Report of the city of Somerville 1896, Part 26

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 774


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1896 > Part 26


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124.43


Stone crusher and fittings


31.33


Repairs of steam road roller


400.28


Holland street ledge


724.67


Edgestone and paving stock .


170.04


Crushed stone (to which amount is


charged repairs at crusher)


1,055.96


Total


$4,629.86


CREDIT.


Stone and gravel


$1,151.05


Sand


182.75


City teams .


795.24


2,129.04


Net deficit


$2,500.82


The only charge for the use of the steam road roller working on the streets during the year is for the time of the engineer, which is at the rate of twenty dollars per week.


The price charged for placing crushed stone on the streets during the year has been at the rate of seventy-five cents for each single horse load; this price, however, does not include the team- ing.


Gravel has been charged at the rate of twenty-five cents per single horse load, and sand at the rate of fifty cents per sin- gle load, exclusive of carting.


Number of loads of stone for crusher from Holland


street ledge 2,832


Number of loads of stone crushed .


13,958


496


ANNUAL REPORTS


The charges to the city teams account are as follows :-- Horses (depreciation)


$815.00


Carts and implements used with horses (deprecia- tion)


493.78


Repairs of same


778.78


Harnesses and horse clothing (de- preciation)


14.24


Repairs of same


377.79


Stable utensils and property


84.26


Stable expenses and repairs


3,356.83


Grain and feed


2,103.93


Hay and straw


2,591.07


Horse shoeing


685.22


Horse medicine and doctoring


249.86


$11,550.76


The above statement does not include the board or use of horse used by the Superintendent of Streets, the cost of which may be found in the foregoing statement of expenditures. Each horse has been credited for each day he has worked throughout the year, at $1.40 per day, the same as in former years.


SIDEWALKS ACCOUNT.


CREDIT.


Appropriation


$10,000.00


Less transfer to Highways Ac- count


349.78


Total credit


·


$9,650.22


Expenditures :- DEBIT.


For advertising sidewalk hearing (sidewalk not constructed) ·


$ 9.50


For thirty-two sidewalks, as per Table E, at the end of this report


19,281.51


$19,291.01


9,640.79


Less assessments and receipts Cost to city


$9,650.22


497


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


EDGESTONES AND PAVING STOCK.


Lineal feet of edgestones set (including 2,500 feet reset), 25,971.1; square yards of brick paving laid (including 1,000 yards relaid), 7,956.7; square yards of stone paving laid (including 1,000 yards relaid), 7,670.


PAVING OF MEDFORD STREET. .


(From Somerville Avenue to the Cambridge Line.)


CREDIT.


Balance of appropriation brought forward from 1895 $13,249.41


Receipts :-


From City of Cambridge, lower- ing manholes, and for labor and paving blocks 242.95


$13,492.36


Less amount transferred to pav- ing Washington street (from


Medford street to Joy street)


· 5,800.00


Total credit


$7,692.36


DEBIT.


Expenditures :-


To W. H. Gore & Co., paving


$957.99


H. Gore & Co., paving


3,623.52


H. Gore & Co., paving (ex- tra)


123.49


Paving blocks


1,940.06


Flagging


92.64


Labor


.


82.75


$6,820.45


Balance unexpended .


$871.91


498


ANNUAL REPORTS.


PAVING OF WASHINGTON STREET. (From Tufts street to Joy street.)


CREDIT.


Appropriation brought forward from 1895


$3,800.00


Receipt :-


Cash received from West End


Railway Co., proportional


part of paving, as per agree- ment 1,000.00


$4,800.00


Less transfer to City Hall improve-


ment account


1,340.21


$3,459.79


DEBIT.


Expenditures :-


William H. Gore & Co., paving .


