USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1908-1911 > Part 12
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
The contract made with Mr. Thorpe is on a percentage basis, being 10 percent of the actual cost of construction, and includes the furnishing by Mr. Thorpe of the services of Mr. Harrison P. Eddy as Consulting Engineer, throughout the con- struction of the work. It also includes the furnishing of all inspectors, the making of all surveys and plans, including as- sessment plans, and in general, covers everything which might properly be considered as engineering.
LAND TAKINGS.
As stated in the special report made by the board in May
5
last, there were two possible locations for the filter beds. The original location was the tract of land in the rear of the ink mill owned by Mr. Willard Drean. This is in many ways a desirable place for filter beds. An exhaustive testing out of the soil, however, showed that the estimated cost of the beds would be considerably increased by reason of the coarseness of the material, the upper foot of which would have to be screened, and the stone removed from it, and also by the removal of a fairly large vein of unsuitable material containing clay, and the replacing of the same with gravel.
All this led to a more careful examination of the so-called lower location where the soil proved to be much better adapted for filtration purposes, and where, in consequence, both en- gineers strongly recommended placing the beds. This was ac- cordingly decided upon, and acting under the authority con- ferred by Chap. 3II of the Acts of 1901, the board took in fee for the town, a tract of land containing about thirty-six acres belonging to Mrs. Nancy M. Page; about eighteen and one-fourth acres from Mary E. Woods, and eleven and four- fifths acres from the heirs of Francis W. Bird. The total cost of this land will be $2700 or about $41 an acre. The board also took in fee a strip of land belonging to Willard Dean, 75 feet in width extending from Pleasant street to the land pre- viously taken from Mrs. Nancy M. Page, containing about two acres.
For the main pipe line a right of way over a strip of land of the uniform width of twenty feet, except at two points where the conditions were such as to make it unadvisable to make it of that width, was taken through land of heirs of Alvin Fuller, Erick Sundquest, Thomas Johnson, John Moynihan, Norwood Associates, John Keohane, heirs of Julia D. Everett, Michael Tobin, Joseph P. Hamlin, John Everett, and Charles L. and John E. Smith.
Most of the claims for damage arising from these takings
6
have been adjusted, or a settlement agreed upon, on a basis satisfactory alike to the owners and to this board.
CONTRACTS FOR MATERIAL.
So much delay was caused by the difficulty in disposing of the bonds, that it was evident no time could be lost in secur- ing material and supplies if the work of actual construction was to be carried to any considerable extent, before winter, as it was decided not to enter into any contracts for construction until the necessary supplies were on the ground or their seasonable delivery guaranteed.
Bids for 3900 feet of 16 inch iron pipe were thereupon called for, and the following bids were submitted :
Donelson Iron Foundry,
$33.95 per ton.
John Fox & Co. 34.70 35.
Warren Foundry & Machine Co.
M. J. Drummond & Co. 37
R. D. Wood & Co. 38. 35.
",
United States Pipe Co.
The contract was awarded to the Warren Foundry & Ma- chine Co. of New York on account of the earlier delivery guar- anteed. We might add that this contract has been fulfilled in a most satisfactory manner by the delivery of a superior grade of iron pipe in advance of the time called for by the contract.
The contract was awarded to George E. Sanborn for Portland pipe on account of the earlier delivery of pipe from Portland than from the west.
Bids for vitrified pipe were submitted as follows :
%
TABLE OF BIDS FOR SEWER PIPE, NORWOOD SEWERAGE SYSTEM.
Len'th
Size
List Price
Thickness Akron Port.
G. E. Sanborn Akron
D. W. Lewis
Eastern Clay Goods Co.
ft.
in.
per ft.
in.
in.
Disc't per ct.
Total
Disc't per ct.
Total
Disc't per ct.
Total
Disc't per ct.
