Report of the city of Somerville 1888, Part 15

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 410


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1888 > Part 15


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removing ledge of rock in sidewalk Elm Street at Francesca Avenue repairing Broadway (horse R. R. towpath) Marshall Street to brow of hill .


306 13


90 07


less portion paid by railroad Co. 45 17


14 90


repairs of stone paving


523 88


repairs of brick sidewalks


660 79


removing snow and ice and care of slippery sidewalks . 1,208 61


cleaning streets


2,815 40


clearing and repairing streets after the con- struction of sewers and catch-basins . 109 65


constructing storage bins at crusher .


1,576 29


planting trees furnished by citizens


160 82


one-half cost of maintaining Middlesex Av- enue bridge for the year 1887; the other


5,690 14


half being paid by the town of Medford . superintendent's salary


1,500 00


board of superintendent's horses .


505 72


rent of superintendent's telephone


39 80


tax on Wakefield gravel land 26 94


tax on Winchester gravel land


10 69


sidewalk assessment on Elm Street school lot 41 81 cost of jury viewing Evergreen Avenue ex- tension, Thurston to Sycamore Street 10 00


re-setting fountain, Union Square .


37 28


books, stationery, and printing


54 50


advertising notice of hearing laying out Al- ston Street (street not laid out) 11 80


Amount carried forward


. $45,063 38


264


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amount brought forward $45,063 38 advertising proposals, edgestones, and paving stock 4 50


sundry small expenses . 51 16


private work, etc., the bills for which remain uncollected 439 91


Value of materials on hand this day


1,328 51


Value of property on hand this day : -


horses (20) . . $4,450 00


carts and implements used with


horses 1,956 50


harnesses and horse clothing 471 60


stable utensils and property 186 30


tools, tool chests, etc., . 257 95


stone crusher, engine and fittings 1,022 25


8,344 60


Net loss on city teams, tools, property and materials . 54 79


Total debit


$55,286 85


Balance unexpended . $351 68


Labor and materials have also been furnished, for which pay- ment has been made to the City Treasurer, or credit received as follows : - to


Private parties, constructing driveways, side- walks, etc., $382 69


Boston & Lowell R. R. Co., repairing Wil- low Bridge approaches 393 94 Fire department account, paving-blocks for engine house driveway 333 90


Miscellaneous account, crushed-stone screen- ings in City Hall horse-sheds .


6 00


Public grounds account, teaming at Broad- way Park 39 20


Total


$1,155 73


265


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


We have also sold


One old horse for


$75 00


Hay (rowen) from city farm for


30 00


Total


$105 00


and credited these amounts in the committee's books, to city teams account ; the bills having been paid by the purchasers to the City Treasurer.


The profit and loss account on city teams, tools, property, and materials is as follows : -


DR.


Tools, etc. (depreciation)


$229 89


Repairs of tools


190 10


Holland-Street ledge


1,064 32


Total


$1,484 31


CR.


Gravel .


$307 53


Edgestones and paving stock .


158 55


Crushed stone


188 94


City teams


774 50


Total


$1,429 52


Net excess of cost over charges (see page 264) $54 79


The loss at the ledge was caused by the unusual expense of removing snow in January and February, and the fact that the greater part of the stone obtained during the year was taken from the bottom of the ledge, where the work of quarrying, and also of removing the stone, is necessarily the greatest. The price charged for the ledge stone delivered at the crusher was forty-five cents per single tip-cart load, and for ballast deliv- ered on the streets ten cents per load. The actual cost of the stone delivered at the crusher we find to have been about sixty- five cents. 5,221 loads of ledge stone were delivered at the crusher during the year, and about 400 loads of stone for the crusher and 1,000 loads of ballast remain on hand at the ledge.


