaston and West Quincy sections, and the area of a hundred or more acres including the Greenleaf Street section, which the Clarke plan proposed to relieve into the extreme head waters of Town River. The grade proposed for the main sewer of the Clarke plan fixes the bottom of the outlet of that sewer about three feet below high water mark. The dimensions of this sewer, 24 by 36 inches, are such that the crown of the sewer at its outlet will be practically on a level with ordinary high tides, and in case of an extraordinary high tide the sewage will be backed up in this main sewer for a distance of more than 7,000 feet from the outlet or as far up as New Road. An ordinary tide just covering the mouth of this sewer, will back up a distance of about 4,800 feet or an eighth of a mile beyond its upper crossing of South Street. The emptying of the accumulations of this sewer as the tide falls would form an object of local interest to the residents in the vicinity of the Point.
The addition of a storage tank to receive the sewage during flood-tide and from which it could be emptied during
172
ebb-tide only, would be but partially successful and would render the main sewer itself less efficient by obstructing to a considerable degree and for a greater part of the time, its delivering capacity. Such a storage tank in this case could only discharge its sewage at the slow rate of the falling water- level outside, and no opportunity would be afforded for removing the sediment and deposits which would inevitably accumulate therein. The adoption of such an expedient under the conditions proposed in this case, I should condemn with- out qualification. If my criticism of such a plan appears to the Committee to be severe, I trust due attention will be given to the physical facts in the case and the experience of other cities and towns with tidal sewers constructed in a manner similar to the proposed main sewer discharging by gravity at Quincy Point.
The following extract from the report of the Joint Special Committee on Improved Sewerage of the City of Boston, July, 1877, will be of special interest in this connection :-
" As the borders of the sewered portions of Boston con- sist largely of broad strips of made land, filled to level planes only six or eight feet above mean high tide, the sewers are necessarily built with slight grades, and are so situated as to be tide-locked a large portion of the time. They discharge during the latter part of the ebb and the first part of the flood- tides, so that the sewage, instead of being swept out into the harbor and there diffused, is carried inland, and such portions as will deposit in still water are thrown down at the turn of the tide upon the broad area of flats that exist within and around the city. This intermittent discharge produces other serious evils. During the time the sewage is accumulating in the sewers there is very little current in them, and in consequence, deposits are formed which are not readily removed, and when putrefaction begins, are the source of dangerous gases. Again, as the sewage accumulates and rises in the sewers the gases are compressed, and since adequate ventilation is not
173
provided, are liable to be forced through the house drains into the houses.
" The more important objects to be attained by an im- proved system of sewerage are, then, an uninterrupted removal of all sewage matter from the vicinity of inhabited districts, and a discharge of this matter at such a point and under such conditions that it shall not be brought back to be thrown down on our shores."
By pumping the sewage from Quincy Point via Shipyard Point and across the channel of Town River Bay through Germantown to Gull Point, the main sewer of the Clarke plan would become an efficient conductor of the sewage collected from the territory it was designed to serve. There would be no unusual difficulty or complication which could not be over- come by a reasonable expenditure of money in the way of carrying out this plan, but the objection to this arrangement would be the omission from the scope of the plan of the im- portant and growing sections before referred to. There would be an element of danger in the channel crossing at Shipyard Point and any rupture occurring in the inverted siphon, which would necessarily have to be used, would cause expensive repairs and an interruption of the service.
A careful examination of the channel and the force of the tidal currents between Shipyard Point and the Germantown shore shows that the narrowing of this channel would interfere with the free flow of the tides and that to resist this tidal flow and to withstand floating ice, a roadway constructed across the channel would have to consist of heavy masonry and be provided with heavy wing-walls on either side of its draw- bridge opening. Such work would be expensive. A wooden bridge built on piling or upon piers with the necessary draw- bridge in mid-channel would furnish convenient access to the Gull Point outlet and to Germantown village. The pipe- crossing, through which the sewage would be pumped by what
174
we may term the improved Clarke plan, would have to be made on the bottom of the channel from shore to shore, pro- vided with flexible joints and securely anchored to prevent lateral dislocation.