$1,398.03


William H. Gore & Co., paving, extra


28.88


Paving blocks


1,536,20


Flagging


69.88


Concreting


384.90


Pipe and labor


74.63


Cement


9.30


$3,501.82


Amount overdrawn


$42.03


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


499


PAVING OF WASHINGTON STREET. (From Joy street to Medford street.) CREDIT. Appropriation (transfer paving of


Medford street) $5,800.00


Less amount transferred to City Hall improvement account 1,059.25


Total credit


$4,740.75


DEBIT.


Expenditures :-


H. Gore & Co., paving


$2,124.93


Paving blocks


2,512.56


Granite flagging


29.76


Labor


31.50


4,698.75


Balance unexpended .


$42.00


CITY STABLE. (Sheds.)


CREDIT.


Appropriation . $2,000.00


Less transfer to Highways ac-


count


250.00


Net credit


$1,750.00


DEBIT.


Expenditures :-


For carpentering, lumber and la-


bor


$1,080.60


Mason work .


28.60


Painting


55.52


Hardware


26.28


1,191.00


Balance unexpended .


$559.00


.


.


500


ANNUAL REPORTS.


HIGHWAYS. Steam Road Roller No. 2 Account.


CREDIT.


Appropriation .


DEBIT. $3,500.00


Expenditures :-


Harrisburg steam road roller .


$3,500.00


During the year ten new streets, eighteen crosswalks and ten driveways have been constructed, fifty-seven street signs erected, and one hundred and twenty-five trees set out. Sixteen thousand feet of old streets have been macadamized and rolled by the steam road roller, and twenty thousand eight hundred loads of material, consisting of hard-pan, ashes, scrapings, gravel, etc., have been utilized in filling and grading. Two thousand loads of material from the locations of the West End Street Railway Company have been used for filling Mystic avenue and War- wick and Trull streets, at no expense to the city except the teaming. There are in the city at the present time sixteen miles of accepted street which have received no attention, except to keep them in a safe and passable condition for public travel. There are thirty-six horses in use by the department. Eleven horses have been purchased during the year and eight have died.


TABLES.


Tables are furnished herewith of streets accepted, streets constructed and improved, driveways and sidewalks constructed, and crossings laid.


WILLIAM H. BERRY, Chairman. WILLIAM P. MITCHELL, Clerk.


501


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


TABLE A. STREETS ACCEPTED.


NAME.


FROM


To


Length in Feet


Avon


School


Central


1,360


Banks


Elm


Summer


639


Benton avenue


Highland avenue .


Hudson


286


Burnside avenue


Elm


Summer


720


Cambria


Central .


Benton avenue


488


Cameron avenue


Holland


Cambridge line


1,000


Electric avenue


Curtis


Packard avenue


681


Houghton


Oak


.


Springfield .


204


Kidder avenue


Elm


Liberty avenue


625


Lee


Medford


Richdale avenue .


385


Lowell


Higland avenue


Albion


390


Westminister


Broadway


Electric avenue


376


Wigglesworth


Bonair


Pearl


740


Total length in feet


.


7,894


TABLE B. STREETS CONSTRUCTED.


Name of Street.


FROM


To


Length in Feet.


Burnside avenue


Elm


Summer


720


Fanning avenue


Highland avenue .


Lexington avenue


376


Hall avenue


Elm


Liberty avenue


926


Hancock


Elm


Summei


781


Kenwood


Elm


Billingham .


322


Kidder avenue


Elm


Willow avenue


1,280


Rossmore


Somerville avenue


Washington


525


Summit


Elm


Billingham


262


Trull


Medford


Vernon


1,050


Warwick


.


Cedar


Warwick avenue .


665


Total length in feet .


·


6,907


.


.


502


ANNUAL REPORTS.


TABLE C. STREETS IMPROVED.


STREET.


FROM


To


IMPROVEMENT.


FEET.


Beacon


Railroad B'ge


Kent .


Macadamized


2,280


Beacon


Cambridge line .


Calvin


Macadamized


1,330


Cedar


Railroad B'ge


.


Highland ave


Macadamized


1,930


Cross


Broadway ·


Medford .


