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 1892 > Part 7
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12 blows and box number denotes general alarm.
3 blows calls Chief to Central Station and denotes trouble of some kind.
3 blows three times, Police call and is to be put in only by or- der of some engineer.
TELEPHONE.
The central fire station and the residence of the Chief Engineer are connected by telephone. The service since Oct. 12, has been fair. Previous to that it was of very little use, especially in the night. The day operators have been very obliging and are always willing to transmit messages. I will recommend that the service which is now open or ground cir- cuit be changed to a closed or metallic circuit. I fully believe the service would be enough better to pay the difference in the cost of same.
HORSES.
The horses of the department are at present, eight in num- ber, one having been bought this year, and with the exception of one are in good condition and as good as can be had for the business. The horse stationed in Ward Four belonging to the highway department has given good satisfaction, yet your Chief Engineer is of the same opinion as he was one year ago and will simply repeat that part of his report where he says, that this team be transferred to the fire department, the driver of same to be made permanent, the team and driver to work on highways the same as they do at present within one-half or three-quarters of a mile from Hose 3 house. The actual time worked on high ways to be charged to same. This appears to be the most proper way, yet if the Commissioner of Public Works is satisfied with the present way of working this team your Chief Engineer has no particular fault to find.
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In conclusion I wish to thank everybody for everything. I am under many obligations to the Assistant Engineers for their faithful assistance, also to the foremen, officers and members of the entire department for their successful efforts. The Commit- tee on Fire Department, I wish especially to thank them for the courtesy shown me on all occasions : Ward 1, E. W. H. Bass, chairman; Ward 2, Herbert M. Federhen, Jr .; Ward 4, Charles L. Hammond ; Ward 5, Frederick E. Litchfield; Ward 6, Louis Rinn, members of Committee on Fire Department.
For the valuable services that the Police Officers have ren- dered and their willingness in so doing, I wish to extend to them my thanks for the same.
The local press also have used the department exceeding- ly well and I improve this opportunity in thanking them in be- half of the department.
To his Honor the Mayor, Henry O. Fairbanks, I tender my profound thanks for the honorable treatment I have always re- ceived at his hands, and for the interest he has taken to keep up the efficiency and maintain the value of this department.
Very respectfully.
WALTER H. RIPLEY, Chief Q. F. D.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
To THE HON. HENRY O. FAIRBANKS, MAYOR OF QUINCY :
The Board of Health begs leave to present the following re- port for the year 1892.
The Board was organized Feb. 21, 1892 by the choice of J. M. Sheahan as chairman, G. B. Rice as secretary and B. F. Thon- as, financial secretary.
Mr. Joseph W. Hayden was appointed Inspector and he re- signed from the position May 2, 1892. The vacancy thus created was filled by the appointment of Mr. Adam Vogel, who before assuming the office had satisfied all the requirements of the civil service act. Mr. Vogel has shown himself an intelligent, active and business like official particularly during his connection with the small pox case of which more extended mention will be made later.
The number of meetings held during the year has been twenty-eight.
The following table of nuisances with the result of the Board's action thereon is furnished by the Inspector.
Number of inspections made three thousand six hundred and thirty-four.
153
Nuisances
Discovered
Abated
Unventilated drains
6
6
Broken sink drains
13
13
Sink drains stopped up .
10
10
Imperfect privy vaults
27
27
Privy too near well
3
3
Privy too near brook
2
2
Uncleaned privy vaults .
167
164
Uncleaned cesspools
151
149
Cesspools too near well
4
4
Filthy yards .
41
41
Contaminated well
1
1
Sewage running into street
10
10
Sewage running under house .
7
7
Sewage running into cellar
5
5
Sewage running on top of ground .
41
41
Sewage running into brook
3
3
Filthy drains .
10
10
Filthy cellars .
6
6
Pig pens
3
2
Piggeries
2
2
Unburied carcasses
8
8
Decomposing fish offal
7
7
Decaying fruit
2
2
Decaying meat
3
3
Decaying vegetables
7
7
Stagnant pond of water .
1
1
Broken sink spouts
4
4
Total
544
538
An increase in the number of complaints made and of conse- quent inspections will be noted. This fact is explained by the anxiety which during the latter part of the year was felt con- cerning an invasion of cholera.
The following group of statistics bearing upon the preva- lence of contagious diseases is furnished by the secretary, with the expression of his regret that the physicians of the city are
154
not more obedient to the law which demands that each of them shall make prompt report to the Board of Health of any cases of contagious diseases occurring in his practice.
