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 6
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"The amounts of these orders were divided among the di- visions as follows :
In the Street Division : twenty-two orders of $68,075.58 of which $24,600 was for completing work begun in 1899, one order of $12,467.46 for Street Railway Excise Tax and one or- der of $6,930.62 for State Highway. Sidewalk Division: six orders of $10,600. Public Building Division : eight orders of $27,517.48. Bridges and Drains Division : four orders of $6,150. Water Division : two orders of $38,600 and the an- nual appropriation order of $69,924.
The balance of the orders were for location of poles, street lights, car tracks and acceptance of streets.
The following table shows appropriations, expenditures and balances, which may be of interest.
BUDGET.
APPROPRIATION. EXPENDED.
BALANCE
Bridges, Culvert and Drains
$4,000 00 $3,977 38
$22 62
Removal of Snow
1,300 00
1,188 14
111 86
Street Lighting
18,000 00
17,951 91
48 09
Edgestones
2,500 00
2,428 74 71 26
Adv., Printing and Stationery
3,500 00
3,326 94
173 06
624 00
624 00
Clerical Service
8,000 00
7,669 94
330 06
Rep. Public Buildings
6,000 00
6,000 00
Street Watering
25,000 00
38,683 36
243 54
Highways Receipts
1,000 00
1,000 00
Street Crossings
PERMANENT SIDEWALKS.
Washington st., tar concrete
1,300 00
1,300 00
Water st., tar concrete
1,000 00
999 68
32
Beale st., tar concrete
1,500 00
1,443 77
56 23
Beach st., tar concrete
1,500 00
1,460 34
39 66
Billings road, tar concrete
3,500 00
3,473 59
26 41
Botolph & Clive st., gravel
1,800 00
1,798 02
1 98
STREETS.
Copeland street, paving
24,000 00
21,095 06 2,904 94
Hancock street, paving
6,000 00
5,999 87
13
Chubbuck street, extension of
1,900 00
1,900 00
Des Moines road
1,600 00
1,600 00
bị
Highways
13,926 90
147
Quincy avenue widening
1,100 00
1,074 28
25 72
North street widening
600 00
600 00
Intervale street
1,500 00
195 06
1,304 94
Kendrick avenue
1,000 00
911 33
88 67
Webster street
500 00
500 00
Glover avenue
400 00
400 00
Beale street
2,000 00
2,000 00
Clark street?grading
300 00
300 00
Squantum causeway
1,000 00
592 54
407 46
Furnace avenue regrading
600 00
600 00
Quarry st ._ approaches to sheds
300 00
300 00
Street railway excise tax
12,467 46
11,600 58
866 88
COMPLETING 1899 WORK.
Coddington and Sea sts.
20,337 43
19,910 24
427 19
Arthur street
1,000 00
778 22
221 78
Madison street
501 32
501 30
02
Billings road
1,509 98
1,503 28
6 70
Howard street
1,229 93
1,229 93
School street
496 92
496 92
Federal ave and Goddard st.
200 00
200 00
DRAINS.
Willard street drain
2,500 00
2,500 00
Furnace"Brook culvert
650 00
650 00
Prospect avenue drain
1,000 00
1,000 .00
Teal Pond
2,000 00
2,000 00
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Engine house, Wollaston
15,600 00
7,914 46 7,685 54
Wollaston school, heating and ventilating
4,000 00
3,951 00
49 00
Willard school plumbing
3,500 00
1,009 96 2,490 04
Heating hose house Ward 4
500 00
441 85
58 15
Coddington and Wollaston school plumbing
417 48
417 48
John Hancock school grading
2,000 00
1,999 84
16
Repair public buildings
1,500 00
1,500 00
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Marking graves rev. soldiers
50 00
50 00
Cranch school building
40,000 00
26,387 48 13,612 53
Wiring almshouse
150 00
131 25 18 75
Water maintenance
8,600 00
8,591 94 8 06
Water construction
30,000 00
45,831 85 814 73
Receipts from services
16,646 58 $
$304,108 00 8264,841 53 $39,266 47
In the following report I will take up each item in its order and only speak of the most important points. For a detailed statement of expenditures I would refer you to the report of the City Auditor.
BRIDGES, CULVERTS AND DRAINS.
The usual amount of repairing old bridges and culverts was performed this year.
Neponset bridge was in a very dangerous condition and it was found necessary to not only renew the top planking but to put in new deck plank, making the total cost $1376.21. Next year it will be necessary to replank the sidewalk.
