USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1895-1899 > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59
The area of the water-shed of the Neponset River and its trib- utaries at various points is given in the following table : -
Table showing Area of Water-shed of Neponset River and Tributaries at Various Points.
Square Miles.
Neponset River above Pleasant Street (Ink Works) in Norwood, 35.60
Neponset River above junction with Canton River, .
43.88
Canton River above junction with Neponset, 31.17 .
Neponset River after the entrance of Canton,
. 75.05
Neponset River above Purgatory Brook,
. 77.34
Neponset River after the entrance of Purgatory Brook, 84.03 ·
Neponset River above Ponkapoag Brook, .
.
86.72
Neponset River after the entrance of Ponkapoag Brook, . 91.07
Neponset River above Mother Brook,
96.28
Mother Brook,
1.87
Mother Brook, including one-third water-shed of Charles River above Mother Brook, 68.07
Neponset River after the entrance of Mother Brook, including one-third water-shed of Charles River above Mother Brook, 164.35 Neponset River at Mattapan Mills dam, including one-third water-shed of Charles River above Mother Brook, 165.15
Neponset River at mouth, including one-third water-shed of Charles River above Mother Brook, . 180.34
The Neponset basin above the lower end of the great meadows in- eludes the whole or the greater part of the thiekly settled portions of the towns of Sharon, Stoughton, Canton, Walpole and Norwood. The population of these towns in each of the last three eensus years was as follows : -
3
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
TOWNS.
1885.
1890.
1895.
Sharon,
1,328
1,634
1,717
Stoughton,
*4,025
4,852
5,272
Canton,
4,380
4,538
4,636
Walpole,
2,443
2,604
2,994
Norwood, .
2,921
3,733
4,574
Totals,
15,097
17,361
19,193
All of these towns are provided with public water supplies, but none of theni have as yet a general system of sewerage.
Below the great meadows, within the valley of the Neponset River and of Mother Brook, are included portions of Dedham, Hyde Park and Milton and the Dorchester district of the city of Boston. All of these places arc increasing very rapidly in population and all are provided with public water supplies. There is no general system of sewerage in the valley of the Neponset River in these places, except- ing in a portion of the Dorchester district below Mattapan ; but pro- vision for the extension of the metropolitan sewerage system in the valleys of the Neponset River and Mother Brook has been made by a recent act of the Legislature, and steps have been taken looking to the construction of systems of sewerage in Dedham, Hyde Park and Milton.
The river may be conveniently divided for the purposes of this report into three portions : an upper portion from the Neponset Reservoir at the head of the main stream to the great meadows, a middle portion where the extensive wet meadows are situated, and a lower portion within the limits of the metropolitan district, where the river flows through Hyde Park, Milton and the Dorchester dis- trict of the city of Boston.
The upper portion of the river, from the Neponset Reservoir to the great meadows, is about 10 miles in length, and has a total fall of about 220 feet. Many factories and mills are located in the vicinity of the river and of its tributarics in this region, and the river is highly polluted by manufacturing wastes. The last dam on this portion of the river is at the ink works of G. H. Morrill & Co., and below this dam the river enters the great meadows, which are contin- uous as far as the bridge at Milton Street, between Hyde Park and Milton, known as Paul's Bridge. (Sec Plan No. 3.)
* After deducting the estimated population of the town of Avon.
4
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
The total length of the river in the great meadows from the Ink Works at Pleasant Street in Norwood to Paul's Bridge is 11.25 miles. In much of its course through the meadows the river has very little fall, and the water is purified to a considerable extent as it passes through them by dilution with the water from purer tribu- taries and by the deposition of suspended matters.
From Paul's Bridge to the first dam below the great meadows, at the Mattapan Paper Mill, in Hyde Park, is a distance of 2.5 miles, and in this section, excepting for a short distance below Paul's Bridge, the banks of the river are high and are occupied by fac- tories and dwelling-houses. A large amount of pollution is turned into the river and Mother Brook in Hyde Park and in Dedham. Below the dam at the Mattapan Paper Mill the river has consider- able fall to tide water, a distance of about 2.9 miles, practically all of which is made available for power by other dams.
PRESENT CONDITION OF THE RIVER IN THE GREAT MEADOWS.
