Report of the city of Somerville 1898, Part 26

Author: Somerville (Mass.)
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Somerville, Mass.
Number of Pages: 870


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1898 > Part 26


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refusal to receive . 82


unusual, prohibited . 81


Pupils not to be sent from school 85 constantly employed 123


Quorum of Board


6


Reading


93


Recesses 106


Registers 114


State requirements page 481


and returns 72


to include what 88


to be kept . 88


to be examined


72


Regulations common to all schools 100-117


to take effect, when 154


Repairs of school buildings


27


Repairs, committee on 27


Reports, bi-monthly 124


to be sent to parents


87


Report of School Board .


38


Superintendent


38


teachers' absences


71


truant officers 51


Requisitions for supplies


151


Resignations, notice of


54


Returns to Secretary of State Board


page 480


Rules, how amended


10


changes in


28


suspension of 9


Salaries, schedule of


56


deduction for absence


54


how changed


29


when fixed


54


increase to take effect when


56


how paid 54


Sale of books prohibited 97


Scriptures to be read 105


Secretary of Board, duties of 13-17


election of 2


494


INDEX.


SECTION.


Sessions of evening schools 140, 141


high schools 103


kindergartens 121 grammar and primary schools . 103


Sewing to be taught 64


Scholarship, marking 125


School premises, oversight of 51


School year . 101


Schools to be kept eight months


page 476


Special instructors 60-66 election of 60


instruction, extended or restricted


66


instructors, subject to rules


61


meetings of Board


5


Standing Committees, how formed . 3 general duties of 18-31


Storm signal


41,104


Study at home


89


Studies required to be taught


page 476


Substitutes, how supplied


78


. pay of . 56,57


permanent


55


how nominated


26


Supervising Principals, duties of


76


to teach twelve hours 76


Supplies, how furnished 30, 145


for schools


36


to be ordered and cared for by Principals 70


Superintendent and his duties 32-44


at meetings of Board 37


election of 32


office and hours 43


Suspension of pupils . 83,84


for absence . 113


in evening schools 142, 143


Suspended pupils excluded from other schools .


84


reinstated 84


Suspension of rules


9


Tardiness of pupils 113


teachers 79


INDEX. 495


SECTION.


Teachers, absence of .


54, 78


cooperation of


99


duties of .


77-99


election of 53


ineligible for evening schools 99


nomination of 52


punctuality of . 79


professional training required . 59


to attend meetings 95


not to engage in other business 99


to follow course of study 96


to give moral instruction 80


not to be interrupted 94


to observe regulations 77 Teachers' meetings . 95


Temperature of school-rooms


91


Text-books and supplies . 145-151


to be furnished 145


care of


146


committee on


31


changes in


31


not to be used 96


Time reports of teachers 71


Time schedule to be followed 96


Tobacco, use of, prohibited 97


Transfers of pupils within district 35


from district 110


129


Transfers of teachers . 20


Truant officers, duties of 45-51


nomination of 26


45


to enforce ordinances


Truancy and truants 86


Truants, prosecution of page 484


Truancy, suspected 47


Truant schools page 481


Truants, support of page 483


to be prosecuted page 484


to lower grade


election of .


46


496


INDEX.


SECTION. Tuition of non-residents


108


Vacations


. 102


Vacancies, how filled


20, 39,53


Vaccination


. 107


Votes of Board, how communicated


44


Visitation, by kindergartners .


121


parents .


132


Superintendent 34


teachers 92


Ventilation


91


REPORT


OF THE


WATER COMMISSIONERS.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, February 15, 1899.


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


GEORGE I. VINCENT, Clerk.


IN COMMON COUNCIL, February 16, 1899.


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


CHARLES S. ROBERTSON, Clerk.


BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS, 1898. GEORGE D. WEMYSS, President.


WM. FRANKLIN HALL (term expires Dec. 31, 1898). Residence, 345 Broadway. GEORGE D. WEMYSS (term expires Dec. 31, 1899). Residence, 5 Austin street.


GEORGE A. KIMBALL (term expires Dec. 31, 1900). Residence, 33 Warren avenue.


SUPERINTENDENT OF THE WATER WORKS AND CLERK OF THE BOARD. FRANK E. MERRILL.


OFFICE OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT. Room 10, City Hall ..


ENGINEER AT PUMPING STATION. SIDNEY E. HAYDEN.


PUMPING STATION AND SHOP. Cedar street, near Broadway.


Bills against the department should be rendered to the Superintendent on or before the first day of each month, and are payable by the City Treasurer on the seventeenth of the month.