As I am satisfied that this plan would not meet the ap- proval of the Committee and certainly would be inferior to the plan which I have outlined above, no detail estimates of the cost have been prepared for presentation with the report.
The following detailed description of what may be termed for convenience the Deep Water Plan, will give a clear idea of what it is proposed to accomplish.
The main trunk-sewer at the pumping-station will be 30 inches in diameter. This size will be carried as far as the junction of the sewer draining the Wollaston and West Quincy districts (this latter sewer for convenience may be called the Furnace Brook sewer as it will drain the water-shed of that stream). From this junction to Washington Street the diameter of the main trunk-sewer will be 26 inches and from Washington Street to Elm Street 24 inches. From Elm Street to the junction of the Water Street sewer the diameter will be 20 inches. The inclinations of these several sections will be such as to make this sewer of ample capacity throughout its whole length for the service which it will be required to perform. The diameter of the Furnace Brook sewer will be 24 inches from its junction with the main trunk-sewer to New- port Avenue.
The pumping-station is to be a brick building with room for three pumping engines and three boilers, and provided with a brick draft chimney 90 feet high.
The main trunk-sewer will discharge its contents into a pump-well provided with removable screening apparatus and a sediment chamber.
The pumping plant is to consist of two horizontal com- pound condensing engines of the duplex or equally simple type,
I
175
the mechanism of the pump to be that known as the differential bucket and plunger pattern.
The sewage will be pumped by this machinery through a 16-inch cast-iron main to be laid on a surface grade, but as nearly level as practicable, across the marshes on the lines shown on the map. The distance from this pumping-station to a final outlet at Gull Point is 12,000 feet. A pressure of 13 pounds per square inch at the pumping-station, equivalent to a head of 30 feet, will discharge through this main at Gull Point 1,800 gallons of sewage per minute, or a little more than 2,500,000 gallons per day. A head of 40 feet will force 2,200 gallons per minute and by increasing the pressure the discharging capacity of this 16-inch main can be doubled. Through a 20-inch main, under a head of 30 feet, 3,200 gal- lons per minute or 4,500,000 gallons per 24 hours would be discharged.
From the proposed pumping-station to Nut Island is 16,000 feet. A pressure of 13 pounds per square inch at the pump- ing-station, or a head of 30 feet, would discharge through a 16-inch main of this length 1,500 gallons per minute, or a little more than 2,000,000 gallons in 24 hours. Under a head of 40 feet, the same main would discharge 1,800 gallons per minute, or 2,500,000 gallons in 24 hours. Through a 20-inch main, under a head of 30 feet, 2,650 gallons per minute or a little more than 3,500,000 gallons per day would be discharged. The velocity of flow through the force- main in this pumping plan would be such as to prevent de- posits, and the fresh sewage arriving at the pumps would re- quire but one hour and fifteen minutes in its transit to deep water. Sewage starting from Granite Street, West Quincy, and from Lincoln Avenue, Wollaston, would be delivered by this plan into deep water at Gull Point in less than three hours from the time of starting from its source.
176
The location of the pumping-station in this plan will be convenient and no local nuisance can possible exist, as the sewage as it is received and pumped will at no time be visible to the eye or open to the atmosphere. The Town Farm land would be benefited by the application of such sediment as might occasionally require removal from the pump-well, and as this sediment will be largely in semi-liquid form it can be removed by means of a small pump and forced without extra cost to the point where it is to be applied.
In considering the cost of this project it should be remem- bered throughout that if the method proposed, starting at the pumping-station and including the work at that point and be- yond to the final outfall, effects the thorough and satisfactory disposal of the sewage of Quincy, the price to be paid repre- sents the value of a successful solution of a troublesome question.
