USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1886 > Part 4
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ARTICLE 6. To see if the Town will authorize the Col- lector of Taxes to use the same means a Town Treasurer may use when acting as Collector.
ARTICLE 7. To see if the Town will fix the time within which taxes assessed therein shall be paid, and authorize the Collector to charge interest at the rate of seven per cent., or less, a year, on all taxes remaining unpaid at that time.
ARTICLE 8. To see what compensation the Town will allow for the collection of taxes.
ARTICLE 9. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, to borrow money in anticipation of taxes of the ensuing year, and to issue notes of the Town therefor, and the debts incurred under the authority of this vote are hereby made payable from said taxes.
ARTICLE 10. To hear and act on the reports of Commit- tees.
ARTICLE 11. To see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate for the Repairs of Highways, and agree upon the method of repairing the same.
ARTICLE 12. To see what action the Town will take in regard to appointing Road Surveyors for different sections of the Town.
ARTICLE 13. To see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate for the Support of Schools the ensuing year.
ARTICLE 14. To see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate for the Teaching of Music in the public schools.
ARTICLE 15. To see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate for the support of the organization of the Fire Department the ensuing year.
77
ARTICLE 16. To see what disposition the Town will make- of the money received for dog licenses.
ARTICLE 17. To see if the Town will raise and appro- priate money for the support of the Public Library.
ARTICLE 18. To raise such sums of money as may be necessary to defray town charges not otherwise provided for the current year.
ARTICLE 19. To see what action the Town will take in re- gard to setting off a part of Highland Cemetery for the use of the Catholic population of the town, or to the purchase of more land for that purpose and to raise and appropriate money for the same.
ARTICLE 20. To see if the Town will vote to pay two dollars per day to the laborers on the Highways, and that none but citizens of the Town be employed.
ARTICLE 21. To see if the Town will accept of a street as laid out by the Selectmen, from Railroad avenue, near the house of Thomas Nevil, running south to a point near the house of William Cuff, and raise and appropriate money to build the same.
ARTICLE 22. To see what action the Town will take in re- gard to the reorganization of the Fire Department.
ARTICLE 23. To see if the Town will raise and appro- priate the sum of one thousand dollars for the purchase of hose for the Fire Department.
ARTICLE 24. To see what sum of money the Town will raise and appropriate for the prosecution of illegal sales of liquor, and agree on the manner of expending the same.
ARTICLE 25. To see if the Town will raise and appro- priate the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars for the use of George K. Bird Post No. 169, Grand Army of the Republic, for the purpose of decorating soldiers' graves, etc., on Memorial Day.
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And you are directed to serve this warrant, by posting up attested copies at the Post Office and in each of the several Churches and Railroad Stations in said Norwood, seven days at least before the time of said meeting.
Hereof fail not, and make due return of this warrant, with your doings thereon, to the Town Clerk, on or before the time and day of said meeting.
Given under our hands, at Norwood, this eighteenth day of February, A. D. 1886.
GEO. H. MORSE, Selectmen FRANK A. FALES, of
J. E. EVERETT, Norwood.
A true copy. Attest :
Constable of Norwood.
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
BOARD OF
WATER COMMISSIONERS
OF THE
TOWN OF NORWOOD,
Including Report of the
ENGINEER.
For the Year Ending January 27, 1886.
BOSTON : PRESS OF T. O. METCALF & CO., 48 OLIVER STREET.
1886.
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
BOARD OF
WATER COMMISSIONERS
OF THE
TOWN OF NORWOOD,
Including Report of the
ENGINEER.
For the Year Ending January 27, 1886.
BOSTON : PRESS OF T. O. METCALF & CO., 4S OLIVER STREET ...
ISS6 ..
REPORT.
The Water Commissioners herewith present their first annual report, containing an account of the work done, and money expended under the vote of the town, authorizing the construction of public waterworks.
It is hardly necessary to give the history of the earlier steps of the enterprise, as the facts are of such recent occurrence as to be familiar to every citizen.
A copy of the Act passed by the legislature, in answer to the petition presented for the same, is appended to this report, and reference to it will show the authority under which the town has undertaken the enterprise of supplying its citizens with a modern water supply.
This Act was legally accepted by the town, in a meeting held for the purpose, March 30, 1885, by a vote of 333 to 101. At this meeting the town also voted to take the water of Buck- master Pond, issue bonds to the amount of $75,000, and chose J. Edward Everett, George H. Morrill, and Francis M. Baker, Commissioners, for three, two and one years, respectively, from the next annual town meeting. Your Commissioners duly met and organized, with the choice of J. E. Everett, chairman, secretary and treasurer, and instructed him to have a general oversight and supervision of the work of construction.