WATER WORKS BUILDING-FROM CEDAR STREET.


CITY OF SOMERVILLE.


OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS,


January 12, 1899.


To HIS HONOR, THE MAYOR, AND THE CITY COUNCIL : -


The Board of Water Commissioners present herewith, for your consideration, the twenty-fifth annual report of the depart- ment in their charge, covering the operations of the year ending December 31,. 1898.


The Board organized on the 3rd of February by the re-elec- tion of George D. Wemyss as President and Frank E. Merrill as Clerk of the Board. On the 8th of March Mr. Merrill was elected Superintendent of the Water Works, having been certi- fied for promotion to that office by the State Board of Civil Service Commissioners.


By legislative enactment (Chap. 33, Acts 1898), approved February 8, the name of the Somerville Mystic Water Board, established by Chap. 182, Acts of 1890, was changed to the Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Somerville.


FINANCES.


COST OF WATER WORKS.


The total cost of the water works on December


31, 1897, was $694,608.76


Expended during the year 1898 on construction account 26,970.22


Total cost December 31, 1898 $721,578.98


WATER DEBT.


The indebtedness of the city on account of the water works on December 31, 1897, was $294,000; this debt has been reduced during 1898 by the payments of bonds, maturing July 1


502


ANNUAL REPORTS.


and October 1, to the amount of $22,000 ; the indebtedness being now represented by bonds drawing interest as follows :-


$234,000.00 at 4 per cent. per annum. 28,000.00 at 5 per cent. per annum. 10,000.00 at 5 1-2 per cent. per annum.


WATER REVENUE.


Earnings of the department in 1898 from the


sale of water


$207,195.16


Water bills uncollected, Dec. 31, 1898 11,739.01


Cash collections in 1898


Received from City of Boston, water rates . $195,456.15


uncollected in 1897


5,278.88


Cash income, 1898


$200,735.03


The disposition of this income was as follows : -


Appropriated by the City Coun- cil for the use of the water department . $85,278.88


Appropriated by the City Coun- cil for the use of other departments


67,280.96


Metropolitan Water Works


Assessment


14,250.19


Applied to interest on water debt


11,925.00


Applied to reduction of water debt


22,000.00


$200,735.03


The following table, exhibiting the financial condition of the department from its first movements, is presented for reference and comparison : -


503


REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.


YEAR.


Water Loan Bonds Issued on Funded Debt Account.


Reduction of Funded Debt by Payments of Water Loan Bonds.


Expenditures for Construction of Water Works.


* Revenue from Water Works.


1869


$80,000.00


$92,203.27


$ 911.39


1870


60,000.00


66,546.50


1,907.63


1871


60,000.00


43,648.66


3,151.30


1872


90,000.00


$50,000.00


43,288.33


3,719.91


1873


60,000.00


20,000.00


27,691.26


5,084.97


1874


15,000.00


34,294.06


6,818.20


1875


20,000.00


13,375.76


9,652.37


1876


70,000.00


60,000.00


6,409.49


10,268.06


1877


10,000.00


13,845.74


10,735.90


1878


30,000.00


30,000.00


514.13


11,584.89


1879


791.56


12,341.60


1880


60,000.00


60,000.00


12,999.79


1881


40,000.00


40,000.00


14,697.37


1882


90,000.00


90,000.00


19,354.28


1883


7,500.00


7,500.00


19,661.67


1884


20,000.00


20,000.00


20,085.95


1885


20,000.00


20,000.00


21,542.28


1886


55,500.00


55,500.00


21,444.91


1887


9,000.00


9,000.00


42,650.57


1888


25,000.00


96,500.00


19,338.89


50,419.07


1889


90,000.00


19,000.00


81,117.43


51,470.91


1890


55,000.00


13,000.00


53,411.79


55.879.72


1891


10,000.00


+11,000.00


40,708.48


60,150.80


1892


28,000.00


23,000.00


34,863.17


77,640.91


1893


17,000.00


35,545.30


78,459.73


1894


18,000.00


28,375.67


83,401.30


1895


19,000.00


32,007.44


89,431.46


1896


$12,000.00


18,500.00


16,631.83


95,719.69


1897


21,000.00


10,000.00


99,688.57


1898


22,000.00


26,970.22


200,735.03


$1,017,000.00


$745,000.00


$721,578.98


$1,191,610.23


Total issue


$1,017,000.00


Total payments


745,000.00


Present water debt


$272,000.00


* From 1869 to 1886, inclusive, the basis of Somerville's water revenue was as follows :- The entire revenue from sale of water in Somerville was collected by the City of Boston and payments were made to this city on the following sliding scale : -


On annual receipts up to $20,000.00, Somerville's proportion was 15 per cent. On annual receipts 66


$20,000.00 to $30,000.00, Somerville's proportion was 20 per cent. $30,000.00 to $40,000.00 66 66 $$ 25 4 30 4


66 $40,000.00 to $50,000.00 66


exceeding $50,000.00, Somerville's proportion was 40 per cent.