Beale street bridge over the tracks of the N. Y., N. II. and H. R. R. was replanked as was also the Bates Avenue bridge.
The stone culvert on Squantum street was rebuilt and minor repairs made on several others.
A large amount of work was done in putting in catch basins and drains in different parts of the city which has greatly aided the keeping of the streets in a dry condition, thereby saving repairs.
Among these cases may be mentioned the drain at the corner .of West and Willard streets, draining of Newcomb street, Howard street, Brook street, Farrington street, Hancock street near Sachem brook, Granite street, Quincy avenue, Whitwell street, Cottage street, corner Beale street and New- port avenue, Mechanic street and Revere road, and at the corner of Bennington street and Independence avenue.
A 12-inch pipe was laid from Town brook to the Breisler
149
corner which will be extended the coming year to the corner of Depot street and to the Adams building and thus care for surface water in City square, greatly to the benefit of our citizens.
The large drain from the easterly side of the square run- ning down Coddington street to the brook and which was put in under the Coddington street improvement, has already proved its great value.
There were 42 catch basins and pipe connections with water ways put in under this appropriation. We have now nearly 200 catch basins which have the constant attention of one man who cleans them out after every rain.
In the development of the Ward Two section, it will be found necessary to expend large sums to care for the surface water on streets which heretofore have drained on to private grounds. The city will be obliged to provide drains along and in the streets with outlets into the brooks and water-ways.
More than usual attentiou was given to cleaning brooks and they all are now in a very clean and healthy condition. The amount expended for this purpose being $508.
On account of the intention of building a new bridge across the Weymouth Fore River in 1901, no more than was absolutely necessary was expended on repairing the old struc- ture, only $175, being required as Quincy's proportion.
REMOVAL OF SNOW.
We were particularly fortunate during the past year to have so little snow to remove. Such storms as we had were so very light that very little ploughing was required.
The snow districts have been slightly reorganized and we have now fourteen districts, handling twenty-six snow plows, which will enable the department to handle a large storm in a short time.
1
150
. STREET LIGHTING.
There has been a marked increase in the number of street lights ordered by the Council the past year and a much larger appropriation will be necessary.
There was considerable delay in erecting the new lights, some that were ordered in April were not in operation until October and November. This was excusable, as the Electric Light Co. in order to handle the additional lights were obliged to put in more power and the delivery and setting up of new machinery was necessarily slow.
The arc lights in the Atlantic, Wollaston and other north- erly districts were changed over to the new enclosed system which makes a decided change for the better in the service and is greatly appreciated by the citizens.
We have now in operation 108 arc, 421 incandescent, 73 oil and 67 gas lamps, an increase of 8 arc and 43 incandescent lamps, and a loss of 3 oil lamps over the year 1899.
Twenty-three more incandescent lamps have been located but not yet erected.
ADVERTISING, PRINTING AND STATIONERY.
This account as usual is very hard to handle, covering as it does the general advertising and printing of other departments and also election expenses, but by careful management it was kept within the appropriation.
I would recommend that the printing for election purposes be paid out of Miscellaneous City appropriation with the other election expenses or else a separate appropriation be made for election expenses and be spent under the direction of the City Clerk.
REPAIRS OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND CARE OF CITY HALL.
There is a vast amount of detail work connected with this
N
151
account. A larger appropriation was made than usual to cover some very necessary repairs and alterations in the Fire Depart- ment buildings and for painting the Wollaston School building.
All of the Public buildings are in good repair at present with the exception of the Almshouse, which must be thoroughly painted inside and out, and toilet rooms provided.
The Quincy School will need re-shingling and the Cod- dington School painted inside.
Some of the buildings had special appropriations for plumbing, etc .- which I will speak of later.
The Central Fire Station and the Hose Houses were pro- vided with better ventilation and sanitary arrangements, and are now in first class condition.
Very few repairs were made on the City Hall as it was be- lieved to be poor economy in view of the belief that a new building would be erected, but as that proposition did not meet with the approval of the voters it makes it necessary to take im- mediate steps to put the old building in a habitable condition.
The following list will show amounts expended on each building and the cost of care of City Hall.
EXPENDED ON SCHOOL BUILDINGS FOR REPAIRS.
Adams .
$377 87
Coddington
253 70
Gridley Bryant
87 71
High
384 14
John Hancock
332 21
Lincoln
214 40
Massachusetts Fields
476 50
Quincy
97 74
Washington
104 24
Willard
686.34
Wollaston
550 79
Old High
849 25
$4,414 89
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HOSE HOUSES. .