266


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Crushed stone has been charged to the various jobs of work where it has been used at seventy-five cents per load at the crusher, on the basis of forty-five cents per load for the stone . delivered at the crusher to be broken. If the price for the stone to be broken or crushed had been sixty-five cents, which was the cost of the stone delivered from the ledge, the cost of crushed stone ready for teaming to the several pieces of work would have been about ninety-one cents. 7,784 loads were sent from the crusher, and about 400 loads remain on hand.


All the gravel used has been brought from the Waltham land, by the Fitchburg Railroad Company, at a charge of sixty cents per yard for digging, transportation, and loading and unloading the cars. The only additional expense is for screening. The charge for the gravel at the dump, to the several pieces of work, has been seventy cents per load for the greater portion, or 7,725 loads, fifty cents for 168 loads, and one dollar for 494 loads; and for the 'stones left after screening (1,695 loads), which have been sent to the crusher, forty-five cents per load delivered. The actual cost of the gravel screened appears to have been about sixty-seven cents. No account, however, is made for interest on the value of the gravel land, the assessed value of which, in 1888, was $8,500. The taxes are a little more than paid by the amount received annually for pasturage.


The balance of profit to the credit of edgestones and paving- stock account is the difference between the credits to the account this year for stock furnished in 1887, and the loss and deprecia- tion of this year.


The charges to the city-teams account are for


horses (the amount of $75 received for an old horse sold being credited to this account), de- preciation .


$950 00


Cart and implements used with horses, deprecia- tion .


439 50


Repairs of same


425 45


Harnesses and horse clothing, depreciation


179 15


Repairs of same


255 59


Stable utensils and property, depreciation


15 23


Stable expenses and repairs .


1,246 78


Grain and feed


1,310 70


267


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


Hay and straw


558 56


Horse-shoeing 508 69


Horse-doctoring and medicine


90 92


Cutting hay at city farm (the crop being used in the city stables, except $30 worth sold and credited to this account) 159 53


Total .


$6,140 10


The credits to city-teams account for earnings, at $1.40 per day for each horse, amounted to $6,914.60, showing a profit of $774.50, as before stated. The actual cost of maintenance, therefore, was equal to about $1.24 for each horse.


A pair of old horses has been exchanged for a new pair, and one old horse has been sold, making the present number of horses in the department twenty. The total number in the last report of this committee should have been twenty-one instead of twenty, as the old horse which has since been sold was omitted in taking stock.


SIDEWALKS ACCOUNT.


CR.


Appropriation


$4,500 00


Credit : Advertising paid for in 1887 11 20


Total credit


$4,511 20


DR.


Expenditures : -


For Berkeley-Street sidewalks $819 24


Bow-Street sidewalk 261 09


Dane-Street sidewalk


761 29


Dartmouth-Street sidewalk, east side, Broadway to Evergreen Avenue 450 08


Dartmouth - Street sidewalks, both sides, Evergreen Avenue to Medford Street 1,019 88


Amount carried forward $3,311 58


268


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amount brought forward $3,311 58


Franklin-Street sidewalk . 363 29


Glen-Street sidewalks, Broadway to Webster Street 931 44


Glen-Street sidewalks, Flint to Pearl Street . 504 99


Grove-Street sidewalk


502 01


Vinal-Avenue sidewalk


992 02


Wallace-Street sidewalk


782 00


Total cost of sidewalks .


$7,387 33


Less assessments


3,693 69


Net cost to city


$3,693 64


Advertising notices of hearing for


sidewalk in School Street


$10 00


sidewalk in Otis Street


9 40


19 40


Abatement of assessment


1 95


Sidewalk order-blanks


4 25


Total debit


$3,719 24


Balance unexpended


$791 96


NEW STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.


Two private ways have been laid out and accepted as public streets during the year, viz :


Boston Street, from Washington Street to Walnut Street, and Buckingham Street, from Beacon Street to Dimick Street.


The former, as laid out by the city, is forty-five feet wide from Washington Street to the easterly line of Prospect Hill Avenue, and forty feet from that point to Walnut Street, and the width of Buckingham Street is forty feet.