As already stated, the total length of the stream in the great meadows from Pleasant Street to Paul's Bridge is 11.25 miles. The course of the river is extremely crooked. From Pleasant street to the bend near Dean Street the river flows in an easterly direction and its course is fairly straight. At Dean Street the course changes and its general direction is southerly to a point a short dis- tance above Traphole Brook, where it bends to the north-east, and from this point its general course is north-easterly to within about a mile of Paul's Bridge, where there is a bend towards the east. The length of the river between prominent points in the great meadows and the distances between these points in a straight line are given in the following table : -
Length of River. Feet.
Distance in Straight Line. Feet.
Pleasant Street to bend at Dean Street,
3,740
3,400
Bend at Dean Street to bend above Traphole Brook,
6,440
4,450
Bend above Traphole Brook to Canton River, .
7,310
3,750
Canton River to Dedham Road, .
17,900
11,140
Dedham Road to Green Lodge Street,
7,140
5,070
Green Lodge Street to Paul's Bridge,
16,910
11,280
Total feet,
59,440
Total miles, .
11.26
39.090 7.40
5
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
The width of the river in the great meadows varies considerably from point to point. Above Canton River it averages 58 feet and is about 175 feet wide at the widest place. Below Canton River it is wider, the average width from this point to Paul's Bridge being 78 feet. It is widest just above Dedham Road, where its maximum width is about 205 feet.
Connected with the river are many shallow bays with mud bot- toms which are uncovered at low water. The shores are generally abrupt excepting in the bays and at the wider places. On each side of the railroad as it passes through the meadows there are wide and shallow trenches, apparently dug at the time when the railroad was constructed, which are filled with stagnant water in the summer season. In places between Green Lodge Street and Paul's Bridge the river has partially changed its course, and a portion of the flow passes through the trenches along the easterly side of the railroad. As a result of this, the river in some places has two channels with water flowing in each. The total area of the river proper in the great meadows in the summer of 1895 was about 96 acres and the total area of bays and other areas covered by water, about 52 acres.
The character of the bottom of the channel of the river has been determined by soundings at frequent intervals. It is composed of sand, gravel and mud. In the portion above Canton River and for a considerable distance below that stream the bottom appears to be covered generally with mud, upon which there is a deposit of organic matter from sewage. Lower down stream the bottom is generally composed of sand in the shallow places and of mud where the water is deep. The shallow places toward the lower end of the great meadows are generally covered with a growth of weeds. The bottoms of the numerous bays and coves generally consist of mud.
The information furnished by the surveys shows that the level of the top of the permanent dam at the Mattapan Paper Mill is about 42.3 feet above Boston city base, which is .64 of a foot below mean low water. Flashboards were found on this dam nearly 3 feet in height, the grade of the top of the flashboards being 45.2. From the dam to Paul's Bridge the river bed is in most places below the level of the permanent dam, but at Paul's Bridge there is a bar which rises a foot above this level; and from this point to Green Lodge Street the bottom, while very irregular, gradually rises to a point about three-fifths of a mile below Green Lodge Street, where there is a bar which is slightly above the level of the flashboards. From this
6
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
point to Canton River the bottom of the river is generally above grade 41 and in several places is slightly above the level of the top of the flashboards.
The fall of the stream has been determined by observations of the height of the water at numerous gauges from Pleasant Street in Norwood to the mouth of the river on two occasions : one on October 11, when the water was at the lowest level reached in 1895, the flow being about 0.3 of a cubic foot per second per square mile of watershed ; and the other on October 21, at a time when the quantity flowing was about 1.7 cubic feet per second per square mile of water- shed and the meadows were flooded in places. The height of the river in the lower portion of the great meadows and below has also been observed at other times. The surfaces of the water as found by the observations of October 11 and 21 are indicated by blue lines on the upper profile on Plan No. 3. The total fall of the stream from the gauge 500 feet below Pleasant Street in Norwood to the sur- face of the millpond above the Mattapan Paper Mill on October 11 was 9.35 feet. A little more than half this fall (4.85 feet) occurred in the first 3,000 feet between Morrill's Ink Works and the point where the river curves sharply to the south at Dean Street ; and the fall between Dean Street and the Canton River, a distance of a little.over 2.5 miles, was about 2.4 feet, or one-half of the remaining fall to the Mattapan Paper Mill. From Canton River to Green Lodge Street, a distance of about 4.7 miles, the flow was extremely sluggish, the fall of the stream for the entire distance being only 0.3 of a foot. From Green Lodge Street to Paul's Bridge the distance by river is 3.2 miles and the total fall 1.65 feet. The river is very erooked in this portion of its course, and the channels are greatly obstructed by bars generally covered with a growth of weeds. From Paul's Bridge to the millpond above the Mattapan Paper Mill the distance is about 2.5 miles and the fall 0.15 of a foot. The total fall from the junetion of Canton River to the millpond at Mattapan Paper Mill at this time was 2.1 feet and the distance 10.4 miles.
