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 1900 > Part 16
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The claim of John Sheehan & Company against the City for extra work done on the Wollaston Main Sewer has not been settled. Several hearings have been had before an Auditor and a report is expected at an early date.
The claim of the heirs of C. Philip Tirrell on account of an easement taken for the Town Brook Sewer is still pending. All other claims for land takings have been settled without recourse to the Courts.
Assessments.
Sewer assessment notices were sent out early in the year on
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those of the completed sewers which had not been assessed last year. A total of 1865 assessment notices have been sent out to date, aggregating $115,766.68.
Assessments have not yet been levied on the sewers built this year. The record plans are nearly completed and the as- sessment notices will be sent out within a few weeks.
Construction.
We have had but a small appropriation available for new construction during the year, and extensions have been made only upon petition.
All work has been done by the day. Work was begun im- mediately after the appropriation became available, about the middle of July, and has been continued throughout the season, a sewer in Granite street from Water street easterly being under construction.
List of Sewers Built During 1900.
LOCATION.
LENGTH.
FROM
TO.
Beale Street, Ward 5.
227.05 ft.
Highland Ave.
Belmont Street.
Belmont Street,
Ward 5.
636.75 ft.
Beale Street.
Lincoln Ave.
Arlington Street, Ward 5.
338. ft. Brook Street.
Near Beale Street.
Taber Street, Ward 3. 240. ft.
Columbia Street.
Liberty Street.
Liberty Street, Ward 3. 1299.0-1 ft.
Centre Street.
435.4ft. n. e. Faber st
Arthur Street, Ward 4. 1117. it.
Buckley Street.
Garfield Street.
Buckley Street, Ward 4.
207.33 ft.
Copeland Street.
Arthur Street.
Federal Ave. Ward 3. 1499. ft. Goddard Ave.
Independence Ave.
Independ'ce Av. Ward 3. 94€.8 ft. Bennington Street. 200 ft. s. w. Fed'lav.
Granite Street. Ward 3. 135. ft.
Water Street.
Easterly.
A total of 6,696 feet built at a cost of $10,895.43.
The practise of flushing the sewers from the fire hydrants as was done last year was found to be unsatisfactory. The fire hydrants are located so far apart that in some places five or six hundred feet of hose was required, and the labor of flushing was considerable. In addition to this fact the Chief of the Fire Department rightly objected to the opening of the fire hydrants by men not under his control. As an experiment several of the manholes were connected with the City Water Mains by 1} inch pipes fitted with valves which could be operated in the
312
manholes. These worked so successfully that the manholes at nearly all summits and dead ends of the system have been sim- ilarly connected so that we now have 105 of these flushing man- holes. With this arrangement all the necessary apparatus can be conveyed in the hand cart and two men are able to thor- oughly flush from three to four miles of sewers per day.
The payments of the year from the Appropriation for Con - struction may be summarized as follows :
Paid Kelley & O'Hearn, (final payment) $2,436 35 Paid A. W. Bryne Construction Co., (final payment) .
1,262 25
Paid on account of contract with James
Driscoll & Son, including ( final pay- ment) 1,993 19
Land and other damages,
1,469 34
Pay rolls. 10,440 86
Cost of fitting Flushing Manholes, 1,822 30
Rent-Office and Stock Yard, 370 00
Stock and tools,
1,911 33
Office Expenses, including telephone, lighting, stationery, etc.,
189 43
Legal expenses,
802 66
Expenses attendant upon trial of Shee- han Caso
773 20
Miscellaneous,
40 50
---- $23,511 41
Maintenance.
Early in the year it was found to be unsatisfactory to pump intermittently as was done last year, as the sewage back- ing up in the sewers and standing for several hours caused ob- jectionable deposits to be formed in the sewers. To avoid this the pumping has been continuous during the most of the year. The smaller sewage pump has ordinarily been found sufficient for this purpose, the larger pump being used only enough to keep it from deteriorating from standing idle.