Percy M. Blake, Civil Engineer, of Hyde Park, Mass., was engaged as engineer, at a salary of $2800 until November 1, 1885, and $250 a month after that time, he to take full charge of the works, furnish specifications for contracts, engineering assistants and inspectors, the Commissioners being unfamiliar with the work of construction, and not having time to devote to it. The first proposals issued were for furnishing pipe and laying the same. Eleven bids were received, and the contract was awarded to J. T. Langford, of Newton, Mass., for the sum of $44,150, he to furnish gates, hydrants, etc., also to
4
remove 300 cubic yards of rock, any amount above that to be paid for at the rate of $4.00 per cubic yard. Proposals for the necessary pumping plant were received May 5th from the fol- lowing parties :
Henry R. Worthington . $4250 00 Deane Steam Pump Co. 4925 00
full compound, . 5525 00
Knowles Steam Pump Co., duplex, 6304 00 . ( single. 6029 00 Davidson Steam Pump Co., single engine, 5350 00 Holly Manufacturing Co. 8000 00 compound, 8500 00
The Commissioners wishing to see the several pumps in operation before deciding, visited North Attleboro', Water- town and Dedham. Being pleased with the workings of the Davidson pump at North Attleboro, the contract was awarded to the Davidson Steam Pump Co., for $5,350.00.
Bids for reservoir, based upon estimated quantities of work, were received June 16th, from
Thomas T. Welch . . Dedham, . $ 9542 00
Maney Brothers . Boston, 9053 80 John H. Dawe . Somerville, incomplete bid.
Mitchell & Harris Boston, 6707 00
J. H. Leavitt .
9613 00
Perkins & Willcutt
11,320 10
Conrad Juul
, Danvers,
8157 00
The contract was given to Mitchell & Harris, they being the lowest bidders, the Commissioners agreeing, as provided in the specifications, to furnish paving blocks, sand and gravel for the concrete required.
On the same date proposals were received for building the pumping station, at West Dedham, from
A. T. Briggs . . Taunton, $4855 00
L. D. Willcutt . Dedham, 4286 00
Wm. Gillooly & Son . Norwood, 3625 00 Geo. H. Peare
. Hyde Park, 3573 60
F. A. Fales . Norwood, 3550 00
5
F. A. Fales, being the lowest bidder, was awarded the con- tract for $3550.00.
The contract for laying service pipes from the street mains to the houses, was given to O. N. Bingham, of Dedham.
In the settlements for land damage we cannot report as favorably as we would like. The pumping station lot at the pond was purchased from Samuel F. Allen, for the sum of $300.00, which we do not consider an unreasonable price ; the right to lay pipes through land of same was settled for $65.00, which sum also included all claims for damage incident to, or resulting from, taking and carrying water through his property. Settlement with Mr. Noyes has been delayed. The terms have once been agreed upon, but the papers are still in the hands of his attorney awaiting his examination. We hope to be able to settle this claim without legal complications.
Rights to lay pipes through land of Francis Cheney and Lewis Thompson, were obtained by paying $50.00 to each party.
The site for reservoir, and approach thereto, required about five acres of land, of which, two acres were purchased of F. M. Baker, for $100.00. For the three remaining acres, in- . cluding one required for roadway, the Commissioners offered $500.00, that being about four times the assessors' valuation, and in their judgment a fair and full value, but the interested parties demanding $1,500.00, the claim is still unsettled. A small piece of land required to widen Winter street, containing one-tenth of an acre, was bought of Lewis Guild for $25.00.
Bonds to the amount of $75,000.00 were issued, as voted by the town, bearing interest from August 1st, 1885, at four per cent. They were sold to Blake Brothers & Co., Boston, for $79,237.50, bringing a premium of 5665% per cent. of their face value. These bonds were issued in series, payable as follows :
Series 1st
$10,000 00
payable in 5 years
due 1890
2nd
" 10
66 1895
66
3rd
66
66
“ 15
1900
66
4th
" 20
1905
5th
60
". 25
66
1910
6thı
25,000 00
30
1915
1
1 6
The funds obtained from this sale were deposited with the New England Trust Co., and the first interest payment, due Feb. 1st, 1886, has been made. The $2000.00 appropriated by the town for the purpose, has been invested as a sinking fund, $1000.00 being placed in the Dedham Savings Bank, and $1000.00 in the Suffolk Savings Bank, Boston. Money was needed for use before the funds for the sale of the bonds became available, but the Commissioners, deemning it unwise to issue these bonds before August 1st, personally advanced be- tween $4000.00 and $5000.00.