Macadamized


2,680


Derby


Temple . .


Grant


Gravelled


800


Elm


Morrison


.


Nathan Tufts Park


Macadamized


1,300


Frost ave.


Somerville ave


Tube works


Macadamized


250


Highland ave., (N. E. side)


Central


Grove


Macadamized


5,270


Mystic ave. ,


Charlestown line


Austin


Macadamized


1,170


Mystic ave. .


Medford line . .


Temple


Macadamized


2,730


Pearl


Mt. Vernon ·


Franklin


Macadamized


950


Perkins


Boston line


Franklin


Macadamized


1,320


Summer


Willow ave.


Cutter square .


Macadamized


870


Willow ave. .


Broadway .


Railroad cross'g


Macadamized


1,910


Total length in feet


24,790


TABLE D. DRIVEWAYS CONSTRUCTED AT EXPENSE OF ABUTTERS.


FOR.


LOCATION.


Martin J. Caples


42 Craigie street.


Albert M. Davis


Glen street.


T. H. Edgerly.


220 Medford street.


W. S. Glidden


A. E. and N. J. Giroux .


Sycamore street. 65 Pearl street. Preston street.


J. L. Gilman


C. A. Lowell .


31 Gilman street.


Howard Lowell


Gilman street.


J. P. Squire & Co. .


Medford street.


Alden E. Viles


. 20 Summer street.


503


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


TABLE E. SIDEWALKS CONSTRUCTED WHERE THE EDGESTONES AND BRICKS WERE FURNISHED OR PAID FOR BY THE ABUTTERS.


FOR


STREET.


FEET OF EDGE- STONES.


YARDS OF BRICKS.


J. F. Berry


Central .


87.5


Blaney and Robinson


Medford


136.1


136.9


George A. Bruce


Oxford .


50


105.1


Henry B. Champion


Highland ave.


40


29.4


Fred W. Coles


Auburn ave.


48


Dr. A. H. Carvill


Highland ave .


160.6


Lucretia A. Carr


Chandler


37.6


Francis H. Connor


92 Flint


28


Thomas A. Dewire . Robert Duddy


Bond


34.4


Abram P. Downs


Bond


82.1


62


Walter A. Eames


64 Chandler


33.3


Josiah C. Fluker


Highland ave.


42


30.3


Willard L. Glidden .


Highland ave.


67.6


39.9


William H Hodgkins


School Lot .


Holland


576.2


C. W. Lowell .


Kidder ave.


118.5


S. & H. Maloon


Highland ave.


40


29.4


J. F. Merry


Oxford


37.7


George O. Maynard


Oxford


131


J. L. Nelson


Highland ave.


95.3


71.9


New England Mutual Life Insurance Co.


Central .


189.8


123.5


James H. Piper


Highland ave.


43.4


31.7


William B. Pazarina


54 Chandler


38.8


Wilson C. Rich


Auburn ave.


62.3


36.4


James W. Rich


Belmont


103.9


66.3


George O. Servis


Oxford


33.3


John J. Stockdon


Auburn ave


53.6


29.7


James H. Steele


Auburn ave.


65.5


35.5


Henry C. Smalley


Bond


43.3


34


J. P. Snow .


58 Chandler


33.3


Sophronia M. Tower Francis W. Hunt and Dudley F. Hunt


Highland ave.


66


38.5


Eliza A. Trickey


Auburn ave.


53.5


35.1


James Tucker


Auburn ave.


88.9


R. K. Wakefield .


Highland ave.


42


30.4


John E. Woodside


Belmont


45


30.5


Rufus R. Wade .


44 Chandler


46.8


William N. Young


Pinckney


156.3


2,550.8


1,585.3


Herman Barker


Bond and Heath .


Beacon


128


TABLE F.


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


STREET,


SIDE.


FROM


To


FEET OF EDGESTONES.


YARDS OF BRICKS,


COST.


