USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1909 > Part 30
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66
Inadequate
English High.
66
66
66
66
Highland
66
66
66
Good
Hodgkins
66
"
66
66
Knapp
Lincoln
66
66
66
Perry
66
¥
66
Pope
66
¥
66
66
66
Prescott
66
66
66
Proctor
66
Lowe
66
66
66
66
66
Carr
Cummings
¥
66
Edgerly
closet
Forster
Glines
.
66
66
Bingham
Brown
¥
66
66
66
66
66
"
Morse
66
General Working Condition.
384
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Installation of Heating and Ventilating System in the Highland School.
The furnace system of heating and ventilating which had been in constant use for a great many years in this school build- ing was so absolutely unfit for further use that it became neces- sary to install an entirely new system. The one decided on as the best adapted to the needs of the building was the gravity system. Plans were made by the commissioner of public build- ings. The construction of the building was of such a nature that the ventilating flues of the old, with some alterations, could be used for similar purposes in the new system. In order to ar- range for boilers and fresh-air chambers it was necessary to re- arrange the basement of the building. This work consisted of mason, carpenter, plumbing and steel work. Estimates were received and publicly opened by Mayor John M. Woods on July 8, 1909, for this heating and ventilating work, as follows :-
If Sectional Boilers Were Used.
If Tubular Boilers Were Used.
A. B. Franklin
$5,135 00
$3,957 00
Pierce & Cox
4,942 00
3,953 00
McLean & Cousins
4,884 00
3,939 00
Whitten & Jackson
4,777 00
4,071 00
Duncan & Co.
4,773 00
3,679 00
Huey Brothers
4,627 00
3,867 00
Hurley & Co.
4,245 00
3,300 00
The lowest bidders, Messrs. Hurley & Co., were awarded the contract by his honor, the mayor. The contract called for the installation of a steam heating system in accordance with the plans and specifications made by the commissioner of public buildings. The specifications included everything except the metal work, which was omitted on account of the uncertainty of the amount to be required. Work on the installation of this plant was begun at once by the successful bidders and was com- pleted in time for the opening of the school yearin September.
Inspection of Buildings.
There have been issued during the year 1909, 373 permits for new buildings and alterations. This number is 115 more than in 1908. The total estimated cost of the new buildings and alterations was $1,443,729, while the cost in 1908 was $954,145, showing an increase of $489,584.
During the year there have been made 1,276 regular inspec- tions of private buildings in the course of construction.
385
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The following table will show the number of permits in each ward and the use for which they were intended :-
WARDS.
Buildings.
Total.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Dwellings
9
20
18
19
31
44
125
266
Stores
1
1
1
3
4
3
7
20
Stables
0
2
3
1
1
0
0
7
Manufactories
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
4
Brick buildings
0
2
1
0
1
1
8
13
Miscellaneous
12
9
7
11
9
7
8
63
Total
22
35
30
34
47
56
149
373
The number of plumbing permits issued during the year was Permits for plumbing in new buildings
205
Permits for plumbing in old buildings Number of buildings in which soil pipes were tested
215
349
Number of master plumbers' licenses, 49 at $.50
$24.50
Number of journeyman plumbers' licenses, 26 at $.50
13.00
Number of new master plumbers' licenses, 1 at $2.00
2.00
Number of new journeyman plumbers' licenses, 3 at $.50
1.50
Total
. $41.00
421
Respectfully submitted,
WALTER T. LITTLEFIELD, Commissioner of Public Buildings.
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS.
OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER OF ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS, -
January 1, 1910.
To the Honorable, the Mayor, and the Board of Aldermen of the City of Somerville :-
Gentlemen, -- I most respectfully submit my first annual re- port as commissioner of electric line and lights for the year end- ing December 31, 1909.
The work of the electrical department consists of the fol- lowing :-
Inspection of electrical wiring in buildings.
Construction, maintenance, and operation of the fire and police alarm systems.
Supervision and inspection of poles and wires on the streets, underground conduits and wires, and street lighting.
Inspection of Wiring in Buildings.
The inspection of electrical wiring in buildings has been given careful attention. As work is being done in a number of cases by incompetent persons, a rigid supervision of all work installed is necessary in order to insure the smallest possible chance of fire and danger to persons who are users of electric current.