In regard to the construction of the works. Owing to delay in receiving the pipes, and the large quantity of rock en- countered, the progress of the pipe laying was retarded, and the contractor was unable to complete the entire work at the time anticipated. Winter closing in, it was deemed advisable to suspend work on Nahatan, Maple and Howard streets until spring, when Mr. Langford will complete his contract, and put in any extensions desired, on the same terms. Mr. Langford's work has thus far proved satisfactory, only one leak of any amount having been discovered, and that was caused by a de- fective pipe and immediately remedied. The settlement of account with Mr. Langford up to the present date, is as shown in the Engineer's certificate, a full copy of which is here given.
ENGINEER'S CERTIFICATE.
Cast-Iron Pipe and Special castings received :
12 inch 163.941 tons.
10 66 274.703
8
273.834
6 66 228.256
Special castings . 23.405 60
12 inch gates received, 6
set
5
10
8
8
8 66
15
12
6
66
32
66 32
Fire hydrants received, 64
set 64
7
12 inch pipe laid
4055.20 feet.
10 66 66 66
8
9152.3% 13,243.2% 66
6
66
6.
12,069.74%
Rock excavated by blasting
1677 .- 664
Earth below grade .
137. 72 100 ·1000 cu. yards.
The above material and labor have been furnished by John T. Langford, under his contract with the town of Norwood, dated June 2nd, 1885.
PERCY M. BLAKE, Engineer Norwood Water Works.
Reservoir :
Work on the Reservoir progressed with but little delay and was finished very nearly within the time specified in the con- tract. The site chosen was a favorable one, and the nature of the soil proved to be very well adapted for the purpose ; being a clayey gravel, impervious to water, the expense of an es- pecially prepared puddle lining was saved. Suitable gravel for concrete and bedding paving stones not being found in the vicinity, some additional expense was incurred in carting it from the town pit. The paving stones were furnished by the Hurricane Granite Co., Rockland, Me. The work of the con- tractors was done in a very thorough manner, and was satis- factory to both Commissioners and Engineer. Expense in- curred in building Reservoir is as follows :
Messrs. Mitchell & Harris, labor as per contract, $6136 48 Paving stone 1729 83
Other expenses . Total $9472 92
1606 61
The cost of extension of Winter street to site of Reservoir was $794.10. Part of this bill properly belongs to Reservoir account, as the loam taken from the road was used in grading around the Reservoir.
The Pumping Station was built, according to contract, by F. A. Fales, at a cost of $3550.00 ; other expenditures necessary to complete and furnish the same, amount to $1213.34. Total $4763.34.
8
Pumping Plant :
The pump, although a good one, fails to come up to the standard, as guaranteed by the makers, in point of economy. Another test will be required before further payment will be made. The Davidson Company have already received $4143.22. The contract price was $5350.00, extra for connecting pipe, etc., $88.98, leaving a balance of $1295.76 unpaid. Expense of suction pipe and crib, $502.01 ; Coal sheds, $716.00; En- gine and Boiler foundations, $562.70.
Office Building :
The Commissioners, requiring an office and a place for keep- ing accounts, tools and service pipes, put up a small building at an expense of $501.71; Safe, stove, furniture, $210.50, making a total cost of $712.31.
As the Pumping Station approached completion, tlie services of an engineer were required, and the Commissioners engaged George A. P. Bucknam, at a salary of $1000.00 a year. The duties at the present time are not arduous, but a proper care of the machinery requires the daily attention of a careful and com- petent man. He will not only take care of the engine, but will attend to all the mechanical duties connected with the plant, and the putting in such service pipes as may be required in the future.
The Commissioners finding the appropriation was be- coming exhausted, and receiving no applications for water in either locality, deemed it advisable, on account of the large quantities of rock encountered, to discontinue work on the ends of the lines on Washington, Guild and Pleasant streets.
Following this report will be found a balance sheet showing the expenditures and receipts, approved by the Auditors. For an account of expenditures in detail, and the cost of the various parts of the work, we refer to the statement following the balance sheet.
The full report of the Engineer is appended below, and from it will be seen that $1,100.00 will be required to meet pay- ments due on completion of contracts. There is also an unsettled land damage, and the Commissioners, owing to the exhausted
9
state of the treasury, have not as yet received any compensation for their services.
About $300.00 in bills are still out, most of them being running expenses of the Pumping Station. About fifty houses take water, but the revenue at present to be derived from them is small, not exceeding $500.00. We hope another season the receipts will be largely increased.
Measures will have to be taken to provide means to meet the deficiency in running expenses.