Central Fire Station
55 55
Hose House, Ward 4
549 94
Hose House, Ward 6
$2,158 52
City Stable
CITY HALL.
Repairs, furniture and wiring Coun-
cil Chamber
533 79
Lighting
812 86
Coal
732 98
Janitor
239 88
Miscellaneous
$2,552 63
Total
$9,169 94
HIGHWAYS.
The work in this division has gone along in a very satis- factory manner and agreeable results obtained. Many streets which had been neglected for years were put in good condition.
Work was laid out to cover the entire city and to give each ward its just proportion, and I can safely say that the condi- tions are improving rapidly.
Space will not permit enumerating every street upon which work was done, but I will mention Elm street, Washington street, Independence avenue, School street, Granite street, New- comb street, Howard street and Squantum street, where de- cided improve ments were made.
More than the usual amount was done toward cleaning gutters and streets, many sidewalks were resurfaced with stone
43 90
1,387 81
Hose House, Ward 2
165 22
233 12
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dust, trees trimmed and cut down and poles relocated. There were 74 street signs erected and 67 permits issued during the year for street openings, parades and moving buildings, etc.
During the year nine new streets were laid out and ac- cepted making our street mileage 72.2 miles.
Length in feet
Width in feet
Upland road, Ward 1, from Saville st. to Dim- mock st. 706
40
Chubbuck st. Extension Ward 2, from South st.
to Des Moines road 202 50
Des Moines road, Ward 2, from South st. to How- ard street 775
50
Intervale st., Ward 3, from Centre st. to Brook rd. 1673 36-40
Blakest., Ward 5, from Hancock st. to Marlboro st. 382 40
Marlboro st. (formerly Morton st. ) Ward 5, from
Waterson ave. to Blake st. 1608 40
Warren ave. Extension, Ward 5, from Old Col- ony avenue to 70 feet westerly 70 50
Clark st. Ward 6, from Edwin st. to Squantum st. 325 36
Edwin st. Ward 6, from Faxon road to 405 ft. westerly 405 40
Total number of feet 6,146
It has been of great benefit to my work on the streets to have an engineering corps to call upon to give lines and grades to set stone bounds and to make record plans of public work. The work of the City Engineer has been very closely connected with the work in my department and I greatly appreciate the aid I have received in the systematic carrying out of public im- provements.
I believe the establishment of the office of City Engineer was a wise piece of legislation and will prove its value more and more each year.
Early in the year a contract was taken with the Mass. Highway Commission and work commenced constructing a State Road on Washington street from Chubbuck street to the
154
Fore River Bridge. The State had their own engineer to de- termine the form and kind of construction and the kind of ma- terial to be used, the City simply doing the work under the di- rection of the State Engineer on the contract price made in 1898. Although the prices were low and the working day only eight hours a small profit was made and the city got the benefit of the expenditure of $6,930.62, every cent of which went in to the hands of our workingmen.
The City also is benefited by having one of its main thor- oughfares well built and forever cared for and repaired without any expense falling on the taxpayers.
This year we had quite a sum from Street Railway Excise Tax to help out on street work, the law providing that this tax shall be expended on the highways. A large part of this money was used to repair paving in the road-bed on several streets, for the removal of snow, and for planking the road-bed on Nepon- set Bridge, and the remainder for repairing the highways caused by location of tracks therein. A separate set of books were kept, as required by law, for these accounts for examination by the Board of Railroad Commissioners. The consolidation of the Quincy & Boston with the Brockton Street Railway will cause our receipts from this source to be very much less in the future, which loss is greatly to be deplored.
The purchase of a gravel pit in Wollaston was a very wise move and has relieved me of considerable anxiety and trouble in obtaining good gravel in the north section of the city.
Although the lease on our crusher quarry has two years more to run, the quarry is so badly run out and expensive to handle that a move to another site is desirable and I may ask for an appropriation for this purpose.
During the year there was quarried and put on the streets from our crusher 6,400 tons of broken stone beside 530 tons purchased from the crushing plant of Lamb & Doble. This does not include stone from Lamb & Doble used on the State Highway.
The outfit of the department is in first class condition and the permanent force is working faithfully and harmoniously.
155
The receipts shown below are for board of horses and for work performed for the Park, Sewer, Water, Health, and other departments and for work building the State Road.