The general class of work as a whole shows a marked im- provement over previous years, being brought about by the united efforts of the various insurance, electrical and other in- terests which have approved of the National Board of Fire Underwriters' rules governing the installation of electric wiring and apparatus, as published in the "National Electric Code."
The enforcement of these rules and requirements by the various electrical departments, and co-operation given the in- spection departments by reliable electrical contractors, has re- sulted in a more durable and safe class of construction, and property owners should see that proper notifications of any new work or changes of the old be given the electrical inspection department in order that unsafe installations which are not up to the standard requirements may be made so, thereby avoiding the possibility of electrical fires or more serious consequences.
387
COMMISSIONER OF ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS.
Number of notifications of new work received ·
749
Number of inspections of new work
670
Number of re-inspections of new work 165
Number of inspections of old work
216
Number of defective installations of old work
186
Number of defective installations remedied
104
Number of re-inspections of old work .
104
Total number of inspections .
1,155
Number of permits issued to The Edison Electric Illu- minating Company for installing meters, lamps, etc. . 431
Number of incandescent lamps added 4,947
Number of arc lamps added
5
Number of motors added
54
Horse power of motors .
.
151
Construction, Etc., of the Fire and Police Alarm Systems. FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.
This system has given good service during the past year, 215 alarms having been transmitted correctly.
There are 117 signal boxes which are inspected on an aver- age of once a month, reducing to a minimum the possibility of a box not giving an alarm when pulled.
All wires and equipment are under a constant inspection to insure a perfect system, and the absence of any serious trouble during the severe storm of December 25 and 26 shows the result of such supervision, there being but two breaks in the lines, which were repaired in a short time.
The fire alarm equipment consists of the following : 117 signal boxes, one eight-circuit automatic repeater, eight tower strikers, thirty-one gongs, nine indicators, forty-six tappers, one automatic steam whistle, twelve private telephones con- necting the various fire stations, 494 cells storage battery, and about 150 miles of overhead wire and 21,046 feet of under- ground cable.
There have been two new signal boxes added during the year :-
Box 124, corner Mt. Vernon and Pearl streets.
Box 453, Powder House boulevard, corner Packard ave- nue.
Two more new signal boxes have been ordered and will be placed as follows :-
Box 211, corner Calvin and Dimick streets.
Box 411, corner Mossland and Elm streets.
Duplicate signal box 46 has been re-numbered 412.
Signal boxes 31, 47, and 423 have been removed from the fire houses where they were located and placed on iron posts on the sidewalk in front and lighted by red lanterns.
Six keyless doors have been placed on signal boxes in place of the plain key doors, and have proven a check to false alarms.
388 I
ANNUAL REPORTS.
The four-round boxes have been cut down to two and three rounds, thereby doing away with unnecessary ringing of bells.
There has been 13,950 feet of new No. 10 triple braid-cov- ered wire run and 1,860 feet of twisted pair copper wire for tele- phones, etc.
Twelve thousand one hundred and forty feet of old bare wire has been replaced by new covered wire.
Eleven thousand and sixty feet of lead-covered cable, con- sisting of two, four, six, eight, ten, and twelve conductors, have been placed underground on Broadway from Magoun square to Arlington line, and the old overhead wires removed.
The placing of wires underground should be carried along as fast as possible, as the removal of overhead wires removes the possibility of outside interference and adds to the efficiency of the fire alarm system.
POLICE SIGNAL SYSTEM.
The police signal system has received its usual attention and has given as satisfactory service as can be expected, it hav- ing been installed over twenty years ago and being in need of a thorough overhauling and the entire system brought up to date.
The register and time clock at the police station have been repaired and batteries renewed, but constant attention is re- quired to keep the system in working order.
The equipment consists of the following: Fifty-two signal boxes, one four-circuit instrument desk, 125 cells of closed cir- cuit battery.
Supervision of Poles and Wires on the Streets, Underground Con- duits and Wires and Street Lighting.
Careful attention has been given to the condition of poles and wires on the streets and notification immediately given to the companies owning them when found defective. All such notices have received prompt attention.
Very little trouble has been experienced with poles and wires on the streets, employees from this department taking care of any dangerous wires until attended to by the companies owning same.
A large number of defective poles have been replaced or removed, and new poles placed in locations granted.