At the time when the second set of observations was made, Octo- ber 21, the rise in the water had reduced the fall between Dcan Street and the mouth of the Canton River to one-half the former amount. The fall in the scetion of the river between Canton River and Green Lodge Street remained the same as before, 0.3 of a foot, while between Green Lodge Street and Paul's Bridge the fall was 0.25 of a foot greater than at the time of low flow, and between Paul's Bridge
7
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
and the millpond at the Mattapan Paper Mill it was 1.4 feet greater. The total fall from a gauge 500 feet below Pleasant Street to the millpond at the Mattapan Paper Mill at this time was 9.9 feet, or 0.55 of a foot greater than at the time the gaugings were made on October 11.
The fall of the stream between prominent points in the great meadows and the distance between these points are given in the fol- lowing table : -
OCTOBER 11, 1895.
OCTOBER 22, 1895.
Distance by River. Feet.
Fall in Feet.
Slope 1 in
Fall in Feet.
Slope 1 in
Gauge below Morrill's Ink Works to bend at Dean Street.
3,240
4.85
670
4.95
650
Bend at Dean Street to bend above Traphole Brook.
6,440
1.80
3,580
0.90
7,160
Bend above Traphole Brook to Canton River, ·
7,310
0.60
12,180
0.30
24,370
Canton River to Dedham Road,
17,900
0.20
89,500
0.15
119,330
Dedham Road to Green Lodge Street, .
7,140
0.10
71,400
0.15
47,600
Green Lodge Street to Paul's Bridge, .
16,910
1.65
10,250
1.90
8,900
Paul's Bridge to Mattapan Paper Mill dam, .
12,960
0.15
86,400
1.55
8,360
Totals,
71,900
9.35
9.90
-
Between Pleasant Street in Norwood and Paul's Bridge the river is crossed by three highway bridges and by a bridge of the Providence division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. There are also in this distance two private bridges. These bridges do not appear to interfere seriously with the current of the river. There is a bar just below the Neponset Street Bridge, over which there is con- siderable fall when the river is low. At Paul's Bridge the river is very shallow, and there is considerable fall from the upper side to the lower side of the bridge. The next bridge below Paul's Bridge is that of the main line of the New England Railroad, where there ap- pears to be no serious obstruction to the eurrent except possibly at times of very high flow. Just below this bridge, however, in the yard of the New England Railroad, there is a series of eight bridges recently construeted, each supported by four rows of piles, so that there are 128 piles in the stream in a distance of 115 feet, and the lines of piles are not parallel to the direction of the current. These bridges form a very serious obstruetion to the eurrent at the present time. Below these bridges there is a high railroad embankment at the edge of the river, opposite Scott's Woolen Mill, and the width
8
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
of the river at this point is reduced to about 35 feet. Ledge is found at the bottom of the river in this vicinity. The bridges in Hyde Park also offer some obstruction to the flow of the stream, particularly the Fairmount Avenue Bridge and the railroad bridge below.
In the following table is given a list of the bridges crossing the river between the Ink Works and the Mattapan Paper Mill, with the width and height above the water at its lowest stage and the depth of the water. The bridges are arranged in order, going down stream :
BRIDGE.
Total Width.
Widest Span.
Distance above Water at Lowest Stage.
Depth of Water at Lowest Stage.
Neponset Street,
50
23
5.5
3.0
Dedham Road,
70
18
5.0
7.0
Railroad Bridge,
85
15
6.0
7.0
Green Lodge Street,
60
28
5.0
10.5
Paul's Bridge,
60
15
9.0
2.0
New England Railroad,
40
40
6.0
4.0
New England Railroad freight yard bridges,
40
13
5.5
3.0
Bridge Street,
95
15
7.0
4.0
New England Railroad,
80
80
10.0
6.0
Fairmount Avenue,
80
25
3.5
5.0
New England Railroad,
.