Cost of pumping-station, building and draft chimney, $8,500 Cost of pump-well, screens and overflow arrange- ments ·
Two pumping-engines, two boilers, each engine capa- ble of pumping 2000 gallons of sewage per
5,500
minute, set up complete, ready for operation, 19,000 12,000 feet of force-main to Gull Point outfall . 48,600
Tidal culverts on pipe line 9,500
Protection of outfall section . 7,500
Gull Point outfall, continuous discharge . $98,600
1,500,000 gallon reservoir near Gull Point · 12,000
Discharging at ebb tide only . $110,600
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NUT ISLAND PLAN.
Pumping-station
$8,500
Pump-well, connections, etc.
5,500
Pumping plant as before
19,000
16,000 feet of force-main
64,800
Tidal culverts and rip rap protection
16,000
Rip rap and parapet, Nut Island Bar
6,000
Outfall section, extra cost
4,500
Nut Island, continuous discharge
. $124,300
1,500,000 gallon reservoir on Nut Island
16,000
Discharging at ebb tide only
. $140,300
The cost of the 16-inch force-main in each case includes the cost of preparing a roadway 20 feet wide over the marsh lands and the subsequent filling over the pipe-line when laid, five feet in depth. The weight per foot of the 16-inch main proposed is 115 pounds.
The cost of pumping the sewage in this plan, at the rate of 2,000 gallons per minute, will be not over $6,000 annually. The wear and tear on the machinery will be very small, owing to the low pressure upon the pumps and the slow rate of speed.
The cost of pumping may safely be figured as follows :- 2,000 gallons per minute, 40 feet high, would require the ex- penditure of 30 horse-powers, and with the consumption of 3 1-2 pounds of coal per horse-power per hour, the 24-hour consumption would be 1 1-4 tons. At $5 per ton this would cost $6.25 per day or say, $2,200 per year.
Allowing two engineers and two firemen, one of each working half a day at a time, the engineer's salary to be $1,200 per year and the fireman's $500, the annual salaries would ag- gregate $3,400. Allowing for oil, repairs and waste, $400, the total annual cost of operating the pumping-station and dis-
·
.
178
charging 3,000,000 gallons of sewage in 24 hours, at either Gull Point or Nut Island, would be $6,000.
The capacity of this plan, based upon the gaugings and records of the discharge of properly constructed sewers convey- ing sewage only, is sufficient to provide for a population of 40,000 people. It is not proposed to admit surface water to the sewers except in limited quantities and in such special cases as can obtain relief in no other way.
In the case of a sewer necessarily constructed with a flat inclination, intermittent flushing may be provided to obtain a scouring effect, but the occasional admission of such small quantities of water would be of no moment as affecting the con- veying capacity of any of the sewers herein proposed.
The scope of this plan as previously stated will include the entire central portion of the city extending as far east as Sumner Street, the greater part of West Quincy and that por- tion of Wollaston lying south of Lincoln Avenue. It is prob- able (the surveys are incomplete at this time), that much of the territory of Wollaston lying east of the Old Colony Rail- road and south of Beale and Beach Streets can also be drained in the general direction of Hancock Street southerly to the Furnace Brook sewer. The grade of this latter sewer where it will cross Hancock Street will be quite low.
I see no way of relieving the northerly and low portion of Wollaston and Atlantic towards Quincy Centre. The lowering of the standing water-level in the soil in the flattest portions of this territory can be accomplished to an appreciable degree by clearing out and deepening and walling up the original water courses. Undoubtedly the Atlantic section can be prop- erly drained by gravity into the Neponset River, and the dis- charge of the limited amount of sewage which would be fur- nished by this section alone could hardly be objected to by the State Board of Health, if the discharge of the sewage of Quincy proper at Quincy Point is permissible. Surveys are
179
now in progress to determine the best method of sewering that portion of Wollaston which cannot be drained into the pro- posed Furnace Brook sewer.
The question of surface drainage alone has not thus far been discussed for reasons stated in the beginning.