Adams


Easterly


Broadway


Medford


576.2


$540.48


Bartlett


Westerly


Vernon


Medford


866.1


272


514.08


Belmont


Easterly


Summer


Nor'ly estate of J. K. James


1,185.5


779.61


Beacon


Northerly


Miller


Fitchburg R. R. Bridge


586.5


398.06


Beacon


Northerly


Washington


Vine


678.4


546.62


Broadway


Northeasterly


Estate No. 257


Estate No. 303


237.6


891.2


1,059.52


Broadway


Southwesterly


Sycamore


432.1


496.25


Cherry


Easterly


Sartwell ave


Summer


95.2


285.6


333.29


Central


Westerly


Gibbens


Estate John Haigh


836


618.76


Derby


Northerly


Temple


Nathan Tufts Park


1,066.7


798.14


Elm


Easterly


Morrison


896.5


701.14


Elm


Northerly


Cherry


Willow ave


628.6


446.57


Franklin


Easterly


Franklin ave.


Washington


495 4


324.14


Highland ave.


Northerly


Grove


West


4,350.7


525.7


578.09


Highland ave.


Southerly


Medford


Walnut


872.20


Hudson


Southerly


Lowell


Cedar


Kenwood


Both


Elm


Billingham


Madison


Southerly


School


Sycamore


904.8


·


572.6


540.95


Medford


Southwesterly


Central


Bartlett


259.1


189.4


311.20


Mossland


Easterly


Somerville ave.


Orchard


Southerly


Day


Chester


492.3


·


393.59


Pearl


Northeasterly


Walnut


Litchfield estate


1,220.8


1,154.35


Pearl


Northeasterly


Cross


Walnut


504


ANNUAL REPORTS.


2,737.59


Highland ave,


Northerly


West


Central


1,400.8


577.50


673.5


641.86


100 feet from Elm


241.6


269.00


Grant


Adams


589.43


381


TABLE F-Continued.


STREET.


SIDE.


FROM


To


FEET OF EDGESTONES.


YARDS OF BRICKS.


COST.


Rossmore


Both


Somerville ave. Central


Washington


1,053.4


$659 46


Robinson School


Northwesterly Westerly


Highland ave. Marshall


Madison School


452.3


353.07


Stickney ave.


Southerly


Cherry


Ashland


.


509.7


446.36


Both


Elm


Billingham


518.5


361.89


St. James ave. Washington


Westerly


Elm


Summer


Southerly


Sanborn field.


Y. M. C. A. Grounds


545.3


387.01


20,008.5


5,399.4


$19,281.51


·


·


.


·


.


·


·


.


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


505


·


Northerly


Bartlett


636.6


461.74


258


189.36


Summer Summit


192.2


200.20


506


ANNUAL REPORTS.


STREET CROSSINGS CONSTRUCTED.


Beacon street, across end of Buckingham street.


Broadway, northeasterly side, across Cross street. Broadway, across end of Grant street.


Broadway, from northeasterly side, near northwesterly side of Grant street, to street railway.


Broadway, across same, near northwesterly side of Walnut street.


Central street, northwesterly side, across end of Cleveland street.


Elm street, across same, in line with sidewalk on southeast- erly side of Davenport street.


Elm street, across same, in front of Post Office, near south- westerly side of Davis square.


Highland avenue, across same, in line with sidewalk on northwesterly side of Cedar street.


Highland avenue, across same, in line with sidewalk on southeasterly side of Cherry street.


Highland avenue, across same, in front of Highland Con- gregational Church.


Highland avenue, across same, near northwesterly side of Trull lane.


Holland street, across same, in front of William H. Hodg- kins school.


Laurel street, northwesterly side, across end of Laurel aventie.


Medford street, across same, in line with sidewalk on north- easterly side of Somerville avenue.


Medford street, across same, at northwesterly side of Trull street.


Mystic avenue, across same, near southeasterly side of North Union street.


507


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS.


School street, northwesterly side, across end of Berkeley street.