70
32
6.0
6.5
Feet.
Feet.
Feet.
Feet.
.
POLLUTION OF THE RIVER AND ITS PRESENT SANITARY CONDITION.
The condition of the water of the Neponset River has been the subject of investigation from time to time for many years. It was first examined in 1873, by the State Board of Health, when two samples of water were collected, one at Readville, presumably near Paul's Bridge, and the other below Hyde Park, but the date when the samples were collected is not given in the report.
A much more extended examination was made is 1875, when eighteen samples were collected in July and August, at various points in the river. The more important determinations from these examinations are summarized in the table on page 13. It is stated that at the time these examinations were made the river was not at the low stage that occurs in a dry summer, and there is no evidence that it was noticeably polluted at any point, unless perhaps in the vicinity of Walpole.
9
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
The next examination was made by the Massachusetts Drainage Commission, in 1885. No chemical examinations of the water of the river appear to have been made at this time, but the sources of pollution were thoroughly investigated. The odor of the river in the vicinity of the ink works is said to have been very bad. A wool- washing establishment in Walpole, where a very large amount of wool was scoured, contributed largely to the pollution of the upper portion of the stream at this time, and an action was subsequently brought in the courts by the owners of one of the paper mills at East Walpole, which resulted in the removal of the wool-washing establishment from the valley in 1890.
In 1891 an extended examination of the river was made by the State Board of Health, and samples of water from many points along its course were collected for analysis. The sources of pollu- tion were also examined, as in 1885. The results of this examina- tion are given in detail in the annual report of the State Board of Health for 1891. The chief sources of pollution in the portion of the river above the great meadows at that time, as at present, were the paper mills of F. W. Bird & Sons and Hollingsworth & Vose in East Walpole, near the boundary between Walpole and Norwood, and the tanneries of Winslow Bros. and the Lyman Smith's Sons' Company in Norwood.
The paper mills are located on the main stream in East Walpole and are only a short distance apart. Winslow's Tannery is located on Hawes Brook, above the point where it is crossed by the New England Railroad, and the drainage from this tannery, after flowing through settling basins, enters the brook and flows to the river, which it joins just above the Ink Works. Smith's Tannery is located in the village of Norwood, and the drainage, after flowing through settling tanks, is conducted through a pipe over a mile in length to the river, into which it discharges at the sharp bend near Dean Street.
The examinations showed that at that time the river was nearly free from pollution above the village of Walpole and was not badly polluted above the dam at Bird's Paper Mill, though it was found that considerable polluting matter entered the stream above that point. Below this mill the river was badly polluted, and the pollu- tion was greatly increased between this point and the Ink Works by the drainage from the paper mill of Hollingsworth & Vose and the flow from Hawes Brook. From the Ink Works to the bend near
10
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
Dean Street the bed of the river was in a very foul condition, and was covered with a growth of the fungus Beggiatoa, which was found to extend from the paper mills down into the meadows. At the bend at Dean Street, where the river receives the discharge from Smith's sewer, there was a deposit of sewage on the bottom of the stream, and from this point to Canton River the river had a very foul odor, and the bottom toward the Canton River appeared to be covered with decomposing organic matter which had settled from the sewage as the current slackened. The Canton River, though it receives a large amount of pollution, was not in a noticeably bad sanitary condition at the point where it joins the main river, and the river was consequently improved at this point by dilution with the water of this branch. As already noted, the current is extremely sluggish for several miles below Canton River, and an opportunity is here afforded for further improvement by sedimentation, so that there was a very noticeable improvement in the character of the water opposite the pumping station of the Hyde Park Water Co. after the water had passed through the great meadows, though it was still very badly polluted. In Hyde Park the stream was polluted by refuse from many factories and by sewage from houses in the vicinity of the stream. Mother Brook, which joins the main stream at this point, also receives considerable sewage, though at the time the examination was made in 1891 the pollution of this stream was less than usual, because very little wool was being scoured by the mill at East Dedham. From Hyde Park to the mouth of the river there was very little apparent change in the quality of the water.