YEAR OF 1892.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Scarlet Fever ... ~
Deaths ....
Diphtheria .....
Deaths ..
Measles.
Deaths ..
Typhoid Fever .. .
Deaths. ......
Small Pox ..
Deaths ........
Feb.
1
1
1
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
Mar.
3
0
4
4
0
()
0
0
Apr.
3
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
May
4
0
2
2
2
0
2
0
0
0)
June
2
1
0
4
3
1
0
2
2
1
0
Aug.
5
0
1
0)
0
1
0)
0
0
Sept.
2
0
1
0
0)
14
3
0
0
Oct.
9
0)
0
0
2
0
4
0
0
Nov.
18
1
1
0
0
0
2
1
0 0
Dec.
4
0)
3
2
0
0
0
()
0 0
54
2
22
10
31
0
26
6
1
0
.
Jan.
0
2
3
15
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
1
0)
0
0
July
......
A case of small pox was reported to the Board on June 24, by Dr. J. F. Welch, the physician then in charge. The patient, Anna Larsen, a native of Sweden, had come to Quincy June 15, directly after her arrival in this country, and was taken ill on June 21. The case revealed itself as small pox three days later and during that interval, eleven persons had been exposed to the contagion. The Board of Health lost no time in taking pre- cautions against the extension of the disease. Ten of the persons who had already been exposed were removed to a build- iug behind the almshouse where they were maintained in effec-
155
tual quaratine until July 12. The eleventh person was retained as nurse at the infected house and the services of a com- petent and experienced nurse were also secured from Boston. The neighborhood of the house in which the patient lay ill was placed in strict quarantine, and all persons who had been exposed to contagion were vaccinated at intervals of two days until the operation was successful.
After the recovery of the patient, the dwelling was thoroughly disinfected, most of the furniture, bedding, etc., being destroyed by burning. In spite of the extent to which the com- munity had been exposed, we are happy to say that no second case made its appearance, a result which, we are sure, will be considered more than sufficient compensation for the expense incurred by reason of our measures of protection.
The work of clearing out, deepening and widening the water ways of the city has gone on in a satisfactory man- ner during the past year. Town brook, the brook on the Billing's estate at Atlantic and the brook which runs along the line of Water street have all been put in a safe condition and at a moderate cost.
In a preceding report, we took occasion to point out the danger to health caused by the use of wells as a water supply. We wish to repeat this word of caution. In order to make evi- dent the reasons for our belief, we wish to call your attention to the extensive prevalence of typhoid fever in the region bounded by West, Centre and Willard streets. An outbreak of this disease occurs yearly on West street with perfect regularity. There is scarcely a house upon the south side of the street that has not been visited by it within the last three years, while some families have had three, four or even five cases of this malady. Some of these cases have of course proved fatal. Inasmuch as we are convinced that the disease is caused by use of the polluted water in the wells of this neighborhood, we recommend the early intro- duction of the Quincy water pipes into the territory in question.
In connection with this subject, we would also remind Your Honor of the singular epidemic of malarial or intermittent fever which has prevailed in the region about Bates avenue during the last summer.
156
Believing this epidemic to be due to the same cause, we suggest the same remedy, the introduction of the City water.
Following is a table of our receipts and expenditures for 1892 :
FINANCIAL REPORT.
Appropriation
$650 00
EXPENDED.
For inspections by J. W. Hayden $41 40
For inspections by Adam S. Vogel 498 00
W. D. Hills, M. D., analysing water 10 00
Green & Prescott, printing 43 00
Fred F. Green, printing 29 50
T. Brady, burying dog . 2 00
Joshua Wilkins, board of horse . 6 00
S. K. Tarbox, flags
2 00
H. R. Crane, horse hire
5 00
H. T. Whitman, surveying
5 00
J. F. Sheppard & Sons, coal for small pox case 3 50
$645 40
$4 60
TEAL POND.
Appropriation
$100 00
.
EXPENDED.
Whittaker & Gerrish, priming around
gate, &c. $99 25
$ 75
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BROOKS.
Appropriation
. $490 00
EXPENDED.