Boston Street has been graded and gravelled from Prospect Hill Avenue westerly to a point near Mr. A. T. Kidder's easterly line, and the gutters have been paved and edgestones set at the four corners of Greenville Street.


Buckingham Street has been graded and gravelled.


Streets accepted in previous years have been constructed as follows : -


269


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


Aldrich Street, accepted in 1887, graded, ballasted, and gravelled, between Gilman and Pearl Streets.


Berkeley Street, accepted in 1886, graded and gravelled, from School Street to Mr. R. P. Benton's line, the balance of the street having been constructed in 1887.


Irving Street, accepted in 1886, graded, and partially mac- adamized, from Holland Street to the brow of the hill.


Morgan Street, accepted in 1885, graded and gravelled.


Eleven sidewalks have been constructed, one-half the cost of which was assessed upon the abutting estates, the city's part being charged to sidewalks account, and eight sections of side- walks have been constructed at the expense of highways account and the cost of the bricks and edgestones used charged to the abutters.


HORSE RAILROADS.


No extensions of horse railroad tracks have been made during the year; but the West End Street Railway Company has taken up its old rails in Somerville Avenue and Elm Street, from Union Square to Cedar Street, and substituted the Providence Improved Girder rail.


STORAGE BINS AT CRUSHER.


For the purpose of saving expense in handling the crushed stone, storage bins have been built at the crusher during the year, at a cost of $1,576.29.


Heretofore the stone passing from the crusher had dropped from the chute upon the ground, and had to be shovelled into the carts, either to be carried to another part of the grounds to be piled up until wanted on the streets, or to be teamed directly to the streets. The height of the crusher above the ground made it easy to provide improved facilities. The crushed stone now passes directly from the crusher into the bins by means of a belt, and the carts are loaded by simply drawing a slide and allowing the stone to run out.


Instead of taking the time of four men and a horse some twelve minutes, the loading of a cart now consumes the time of but one man and a horse one minute. But little saving has been made to the department the past year in this way, as nearly all


270


ANNUAL REPORTS.


the work at the crusher was done before the bins were finished. The capacity of the bins is about two hundred tons, or two days' crushing.


STREET SIGNS.


The discontinuance of gas lights, where electric lights had been established, caused the removal of the glass street signs which were in the lanterns. In place of these we have pur- chased metallic signs, with white enamel letters, and attached them to the lantern frames.


REPAIRS.


The cost of miscellaneous repairs has been unusually large during the year, owing to the continuous rains and the open, mild winter.


The streets have been badly washed, and they were terribly broken up in December, when we had a succession of very warm days, during which the frost came out of the ground as it com- monly does in spring.


Constant vigilance and work were required in this department to keep the streets safe, and in as good condition as was possible under the circumstances, and large quantities of fine stone from the crusher were spread on the unpaved sidewalks.


SCHEDULES.


Particulars of the work performed may be found in the fol- lowing schedules :


STREETS ACCEPTED.


NAME.


From


To


Length in Feet.


Boston Street .


Walnut Street . .


Washington St. .


1850


Buckingham Street


Beacon Street .


Dimick Street .


300


271


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


STREETS IMPROVED.


STREET.


From


To


Improvement.


Ft.


Aldrich


Runey St.


Pearl St.


§ Graded, ballasted, and ) gravelled.


300


Berkeley


School St.


R. P. Benton's land Graded and gravelled


1100


Boston


Prospect Hill Ave.


es'ly line


66


66


800


Broadway


Dartmouth St.


Main St. .


Re-macadamized ٤٠


1100


Buckingham


Beacon St.


Dimick St. .


Graded and gravelled


280


Cedar


Highland Ave.


Lowell R. R.


Graded and macadamized Gravelled


1450


Cherry


Elm St.


Chestnut St.


Re-macadamized


280


Dane


Washington St.


Somerville Ave.


Graded, macadamized, and gravelled


1400


Dartmouth


Broadway


Evergreen Ave.


Macadamized and grav'ld


700


Dartmouth


Evergreen Ave.