A prominent feature of the upper portion of the river at this time was the floating mud, which appeared on the surface of the millponds in large dark patches having a green surface, and in smaller masses further down the stream. With reference to this feature the follow- ing statement is made in the report of 1891 : -
These floating masses · were found in small numbers as far up stream as Stetson's millpond (above East Walpole), and were observed in much greater abundance further down stream. Their presence appeared to be due to a large deposit of putrescible matter in the bottom of the millponds, which in the warm weather became covered over and bound together with the growth of Oscillaria upon its surface, and was then floated by bubbles of gas resulting from the decomposition of the organic matter. In the mill- pond of Hollingsworth & Vose the patches of floating matter sometimes cov- ered half an acre or more. As a rule this matter did not exceed an inch
11
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
in thiekness, but near the dam of the Ink Works a large patch was noticed which measured three inches in thickness. Lumps of this matter could occasionally be seen floating down stream where the river passes through the Fowl Meadows, and undoubtedly added to the objectionable character of the scum which colleeted in the coves along this portion of the river.
In 1895 the condition of the river was again examined, and numer- ous samples were collected from the river and its tributaries at vari- ous points, between August 23 and October 12. The condition of the river was found to be much worse than in 1891. From Pleasant Street to Canton River the water was very dirty and carried a large amount of suspended matter, and floating upon its surface was an enormous number of the pieces of black mud referred to. The banks and bottom were covered with slime and refuse from manufacturing establishments above, and the odor of the stream was very offensive. Near Canton River the current slaekens and some of the suspended matters are deposited, so that the bottom of the river for a long distance above and below Canton River is covered with decomposing organic matter, from which bubbles of gas rise to the surface. The floating patehes of organic matter were much more numerous than in 1891, and these and probably other organic matter colleeting in the eoves and bays along the river through the great meadows make them extremely offensive, particularly when the water is low and the mud flats are exposed. The river was very turbid, and had a strong and very offensive odor nearly the whole length of its course through the great meadows. The growth of weeds upon the bottom of the stream was less noticeable than in 1891 in the portion of the river below Canton River. They were found in abundance, however, in the shallow places between Green Lodge Street and Paul's Bridge. The water in the bays and shallow coves was generally covered with a green seum. The odor in Hyde Park was extremely offensive from the numerous drains and privies along the banks of the stream. Further down the stream comparatively little odor was noticeable, and the condition of the river seemed to improve towards its mouth.
In the following table are given results of analyses of samples of water eolleeted from the river in 1875, 1891 and 1895. The samples for chemieal examination in 1891 and 1895 were taken at a time of very low flow in each case, and the results are eompar- able. The samples examined in 1875 are said to have been collected at a time when the flow was above the normal for the season.
12
NEPONSET MEADOWS.
In comparing the results of analyses made in 1895 with those of 1891, it is seen that the condition of the river above Bird's Dam in Walpole was a little worse than in 1891, as indicated by the albumi- noid ammonia. Passing down the stream, the conditions were found to be, on the whole, very much worse between Bird's Dam and Canton River than in 1891, and the Canton River was also somewhat more polluted than before. The condition of the river in its course through the meadows was worse than in 1891, and there was an in- crease of pollution in passing through Hyde Park and a slight de- crease from Hyde Park to the mouth of the river.
In addition to these special examinations of the river, a large number of chemical examinations have been made of samples col- lected opposite the Hyde Park Water Works, in the years 1887, 1888 and 1889, and again since 1893. The results of these examina- tions are also presented in the tables which follow : -
1
-
Table showing Comparison of Analyses of Water from the Neponset River in 1875, 1891 and 1895. [ Parts per 100,000.]
ALBUMINOID AMMONIA.
TOTAL SOLIDS.
LOSS ON IGNITION.
CHLORINE.
TOTAL.
IN SOLUTION.
IN SUSPENSION.
LOCALITY.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
1875.
1891.
1895.
Stetson's Dam, Walpole,
.0046
.0000
.0010
. 0376
.0398
.0216
.0186
.0310
.0190
. 0088
5.30
8.50
2.62
3.00
. 40
0.76
0.78
Bird's Dam, Walpole, .
.0000
.0012
. 0338
.0352
.0210
. 0290
.0128
.0062
-
-
-
-
-
0.29
0.60
Dam at Hollingsworth & VoNe's.
.0016
.0040
. 0848
. 0660
.0660
.0420
.0188
.0240
17.70
28.80
5.80
8.90
0.76
1.81
One hundred feet below Hol- lingsworth & Vose's Mill.
.0012
.0100
.1140
.4200
. 0540
. 0460
.0600
.3740
27.80
191.40
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.