313
At present three engineers are employed, each running a shift of eight hours. The plant is in good condition. The last boiler inspection about December 1st, showed the boilers to be in first class condition and all appliances in good working or- der.
The sewers have been flushed several times during the year. Some of the sewers become foul much more quickly than others. A record is kept of the condition of each sewer when flushed, and from this record it is possible to tell which of the sewers need the more frequent flushing. Deposits of sand have been found in some of the sewers. These have been re- moved by means of scrapers.
Repairs to streets by the Street Department have raised the streets in several instances and it has been necessary to raise the manhole covers to conform to the new grades of the streets. This expense has been charged to the appropriation for maintenance. The appropriation for maintenance was $7,000. Of this amount $6464.41 has been expended, leaving a balance of $535.59.
House Connections.
During the year 217 connections have been made with the public sewers. These have been made by this department and the cost assessed upon the owners in accordance with Chapter 319 of the Acts of 1899.
The aggregate length of the connections made is 10159.5 feet. The total cost assessed upon the owners is $5670.70. The average length of these connections was 46.75 feet and the average cost 55.8 cents per foot. The cost is larger than last year chiefly on account of higher prices paid for stock, and the fact that eight hours constitute a day's labor instead of nine as last year. The cost of these connections may be tabulated as follows ,
314
Cost of Connections per Foot.
Number costing less than 30 cents per foot 4
Number costing from 30 to 40 cents per foot
30
Number costing from 40 to 50 cents per foot Number costing from 50 to 60 cents per foot 55
53
Number costing from 60 to 70 cents per foot
26
Number costing from 70 to 80 cents per foot
14
Number costing from 80 to 90 cents per foot
7
Number costing more than $1.00 per foot
8
Cost Per Connection.
Number costing less than $20 73
Number costing from $20 to $30
83
Number costing from $30 to $40
40
Number costing from $40 to $50
7
Number costing more than $50
14
In addition to these connections a six inch sewer was built from the corner of Copeland street and Centre street for the drainage of the Willard school. This sewer and connection with the Willard school is 739 feet long ; has four manholes and was built at an expense of $$671.47.
In 1899 an appropriation of $6000 was made for making house connections with the public sewer and in 1900 a like ap- propriation was made. Bills to the amount of $5229.32 in 1899, and $6333.95 in 1900 have been approved by the Board and charged to these appropriations. This should leave a balance of $436.73 to the credit of this account.
Metropolitan Sewer.
The construction of the Metropolitan Sewer through Quincy has been begun. It is expected that it will be com- pleted and ready for use in about two years. The Metropolitan Sewerage Commissioners have under consideration the taking
20
Number costing from 90 to $1.00 per foot
315
of the Quincy Pumping Station and Force Main. It is prob- able that they will make the taking within a few weeks. If this is done about $100,000 to be received from this source will be available for sewer construction during the coming year.
Recommendations.
Petitions are before the Board for building sewers in At- lantic, Wollaston Park, Quincy Point and on President's Hill. We think that besides building some lateral sewers tributary to the main sewers now in operation, the main sewer should be extended to Atlantic during the coming season and that several miles of lateral sewers should be built in Atlantic, Norfolk Downs and Wollaston Park. It is becoming more and more difficult to dispose of the matter from cesspools and vaults and people who build new houses should have an opportunity of connecting with the sewers rather than be compelled to build cesspools.
The demand for sewers in some parts of Ward 4 seems ur- gent. Action should be taken so that sewers for this district may be built and ready for use as soon as the Metropolitan Sewer is ready to receive our sewage.
During the past year the Fore River Engine Company has moved its plant to Ward 2. It is claimed that recent contracts placed with this company will result in the employment of from 4000 to 6000 men within a few months. If this be the case there will probably be a great activity in building at Quincy Point, and the petition for extending the sewerage system into this section should be carefully considered at once.
Respectfully submitted,
FREDERICK L. JONES, F. C. BADGER, A. F. SCHENKELBERGER,
Sewerage Commissioners.