In 1887 the contract was changed so that Somerville should receive 50 per cent. of the revenue, and this contract existed until January 1, 1898, on which date it was annulled, the revenue since that time being collected by the City of Somerville.


t In 1891, $5,000.00 of Water Loan Bonds were cancelled, City Loan Bonds being substituted for them.


# Renewal.


504


ANNUAL REPORTS.


The city is to be congratulated on the results of the first year's entire management of its own water works. Although most of the office work, including the making of assessments and preparation of the bills for collection, was entirely new to the department, it has been performed with little or no friction.


We feel that the credit for this is due to the very efficient work of our superintendent and his assistants. It has been a great source of pleasure to the water takers to be able to get all desired information, in connection with the operation of the department, as well as to pay their water bills, without going to a neighboring city for that purpose, as heretofore.


WATER SUPPLY.


The Metropolitan water was introduced on the first of the year. The city now has a water supply which equals that of almost any city in the country, both as regards quantity and quality.


This system will provide us with an abundant supply of excellent water for generations to come. The city has every reason to be satisfied and pleased with this new condition of things.


There are times when there is considerable sediment in the water in different parts of the city, especially in the vicinity of dead ends ; this condition is largely due to dirt getting into the pipes when there are breaks, and it will be improved as the cement-lined pipes are removed and the circulating system is extended.


RENEWALS, EXTENSIONS, ETC.


The year just closed has been one of the most important, as regards the amount of work accomplished, in the history of the department ; 7,536 feet of pipe of various sizes have been laid in extension of the works; 22,643 feet of cast-iron pipe have been laid in place of the old cement mains; 42 new hydrants have been set, making a total of 863 in the city ; 64 additional gates and 2 check valves have been put in, and 205 service connections have been laid.


There now remains about nine miles of cement-lined pipe in our streets, but only a portion of it has given any trouble.


BOX


HARNESS


STALL


ROOM


S


L


WASH


ROOM


CARRIAGE


HOUSE


WORK SHOP


J


A


STABLE


ST


OFFICE


ENGINE


ROOM


F.DOWN


· CITY OF SOMERVILLE .


· WATER DEPARTMENT · PLAN OF WATER-WORKS BUILDING.


BOILER ROOM


CHIMNEY


O


506


ANNUAL REPORTS.


507


REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.


NEW DEPARTMENT BUILDING.


During the year we have erected a brick building, adjoining and connected with the pumping station, containing a stable constructed on the most approved plans, with seven stalls and all conveniences ; including also a commodious wagon shed and storehouse, and a convenient workshop.


This enables us to concentrate the teams and all the material of every description needed for carrying on the work of the department at this one place, resulting in a great con- venience and a large saving in time and energy heretofore necessarily spent by having the teams kept at one end of the city and the materials required to do our work kept at the other end.


A man is on duty night and day, so that emergencies can be attended to without delay, thus making it possible to repair leaks and breaks with the least inconvenience to the public.


The building cost, complete, $15,513.55; this includes grad- ing and filling outside, granolithic flooring, plumbing, heating, electric wiring, etc., not included in the contract. By the new arrangement we have been able to discontinue the use of one telephone and make savings in other directions sufficient to justify the cost of the new building.


The old buildings which had so long served the purpose of office, workshop and stable have been placed at the disposal of the City Council.


HIGH SERVICE.


The high-service pumping plant has continued to work satis- factorily and is in first-class condition. The pump and wood- work of the pumping room have received a thorough cleaning and coat of varnish.


In order to carry out their plans, pending the completion of the Fells pumping station, the Metropolitan Water Board desired to use our pumping plant in connection with others in the Northern Metropolitan District, in order that the pumping might all be done into the general high-service system. Such an arrangement has, therefore, been made in order to facil- itate the operation of the high-water service in that district.


508


ANNUAL REPORTS.


WATER REVENUE.


It is very gratifying to the Commissioners that the income department of the works has, the first year of its operation, made such an excellent showing.


Reference to the details furnished in the report of the superintendent shows the earnings of the water works for the year to have been about $207,000.00, closely approaching our estimate of $210,000.00, given a year ago. This variation is easily attributable to the general business depression, entailing a considerable falling off in building construction.