Medford St.


900


Franklin


Franklin Ave. .


Northeastwardly .


Graded and gravelled . . Macadamized and grav'ld ( Re-macadamized and ) gravelled.


600


Grove


Highland Ave.


Elm St.


Macadamized


400


Harvard


Summer St.


Beach St.


Gravelled


720


Highland Ave. Cedar St. .


Eastwardly


Re-graded and macadam'd


450


Holland


Cameron Ave.


Newbury St.


Re-macadamized


700


Irving


Holland St.


Brow of Hill


Macadamized


900


Oak


Prospect St.


Bolton St.


Gravelled


320


Pearl .


Crescent St.


Hillside Ave.


Macadamized and grav'ld 1650 1000 § Re-macadamized and } gravelled


1380


Somerville Av. Prospect St.


Craigie St.


Re-macadamized and gravelled


800


Summer


Vinal Ave.


Linden Ave.


Gravelled


4700


Vinal Ave.


Highland Ave.


Pleasant Ave.


400


Walnut .


Boston St.


Bow St.


1100


Walnut .


Bonair St.


Pearl St.


§ Re-macadamized and gravelled


Washington


Prospect St.


Boston St.


Re-macadamized and į gravelled


850


Washington


Union Square .


Dane St.


Gravelled


2250


SIDEWALKS CONSTRUCTED WHERE THE MATERIALS AND LABOR WERE FURNISHED BY THE CITY, AND ONE HALF OF THE COST WAS AS- SESSED UPON THE ABUTTING ESTATES.


STREET.


From


To


Feet of Edge- stones.


Yards of Brick.


Cost.


Berkeley, both } sides


School Street. .


R. P. Benton's ) land


1,375.09


-


$819 24


Bow.


Bow St. Place Washington St. Broadway . . .


Near Somer -¿ ville Ave. Somerville Ave. Evergreen Ave.


148.90


132.09


261 09


Dane


1,275.01


-


-


450 08


Dartmouth, both sides


Evergreen Ave.


1,553.06


-


1,019 88


Franklin


Franklin Ave. .


Medford Street. End of old side- l walk.


222.09


172.31


363 29


Broadway


Franklin St.


Cross St.


700


Central


Albion St.


Forster St. .


220


Franklin


Perkins St. .


Broadway


Prospect


Webster Ave.


Cambridge line


School


Berkeley St.


Somerville Ave.


Gravelled


Re-macadamized · and ) gravelled


5400


Springfield


Cambridge line .


Concord Ave.


657.11


761 29


Dartmouth, east l side


[ Near Kidder's }


700


272


ANNUAL REPORTS.


SIDEWALKS CONSTRUCTED, ETC. - Concluded.


STREET.


From


To


Feet of Edge- stones.


Yards of Brick.


Cost.


Glen


Flint Street Broadway .


Pearl Street . Webster Street. Highland Ave. .


390.03


258.67


502 01


Vinal Av.,north- westerly side Wallace .


Highland Ave. . Broadway .


Summer Street.


1,129.37


992 02


Holland Street.


-


886.18


782 00


Totals,


5,621.29


3,941.16


$7,387 33


SIDEWALKS CONSTRUCTED WHERE THE EDGESTONES AND BRICKS WERE FURNISHED BY THE ABUTTERS.


For


Street.


Feet of Edg'stones


Yards of Brick.


H. S. Atwood .


Mystic Avenue


50.4


48.2


David Cummings & Co.


Cedar and Summer.


97.7


28.2


Charles Drouet


Summer.


38.2


First Methodist Episcopal Ch. Jere. McCarty.


Walnut .


-


24.2


D. L. McGregor Prosp. Hill Congregat'n'l Soc. G. W. Simpson


Walnut .


90.3


21.8


Totals .


484.4


184.3


DRIVEWAYS CONSTRUCTED (AT EXPENSE OF ABUTTERS).


For


Street.