316
Thomas Crane Public Library
To His Honor the Mayor, of the City of Quincy :
The Trustees of the Thomas Crane Public Library, beg leave to submit the following report :
It will be seen that the circulation of the Library is steadily increasing. By comparison with the report of last year there has been a gain of about seven thousand. At that rate, it will reach one hundred thousand by another year, which is very large for a city of Quincy's population.
This is an encouraging sign. Especially reassuring is the percentage of juvenile reading-nearly twenty-three per cent. It is, to be sure, largely fiction, but reading is a habit, like many other things, and once firmly fixed, it will not be lightly given up. And then, the taste for fiction is a perfectly healthy one, and should be supplied, with proper limitations.
Now it may be said that the Quincy Public Library is lacking in this direction. A library fulfils its ideal when any- body can find in it any book he wants. This is, of course, beyond our expectations. With the means at their disposal the Trustees' have done what they could, but during the past year the demand has been altogether beyond anything they could possibly supply. One thousand dollars will not go very far towards the purchase of books for a hundred thousand readers.
And then again the waste in the books is very great, es- pecially with the younger readers. The books are there to be
31
used, and the Trustees desire to have them used, but in the way in which juvenile literature is now bound it does not last very long.
The use of books by the schools has apparently decreased, but that is owing to the double-card system which was adopted at the beginning of the year, by means of which, scholars were enabled to procure books heretofore procured by teachers.
The new industry at the Point has already made itself felt, but, mainly, in a call for special books that the Library could not supply.
There has also been an increasing demand for the establish- ment of branch libraries in outlying districts. They are much to be desired, but entirely impossible under present conditions.
The Trustees have received a good deal of criticism be- cause of the inadequate lighting of the Library. They admit the fact, but desire to call attention to the curtailment of the appropriation for that purpose.
We have a noble Library building, and its possibilities are very great as an educational institution, but it needs double the number of books, each year, to keep abreast with the ex- actions made upon it. As it now is, its supply is altogether inadequate.
The statistics in connection with the circulation, will be found below. ·
All of which is very respectfully submitted.
E. C. BUTLER, HARRY L. RICE, G. W. MORTON, HARRISON A. KEITH, L. F. R. LANGELIER, HENRY MCGRATH.
318
STATISTICS.
During the year 1900 the Library was opened 303 days; and the number of books loaned was as follows :
Home use
Schools.
Total Per cent
Fiction,
33,457
381
33,838
37.8
Periodicals,
19,837
11
19,848
22.1
Juvenile Fiction,
18,858
1,561
20,419
22.8
History,
3,602
463
4,065
4.5
Arts and Sciences,
2,393
280
2,673
2.9
Biography,
2,336
151
2,487
2.7
General literature,
2,042
72
2,114
2.3
Travels,
1,905
396
2,301
2.5
Poetry,
1,032
25
1,057
1.1
Education,
379
379
.4
Religion,
319
319
.3
86,160
3,340
89,500
Miscellaneous,
(Library use)
5,196
Total circulation,
94,696
Names registered during the year 1377. Books purchased, 835; books replaced 239; books rebound, 1113; gifts, 196; pamphlets, 271.
Largest number of books issued on any one day, 671, March 24. Smallest number, 79, on July 16.
TREASURER'S STATEMENT
Thomas Crane Endowment Fund
319
Balance on hand Dec. 31, 1899
$20,413 21
Interest received on Mass. gold bonds, 3} reg. to July 1, 1900 630 00 Interest received on deposits in Quincy Savings bank 36 84 .
Paid John Turner for paving . · Balance on hand invested in Mass. gold bonds reg. 32 and in Quincy Savings bank, Dec. 31, 1900
289 86
$20,790 19
$21,080 05
$21,080 05
COTTON CENTER JOHNSON FUND
Balance on hand Dec. 31, 1809
$423 98
Interest on $2,000 bond, 5 per cent.
to Dec. 31, 1900 100 00
Interest on deposits, Quincy Sav- ings Bank .