Appropriation
$25,000 00
Receipts from Sewer Dept.
$659 39
Park Commissioners
643 43
Mass. Highway Commission
6,930 62
Street Railway Tax
3,580 62
Water Dept. .
796 00
Coddington street
267 00
Street Watering
589 75
Board of Health
235 00
North street
23 07
Snow
63 00
City Engineer
139 02
$13,926 90
38,926 90
Expended
$38,683 36
Balance
$243 54
STREET WATERING.
I have never known a year when so little complaint was made on account of street watering service. This does not prove that every one was satisfied, for that would be impossible, but it does show that improvements are made in this service.
The American Car Sprinkler Co. was again awarded the contract for the portion covered by car tracks and i gave good satisfaction.
The other districts were covered by four carts. Fourteen miles of street were watered at a cost of .044 per linear foot making the assessment on each abutter .022 per linear foot.
156
EDGESTONES AND SETTING.
This work as usual has been performed when citizens ask for edgestones and agree to pay one-half the cost. All petitions received have been promptly attended to with results highly satisfactory to the petitioner. 2293 ft. of edgestones were set.
It is to be regretted that citizens on streets needing edge- stones cannot unite and petition this department for edgestones so that the expense can be met each year in the budget instead of waiting for the Council to order in edgestones under the side- walk act to be paid on a ten year loan.
STREET CROSSINGS.
Crossings were put in at seventeen different points as peti- tioned for or ordered by the Council.
In connection with building tar concrete sidewalks, cross- ings were put in at every street, but are not included in the above appropriation.
The locations are as follows :
Washington street, junction of Canal street.
Edwards street.
Hancock
66
66
Dimmock 66
Elm avenue.
66
16
66
66
Beale
66
66
Squantum
Webster
Walker
66
66
Phipps 66
Phipps
66
School 66
66
Water
66
Quincy
Willard
66
near Gridley Bryant School ..
" Fort street.
Granite
×™×™ Public Library.
Spear
Cottage
Granite
66
Webster street.
66
Botolph
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SPECIAL.
I will now briefly report.on the special appropriations made by the Council for special permanent work.
$24,600 was required to complete work commenced in 1899, the balances showing on January 1, 1900 were all required to pay outstanding bills contracted in 1899.
Chief among these appropriations. was that for Coddington and Sea street. By the terms of agreement with land owners on Sea street, the street had to be built to the established grade and no trees disturbed. The Street Railway Co. were given a relocation of tracks, necessarily on the south side on account of the position of the line of trees, thus giving the public a clear roadway of about 30 feet in width on the north side and separ- ated from the car tracks by a grass plot and row of trees.
The quantities of earth moved was about 34,000 eubie yards. It was found necessary to drive piles for a foundation for a 24- inch pipe culvert on Coddington street, these being driven 25 feet before a solid foundation was secured.
The roadway over this soft marsh has been filled to grade six times and will require filling again in the spring for which I have a balance left, and it will be many years before the earth filling ceases to settle.
A pipe drain with catch basins was laid from the head of Coddington street to the brook and that portion of the street macadamized.
A strong sea wall was built on the causeway at the Willows to prevent inroads from the sea and the causeway widened out to 60 feet.
This job was commenced April 1, 1900 and completed July 1, 1900 and the travelling public inconvenienced but very little.
Arthur street was not wholly completed on account of the construction of the sewer which was not finished until the middle of November.
Madison street, Billings road, Howard street, School street and Federal avenue and Goddard street were completed and are now in good condition.
158
Beale street appropriation was not spent on account of the construction of a reservoir and stand pipe on Third Hill and the heavy teaming would injure the work of construction.
Copeland street widening and paving was a large proposi- tion to handle and on account of the delay of the Brockton Street Railway Co. in moving its tracks to the centre, but very little could be done until the middle of November.
I then put on a large gang and in twenty-three days had excavated and laid 4550 sq. yds. of granite paving and 3578 ft. of edgestone, besides moving four buildings, walls and fences back to the new line.
This work was very economically done and is a great public improvement.
There is still a small amount of work left for spring for which I have a balance of $2,904.94.
The paving of Hancock street closed up the gap near Beach street and we have now a continuous paved roadway from City square to the Neponset river.
The extension of Chubbuck street and the building of Des Moines road were on account of the starting of the new ship building industry at Quincy Neck and these two well constructed roads will aid materially in the development of that section.