L. B. Angier


Broadway


F. W. Leavitt


Somerville Avenue .


M. O. Royce


Bonair


H. D. Runey


Cross


W. F. Wade


Cedar


432.28 930.26


504 99


Glen


931 41


Grove, westerly side


Elm Street.


Bow .


99.2


20.7


Walnut and Bonair.


Walnut and Bow


146.8


273


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


DRIVEWAYS DISCONTINUED (AT EXPENSE OF ABUTTERS).


For


Street.


Harrison Aldrich . Augusta S. Vinal .


Franklin Walnut .


CROSSINGS CONSTRUCTED.


Central Street, in line with northerly sidewalk of Berkeley Street.


Central Street, across end of Albion Street.


Marshall Street, across end of Stickney Avenue.


Medford Street, northerly side, across Dartmouth Street.


Somerville Avenue, at easterly side of Beacon Street bridge.


Somerville Avenue in line with easterly sidewalk of Hawkins Street.


Walnut Street, across end of Hillside Park.


1


Warren Avenue, across end of Sanborn Avenue.


CULVERTS CONSTRUCTED.


Cameron Avenue, pipe, under street, near Cambridge line, 1. Highland Avenue, pipe, under street, at Eastman Place, 1. Medford Street, wood, under sidewalk, at Lowell Railroad Bridge, 1.


Medford Street, wood, under sidewalk, near Cambridge line, 1. Mystic Avenue, stone, under street, near. Medford line, 1.


Mystic Avenue, stone, under street, near Chauncey Avenue, 1.


DANGER SIGNS ERECTED.


Broadway, at City Ledge. Chandler Street, at Broadway. Garfield Avenue, near Broadway. Richdale Avenue, at Sycamore Street.


STREET SIGNS ERECTED (wooden).


Broadway. Garfield Avenue. Irving Street.


Porter Street. Union Street. Wallace Street.


274


ANNUAL REPORTS.


STREET SIGNS PROVIDED (metallic, on lantern frames).


Beacon Street, 1.


Marshall Street, 1. Medford Street, 3.


Boston Street, 1.


Mt. Vernon Street, 1.


Bow Street, 2.


Morrison Street, 1.


Broadway, 4.


Park Avenue, 1.


Buckingham Street, 1.


Pearl Street, 5.


Cedar Street, 1.


Pearl Street Place, 1.


Central Street, 3.


Perkins Street, 1.


Concord Avenue, 2.


Prospect Street, 1.


Cross Street, 1.


School Street, 2.


Elm Street, 4.


Somerville Avenue, 4.


Fitchburg Street, 1.


Summer Street, 2.


Franklin Street, 4.


Summit Avenue, 1.


Frost Avenue, 1.


Temple Street, 1.


Glen Street, 1.


Wallace Street, 1. Walnut Street, 3.


Grand View Avenue, 1.


Grove Street, 2.


Warren Avenue, 1.


Holland Street, 1.


Webster Avenue, 2.


Irving Street, 1.


Wesley Park, 1.


Linwood Street, 2.


Winslow Avenue, 1.


Main Street, 1.


EDGESTONES AND PAVING.


Lineal feet of edgestones set (including 800 feet reset), 6,905.33 ; square yards of brick paving laid (including 600 yards relaid), 4,725. 19 ; square yards of stone paving laid (including 360 yards relaid), 2,949.


- For the Committee,


NATHAN H. REED, Chairman. GEO. I. VINCENT, Clerk.


Belmont Street, 1.


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SEWERS.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, Jan. 3, 1889.


Ordered to be filed with the city clerk for presentation to the next city council, to be printed in the annual reports. Sent down for concurrence.


GEORGE I. VINCENT, Clerk.


Concurred in.


IN COMMON COUNCIL, Jan. 3, 1889. CHARLES S. ROBERTSON, Clerk.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN COMMITTEE ON SEWERS, Dec. 31, 1888. To the Board of Aldermen of Somerville.