16 82
Paid for books
$149 00
Balance on hand in Quincy Savings Bank, Dec. 31, 1900
391 80
$540 80
$540 80
CATALOGUE FUND
Balance on hand Dec. 31, 1899
$770 91
Received for sale of catalogues and fines 124 25
Interest on $500 government bond 4 per cent. .
20 00
Interest on deposits, Quincy Savings bank .
31 59
Balance on hand Dec. 31, 1900
$946 75
$946 75
$946 75
This fund of $2,000 is invested in registered gold bonds Chicago Junction Railways and Union Stock Yard Co.
Respectfully submitted, GEORGE W. MORTON,
Dee. 31, 1900.
Treasurer.
320
Report of the City Physician
To His Honor the Mayor of the City of Quincy :
The following report of the City Physician for the year ending December 31st 1900 is respectfully submitted :
Visits made to the Almshouse
36
Visits made to outside poor
7
Examination of applicants for police force
23
Office visits and vaccination
125
Cases of childbirth
2
JOHN F. WELCH, M. D.
City Physician.
164
Visits made to Police Dept.
WL
322
TReport of Dark Commissioners
To His Honor, the Mayor of the City of Quincy:
The Board of Park Commissioners respectfully submits its report for the year of 1900.
The work of the Board the past year has been largely con- fined to the erection of a public bathhouse on the Ward Two playground ; the making of a ball field at Ward four; the im- provement of the Ward Three playground; the completion of the Ward Two playground work ; the setting of edgestones around Ward Six playground; the maintenance of Merry Mount and Faxon Parks and the conferring with the Metro- politan Park Commission regarding the Boulevard.
PUBLIC BATHHOUSE.
On petition from the Board the General Court passed an act allowing buildings containing an area of over 600 sq. ft. to be erected on the Parks and Playgrounds of this city. A pub- lic bathhouse having been advocated by the Board and Mayors Hall, Keith and Sears, at the request of the Board the Council appropriated $2000 for such a purpose. A building costing about $1950 has been erected on the Ward Two playgrounds. It is of artistic design, over 100 ft. long and contains 40 lockers, 4 shower baths, head house, boys' room, laundry, etc. It will be a free public bath for the use of men, women and boys and will be opened in June to the public.
323
MERRY MOUNT PARK.
During the past year but little permanent work has been done on this Park. The time now seems to be ripe for the first steps towards the permanent improvement of this bit of rural scenery. Year by year the trees have been destroyed by fires and other causes, and the grass has gradually died out, until finally the park has commenced to take on a scraggly look which can only be overcome by tree planting on an extensive scale and the renewal of the turf. The game of foot-ball has grown so in favor the past few years that it is now deemed ad- visible to improve the field which is used for that sport and also the field upon which the pavilion stands, by returfing it.
FAXON PARK.
When the town of Quincy voted at a special town meeting held on September 24, 1885, to accept the munificent gift of Mr. Henry H. Faxon of a tract of land in the South Common near Mt. Pleasant, for a public park, since known as Faxon Park, it agreed with the donor to do certain things, among which was the agreement "to construct a roadway fifty feet wide from the corner of Quincy avenue and Water street, following the course, or nearly so, indicated on a plan exhibited to the town at this meeting, striking the old driveway to the Job Faxon homestead, and following the same to the new street first herein described." This condition of the gift has never been fulfilled. Mr. Faxon desires that this clause in the deed of gift should be carried out. This will necessitate a special appropriation of money by the City Council.
THE PLAYGROUNDS.
From a superficial point of view the playgrounds in the various wards have been generally considered by the public as being unadapted for the purposes for which they were taken.
324
The Board, at the beginning of the season, made a study of each playground and briefly outlined plans for its development. At the request of the Board the Council transferred $1200 from the unexpended playground balance to be used in the permanent development of the playgrounds.