Adam S. Vogel, serving notices on
abutters,
$18 00
Labor on town brook 172 88
Saville & Jones, rubber goods
16¥50
Labor on Phipps street brook
61 88
Labor on brook running from Billings estate
85 63
Labor on brook foot of Mt. Pleasant
24 75
Draining land rear of Drake's factory
8 00
Pay roll Dec. 29, labor on brook
22 38
W. W. Ewell superintending work on brooks
50 00
$460 02
$29 98
In conclusion, we desire to thank Your Honor for the cor- dial collaboration which'you have given us during the past year, and we wish to express to the Commissioner of Public Works as well as to the gentlemen composing the City Council our full sense of the courteous treatment which we have received at their hands.
Respectfully submitted,
JOSEPH M. SHEAHAN, GEORGE B. RICE, BENJAMIN F. THOMAS,
Board of Health.
Quincy, Jan. 2, 1893.
1
REPORT OF CITY PHYSICIAN.
To HIS HONOR THE MAYOR, AND THE CITY COUNCIL :
GENTLEMEN-I respectfully present my annual report as City Physician. I have made during the past year, 120 visits .to the outside poor, 40 visits to almshouse, 3 visits to the police station, and have had 30 calls at office.
Respectfully submitted, S. M. DONOVAN, City Physician.
INSPECTION OF MILK.
To HIS HONOR, THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF QUINCY :
I have the honor to submit the following report of the De- partment of Inspection of Milk, for the year of 1892 :
The principal duties of the Inspector, as defined by the stat- utes under which he acts, are the issuing of licenses, the registra- tion of stores where milk is sold, collection and inspection of samples, and the enforcement of the laws in the courts.
LICENSES.
The statutes governing the sale of milk require that every person who conveys, in carriages or otherwise, the same for the purpose of selling within the city limits, shall be licensed annual- ly by the Inspector of Milk, and shall pay fifty cents to the use of the city. Every person before selling milk, or offering the same for sale in a store, booth, stand or market place, shall reg- ister in the books of the Inspector and shall pay fifty cents. Li- censes are issued only in the names of the owners, and may not be sold, assigned or transferred. Each license records the name, residence, place of business, number of carriages or other vehicles used, the name and residence of every driver or other person en- gaged in carrying or selling, and the number of the license.
The licensee is required to cause his name, the number of his license and his place of business, to be legibly placed on each outer side of all carriages or vehicles used by him in the sale or conveyance of milk, and to report to the Inspector any change of driver or other person employed. For failure to comply with these requirements, or for selling or exposing for sale, from car- riage or other vehicle, without first being licensed, a fine of not less than thirty nor more than one hundred dollars may be im- posed. Repetition of the same offence calls for still higher pen- alties.
160
Failure to register for the sale of milk from a store is pun- ished by fine not exceeding twenty dollars.
INSPECTIONS.
The Inspector or his authorized collectors are empowered to enter all places where milk is stored or kept for sale, and all car- riages used for the conveyance of milk, and may take samples of the same for analysis; and he shall cause the same so taken to be analyzed or otherwise satisfactorily treated, the results of which examination shall be recorded and preserved as evidence. The owner or custodian has the right to demand and receive a sealed portion of the sample, for his own use in case of complaint.
QUANTITY OF MILK SOLD.
The estimated number of quarts of milk for average daily consumption in the city of Quincy is four thousand nine hundred (4,900), of which two thousand five hundred (2,500) are raised in Quincy.
Number of licenses issued to dealers conveying milk, by carriage or otherwise, for purpose of sale 24
Number of registrations of store- keepers engaged in the sale of milk 15
Number of all others 6
Total number of licenses and registrations 45
Number of samples of milk inspected during the year 100
The analysis of samples of milk taken by me show that, as a whole, the milk supplied to the people of Quincy is of good quality.
There have been no complaints made as to the quality of the milk, and no prosecutions.
CHARLES W. GAREY. M. D.,
Inspector of Milk.
Quincy, Mass., January 1, 1893.
INSPECTION OF ANIMALS AND PROVISIONS.
To HIS HONOR, HENRY O. FAIRBANKS, MAYOR OF QUINCY :
Instruction to inspectors by the State Board of Commis- sioners :
TUBERCULOSIS.
1 .- All herds within your district that are engaged in the production of milk that is to be marketed or sold, including milk or cream, sold to creameries, or in which there are animals that are being fattened for beef, shall be thoroughly examined by you as often as once in each three months.
2 .- If they are found to be entirely free from disease, the same is to be certified by you upon a blank which will be furnished from this office, which blank shall be given to the owner of the herd, to be used by him for his own advantage. You will also send the required certificate to this office, and keep your own memorandum of the date and result of the inspection.