The Board has very carefully considered the question of giving to the water consumers a portion of the benefits which may come under the provisions of the Metropolitan Water Act, by which the city is now obtaining its water from the sources controlled by the Metropolitan Water Board. The matter was gone over in all its bearings, estimates having been carefully made of the probable earnings and expenditures of the works for the next ten years.


The increase in assessments under the Metropolitan Water Act were taken into consideration; the certainty of an early and large decrease in expenses of maintenance of our own works, and the probability of about the same ratio of increase in the earnings of the department as has been shown in the last ten years were given due weight.


On the basis of an average income for the next ten years of but $210,000.00 per year and of average expenses for the same time, including payments of maturing bonds, interest require- ments, maintenance and extension of our works, and Metropoli- tan water-works assessments, all of which, by a fair estimate, will not exceed $127,000.00 per year, there would be an average surplus over expenses of $83,000.00 per year.


On this conservative basis it appears that a ten per cent. reduction in the water rates might be made which would benefit the water-tax payers to the extent of about $21;000.00 per year and would still leave a surplus of earnings to be devoted to municipal purposes of over $60,000.00 yearly.


The judgment of your Commissioners culminated, there- fore, in the passage of a vote on December 5th, to make a dis- count of ten per cent. on all water bills for the year 1899.


509


REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.


The Metropolitan Water Act provides in Section 20 that the Water Commissioners shall determine the rate to be paid for water by the owner of the premises to which water is fur- nished, subject to the approval of the Mayor and of the Metropolitan Water Board.


In accordance with these requirements of the statutes, a communication was sent to the Mayor on December 6th, stat- ing the action of the Board and asking his approval of the pro- posed reduction in the water rates. A similar communication was also forwarded to the Metropolitan Water Board, and action thereon was taken by that body on December 9th, the new schedule of rates being approved by that Board.


Our Mayor, however, after having given the matter careful thought and consulted with representative citizens and tax- payers from different sections of the city, felt compelled to dis- sent from the judgment of the Board relative to the expediency of making a reduction at the present time, and in a letter dated January 5th, very courteously, and with a full explanation of his reasons, declined to give his assent to the proposed reduction, and, therefore, the action of the Water Commissioners therein became inoperative. The Commissioners regret that they were not permitted to carry out their intention regarding a reduction of the water charges, yet they hope by another year this may be brought about.


For details regarding the condition and operation of the works during the year, reference is asked to the report of the Superintendent, presented in connection herewith.


GEORGE D. WEMYSS. GEORGE A. KIMBALL. WM. FRANKLIN HALL. Board of Water Commissioners.


510


ANNUAL REPORTS.


OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF THE WATER WORKS, January 14, 1899.


TO THE BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS : -


Following the usual custom, I respectfully submit herewith the annual detailed statement of the work performed by the water department during the year 1898.


The following table shows the


RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS FOR THE YEAR 1898.


WATER MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT.


Dr. Cr


Amount appropriated by City


$65,278.88


Council from water revenue Collections from sundry accounts for labor and materials ·


3,178.18


Collections from other sources


102.00


Balance from water service assessments 383.95


Materials furnished service


department .


$ 1,597.06


Labor and materials furnished


sundry persons


1,447.37


Labor and materials used in maintenance of the water works 65,856.62


Balance to credit of water debt . 41.96


$68,943.01 $68,943.01


WATER WORKS EXTENSION ACCOUNT.


Dr. Cr.


Amount appropriated by City Council from water revenue


$20,000.00


Amount carried forward


$20,000.00


511


REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.


Amount brought forward


$20,000.00


Amount transferred by City


Council from maintenance account 7,000.00


Labor and materials used in extension of the water works


$26,970.22


Balance to credit of water debt . 29.78


$27,000.00


$27,000.00


WATER SERVICE ACCOUNT.


Dr. Cr.


204 water service assessments


$3,516.24


Collections for extra labor and


material on above services . Labor and materials used in water service construction . Balance transferred to water maintenance account .


8.98


$3,141.27


383.95


$3,525.22


$3,525.22


ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT.


The income of the water works is derived from the sale of water, the charges therefor being grouped in three general divisions, viz. :


Annual charges : made at the beginning of the year and pay- able in advance.


Additional charges : made during the year for fractional parts thereof, or for specific purposes.


Metered charges : made at the close of each quarter for the sale of water by meter for the preceding three months.