WARD 2 .- The work which was begun in 1899 in laying out a ball field on this playground was set back somewhat by the unfavorable winter, the grass seed which had been sown in the fall failing to come up properly this spring. New seed was sown, which later came up and will eventually cover this field, with proper care, with a good turf. The city water was extended to the bathhouse. 1
WARD Three .- A substantial bridge was thrown across Town Brook and a granite-chip and cinder sidewalk was built from Water street to Gilbert street. Thanks are due to Councilman Thomas W. Smith for contributing the material and also for allowing the walk to be extended through his stone yard, greatly to the convenience of the public. A blind drain was also put in, thoroughly draining a portion of the ground. A good ball field was also made and a back stop was erected. Work will be continued the coming year.
WARD Four .- Before a ball field could be laid out in this playground it was necessary to regrade the larger part of the field. The contract for doing this work was let to Commissioner Knowlton. A level field was made out of this Audulating piece of land and a fairly good turf was made before the close of the season. The location of the back stop was changed and substantial seats were put in. City water was also intro- duced. During the season the field was in constant demand by base ball and foot ball teams. During the winter a part of the playground was flooded, thus making an excellent skating rink.
WARD 6 .- The first steps towards the improvement of this playground were taken this year. The ground was grid- ironed with wagon paths. In order to effectually put a stop to this tresspassing the Board had the sides of the two adjacent to the streets curbed. Providing good loam can be bought at a
325
fair price it is proposed to loam and sow down a part of this playground the coming season.
In order to continue the permanent work on the play- grounds the Council will be asked to transfer another sum of money from the unexpended playground balance to be ex- pended under the direction of the Board.
QUINCY SHORE RESERVATION AND FURNACE
PARK PARKWAY.
The Metropolitan Park Commission has during the past year practically completed its takings for the Quincy Shore Reservation and Furnace Brook Parkway, commonly known as the Boulevard, which extends from Hancock street across the . Neponset river marshes to near the old Felt mill, across Squan- tum street to the shores of Quincy bay, thence following the coast line to Rufes Hummock, thence across the National Sailor's Home marshes, skirting the northerly side of Pine island to and up the valleys of Black's Creek and Furnace Brook to the Blue Hill's Reservation.
BY-LAWS.
The depredations in the different parks and playgrounds have increased to such an extent that a set of Rules and Regu- lations for the government of those places was adopted, in which the maximum penalty was fixed at $20 and a reward of $5 was offered for information which will lead to the conviction of the depredators. The Rules and Regulations follow :
Rule 1 .- No person shall discharge or have possession of any firearm, air gun, or any device for the taking or killing of birds or game in the Parks or Playgrounds.
Rule 2 .- No teams for the carriage of merchandise are allowed in the Parks or Playgrounds.
Rule 3 .- No person shall cut, break, remove, deface, de- file, or ill-use any building, tree, bush, plant, turf or other thing
326
herein belonging to the city, or have possession of any part thereof.
Rule 4 .- No person shall throw any stone or other missile ; or have possession of any firecracker, torpedo or firework ; or make a fire ; or sell, expose, for sale, or give away any goods, wares or circulars ; or post or display any sign, placard or ad- vertising device, in any Park or Playground.
Rule 5 .- No owner or keeper of a horse or cow or other grazing animal shall suffer the same to go at large, or feed upon any Park or Playground.
Rule 6 .- No person shall engage in a picnic, game of ball, foot ball, base ball or other sport, upon any Park or Playground, . except by permission in writing of the Board of Park Com- missioners.
Rule 7 .- No person shall place any structure, tent, post, fence, rubbish, gravel, stones, ashes, or other thing in any Park or Playground without a permit from the Board of Park Com- missioners.
SKATING RINK.
Through the courtesy of the trustees of the Greenleaf Land Associates a temporary dam was built across the Black's Creek tide gate, thus holding the fresh water back, making a fairly good skating rink. At some future time it is expected that a permanent dam will be put in raising the water to a height, which, while not endangering property, will ensure a large area of fresh water ice.
GEO. E. PFAFFMANN, FRED. B. RICE, JAS. S. WHITING,
Board of Park Commissioners.