3 .- If, on the contrary, tuberculosis is found to exist in the herd, each animal showing it shall be isolated on the farm, or in some other convenient place to be selected by you, and quaran- tined there, under the authority of the local Board of Health, · who shall at once notify the Commissioners. The milk from such isolated animal shall not be sold, and in such instances the certificate of health shall not be given for the herd; or, if it has been previously given it shall be withdrawn.
162
4 .- Quarantined animals must not be killed except by the permission of the Board of Health imposing such quarantine, and in your presence, as the inspector, or in the presence of an in- spector appointed by them, who will at once certify the death to this office.
5 .- Whenever you have reason to believe that new and uninspected animals have recently been introduced among a herd, or when from any reason, at any time, you have cause to suppose that disease exists in a herd, an inspection shall be made at once, and the directions already given shall be followed.
INSPECTION OF MEAT.
1 .- Report to the Commissioners the locations of all slaughter houses within your district, give the name of the butcher, the class of animals killed, the days of slaughter and where the general market is sought.
2 .- As to the periodical inspection of these slaughter houses, and the destruction of any meat that may be considered unfit for human consumption, direction and action is to be taken from your local Board of Health.
3 .- When, however, tuberculosis is found to exist in a car- cass, great endeavor is to be used to find the herd from whence the animal came, if the beef is of local production or otherwise, the town or State from whence it was procured, and a report as to the facts made to the Commission.
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.
1 .- If for any reason you desire to know the name and the address of the inspector for any town within this Commonwealth from which animals may have been removed to your district you can obtain the same by reference to this office.
2 .- If during any of your inspections you find any cause of what is called variously, actimonycasis, big jaw, wen, jaw ail, bone ail, or sitfast, in cattle, kindly report its location.
3 .- Notify this Board of your action promptly.
4 .- Notify this office of the number of blank certificates that you will possible require.
163
PUBLIC STATUTES.
SECTION 1. The mayor and aldermen of cities and the selectmen of towns shall annually appoint one or more persons to be inspectors of provisions and of animals intended for slaughter. Such inspectors shall be sworn faithfully to discharge the duties of the office, and shall receive such compensation as the city council or selectmen shall determine.
SEC. 2. Said inspectors may inspect all animals intended for slaughter, and all meats, fish, vegetables, produce, fruits, and provisions of all kinds, found in said cities or towns, or exposed for sale or kept with intent to sell therein; and may for this purpose enter into all buildings or enclosures where said animals, meats, fish, vegetables, produce, fruits or provisions are kept, stored, or exposed for slaughter or sale.
When such animals, meat. fish, vegetables, products, fruit or provisions are found on such inspections to be tainted, diseased. corrupted, decayed, or unwholesome from any cause, said inspec- tor shall seize the same, and cause them or it to be destroyed or disposed of otherwise than for food; but if, at the time of the seizure, the owner of the property seized notifies in writing the inspector seizing the same of his desire to appeal to the Board of Health, said inspector shall cause said animals, meat, fish, vege- tables, produce, fruit or provisions to be inspected by said Board of Health, or by a committee thereof, consisting of not less than two members ; and if said board or committee find the same to be tainted, diseased, corrupted, or unwholesome, they shall order the same to be destroyed or disposed of otherwise than for food. If said board or committee do not so find, they shall order said animals, meat, fish, vegetables, produce, fruit, or provisions to be forthwith returned to the owner thereof. All monies received by said inspectors or Board of Health for property disposed of as aforesaid, shall, after deducting all expenses incurred by rea- son of such seizure, to be paid to the owner of such property.
SEC. 3. Said inspectors may inspect all veal found in said cities or towns, or offered or exposed for sale or kept with intent to sell therein, and if said veal is, in the judgment of the inspec- tor, that of a calf killed under four weeks old, he shall seize the
164
same and cause it to be destroyed or disposed of as provided in the preceding section, subject, however, to the provision therein contained concerning appellant the disposal of moneys.
I find in Quincy 728 cows, besides oxen, bulls and young cattle. With three exceptions, which were taken care of imme- diately, they are in a good and healthy condition, and think it perfectly safe to use the meat or milk from them ; but almost every week animals come to this city from other places and are liable to bring disease at any time and need attention.
I would advise buyers to purchase only healthy animals and be especially careful about cattle with a cough, for such animals may have tuberculosis.