New
Re- Poles. placed. moved.
Re-
Re- set.
New England Telephone & Telegraph Co.
61
24
4
13
Edison Electric Illuminating Co ..
25
83
10
8
Boston Elevated Railway Co.
62
30
1
Permits given to New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. for attachments to Edison Electric Illuminating Co.'s poles . 435
389
COMMISSIONER OF ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS.
Permits given to Western Union Telegraph Co. for attachments to Edison Electric Illuminating Co.'s poles 1 Permits given to Edison Electric Illuminating Co. for attach- ments to New England Telephone & Telegraph Co.'s poles, 25
The New England Telephone and Telegraph Company has removed all its overhead local service wires on Broadway to the Arlington line, and its trunk lines will be placed underground in a short time.
The Edison Electric Illuminating Company has removed its high tension wires on Broadway as far as Willow avenue, and other wires will be placed underground in a short time.
The Boston Elevated Railway Company has located iron poles, for span and feed wires, on Broadway from Grant to Bartlett streets, and the high wooden poles are being re- moved.
Pole and line construction done by the various companies has been satisfactory, but a large amount of old construction should be overhauled.
Street Lighting.
The lighting of the streets of the city is very satisfactory, but additional lights could be placed in various sections to good advantage.
A new contract having been made with the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, the lighting of the streets is accom- plished at a much smaller cost than heretofore.
The rates under the new schedule are as follows: 425 watt arc lamps, $36 each per year, and 1} cents per hour per lamp ; forty C. P. incandescents, $10.80 each per year, and } cent per hour per lamp. On these prices a discount of ten per cent. is made. There is also a discount of one cent per hour for incan- descents, and five cents per hour for arc lamps for outages.
Arcs.
Incan- descents.
Number of street lights January 1, 1909
484
648
Number of street lights added, 1909
11
35
Number of street lights discontinued
5
5
Number of street lights December 31, 1909
490
678
Electrical Department.
CREDIT.
Appropriation
$8,500 00
Edison Electric Illuminating Co., grounding wires
125 00
Brown & Simonds Co., fire alarm box
50 00
Cochrane Chemical Co. (carboys returned),
11 50
Total credit
-
$8,686 50
390 1
ANNUAL REPORTS.
DEBIT.
Salaries
$5,342 88
Wires, insulators, etc.
783 48
Wagon repairs .
4 00
Harnesses and repairing same
54 20
Fire alarm and police signal boxes
1,264 25
Board of horses
431 72
Incidentals
676 09
Total debit
$8,556 62
Amount unexpended
$129 88
Underground Construction.
CREDIT.
1
Appropriation
$1,500 00
Balance unexpended, 1908
3,171 87
Total credit
$4,671 87
Labor
$769 20
Materials
2,965 27
Incidentals
8 50
Total debit
$3,742 97
Amount unexpended
$928 90
Street Lights.
CREDIT.
Appropriation
.
$50,000 00
DEBIT.
Edison Electric Illuminating Co., lighting .
$52,298 63
Amount overdrawn
$2,298 63
Recommendations.
I respectfully recommend that :-
The old style fire alarm signal boxes, which were installed with the original fire alarm system, be gradually replaced by new and improved boxes.
The police signal system be changed from the present closed circuit system to the modern open circuit system.
The ordinances governing the installation of electrical wiring in buildings be amended or changed to obtain a more strict observance of the rules and regulations laid down by this department.
Additional facilities for transportation be furnished this de- partment on account of the rapidly-increasing number of in-
DEBIT.
391
COMMISSIONER OF ELECTRIC LINES AND LIGHTS.
spections and the large territory to be covered, the work could be done more expeditiously.
Conclusion.
I wish to thank your honorable board and other officials for the many courtesies extended to me, and for your kind as- sistance, and I respectfully submit the above for your considera- tion.
Respectfully, WALTER I. FULLER, Commissioner of Electric Lines and Lights.
SOMERVILLE WATER WORKS.
SOMERVILLE, MIDDLESEX CO., MASSACHUSETTS.
Area of city, including land and water, about 4.22 square miles. Population, estimated, 75,500. Entire population on line of pipe and supplied with water.
Water works owned by City of Somerville. Construction commenced in 1868. Source of supply : Metropolitan system, taking water of the Nashua river at Clinton, Mass.