Somerville avenue, across same, in line with sidewalk on southeasterly side of Medford street.


Walnut street, northwesterly side, across end of Grand View avenue.


Washington street, northerly side, across end of Shawmut street.


Washington street, northerly side, across end of Tufts street.


Washington street, northerly side, across end of Washing- ton avenue.


REPORT


OF THE


COMMITTEE ON SEWERS.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, February 24, 1897.


Referred to the Committee on Printing, to be printed in the Annual Reports. Sent down for concurrence.


GEORGE I. VINCENT, Clerk.


IN COMMON COUNCIL, Febuary 24, 1897.


Referred to the Committee on Printing, to be printed in the Annual Reports, in concurrence.


CHARLES S. ROBERTSON, Clerk.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN COMMITTEE ON SEWERS, January 1, 1897.


TO THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF SOMERVILLE :-


The committee on Sewers presents the following report for the year ending December 31, 1896 :-


MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT.


CREDIT.


Appropriation


$7,000.00


Transfer from Reduction of Funded Debt account


1,500.00


Receipts and Credits :-


For fees for entering estates into


sewers


·


$ 74.00


Reconstructing Oak street


sewer 71.01


Repairing sewer, Dresden


Circle 4.75


Changing line of manholes (W. E. St. Ry. Co.) . ·


148.89


Rebuilding catch-basin (do.)


41.86


Dividend on private sewer


built for Timothy Tufts in 1888 .


7.80


Value of tools and property on hand January 1, 1896 ·


786.80


63.46


Value of materials on hand January 1, 1896 · Total credit


348.31


$9,698.57


512


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amount brought forward $9,698.57


DEBIT.


Expenditures :-


For maintenance of sewers, in- cluding repairs, cleaning, etc., of sewers and man- holes


$2,190.41


Maintenance of catch-basins


2,841.44


Inspection of house drains . 294.10


Franklin O. Reed, damage to land


2,212.50


Franklin O. Reed, rent of water course


225.00


Books, stationery and print- ing


17.00


Arranging tools and property


16.62


Repairs of tools and property


24.59


Unpaid bills of 1895


·


165.37


Sundry expenses .


23.12


Depreciation in value of tools and property .25


Value of materials on hand Decem- ber 31, 1896 .


54.22


Value of tools and property on hand


December 31, 1896, (in-


cluding purchases during the year, $212.36)


973.05


Total debit


$9,037.67


Balance unexpended .


$660.90


513


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SEWERS.


CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNT.


CREDIT.


Unexpended balance of 1895


$41,791.10


Amount transferred . 50,000.00


Receipts and credits :-


For catch-basin curbs in side- walks, received credit from Sidewalks and Highways accounts $ 56.95


Fee for drainage of estate into Broadway sewer 5.85


Fee for drainage of estate into Broadway sewer, (Cedar street, easterly) 13.67


Fee for drainage of estate into Russell street sewer . 61.41


Construction of sewer in Cot- tage Circle 24.92


Construction of private drain


80.07


Extra work on Tannery


Brook Drain, (W. E. St. Ry. Co.) .


137.50


380.37


Value of materials on hand January 1, 1896


1,468.08


Unpaid bills of 1896


·


2,071.99


Total credit


$95,711.54


DEBIT.


Expenditures :- ·


For thirty-one sewers con- structed and partially con-


structed during the year, (less $72.62 paid in 1895) .


$41,956.56


Less assessments


22,108.31


Amounts carried forward


$19,848.25


$95,711.54


514


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amounts brought forward ·


$19,848.25 $95,711.54


Abatements of sewer assess-


ments


367.34


For . twenty-five catch-basins


(average cost $67.45) .


1,686.19


Metropolitan sewer connec- tion, Mystic avenue at Win- throp avenue . 4,548.50


Metropolitan sewer connec- tion, Waverly street . ·


2,411.66


Metropolitan sewer connec- tions, Somerville avenue at Poplar street, (including packing houses connection)


6,451.85


Packing house connections with city sewers and Metro- politan sewer,-


John P. Squire & Co. . 590.59 North Packing and Pro- vision Co. 912.30


New England Dressed Meat & Wool Co.