Applications have been received for laying main pipes on Chapel, Winter, Cross, Railroad avenue, Clark and Williams streets. We would recommend the laying of pipes only on streets where there are applicants enough to guarantee the interest on the cost. We advise the town to adopt this rule for its future protection. We also recommend that the Town Treasurer be appointed treasurer of the Water Board, and that all water bills be paid by orders on the treasury, the same as other town bills.
Your Commissioners would say, that while they have en- deavored to perform the duties devolving upon them in a trust- worthy manner, they have been convinced that they knew very little about water works when they accepted the office, and that the satisfactory completion of the work is largely due to the practical knowledge of the Engineer and his assistants. It gives us pleasure to express our appreciation of the faithfulness of Mr. L. E. Hawes, the resident assistant, who required of the contractors and workmen under his supervision a strict com- pliance with the orders and plans of Mr. Blake.
J. E. EVERETT, GEO. H. MORRILL, Water Commissioners. F. M. BAKER,
10
BALANCE SHEET NORWOOD WATER WORKS, 1886.
RECEIPTS.
Jan. 27, 1886. DR.
For amount realized from sale of
$75,000 bonds . . $79,237 50
Interest on temporary loan to town . 6 60
Interest on deposit, N. E. Trust Co. . 262 90
Cash received,-allowance on brick . 5 00
$79,512 00
EXPENDITURES.
Jan. 27, 1886. CR.
By bills paid as per vouchers .
By cash on deposit N. E. Trust Co. .
$77,184 89 2,322 11
By cash on hand . 5 00
$79,512 00
J. E. EVERETT, Water GEO. H. MORRILL, Commissioners.
F. M. BAKER,
NORWOOD, Jan. 27, 1886.
This is to certify that we have examined the books and vouchers of the Water Commissioners, and find the same to be properly vouched for and the accounts correctly kept.
GEORGE W. GAY, THOMAS J. CASEY.
NORWOOD, Jan. 27, 1886.
11
STATEMENT OF COST OF WORKS, AS PER VOUCHERS PAID TO JANUARY 27, 1886.
Paid on account of Distributing Piping . $48,773 61
Bellevue Reservoir .
9,474 92
Bellevue Avenue
794 10
Pumping Station
4,763 34
Pumping Plant
4,432 43
Engine and Boiler Foundations .
567 70
66
Suction Pipe and Crih . 502 01
66
Coal Shed .
720 30
60
Land Dam'g's and Rights of Way,
618 01
66
Service Pipes .
1,635 90
66
Legal and Office Expenses
498 38
66
Engineering
3,300 00
66
Maintenance
391 88
Cost of Works to January 27, 1886
. $77,184 89
Office and Furniture
712 31
PERCY M. BLAKE, Engineer.
12
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
To
J. EDWARD EVERETT, GEORGE H. MORRILL,
F. M. BAKER,
Water Commissioners, Norwood, Mass.
Gentlemen :
I present herewith a report on the construction of the Nor- wood Water Works during the year 1885.
The plan and source adopted, are those described in the report of the Committee on Water Supply, dated February 6, 1885.
Water is taken directly from Buckmaster Pond, and pumped thence into a reservoir located on Bellevue Heights, a short distance from Highland Cemetery. From this reservoir a leading main conveys the water to the distributing pipes in the village.
Beginning at the source for a more detailed description, there is the usual precaution taken to prevent the admission to the suction pipe of the pumping engine, of any vegetable matter, floating refuse, or fish. The outer end of this pipe is enclosed in a wooden crib resting on the bottom of the pond, which at that point is fourteen feet below the surface of the water. The supply for the pumping engine passes into this crib through brass screens, - the finer having twenty-four meshes per inch, the coarser twelve, - which are protected against rupture from the outside by a heavy galvanized net- work firmly secured to the crib.
The Pumping Station lot was purchased of Samuel F. Allen, and contains very nearly two acres. The engine and boiler house was built of Taunton brick, by Frank A. Fales, of Norwood, from plans prepared by Ernest N. Boyden, architect, Boston. The draft chimney is built with independent circular core, twenty-eight inches in diameter, and is sixty-five feet high.
The Pumping Plant was furnished by the Davidson Steam Pump Company, of Brooklyn, New York, and consists of the following parts :
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A Davidson compound condensing single pumping engine of following dimensions :
Diameter of initial, or high pressure cylinder, 14 inches.
expansion, or low " 24
66 pump piston, or water 14
Length of stroke, common to all, 24 66
One Davidson air pump and condenser,
Diameter steam cylinder,
53
air 7
Length of stroke,
10
60
One Davidson feed pump,
A horizontal iron boiler, tubular pattern, with shell, 54 inches diameter, 16 feet long, having sixty-eight three-inch flues, 15 feet long. The grate surface measures 55x60 inches, or 22-9 square feet, and the height of bridge-wall above grates is seventeen inches, and fire sheet above bridge-wall eight inches. This boiler is set in substantial brick work, with cast-iron front, and was made for the Davidson Company by George Miles, of South Boston. The main engine is provided with ample air chamber and automatic air-charging apparatus.