Mayor HON. JOHN M. WOODS.
Water Commissioner
FRANK E. MERRILL.
Office of the Water Department,
Room 10, City Hall.
Department Buildings and Yard,
Cedar street, near Broadway,
REPORT OF THE WATER COMMISSIONER.
OFFICE OF THE WATER COMMISSIONER, -
January, 1910.
To His Honor, the Mayor, and the Board of Aldermen :-
I present herewith my report for the year ending Decem- ber 31, 1909, this being the thirty-sixth annual report made by the water department, and my tenth as water commissioner :-
Receipts and Expenditures.
Water bills have been issued as follows :-
"Annual" water charges, amounting to
"Additional" water charges, amounting to
$109,875 75 4,744 46
"Metered" water charges, amounting to
109,994 62
1
Annual and Add'l. $1,125 52
Metered.
Abatements on above charges
$209 89
Refunds on above charges .
153 36
8 64
Abatements on 1908 charges
2 50
$1,278 88
$221 03
1,499 91
Income from sale of water
$223,114 92
Amount received from water service as-
sessments ·
$3,816 32
Amount received for labor and materials
11,281 41
$15,097 73
Refunds on above amounts
21 63
15,076 10
Total income of water works .
$238,191 02
This amount was used as follows :-
For water works purposes :-
Water works maintenance
$25,733 77
Water works extension .
14,198 08
Miscellaneous accounts
15,097 73
Interest on water loan bonds
2,460 00
Maturing water loan bonds
6,000 00
Metropolitan water works assessment
112,573 20
For other municipal purposes :-
Sewers, maintenance
$12,000 00
Fire department
38,000 00
Reduction of funded debt
12,128 24
62,128 24
$238,191 02
.
$176,062 78
.
$224,614 83
394
ANNUAL REPORTS.
In addition to the appropriations from water income to other municipal purposes enumerated above, water has been furnished without charge to all the city departments that have required its use, and it is paid for out of the income from sale of water.
Department Receipts and Disbursements. WATER MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT.
DR.
CR.
Amount appropriated by board of aldermen from water income
$30,000 00
Sundry receipts for labor and materials .
11,281 41
Materials used in extension of the water works
13,279 50
Amount expended for labor and materials
for operation, maintenance, and re- newal of the water works
$25,733 77
Amount expended for materials used in ex- tension of the water works .
13,279 50
Miscellaneous accounts
11,281 41
Unexpended balance
4,266 23
$54,560 91
$54,560 91
WATER WORKS EXTENSION ACCOUNT.
DR.
CR.
Amount appropriated by board of aldermen from water income
$15,000 00
Receipts from 211 water service assess- ments of 1909 and 2 of previous years, Labor and materials used in extension of the water works
3,816 32
$14,198 08
Miscellaneous accounts
3,816 32
Unexpended balance
801 92
$18,816 32
$18,816 32
Cost of Water Works.
The total cost of the water works on December 31, 1908, as represented by the expenditures from appropria- tions for water works extension was .
$908,636 18
Expended during the year 1909, on extension account 14,198 08
Total expenditures, December 31, 1909
$922,834 26
·
Water Debt.
Water loan bonds have been issued on funded debt account to the amount of $1,017,000 ; this has been reduced by $961,000, leaving the water debt on December 31, 1909, $56,000.
395
WATER DEPARTMENT.
The outstanding bonds mature as follows :-
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
YEAR.
AMOUNT.
1910
$6,000
1916
$5,000
1911
6,000
1917
5,000
1912
6,000
1918
5,000
1913
6,000
1919
4,000
1914
6,000
1920
2,000
1915
5,000
Water Works Income from 1898 and its Distribution.
The water income and its distribution from 1898 to 1909, inclusive, is shown in the following table :-
Total water income, years 1898 to 1909, inclusive $2,648,925 81 Distribution :-
Water Works Account.
Water Works Construction, Renewal, Main- tenance and Operation .
$655,033 92
Water Bonds
218,000 00
Interest
74,595 00
Metropolitan Water Assessments
862,474 72
$1,810,103 64
Other Municipal Accounts.