The committee on sewers presents the following final report for the year 1888 : -


SEWERS ACCOUNT.


CREDIT.


Appropriation


$9,500 00


Receipts and credits : -


For catch-basin curbs in sidewalks :-


received credit from Sidewalks account


$14 37


fee for drainage of Asylum build- ings into Fitchburg Street sewer 50 00


labor and materials furnished in 1887, the bills for which re- mained uncollected Jan. 1, 1888 147 04


211 41


Value of materials on hand Jan. 1, 1888


233 67


Value of tools and property Jan. 1, 1888 407 70


Total credit .


$10,352 78


DEBIT.


Expenditures : -


For seven sewers, as per accompany-


ing table . $9,906 10


less assessments . 8,744 67


cost to city


1,161 43


Amount carried forward


$1,161 43


278


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amount brought forward $1,161 43


For man-hole School Street at Landers Street 40 00


twenty-two catch basins (average $82.25)


1,809 44


five-ninths cost of removing deposit from mouth of Bridge Street sewer 1,741 28


repairing sewers and drains .


365 40


flushing sewers and filling catch-basins with water


370 55


cleaning sewers · 946 93


examining sewers


45 07


repairing catch-basins .


112 57


moving catch-basin, Marshall Street at Stick- ney Avenue 54 84


changing lines and grades of catch-basins


41 77


cleaning catch-basins .


2,058 13


cleaning mouths of catch-basins


205 86


examining catch-basins


5 63


repairing man-holes


8 81


changing lines and grades of man-holes


147 72


cleaning man-holes 33 12


271 25


inspecting sewers built by abutters in Ames,


Bartlett, Bennett, Bradley, Carleton, Cook, Dana, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Hersey, Lan- ders, Mansfield, Robinson, Rossmon and Thorndike Streets, and Francesca, Jenny Lind, Kensington, Richdale, and Winthrop Avenues, and on land of Timothy Tufts unpaid bills of 1887


537 88


7 50


books, stationery, and printing


66 60


repairing tools and property


42 35


arranging tools and property


5 63


sundry small expenses


33 80


abatement of sewer assessment to Rebecca and Philip Nutting on common sewer in Elm Street 13 30


Amount carried forward


$10,126 86


inspecting house drains


279


REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON SEWERS.


Amount brought forward $10,126 86


For advertising hearings on proposed sewers in Madison and Montrose Streets and Kent Court 22 25


labor and materials furnished, the bills for which are to be presented for collection in 1889 86 59


private work, the bills for which remain un- collected . 3 60


Depreciation in value of tools, property and ma- terials 146 99


Value of materials on hand Dec. 31, 1888 . 229 54


Value of tools and property on hand Dec. 31, 1888 (including purchases during the year, $131.55) . 394 14


Total debit $11,009 97


Amount overdrawn $657 19


In addition to the above statement, labor and materials have been furnished, for which credit or payment has been received as follows : -


To A. W. Bryne, puddling sewer trenches, Highland Avenue and Cherry Street $10 26


J. G. Sculley, ballast from Elm Street sewer, near Chapel Street, allowed in cost of said sewer 22 20


$32 46


The sewer in Wheatland Street being obstructed, about seventy feet of it was opened and cleaned, and the sewer was covered with plank for the winter. It was found to have been crushed out of shape, and a part of the top had fallen in. It should be relaid in the spring.


The easterly side of the Waverly Street sewer plank outlet has been rebuilt.


The following is a table of the sewers laid by the city during the year :


SEWERS BUILT IN 1888.


STREET.


From


To


Length in Feet.


Total Cost.


Assessment. Cost to City.


Cedar.


End of old sewer


.


·


Albion Street


3121.0


$5,801 82


$5,721 15


$80 67


Albion


Cedar Street .


Central Street


Southwesterly


182.2


165 42


122 70


42 72


Elm


End of old sewer


Kidder Avenue .