The many natural water courses to be found within the settled limits of the city should be kept clear, in many cases improved and enlarged, and in every instance utilized for this most important purpose. Where they have been filled up they should be re-opened or new channels cut through to conduct away storm waters. Undrainable, stagnant pond-holes should be filled up and the depositing of rubbish and refuse in such places officially prohibited. The proper surface grading of streets and the construction of paved gutters are essential to efficient surface drainage, and in some cases the construction of special shallow drains for conducting the rain-fall from remote streets to the nearest water course may be necessary.
The cost of the deep water plan discharging at all stages of the tide at Gull Point, will be . $98,600
The cost of the main trunk-sewer from the pump- ing-station to Quincy Avenue at the foot of WaterStreet, together with the Furnace Brook sewer, will be, . 54,000
$152,600
The cost of the individual sewers for what may be termed the central portion of the city now requiring relief, will not vary much from $60,000, and this sum should pay for first-class work and include the provision of all modern appurtenances.
I respectfully summarize my recommendations in this case as follows, viz : -
1st. I advise the collection of sewage and waste matters only at a central point on or near the Town Farm.
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180
2nd. The pumping thence from this point of the sewage of Quincy to an outfall in deep water at Gull Point or Nut Island.
3rd. The construction of such local sewers as may be needed for immediate relief, in accordance with the most modern practice.
If this is done, I am satisfied that competent and satisfac- tory results will follow.
Yours respectfully, PERCY M. BLAKE. Civil Engineer.
Hyde Park, Mass., December 13, 1889.
QUINCY SEWERAGE.
Papers to accompany Report.
Memorandum of Streets profiled by H. T. Whitman. Table of Levels.
Report of Committee on Sewerage, 1884.
Selectmen's Report on Sewerage, 1885.
Report on Sewerage of Eliot C. Clarke, C. E., 1885.
Report of Committee on Sewerage, 1886.
Report of Committee on Sewerage, 1888, containing opinion of the State Board of Health.
Report upon Sewer Assessments, Providence, R. I., 1887. (Separate. )
Sewerage Study for the City of Quincy. (Large map). (Separate. )
Sketch of a portion of Boston Harbor, from Coast Survey.
Chart of Tidal Currents, Boston Harbor.
181
QUINCY SEWERAGE.
Memorandum of Streets Profiled by H. T. Whitman, C. E.
STREET
FROM
TO
FEET.
Chubbuck
. South St.
Washington St. 1,570
North
1,840
South
angle in street
1,070
Phipps
. School St.
. Water St.
820
Gay
. Summer St.
910
Summer . South St.
. Washington St. 2,360
Miller estate
. Elm St.
. Canal St.
1,100
Summer .
. School St.
. Water St. 970
Mechanic . Elm St. .
. Canal St. 610
Foster , Washington
St. Chestnut St. 490
Main . , South St.
. Union St.
2,595
Franklin . Water St.
. Corner of School St. 730
School
. Quincy Ave.
. School St.
1,060
Saville Ave.
. Hancock St.
·
. Hancock St. 615
. Cottage Ave. 515
S. Walnut
. Summer St.
. Elm St. . 2,160
Adams
. Academy St.
. bridge
1,505
Faxon Ave.
. Hancock St.
660
Canal . Washington
St. Hancock St. 1,500
. Union St. 775
Greenleaf
. Putnam St. .
. Hancock St. 1,730
Chestnut . . Canal St.
1,030
Elm Washington St. Quincy Ave. 2,145
Union . S. Walnut St. . Washington St. 1,210
Washington . Hancock St.
. bridge 9,985
Hancock . new road
. Bridge St. 6,450
Valley, nr. South Elm St.
. Washington St . 8,750
Water . Granite St. .
. South St. 6,795
Coddington and
Sea . . . Quincy Centre . Hough's Neck 18,600
Hancock . Neponset River City Hall 15,290
760
Cottage Ave.
. Chestnut St. . Canal St.
Cottage
Edwards
875
Miller Estate St.
182
TABLE OF LEVELS.
ABOVE CITY BASE.
Intersection Hancock and Newbury Sts.