327
Playgrounds, Special,
Appropriation
$1,200 00
May, Daniel Ford .
$25 38
Schlegal & Fottler
16 00
John M. Delorey
30 40
June M. Pfaffman .
26 00
M. Pfaffman .
32 00
W. F. Steadman
4 00
Street Dept. .
108 18
July Street Dept. .
425 09
Street Dept. .
98 41
P. J. Williams & Co.
114 88
Water Dept. .
18 56
Aug. Water Dept. .
208 93
Daniel Ford .
13 13
Sept. John M. Delorey
7 00
Oct. Daniel Ford
9 85
Dec. John M. Delorey
27 12
(Total,)
1,194 93
Balance
$5 07
Parks.
Appropriation
$700 00
April Edward A. Hammond
$3 25
George A. Tripp
30 00
George A. Tripp
2 90
Edward Murphy
25 38
Fred Blacklock
22 75
May John M. Delorey
2 50
Thomas Whelan
25 75
George E. Thomas
47 60 .
H. T. Whitman
11 50
June Water Dept .
54 42
328
July Street Dept .
11 75-
Thomas Whelan
1 50
Aug. John M. Delorey
12 00
Oct. Edgestones
275 00
B. Johnson
2 27
Nov. F. F. Crane
2 38
Geo. E. Thomas
31 50
James Riley
32 50
Dec. John M. Delorey
10 60
Martin F Burns, ( Postmaster )
6 00
G. W. Prescott & Son
24 50
Charles S. Binner Co.
12 00
Henry E. Emerson
16 00
P. J. Williams & Co.
23 15
(Total)
688 38
Balance
$11 62
5
Fred F. Green .
1 18
329
Adams Academy
To His Honor, the Mayor of the City of Quincy:
The Managers of Adams Academy respectfully present their report for the year 1900.
The school year 1899-1900 terminated as usual with the prize declamation, and the admission of two candidates to Harvard College, one with an exceptionally brilliant record. It is right, however, to say that the requirements for admission to Harvard and other colleges are steadily increasing in diffi- culty. It is questionable whether the average pupil who fifteen years ago found himself able to enter with ease from a specific school course of four years could accomplish the like task in the same time now without extreme pressure. The colleges are making great efforts to throw back a considerable part of their work on the schools. If this operation is as successful as some colleges seek to make it, the preparatory school work will have to occupy another year. The four years' course of Adams Academy was established at its original opening by vote of the town. It may be questioned if such a radical change as lengthening the course to five years could be done by a simple vote of the managers. It need not however entail another year in the entire school course of any child. Pupils have for several years been received at the Academy from the seventh
330
grade of the grammar schools, and are as often able as not to maintain their position in their class.
The new year began with an entering class of twenty, hardly half the size of that entering in 1899, but still enough after all withdrawals to raise the members to seventy-nine, larger than the school has known since 1878. A few have since withdrawn, but the present number, 74, is still the largest on record since Dr. Dimmock's death, at which time and for several years after, the majority of the boys came from outside the limits of Quincy. The teaching capacity of the school is very severely taxed by this mark of confidence. One class has to be divided in some studies ; and the study of Physics has been postponed with the two lower classes largely from the im- possibility with our present space and appliances, of teaching it to such numbers. The invested funds, although believed to be in strong condition, are inadequate to supply the requisite teaching force, even though the existing staff is content to work at the minimum salaries. Complaints have been heard that classes are entrusted to teachers of little experience, how- over distinguished by their talents and scholarship. This course has been forced upon us. We have not the money to pay for teachers of experience. The attempt to conduct a school even so small as thirty boys broke down the two principal teachers and when the numbers approach eighty, four is too few. Several citizens of means have generously paid for their sons' tuition, enabling us to secure a fairly adequate staff, and it is hoped this example will be followed. No plan has as yet been devised whereby the school may be kept within the bounds which its building and its funds seem to prescribe. Nor is it desirable. The number of eligible pupils increases every year, and eighty or thereabouts is not too many, if they can receive proper tuition and appliances.
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