Total
1,050
24
D. and W. Socket
: 25
2
218
62
$1296 75
61 1/2
$1313 81
632/3
$1240 10
62
$1296 75
800
20
2 25
158
134
62
684 00
61 1/2
693 00
632/3
654 12
62
684 00
8,000
15
1 35
114
1 12
65
3780 00
64
3888 00
65 34
3707 72
6.4
3888 00
475
12
500
10
0 75
7/8
69 12
114 37}
6812
118 123
67 12
121 97%
69
116 25 ~
1,000
15
Shallow
66
1 35
114
112
67 12
438 75
67
445 50
6712
438 75
67
445 50
775
10
0 75
5/8
7/8
7212
159 84
72
162 75
70 12
171 47
72
162 75
7,000
8
0 50
34
3/4
72 12
962 50
72
980 00
70 12
1032 50
72
980 00
1,000
6
0 30
5/8
5/8
74
78 00
74
78 00
72 12
82 50
72
84 00
Total
$7659 09
$7828 81
$7603 51
$7808 50
1 00
1
1
69 12
144 87₺
68 12
149 62}
67 1/2
154 37%
.69
147 25
Portland
8
Bids for cement were received from the following dealers : Alpha Portland Cement Co .- Alpha Cement, $1.80 per bbl. . Portland Stone Ware Co .- Dragon Cement, 1.80
Waldo Brothers,-Atlas Cement,
1.85
Fiske & Co .- Penn-Allen Cement 1.77
Eastern Clay Goods Co .- Edison Cement 1.84
Beaver Coal & Grain Co .- Heidelberg Cement 1.92
Newcastle Cement, 1.85 Saylor Cement, 1.85 "
Mazerth Cement, 1.80
Frank A. Fales & Co .- Atlas Cement, 1.85
Alpha Cement, 1.82
Lehigh Cement, 1.82 "
Hudson Cement, 1.82
The contract was awarded to the Alpha Portland Cement Co. of Easton, Pa. for Alpha cement.
CONTRACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION.
The following bids for the construction of the sewer beds were submitted :
See tables on pages 9 and 10.
The contract was awarded to Michael McDonough of Swampscott, Mass.
Bids for the construction of the main pipe line from the beds to the corner of Washington and Nahatan streets were submitted as follows :
See tables on pages 11 and 12.
The contract was awarded to Michael McDonough.
NORWOOD SAND FILTERS.
ITEMS AND QUANTITIES
Unit Price
Total
Unit Price
Total
Unit Price
Total
1
37,000 cubic yards earth excavation,
$
25
$9,250 00
$ 30
$11,100 00
$ 37
$13,690 00
2 10 cubic yards rock,
05
50
4 00
40 00
2 , 00
20 00
4 160 cubic yards concrete in roof and piers,
10 00
1.600 00
10 00
1,600 00
10 00
1,600 00
407 cubic yards concrete in floor and walls,
5 00
2,035 00
6 00
2,442 00
00
2,035 00
6 20 cubic yards brick,
10 00
200 00
10 00
200 00
10 00
200 00
7 85 cubic yards gravel,
1 00
85 00
1 25
106 25
1 00
85 00
8 Setting all pipes, gates, valves, etc.,
200 00
100 00
9
Seeding the top and slopes of embankments,
10
250 00
12
300
00
20
500 00
10
Laying 2,500 ft. of 6 in, underdrain, open joints,
15
450 00
20
600 00
20
600 00
Laying 3,000 ft. of 8 in. underdrain, open joints,
20
00
15
30 00
20
40 00
11
Laying 200 ft. of 10 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 60 ft. of 12 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 760 ft. of 15 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 2,040 ft. of 20 in, vitrified pipe, cement joints,
25
15 00
20
12 00
20
12 00
30
228 00
25
190 00
20
152 60
12
Doing all carpenter work complete,
30
612 00
30
612 00
20
408 00
250 00
250 00
150 00
$15,015 50
$17,782 25
$19,642 00
0
TOTALS
M. McDONOUGH
C. E. TRUMBLE
C. G. CRAIB
100 00
50 00
NORWOOD SAND FILTERS. - CONTINUED.