22.0
Atlantic Sts. 24.0
66 Walnut Sts. 17.0 .
Myrtle Sts.
19.0
66
Linden Sts.
28.5
Summit Hancock near Linden Sts.
Intersection Hancock and Old Colony Sts. 30.5
st. south of Old Colony Sta. 27.0
Squantum Sts. 26.0
Glover Sts. .
35.8
Linden Sts. .
22.0
Hancock St., at brook,
21.6
Bed of brook
Intersection Hancock and Willett Sts.
66 Beach Sts. . 28.0
66 Elm Ave. .
26.0
Atlantic Ave.
. 40.0
Fenno Sts.
. 40.5
Standish Sts. · 36.2
Hancock St. at Black Creek
Bed of Black Creek 13.0
Intersection Hancock and Bridge Sts.
Alleyne Sts.
37.5
Bridge over O. C. R. R., at Adams St.
51.8
Intersection Hancock and Greenleaf Sts. 42.0
Greenleaf St. and Linden Pl. · 41.0
Greenleaf Pl. . 33.2
Putnam St.
40.5
Valley St. ·
34.8
Intersection Hancock and Dimmock Sts.
. 46.2
Adams Sts. · 46.2
Saville Ave.
. 44.0
.
.
13.8
22.0
.
.
28.6
.
.
30.0
·
32.0
183
ABOVE CITY BASE.
Saville Ave., at end of street
. 33.0
Intersection Hancock St., and Faxon Pl. 43.5
. Faxon Pl. at end of street 41.0
Intersection Hancock and Washington Sts. 42.8 .
41.0
Coddington and Spear Sts. 23.0
Newcomb Sts. .
11.5
Intersection Coddington and Valley Sts. 16.3
. Sea St., at bend east of Valley St. 37.0
Intersection Washington and Temple Sts. 41.5
66 66
Maple Pl.
. 39.0
Foster Sts.
36.2
66
66
Sea Sts.
26.5 ·
66 60
Canal Sts.
. 19.0
66
Elm Sts.
29.6
66
66
Edwards Sts. .
32.8
.
66
Pond Sts.
. 28.8
66
66
Mill Sts.
. 38.0
Summit between Mill and Sumner Sts. 52.8
Intersection Washington and Sumner Sts. 51.8
River Sts.
44.5
North Sts. 42.2
Depression between North and Chubbuck Sts. 30.0
Intersection Washington and Chubbuck Sts.
. 31.6
South Sts. 27.8
Washington St., at bridge over Weymouth Fore River, Intersection Hancock and Chestnut Sts. 39.5
17.0
66 Granite Sts. ·
38.0
Cottage Ave. 28.6
66 Canal Sts. 41.0
Summit Hancock, between Canal and Elm Sts. 43.5
Intersection Hancock St., and street north of School St. 42.5
Washington and Coddington Sts. .
. 38.2
Depression between Newcomb and Valley Sts. .
.
25.0
Union Sts.
184
Intersection Hancock St. and Elm Sts.
40.5 66
School Sts. 42.2
Chestnut St., and Cottage Ave.
· 33.8
66
Canal St. .
24.3
66 Cottage Ave. and Cottage St. .
27.0
Cottage and Canal Sts .. · 29.4
Canal St., at brook
Bed of brook
Intersection Canal and Mechanic Sts.
66 Elm and Mechanic Sts.
66
66 South Sts.
21.0
66 South Walnut Sts.
22.0
66 Baxter Sts. 28.6 .
66 Union and South Walnut Sts. .
.
28.5
66
Main Sts.
·
32.5
66 Baxter Sts.
.
40.0
Intersection Union and Edward Sts. . 46.6
Summit in Edwards between Union and Washington
Sts. .
47.6
Summit in South Walnut between Union and Oak Sts. .
52.8
Intersection South Walnut and Oak Sts. · 66 Sumner Sts. .