1,098.64


Outlet for sewers, draining through the City of Med- ford ·


1,124.37


Soundings for packing house outlet for salt water 363.89


Construction of storm drain in the Tannery Brook Val- ley


24,336.05


Construction of surface water drain in private lands, Princeton, Alpine and Al- bion streets, from the B. & L. R. R. to Hudson street Amounts carried forward


1,390.86


$65,130.49


$95,711.54


515


REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SEWERS.


Amounts brought forward $65,130.49 $95,711.54


Construction of sewer in Cot- tage Circle for T. C. Con- nor 24.92


Maurice Buttimer, payment on account of extension of sewer 93.87


Damages to land of Joseph S. Stearns, by reason of sewer and surface water drain


620.00


Sundry expenses


86.25


Books, stationery and print- ing ·


26.00


Unpaid bills of 1895 ·


$350.36


Repairs of tools and property


7.70


Tools and property .


392.10


Increase and depreciation of tools, property and mate- rials 552.99


Value of materials on hand Decem-


ber 31, 1896


617.03


Total debit


67,901.71


Balance unexpended


$27,809.83


Labor and materials have also been furnished, and credit has been received for the same, as follows :-


School-house, Ward One account, labor and in- spection on excavation for foundation $20.00


Sewers, Maintenance account, brick, sand and ce- ment 28.60


Total


$48.60


A complete and extensive statement of the work of this de- partment during the past year will be found in the report of the City Engineer.


For the Committee on Sewers, MELVILLE D. JONES, Chairman. WILLIAM P. MITCHELL, Clerk.


REPORT


OF THE


CITY ENGINEER.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, February 24, 1897.


Referred to Committee on Printing, to be printed in the annual reports. Sent down for concurrence.


GEORGE I. VINCENT, Clerk.


IN COMMON COUNCIL, February 24, 1897.


Referred to Committee on Printing, to be printed in the annual reports, in concurrence.


CHAS. S. ROBERTSON, Clerk.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


OFFICE OF CITY ENGINEER, CITY HALL, January 25, 1897.


To His Honor the Mayor, and the City Council of the City of Somerville :-


Gentlemen,-Herewith I respectfully submit a report of the work done and expenses incurred, for the year ending December 31, 1896, in the City Engineer's Department; including the superintendence of Sewers and Public Parks.


ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.


During the past year Mr. George A. Kimball has been em- ployed as consulting engineer on various works of improvement in the city; his advice being especially valuable in the re-design- ing of the city's old sewerage system.


Twenty-one assistants have been employed in the Engineer- ing Department, eight permanently and the others as additional work required.


The cost of maintaining the department has been as fol- lows :-


520


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Appropriation


$10,000.00


Salary of city engineer and consult-


ing engineer (including main- tenance of team) $3,307.37


Salaries of assistants


5,307.81


Furniture


85.00


One new engineer's level


100.00


Repairs of instruments .


43.02


Tapes, plumbs, level rods and gen- eral supplies .


150.73


Draughting instruments, materials and stationery ·


219.31


Line and grade stakes and spikes .


32.68


Car fares, expressing and incidental expenses


174.15


Total expenditure


$9,420.07


Unexpended balance


$579.93


CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURES, ASSISTANTS' SALARIES.


Sewers-comprising surveys, profiles, lines, grades, titles, plans and assessments $3,096.65


Highways-comprising plans, profiles, titles, esti- mates, lines and grades ·


427.09


Edgestone-comprising profiles, lines, grades, measurements, titles, costs and assessments . 373.82 Water Works-comprising lines, locations of mains and services ·


122.47


Public Grounds-comprising surveys, plans, pro- files, grades and estimates . 40.98


Public Buildings-comprising surveys, lines, grades and estimates . 105.67


Street Numbering-comprising locations of build- ings, plans and affixing street numbers on houses


132.24


Amount carried forward,


$4,298.92


521


REPORT OF THE CITY ENGINEER.