J. E. PALMER
W. SHEA
P. F. DONOVAN
ITEMS AND QUANTITIES
Unit Price
Total
Unit Price
Total
Unit Price
Total
1
37,000 cubic yards earth excavation,
$
35
$12,950 00
$ 50
$18,500 00
$ 1 05
$38,850 00
2 10 cubic yards rock excavation,
4 00
40 00
2
00
20 00
5 00
50 00
4
160 cubic yards concrete in roof and piers,
8 50
1.360 00
10 00
1,600 00
17 00
2,720 00
5 407 cubic yards concrete in floor and walls,
5 50
2,238 50
7 00
2,849 00
17 00
6,919 00
6 20 cubic yards brick,
16 00
320 00
16 00
320 00
17 00
340 00
7 85 cubic yards gravel,
1 50
127 50
1 00
85 00
75
63
75
8 Setting all pipes, gates, valves, etc.,
100 00
400 00
9
Seeding the top and slopes of embankments,
25
625 00
15
375 00
16
400 00
10
Laying 2,500 ft. of 6 in. underdrain, open joints,
30
900 00
15
450 00
17
510 00
11
Laying 200 ft. of 10 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 60 ft. of 12 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 760 ft. of 15 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Laying 2,040 ft of 20 in. vitrified pipe, cement joints, Doing all carpenter work complete,
25
15 00
15
9 00
22
13 20
30
228 00
20
152 00
36
273 60
40
816 00
20
408 00
60
1,224 00
12
400 00
250 00
200 00
TOTALS
$20,360 00
$25.048 00
$52,105 55
IO
Laying 3,000 ft. of 8 in. underdrain, open joints,
20
40 00
15
30 00
21
42 00
200 00
100 00
NORWOOD SEWER CONSTRUCTION-PIPE LINE.
M. McDONOUGH
W. SHEA
G. W. BRYNE
ITEMS AND QUANTITIES
Un. Pr.
Total
Un. Pr.
Total
Un. Pr.
Total
1
8,500 cubic yards earth excavation, 0 to 8 ft.,
$ 60
$5,100 00
$ 70
$5,950 00
$ 75
$ 6,875 00
la
200 cubic yards earth excavation, 8 to 14 ft.,
1 25
250 00
1 50
300 00
1 00
200 00
1b
60 cubic yards earth excavation, 14 to 20 ft.,
2 00
120 00
3 00
180 00
2 00
120 00
1c
20 cubic yards earth excavation, 20 to 26 ft.,
3 00
60 00
5 00
100
00
3 00
60 00
2 800 cubic yards rock excavation, 0 to 8 ft.,
4 00
3,200 00
4 00
3,200 00
5 00
4,000 00
2a
50 cubic yards rock excavation, 8 to 14 ft.,
6 00
300
00
6 50
325 00
6 00
300 00
2b
10 cubic yards rock excavation, 14 to 20 ft.,
00
80 00
9 00
90
00
8 00
80 00
2c
5 cubic yards rock excavation, 20 to 26 ft.,
10 00
50 00
10 00
50 00
10 00
50 00
3
1,050 ft. of 24 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
50
525 00
35
367 50
25
262 50
3a
200 ft. of 20 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
50
100 00
35
70 00
25
50 00
3c
5,100 ft. of 15 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
40
2,040 00
25
1,275 00
20
1,020 00
3d
275 ft. of 12 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
30
82 50
15
41 25
20
55 00
100 ft. of 20 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints
50
50 00
40
40
00
40
40 00
1,500 ft. of 15 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints,
50
750 00
40
600
00
35
525 00
200 ft. of 12 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints,
50
100 00
30
60
00
35
70 00
4a
1,500 ft. of 8 in. sub-drains,
40
600 00
30
450
00
20
300 00
4b
1,000 ft. of 6 in. sub-drains,
35
350 00
25
250 00
20
200
00
7
100 cubic yards of concrete masonry,
5 00
500 00
5 50
550 00
5 00
500 00
8
65 cubic yards of brick masonry,
00
650 00
6 00
390 00
10 00
650 00
9
10 cubic yards of screened gravel,
2 50
25 00
1 00
10 00
1 75
17 50
10
6,000 cubic yards of earth embankment,
45
2,700 00
58
3,480 00
60
3,600 00
11
200 lineal ft. of spruce piles,
40
.80 00
35
70 00
30
60 00
12
4,000 ft. B. M. of spruce lumber,
40 00
160 00
40 00
160 00
50 00
200 00
TOTALS
$19,432 50
$19,568 75
$19,710 00
Note: All vitrified and cast iron pipe and branches, cement, sulphur and castings to be furnished by the Town. All other material to be furnished by the Contractor.
II
00
3,900 ft. of 16 in. cast iron pipe,
40
1,560 00
40
1,560 00
25
975
NORWOOD SEWER CONSTRUCTION-PIPE LINE .- CONTINUED.