Meats and provisions .- I find the provision stores with few exceptions well kept, some of them in excellent condition, and deserve great credit for the neatness and good quality of meats and other things kept by them.
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES M. CUTTING, 1
Inspector of Animals and Provisions,
WATER DEPARTMENT.
HON. H. O. FAIRBANKS, MAYOR.
DEAR SIR-The Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Quincy respectfully submit the following, their first report, for the term ending December 31st, 1892.
On June 1st, 1892 the city came into possession of the plant of the Quincy Water Company. The undersigned Water Com- missioners duly appointed, held their first meeting on June 22, 1892. H. T. Whitman was chosen chairman and James H. Stetson, secretary, The regular weekly meetings of the Board are held at the office of the Commissioners, in Durgin & Merrill's Block on Thursday evenings.
The fact that the price which the City of Quincy is to pay, has not yet been determined by the courts ( the case still pend- ing ) prevents the Board from furnishing at this time a state- ment of the cost of the plant, a general description of which is as follows :
The supply is chiefly taken from the storage basin which is located in the valley of Town Brook in the town of Braintree. The amount of land owned, including area flowed is about 641 acres.
The surface area of this basin is about 47 acres, the total capacity when full is about 180,000,000 gallons. When the water is at the height of the overflow it is 4616 feet above the pumps at the pumping station. The area of the water shed tributary to this basin is estimated at 990 acres. The water is carried from the basin to the pumping station through a 12-inch cast iron pipe about 6,400 feet in length. An additional source of supply is furnished by the two wells located near the pump-
166
ing station. Well No. 1 is on land owned by the city; this well is 35 feet in diameter and 27 feet deep below the grade of the lot. Two 16-inch suction pipes connect the pumps with this well, so arranged as to draft independently of each other.
The number of gallons of water pumped from this well covering a period from December 17, 1891 to January 2, 1892, inclusive, was 1,799,457 gallons, or about 105,850 per day.
Well No. 2 on land leased from the Adams Real Estate Trust is located in the meadow west of Town Brook and about 320 feet distant from Well No. 1. This well is 35 feet in diameter and 22 feet deep below the surface of the meadow. A 12-inch suction pipe connects this well with the suction pipes in well No. 1 so arranged that either pump will draft from this well. This well is not used at present, the quality of the water not being satisfactory.
PUMPING STATION.
The area of the land is 627% acres situated at the southerly end of Penn street in Ward 3. The rear building is 42x82 ft. constructed of brick and covered with a flat roof. The boiler and engine rooms are 14 ft. high, floors in boiler room of brick and in engine room hard pine. The chimney is 50 ft. high. The front, main building, is constructed of brick 30x57 ft., in- cluding projection two stories in height, slate roof, and contains one office room, shop and a tenement in the second story. The tenement is fitted up with all the modern conveniences and heated by steam. There is a cellar under a portion of the front build- ing. The boiler room contains four steel boilers, 54 inches in diameter. The engines are two in number, the capacity of the pumps is about 2,000,000 gallons each in 24 hours.
The mode of supply is by pumping through the mains to the stand pipe which serves as a storage tank and regulates the pres- sure on the distribution pipes. This standpipe is located on Penn's Hill, in Ward 3, land 30,000 sq. ft. The elevation of the base of the standpipe is 188.65 ft. above city base. The stand- pipe is 35 ft. in diameter and 60 ft. high ; the capacity when full is about 411,302 gallons. Stairs extend from the ground to the top.
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DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
The total amount of main pipe laid including conduit pips from reservoir to pumping station, at the time the city came in possession of the plant was about 35 miles, the number of hy- drants, 121; number of service pipes, 1456. The pipes laid by the Quincy Water Company are principally wrought iron, manu- factured by the National Tube Works Co. The hydrants and gates are of the pattern made by the Chapman Valve Manufac- turing Company. Cast iron pipes have been used for all recent extensions of mains.
Our seeming delay in extending the mains was criticised by some of the citizens who were anxious to take the water, but it was impossible for the Board to proceed with the work of pipe laying before the City Council had placed at our disposal the nec- essary funds. On Oct. 10, the City Council passed the order au- thorizing the Board to expend for the purposes of construction, so much of the income received from sale of water as was nec- essary to begin the work; the amount expended to be charged to the water loan when the bonds previously authorized by the Council should become negotiable, viz. Dec. 1st, 1892.
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