475.7


1,598 85


768 52


830 33


Franklin


Perkins Street


Southwesterly


50.7


40 90


40 13


0 77


Greenville


Boston Street


Near High Street


252.3


341


63


325 27


16 36


Highland Ave.


Grove Street .


Near Willow Avenue .


1,008.1


1843 28


1654 26


189 02


Thurston


End of old sewer


Near Broadway .


128.0


114 20


112 64


1 56


. TOTAL,


$5,218.0


$9,906 10


$8,744 67


$1,161 43


.


Cherry


End of old sewer


.


.


.


For the Committee,


CHAS. L. NORTH, Chairman. GEO. I. VINCENT, Clerk.


280


ANNUAL REPORTS.


REPORT OF THE CITY ENGINEER.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, Feb. 28, 1889.


Referred to the committee on printing, to be printed in the annual re- ports. Sent down for concurrence.


GEORGE I. VINCENT, Clerk.


IN COMMON COUNCIL, Feb. 28, 1889.


Concurred in.


CHAS. S. ROBERTSON, Clerk.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


OFFICE OF CITY ENGINEER, SOMERVILLE, Feb. 15, 1889. To his Honor the Mayor and the City Council.


In compliance with City Ordinance 9, Section 9, the following report of the City Engineer is respectfully submitted : -


CITY ENGINEER'S DEPARTMENT.


The number of persons regularly employed in this department during the year 1888 was five. Additional help has been em- ployed as occasion required.


The expenses of the department have been as follows :


Salary of the City Engineer, including the care


and maintenance of horse and carriage . $2,200 00


Salary of assistants


1,832 53


Instruments and supplies


345 72


Car fares


17 42


Total


$4,395 70


SEWERS.


Five thousand and thirty-five linear feet, or ninety-five one hundredths of a mile of pipe sewers, have been built by the City, and about eight thousand one hundred linear feet, or one and five- tenths miles have been built by private parties, during the past year.


The cost of sewers built by the City was $9,906.10. Of this amount $8,744.67 has been assessed on abutters, and $1,161.43 has been assumed by the City.


The construction of private Sewers has been carried on under the superintendence of inspectors in the employ of the City. The cost of inspection was $502.88.


284


ANNUAL REPORTS.


The annual charge for dredging the Bridge-Street Outlet was made this year. The amount expended was $3,134.30: of this amount five ninths, or $1,741.28, has been paid by the City of Somerville, the remaining four ninths by the City of Cambridge.


The demands made on the sewer department during the coming year will probably be larger than for some years past. The follow- ing items are some that have been brought to my attention during the past year.


THE WHEATLAND STREET SEWER.


The Wheatland Street Sewer has its outlet on the north-east line of Mystic Avenue. It is a thirty-inch brick sewer, and was built in the year 1875, under a contract with S. H. Tarbell, at a cost of about $2 per linear foot. From the south-west line of Mystic Avenue to a point about four hundred feet south-westerly the sewer was built on filling. The average depth of the filling was two and one half feet below the bottom of the sewer. It is not known what was done to prevent settlement on that part of the sewer laid on filling; but from excavation made it is evident that no support was given to the sides of the sewer at the spring of the arch, and the stone ballast with which the trench was filled was so heavy that the sides of the sewer were forced outward and the arch, relieved of its support by the sides, fell in. After heavy rains complaints were made that the cellars of houses in the Wheat- land-Street district were flooded. An examination of the Wheat- land-Street Sewer was immediately begun, and in that part of the sewer laid on filling, a dam was located about two hundred feet south-west of Mystic Avenue. Excavation was begun at this point and the arch of the sewer removed. On removing the dam it was found that the sides of the sewer had been forced out about twelve inches, and the arch correspondingly flattened. Further excavation indicated that in some places the arch had fallen in. About 75 feet of the arch has been removed, the trench has been thoroughly braced and covered over with planks at the grade of the street. Further excavations must be made before the length of sewer to be rebuilt can be definitely stated. The work of rebuilding should be commenced as soon as the 15th of April.




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