ITEMS AND QUANTITIES
Un. Pr.
Total
Un. Pr.
Total
Un. Pr.
Total
1
8,500 cubic yards earth excavation, 0 to 8 ft.,
$ 58
$4,930 00
$ 62
$5,270 00
$ 70
$ 5,950 00
la
200 cubic yards earth excavation, 8 to 14 ft.,
. 00
200 00
1 20
240
00
1 25
250 00
1b
60 cubic yards earth excavation, 14 to 20 ft.,
00
180 00
2 00
120 00
2 50
150 00
1c
20 cubic yards earth excavation, 20 to 26 ft.,
3 00
60 00
3 00
60 00
3 00
60 00
2
800 cubic yards rock excavation, 0 to 8 ft.,
6 00
4,800 00
4 20
3,360 00
4 50
3,600 00
2a
50 cubic yards rock excavation, 8 to 14 ft.,
8 00
400 00
7 00
350 00
6 00
300 00
2b
10 cubic yards rock excavation, 14 to 20 ft.,
10 00
100 00
10 00
100 00
8 00
80 00
2c
5 cubic yards rock excavation, 20 to 26 ft., 1,050 ft. of 24 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
40
420 00
50
525 00
50
525 00
3a
200 ft. of 20 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
30
60 00
45
. 90 00
40
80 00
3c
5,100 ft. of 15 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
25
1,275 00
30
1,530 00
25
1,275 00
3d
275 ft. of 12 in. pipe laying, with cement joints,
15
41 25
24
66 00
15
41 25
100 ft. of 20 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints,
50
50 00
50
50
00
50
50 00
1,500 ft. of 15 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints,
35
525 00
40
600
00
35
525 00
200 ft. of 12 in. pipe laying, with sulphur joints,
25
50 00
35
70 00
25
50 00
4a
1,500 ft. of 8 in. sub-drains,
35
525 00
35
525
00
50
750 00
4b
1,000 ft. of 6 in. sub-drains,
30
300 00
30
300 00
40
400 00
7
100 cubic yards of concrete masonry,
3 00
300 00
00
700
00
00
500 00
8
65 cubic yards of brick masonry,
13 00
845 00
13 00
845
00
10 00
650 00
9
10 cubic yards of screened gravel,
1 00
10 00
2
00
20 00
1 25
12 50
10
6,000 cubic yards of earth embankment,
55
3,300 00
60
3,600 00
50
3,000 00
11
200 lineal ft. of spruce piles,
20
40 00
50
100 00
40
80 00
12
4,000 ft. B. M. of spruce lumber,
35 00
140
00
40 00
160 00
50 00
200 00
TOTALS
$19,991 25
$20,496 00
$20,528 75
12
00
60 00
10 00
50 00
3
I 2
3,900 ft. of 16 in. cast iron pipe,
35
1,365 00
45
1,755 00
50
1,950 00
15 00
75 00
Note : All vitrified and cast iron pipe and branches, cement, sulphur and castings to be furnished by the Town. All other material to be furnished by the Contractor.
:
C. E. TRUMBLE
J. E. PALMER
CHAS. GOW CO.
13
CONCLUSION.
The six acres of filter beds contracted for, are for the most part done, and will be wholly completed this coming spring. The main pipe line from the beds to the corner of Washington and Nahatan streets, is practically completed, being connected with the exception of at the railroad, where a tunnel is now being driven at the foot of Nahatau street extension.
The aim of the engineers has been to secure a tight line which will keep at a minimum the amount of surface and under- ground water that may find its way into the pipe line, and we believe this has been accomplished to an exceptional degree.
The work of the engineers has been of a high grade, and has demonstrated the confidence placed in them by this board. We believe they are doing their utmost to give to the town the very best kind of a sewer system
The work of the contractor, Mr. McDonough has been thorough, and his contracts with the town are being faithfully carried out.
Both in engineering and in construction, therefore, the work has been highly satisfactory to this board.
During the present year, it is hoped that substantially all of the street sewers voted for by the town will be laid.
For more detailed information as to the work of sewer construction, reference may be made to the reports of the engineers which are hereto appended.
Respectfully submitted,
MARCUS M. ALDEN, PATRICK J. LYDON, CLIFFORD B. SANBORN.
14
REPORT OF ENGINEER LEWIS D. THORPE.