The suction pipe is twelve inches in diameter, and the forcemain ten inches. The latter is provided with a six inch blow-off a short distance from the building, by which the water pumped can be returned to the pond. The waste water from the condenser is conducted by a pipe drain to the outlet of the pond below the waste way, and passes off through the natural channel of the brook. A fire hydrant has been placed in the yard near the engine house for use when required.
The floor of the engine room is 69456, feet below high water in the reservoir, and seven feet above high water mark in Buck- master pond.
From the pumping station the ten inch forcemain extends. "across lots" through lands of Samuel F. Allen 474 feet, Nathaniel Noyes 1739.5 feet, Francis Cheney 385.4 feet, and Lewis Thompson 787.9 feet, to a point on Winter street at the town line ; thence through Winter street to Mrs. Mathew Clay's.
14
house, where it intersects and joins the leading main from the reservoir. On this forcemain there are a number of stop gates, one hydrant (beside the one at the pumping station), and a six inch blow-off at the town line.
The Bellevue Reservoir, located in part on land purchased of F. M. Baker, and in part on land taken from the Clay es- tate, is built of earth, and contains, when full to the established high water line, about 1,400,000 gallons of water.
Its capacity for varying depths is as follows :
At high water
14 feet deep
1,395,646 gallons.
At 13
1,260,524
12 66 66 1,132,400
1,008,140
10 “
890,609
66
9 '
66
777,881
60
8 '
671,405
7 4
6:
570,254
66
·
66
474,294
5 .
66
383,391
4 66
66
297,408
3 "
216,213
2 “
66
139,669
1 4
67,643
The dimensions of the reservoir are as follows :
At the bottoni
" high water mark
126 8 ft. x 146,5 10 10
ft.
" inside top of embankment
141-80 10 ft. x 161-5 ft.
66
11
84.8 ft. x 104.5 ft.
Inside and outer slopes are one and one-half on one ; width of embankment on top, ten feet. The interior slopes are paved with hand split granite paving blocks from the quarries of the Hurricane Granite Company, Rockland, Maine. These blocks are bedded on a six inch layer of clean screened gravel, free from sand, and present a smooth surface, which can be kept clean and free from the objectionable vegetation which is in- evitably present on rougher surfaces submerged only a part of the time as reservoir banks are. The bottom, or floor of the . reservoir was covered with a layer of concrete six inches thick.
15
The inlet and outlet pipe (both being one), is fourteen inches in diameter, and terminates in the centre in a heavy casting, on which at present stands a coarse galvanized cylin- drical screen. If at any time it becomes desirable to increase the head or pressure, in the distributing pipes for the purpose of serving the high district in the vicinity of the reservoir more effectively, an automatic standpipe can be erected on this cast- ing at small expense. This reservoir was built by Mitchell & Harris, of Boston, and no effort was spared to make it trust- worthy and durable. All tests so far made show it to be per- fectly tight.
A strip of land, fifty feet wide, leading from, and making a natural continuation of Winter street, was taken from the Clay estate with the reservoir lot, and laid out and graded for an approach to the reservoir. The grading of this avenue was done by F. H. Hartshorne, and the result is a permanent street, making available for building purposes, land which is well adapted for development in this direction, and which would otherwise have been of little or no value, owing to its com- parative remoteness from the village, ils inaccessibility, and the poverty of its soil.
From Bellevue reservoir a twelve inch leading main was laid through Bellevue avenue, Winter and Walpole streets, to the junction of Guild and Washington streets, which is the central point of distribution. Other mains have been laid in streets as given in the table of pipes laid, appended to this report.
Stop gates have been placed at convenient intervals and important junctions on these street mains, for shutting off, changing the direction of circulation, and making repairs. Fifty-four fire hydrants, each competent to give two fire streams, have been set and connected by six-inch branch pipes with the street mains.
All pipes laid are standard cast iron, coated to prevent corrosion, by the best known process, and manufactured specially for the town, by the Warren Foundry and Machine Company, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
The entire system of distribution piping, including fire hydrants and stop gates, was furnished and laid by Mr. John
16
T. Langford, of Newton, Mass., under a contract with him, dated June 2, 1885.
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