Amount brought forward $4,298.92 West End Street Railway Co .- comprising grades, plans and profiles 60.06


Middlesex Registry-comprising copying of plans and abstracts from deeds filed 61.31


Miscellaneous Work - comprising indexing, records of all locations, miscellaneous lines, grades, plans and estimates ·


589.38


City Survey


121.38


City Map


176.76


Total


.


$5,307.81


.


.


SEWERS.


TANNERY BROOK DRAINAGE SYSTEM.


The past year a storm relief drain, trunk sewers and laterals have been constructed in the Tannery Brook Valley, West Som- erville.


This work has been contemplated for a number of years, but not until recently have all obstacles been overcome sufficiently to enable the work of construction to proceed.


An act allowing the City of Somerville to drain a portion of her territory in West Somerville through the City of Cam- bridge was passed by the Massachusetts Legislature, April 4, 1896, and satisfactory agreements between the two cities were concluded for the construction and maintenance of that portion of the structure to be built within the limits of the City of Cam- bridge.


Two objects were aimed at in the designing of this system :- One to provide for the storm water drainage and sewerage of the district through which the line of work is carried, lying partly in Somerville and partly in Cambridge, embracing a total area of about 350 acres,


522


ANNUAL REPORTS.


The other to provide a means of relieving the West Somer- ville district of the existing sewerage system, of the excess of rainfall now discharged into it.


Under former conditions, the sewers in the vicinity of Davis Square were overcharged whenever heavy rains prevailed, and complaints of flooded cellars had long been a matter of regular occurrence.


Apart from these merely local conditions, affecting the upper end of our sewer system, it was likewise desirable to relieve also the lower sections of the main sewerage system of the city by some convenient and practical diversion of the storm water flow, in preference to any expensive remodelling and reconstructing of the present sewers; with these conditions in view the Tannery Brook system was designed.


The natural drainage outlet of the district is the Tannery Brook, discharging into Alewife Brook at a point about nineteen hundred feet northwest of the Cambridge-Somerville line.


The northwesterly side of Clarendon Avenue, in Cambridge, was selected on this stream as the point of discharge for the pro- posed storm drainage conduit, and this was the reason for ob- taining a special act of the Legislature authorizing the work as mentioned previously.


The dimensions of the storm water drain were based on the heaviest rainfall, assumed to fall upon the total area of acres . included in the natural drainage district, and from the existing sewers from which the storm water was to be diverted.


As the drain would pass, for a considerable portion of its length, through the low lying land, not affording a sufficient depth of cover for an ordinary circular structure of the requisite capacity, a wide and shallow construction was adopted with a curved bottom and vertical sides, supporting steel I beams, be .. tween which short spans of brick work are built, forming the cover or roof of the structure; over the whole of this is a layer of concrete, joining the side walls which are also of concrete, with the exception of three hundred and sixty-five feet in length at the outlet which are constructed of brick and rubble stone masonry.


523


REPORT OF THE CITY ENGINEER.


The storm drain at its outlet is seven feet two inches wide and four feet high, inside; the width is gradually reduced until at Davis Square it is four feet four inches, the height being four feet throughout.


Special connections have been left at Cameron Avenue and Gorham Street for the purpose of diverting storm water from the Holland Street sewer in the future; and an overflow connection between the present main sewer in Davis Square and this new storm conduit has been constructed.


Where the route of the storm drain passes Dover and Day Streets, in Davis Square, the old sewers in these streets are car- ried over the roof of the drain through twenty-inch cast-iron pipes.


Much attention has been devoted to the inside lining of the drain, which is of Portland cement plaster, one inch in thickness on the bottom and one half inch on the side walls, worked to a very smooth surface so as to facilitate the flow and prevent the formation of deposits.




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