Boston, Mass., Feb. 10, 1908.
To the Sewer Commissioners
of the Town of Norwood.
Gentlemen :-
I submit the following report upon the sewerage system, which is now being constructed in Norwood, and progress of construction to the present time.
In January, 1907, I was employed by your Board to check over and revise the estimates made by the late Freeman C. Coffin in 1901. In May I was engaged to design and super- intend the construction of the system.
The original surveys made by Mr. Coffin in 1901 were largely used, and the construction of the system will be sub- stantially as outlined in his report. For a general description of the system, I can do not better than to quote as follows from the report made by Mr. Coffin, dated April 15th, 1901 :
SYSTEM OF SEWERS.
"The sewers are designed to receive the sewage from all buildings, but no roof, yard, cellar or other surface or ground water. It is economically important when sewage is treated arti- ficially that all surface water (and ground water in as far as it is possible to do so) be excluded. The use of the separate system of sewers in all but the largest cities is now so univer- sal and the desirability of its adoption so well established that it seems unnecessary to discuss it further.
GRAVITY SECTION.
"The town is divided in a general way into two sections. One may be called the Gravity Section and comprises all of the
15
area of the town from which the sewage can flow to the filtra- tion area by gravity. There are three seperate areas which may be described as follows:
"First, all of that portion of the town lying west and south of a line drawn through Morse, Washington, Dean, Willow, Pleasant, Washington, Howard and Prospect Streets.
"Second, the area upon the ridge along which Neponset Street runs, and
"Third, a small area about Pleasant and Summer Streets next the Walpole line.
"The first, or larger of these sections, may be again divid- ed into two principal districts, the sewage from which flows to the filtration area through separate main sewers. These two dis- tricts are divided by a line running from the corner of Dean and Washington Streets across the railroad near the foot of Cedar Street, crossing Walpole Street south of Chapel Street, thence northwesterly across Winter Street, about 800 feet west of Prospect Street, to the town line near Nahatan Street, and have approximately equal areas.
"The district on the north side of the above line (which may be referred to as the Central District) contains about all of the territory in which sewerage is required at the present time.
"The sewage of this district will be collected by an inter- cepting sewer laid from the corner of Clark and Williams Streets through the valley lying between Monroe and Lenox Streets to Dean Street, just east of the Walpole Branch Rail- road, and from this point will flow through a main sewer to be constructed parallel with the railroad across the Neponset River to the filter beds.
"The district on the south of the above line, which may be called the Hawes Brook District, has little or no need of sewer- age at present, except to provide for the wastes of Winslow's tannery upon Endicott Street. The sewage from that part of this district which is west of Walpole Street will be collected
16
at the junction of Walpole and Endicott Streets and flow through a main sewer, through the latter street, past the tan- nery, across the railroad, through the field, crossing Washing- ton Street 350 feet south of Hawes Brook, to Morse Street, thence following Morse Street to a point east of the Walpole Branch Railroad, thence running to the main sewer from the Central District and joining the same at a point near Pleasant Street.
PUMPING SECTIONS.
"The remainder of the area of the town is situated at an elevation so low that the sewage from it cannot be delivered by gravity to the filtration area, but must be pumped.
"The area from which the sewage must be pumped is also divided into two districts. One of these, which may be desig- nated as the Pleasant Street Pumping District, comprises substantially the area north of Hawes Brook, east of the Mid- land Railroad and the intercepting sewer of the gravity section, and south of Cross Street.
"It is proposed to collect the sewage from this district in an underground reservoir on Pleasant Street near the Nepon- set River. From this reservoir it will be pumped into the near- est manhole in the main sewer of the gravity system. If this section of the sewage system were to be installed at the present time, the following pumping plant would be recommended : Two vertical submerged centrifugal pumps, with a capacity of two hundred gallons per minute, each driven by a 5 H. P. - gasoline or oil engine.
"It is not certain, however, that, if the construction of this section is postponed for several years, as it seems likely to be, the plant described above will be the most available or econom- ical at that time. The town may then have a municipal light- ing plant, in which case electrically driven pumping machin- ery may prove to be the best.
"At the present time and under the present conditions this
17
plant is recommended as combining the lowest first cost with the least annual expenditure for fuel and attendance.