The appropriations for Quincy avenue widening, North street widening, Kendrick avenue, Webster street, Glover avenue, Squantum causeway, Furnace avenue regrading, Fur- nace avenue culvert and Prospect avenue drain, have all been expended in the manner desired by the Council and the results are satisfactory.
The appropriations for Intervale street, Clark street, Willard street drain, approaches on Quarry street and filling of Teal pond were not passed until December and it was deemed best not to commence any of this work until spring.
The appropriations for permanent sidewalks on Washing- ton street, Water street, Beale street, Beach street, Billings road, Botolph and Clive street, to my mind give more comfort and pleasure to people generally than any other form of public expenditure.
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159
These sidewalks are in most instances a continuation of walks built in previous years and is the carrying out of the wise policy of building good walks radiating from the several railroad stations in different directions, and I trust the policy will be continued until Quincy has a system of well constructed sidewalks of which it may be proud.
There were 5,235 sq. yds. tar concrete walk and 620 sq. yds. tar concrete drive laid during the past year.
In the expenditure of the appropriations for improvements in our public buildings, much time and thought was given and results meet all expectations.
The heating and ventilating system of the Fuller and Warren installed in the Wollaston school building was a much needed improvement and was done at the request of the Mass. State Board of Police. The comfort and health of the children is greatly enhanced.
The installation of steam heat in the Ward Four Hose house by Ames & Bradford, is in the interests of economy for the city and comfort for the occupants of the building. It is a very creditable job and works to perfection.
The plumbing of the Willard school building was a very necessary undertaking as the old Smead system was considered a source of danger to the health of the school children and was really in a bad condition.
This work was let to J. E. Keniley & Co. and commenced during the Christmas vacation. The Sanitas Automatic Flushing Closets and Urinals were put in and connected with the sewer at the junction of Centre and Copeland street, six hundred feet away.
The Ward Four Hose House was also connected with this line at the same time.
A large amount of painting and whitewashing was done and the work completed January 12, 1901, so that the school was only kept closed about a week.
Early in the spring plans for a two way engine house in Wollaston were submitted by Messrs. Jones & Hart and an appropriation of $15,600 made for constructing the same.
160
The contract was awarded to Lord Bros. of Waltham and > work commenced July 19, 1900. The contractors have built a good solid substantial building but owing to delay in receiv- ing material did not finish it at the time specified. It will be ready for occupancy by February 1st.
When the grounds are graded the building will prove an ornament to that section of the city by reason of its artistic design.
I hope in the near future that a ward room will be added to the east side as originally designed by the architects and for which provision is made in this building.
In making appropriations for public buildings a sufficient amount should be allowed to provide for an inspector to be constantly on the work thus saving annoyance and delay and insuring the city absolute fulfillment of all specifications.
The grounds around the John Hancock school building were greatly improved by the expenditure of the $2000 appro- priated for grading purposes. The brook was walled up and fenced. A bridge built across the brook and by a transfer of land a good wide entrance from Water street is secured. The front of the lot was fenced, graded and sowed down. The swamp in the rear was filled with stone chips and gravel, making an excellent play ground.
The appropriation of $40,000 for erecting the Cranch school made in 1899, was not available until March of this year.
The plans adopted by the Council were those made for the Massachusetts Fields and Gridley Bryant schools, but owing to the different location and conditions of the lot it was necessary to make some changes in the arrangement of the basement which I made with the full consent of the School Board. What errors and omissions there were in the old buildings were avoided in this and many improvements were made in the character of construction, so that I can freely say that the Cranch school is the best school building we have in point of construction, heating, ventilation and furnishings. George Howard of Brockton was awarded the building contract for $30,960., Lynch and Woodward of Boston the heating contract
161
for $4,100, and the Chandler Adjustable Desk Co. the contract for school desks. Mr. Albert H. Wright of Quincy was the architect in rearranging the plans and superintended the building. Mr. John Harkins was employed as inspector and saw that every detail was properly attended to and specifica- tions lived up to. The work went along very smoothly except there was some delay on the foundation and receiving materials, however the building was completed and turned over to the School Board for occupancy at the beginning of the school term January 7, 1901.
The school lot is in a deplorable condition and should be graded and curbed and I will soon ask for an appropriation for this work.
WATER DIVISION.
This is the first year I have hid to make a report on water maintenance and construction as it was only made a part of the duties of the Commissioner of Public Works in 1899, and I am proud to make such a good showing for the money entrusted to my care, when it is considered that materials were very high the past year and we were working on an eight hour day.
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