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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