"The pumping for many years to come will probably re- quire but a short time each day, and, as the station is near the filter beds, the man in charge of the latter can operate the pumps. An oil or gas engine does not require a skilled en- gineer. It can be started in a few minutes, and may be left to run without attendance, and stopped automatically. As soon as stopped the consumption of fuel ceases. It is, therefore, a desirable type of power where the amount of work to be done is small and intermittent.
"The other low lying district is in the valley of Purgatory Brook and may be called the Purgatory Brook District.
"There is little or no need of sewerage in this section at present, and the following plan may be modified by existing conditions when the sewers are constructed. It is proposed to collect the sewage in an underground reservoir on or near Neponset Street at the low point between Pleasant and Cross Streets.
"From this reservoir it is proposed to pump it through a cast iron force main to a manhole in the intercepting sewer of the Gravity Section. The pumping plant may be driven by a gas, gasoline or oil engine, by an electric motor, or that form of power which is most available and economical at the time the works for this section are installed.
SEWERS.
"The sewers will be constructed of vitrified clay pipe with 'wide and deep sockets.'
PUMPING MAINS.
"The pumping mains which are proposed in the pumping districts will be of coated cast iron water pipe.
SIZES AND GRADES OF SEWERS.
"In a separate system of sewerage the flow of sewage in the 'laterals,' or the sewers which serve only the street in which
-----------
18
they are laid, is small, and the size of the sewers is not designed with reference to their capacity to carry the sewage.
"Their capacity is largely fixed by the grade at which they are laid. To secure economy of construction this grade should be approximately the same as that of the street surface. It has been found by experience that it is not advisable to lay any street sewer smaller than six inches in diameter on account of stoppages, which are more liable to occur in smaller pipes. It is necessary to lay the, sewers at so-called self-cleaning grades, that is, at such grades that when flowing half full or more the velocity will be sufficient to carry along any substance which may enter.
"In this system no six inch sewer is proposed where the grade is less than one foot fall in one hundred feet.
"Where the grade of any sewer is flatter than this, an eight inch sewer is used, except where the estimated flow is greater than its capacity.
INVERTED SIPHONS.
"There will be but one inverted siphon in the entire system. This will be in Morse Street upon the main line from the Hawes Brook District, where it crosses the valley of the Nepon- set River. It will be laid of coated cast iron water pipe. This inverted siphon is unavoidable. No trouble need be appre- hended from it, however, as they are invariably successful when properly laid, and are in common use.
GROUND WATER.
"The amount of ground water which will find its way into the sewers is dependent upon the nature of the ground and the construction of the sewers.
"In clayey or impervious ground very little water will come in contact with the sewer, whereas in sandy or grayelly ground, in which the water stands above the level of the sewer, only the best of construction of the joints and manholes will prevent large quantities from entering. Freely discharging
19
underdrains will also reduce the amount of ground water enter- ing the sewer.
"Careful construction, however, must in the main be re- lied upon to keep the entrance of ground water within reason- able limits. The economic importance of this matter relates more to the disposal of the sewage than to the size of the sewers, although its effect upon the latter is not unimportant.
"That it is a matter of importance is shown by the fact that in some systems the flow of ground water alone is 70,000 gallons per day per mile of sewers, and that a leakage of 40,- 000 gallons is not at all uncommon. In fact, there are a num- ber of systems in which the flow of ground water equals that of the sewage.
"It is possible, however, to keep the flow as low as 5000 gallons per mile per day, as shown by recent experience of the works where under unfavorable conditions the measured flow of ground water did not exceed 2000 gallons per mile per day. The conditions in Norwood are such that a large flow of ground water may be expected in wet seasons unless the joints of the sewers are well made. In the construction of the sewers, therefore, especial attention should be given to this matter.
"It is believed, however, that a liberal allowance has been made in designing the sewers for ground water.
"Early in June surveys for the construction were begun, and about six weeks were spent in surveying for the rights of way for the pipe lines, filter beds, digging test pits, etc. Con- siderable time was spent in making surveys and digging test pits on the lot of land belonging to Willard Dean, lying south of the Neponset River and east of Pleasant Street, this being the first location sought for the filter beds.
"About 45 test pits were dug here. These pits show that while the material in many parts of the field is of good quality for purification purposes, it is on the whole very un- even in size. There is also a stratum of very coarse gravel
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.