40.8
Main and Oak Sts. ·
55.0
66 Sumner Sts. ·
40.0
· Depression in Sumner near angle 37.5
· Intersection Sumner St. and Quincy Ave. . 41.6
Depression in Sumner near Glencoe St. 31.5 ·
34.0
Intersection South and Sumner, west of South St. ·
66 east 35.8
Main Sts.
.
36.0
North Sts.
.
.
· 43.6
22.8 .
17.0
23.5 .
. 30.8
22.5
60 Bigelow Sts. ·
·
ABOVE CITY BASE.
44.0
185
ABOVE CITY BASE.
Depression in North St., between South and Wash- ington Sts. 33.8
Intersection South and Chubbuck Sts. ·
30.5
South St., at angle east of Howard St. 21.0 ·
Intersection Quincy Ave. and High School Place .
41.0
Water St. . · 34.0
Summer and School Sts.
. 45.0
Gay Sts. · 42.2
Water Sts. .
33.8 .
. 66
School and Gay Sts. .
45.5
Phipps Sts. .
46.5
Franklin Sts. ·
47.5
Gay St., at angle
Intersection Water and Phipps Sts.
Franklin Sts.
37.0
Pleasant ·
38.6
Quincy Ave. .
41.0
Brooks Road .
32.0
Nightingale Sts. 30.8 .
Granite Sts. .
39.5
66 Copeland and Buckley Sts.
. 49.0
Common Sts. ·
55.0
Summit in Copeland St., beyond Common St.
58.0
Intersection Copeland and Miller Sts. 57.0
Miller and Cross Sts. 49.0
. 56.0
66
Crescent and Copeland Sts. Cross Sts. .
60.0
Surface of Copeland St., at brook
Bed of Furnace Brook under Cross St.
Reardon St.
40.3 ·
66
at fork . 36.6 ·
66 Adams St. 35.0
near range of Central Ave. 32.4
at point nearest Adams St. 23.6
50.0
44.4
.
66
46.8 ·
35.5 ·
.
13
186
ABOVE CITY BASE.
Intersection Willow St. and Newport Ave.
23.0
Depression in Warren Ave., east of railroad Summit of Standish St.
. 30.4
· 41.6
Railroad track at Wollaston Station
30.5
Intersection Brook and Safford Sts.
60
Highland Ave.
23.0 .
66
Central Ave. .
. 20.5
Central Ave. and Beale St. 27.0 ·
. 66 Beale and Safford Sts. 29.0
Bed of Sachem's Brook, Brook St. crossing
17.6
66
66 66 Safford “ .
17.0
66
Farrington St.
16.7
66
Newport Ave.
15.9
Atlantic Ave.
·
14.9
66
Hancock St. .
·
13.8
.
.
JOHN SHAW, EsQ., Chairman of Committee on Sewers and Drains, Quincy, Mass.
Dear Sir :- Special surveys have been made as directed by the recent order of the City Council, of that portion of the city known as Atlantic, and from the surveys a plan of sew- erage for this section has been devised.
This plan is a reproduction on a smaller scale of that pro- posed for Quincy, in so far as it proposes to collect the sewage of Atlantic at a central, low-level point and to pump it thence into an outfall sewer, which outfall sewer is to be a gravity sewer extending through the northerly section of Hancock Street and discharging its contents into the Wollaston section of the Furnace Brook sewer of the Quincy plan.
The details of this Atlantic plan have been added to the large map previously presented to your Committee.
27.0
187
For comparison with this plan I have considered and esti- mated the cost of a gravity plan for the Atlantic section, the main outfall sewer of such plan to discharge into the Neponset River.
I have also considered and estimated (with such accuracy as the data at command will permit), the cost of providing an outlet, by a gravity flow, for the collected sewage of the At- lantic section, at the low point on the Town Farm where it is proposed to locate the pumping-station of the Quincy Deep Water Plan. Such an outlet would be in shape of a gravity sewer whose upper end would be located a short distance south of the railroad station at Atlantic and in Hancock Street, and the lower end at the pumping-station on the Town Farm.
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