The following table gives a summary of the work of the income department to December 31 :-


Total amount of all water bills rendered con- sumers in 1898 $212,460.26


Total amount abated consumers in 1898 5,265.10


Apparent earnings of Water Department, 1898 $207,195.16


Amount carried forward $207,195.16


512


ANNUAL REPORTS.


Amount brought forward $207,195.16 Total amount collected by City Treasurer, Dec. 31, 1898 195,456.15


Uncollected water bills Dec. 31, 1898 $11,739.01


Uncollected bills are apportioned as follows : - Metered water charges due Jan.


1,1899


$11,700.95


Annual water charges


10.00


Additional water charges ·


28.06


$11,739.01


From the above exhibit it will be seen that the water charges for the year have been practically all settled, the uncollected bills for metered water not being due until January 1, 1899, and consumers being then allowed ten days for their payment.


Herewith is shown a table giving the causes for which abatements were authorized and the amount of each : -


ABATEMENT TABLE.


Vacant premises


$2,141.84


Hose charges


1,475.00


Changes in ownership


208.20


Changes in premises, fixtures or occupation


520.15


Incorrect valuations and assessments


372.14


Incorrect meter registration and reading


406.94


Supplies discontinued


123.83


Uncollectible


17.00


.


.


$5,265.10


The large abatement on vacant premises is accounted for by the fact that all premises, whether occupied or not, are assessed unless the water has been shut off or fixtures sealed by this department. It has been the policy of the department to be strictly equitable and as liberal as the merits of each case would warrant.


In many cases hose charges were abated on account of the changes made in the method of street watering. A large num- ber of hose services on which abatements were granted early in the season, were afterwards again assessed and paid for.


513


REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.


It is expected that the abatement table will decrease in amount hereafter when conditions become more fully adjusted to our present system of accounting.


The card system of accounts which was devised for the clerical work of the department has, after a year's thorough test, demonstrated its entire adaptability to every requirement. The system is very flexible, and no failure in its operation has occurred.


During the month of January a large amount of work pre- paratory to getting the more than ten thousand water bills into the hands of the consumers is required to be performed in a very few days, and the modern methods which have been adopted in conjunction with the collecting department, could not be carried out by the use of the old style of book accounts. Except during the period above mentioned, two assistants are sufficient to perform all the office duties, which include a large amount of bookkeeping and routine work incidental to the operation of the department. Two temporary assistants are required during a portion of the month of January.


INSPECTION DEPARTMENT.


The city has been thoroughly canvassed for the data neces- sary in making up the yearly water charges ; every building has been inspected for water fixtures at least once, and each street has been traversed a second time for the purpose of obtaining any changes in buildings that may have been made since the first round.


The duties of the inspector require him also to have a sharp lookout for defective fixtures causing waste of water, and to see that the necessary remedies are applied. It has been found that one inspector is sufficient to perform all the duties required in this department and to be of assistance in other branches of the work. Defective fixtures have been discovered in 179 premises and the customary waste notices have been issued. In all these cases the department regulations have been complied with, and generally with promptness, only 11 second notifications having been necessary.


514


ANNUAL REPORTS.


It may be argued that little attention need be paid to the subject of waste of water on account of the practically unlimited supply back of us, but it should be remembered that all the water furnished to this city has to be pumped at the Chestnut Hill station, and a large portion of it again pumped at our own station ; consequently, the greater the waste, the larger the quantity of water that has to be pumped, and the correspond- ingly larger cost of operating the works, for which we are assessed our share.


RENEWAL OF STREET MAINS.


As has been the case in all recent years, the energy of the department in its street work has been most largely devoted to the replacing of the old cement-lined water mains with iron pipe. The pipes thus substituted have in most cases been of larger diameter than the old mains, thereby benefiting the cir- culating system by furnishing a greater abundance of water than was previously afforded.


Effort has been made the past season to relay all the street mains which have previously given the department any trouble, with the resultant effect that the number of breaks has been reduced to a minimum, and damages have been very slight.


A number of breaks occurred early in January, as the result of the increased pressure on our mains from the introduction of the Metropolitan water supply, and several were caused in December by the addition of the College Hill district to our high-service system. There is now in our streets about nine miles of the cement-lined pipe, which is growing weaker every year, and a large portion of it should be replaced during the coming season.


The work has been carried on in harmony with the highway - department, and several streets which were to be repaired by that department have first received my attention by laying new water mains so that the streets need not be again dug up and the surface injured by the water works. There has been relaid during the year 22,643 feet of pipe of various sizes, as shown in the tabular statement appended hereto. The old pipe in Broad- way, from Central street to Cedar street, has been abandoned, the high-service main now furnishing the supply along that line.




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