Construction
$117,035 65
Maintenance
122,450 00
Sewers
3
Bonds
72,000 00
Interest
58,792 00
Assessments
31,000 00
$401,277 65
Fire Department, Maintenance
279,026 33
Health Department, Maintenance
7,500 00
Suppression of Moths
1,000 00
Reduction of Funded Debt
148,229 11
Unappropriated Balances
1,789 08
$2,648,925 81
Extension of Water Distribution System. STREBT MAINS.
The total number of feet of new mains laid, including hydrant, blow-off and waterpost branches, was 9,160; there was removed or abandoned 2,046 feet, making the water pipe mileage of the city approximately 94.27 miles.
The most important work of the year in the distribution department of the work has been the re-location of the water mains and connections made necessary by the elimination of the grade crossing of the Fitchburg railroad in Somerville ave-
396
ANNUAL REPORTS.
nue. The work has continued at intervals for the greater part of the year, in keeping with the progress made by the bridge contractors, and is now practically completed, the only large portion of the work yet to be done being the pipe line over the bridge structure, which cannot be laid until the iron work is in place. The trench work for this job has been done by con- tractors employed by the Boston & Maine railroad and under their supervision, while the pipes have been furnished and laid by the water department. The entire cost of the work has been charged to the Boston & Maine railroad, and ten per cent. of the amount will, under the statutes, be later assessed back to the city. The general scheme of the re-construction was a double supply, one line running through the low-grade drive- way from a point near the beginning of the westerly grade of the bridge to a point beyond the beginning of the easterly grade, crossing the railroad location under the tracks; the other line commencing and ending at the same points as the first one, but lying in the elevated roadway and passing over the bridge structure on brackets just outside the easterly side- walk. The work in Somerville avenue involved the laying of 2,842 feet of twelve-inch pipe, 206 feet of six-inch pipe, twenty- two feet of four-inch pipe, 166 feet of two-inch pipe, eighteen gate valves, twelve hydrants, and two blow-offs, and removing 1,663 feet of pipe, seven gate valves, and six hydrants. A new twelve-inch water pipe 241 feet long was laid through the new street formed by the widening of Congress place, connecting the main in Linwood street with the high-level pipe line in Somerville avenue; also, a new twelve-inch main 185 feet long was laid through the driveway under the bridge connecting the Linwood-street main with the low-level pipe line in Somerville avenue. Sixty-two feet of pipe were laid in the re-construc- tion of the Linwood and Fitchburg-street mains. The large service connections to the yards of the North Packing & Pro- vision Company, John P. Squire & Co., Boston & Maine rail- road, and to the buildings of the Jackson & Newton Company and International Harvester Company were cut off from the old main and connected with the new pipes, with such changes in size and locations as seemed desirable. The original plans submitted by the water commissioner for this work were ac- cepted in full by the Boston & Maine railroad, and the work has been carried on to practical completion with the hearty co- operation of their engineering staff.
Of less magnitude has been the work of re-locating the mains on account of the construction of the Lowell-street bridge, but a considerable amount of labor has been spent in raising 229 feet of old water mains to the new grades in Lowell, Princeton, and Vernon streets, and in extending the ten-inch pipe in Lowell street for a distance of ninety-two feet to the
397
WATER DEPARTMENT.
southerly abutment of the new bridge, and in re-laying services, blow-off and hydrant branches along the line of the re-located mains.
The growth of the city has called for the extension of the distribution mains in the following streets: Acadia park, 204 feet six-inch pipe; Boston avenue, 374 feet eight-inch pipe ; Chetwynd road, 383 feet eight-inch pipe; Conwell avenue, 207 feet ten-inch pipe; Dickson street, 156 feet six-inch pipe; Hill street, 360 feet six-inch pipe; Kenneson road, 42 feet eight- inch pipe; Liberty road, 90 feet two-inch pipe; Mason street, 189 feet ten-inch pipe; Meacham street, 129 feet two-inch pipe; Ossipee road east, 666 feet eight-inch pipe; Pearson road, 333 feet eight-inch pipe; Powder House boulevard, 749 feet ten- inch pipe; Somerville avenue (westerly end), 248 feet six-inch pipe ; Talbot avenue, 84 feet twelve-inch pipe; Victoria street, 93 feet two-inch pipe; Walker street, 358 feet eight-inch pipe ; Walnut road, 85 feet six-inch and two-inch pipe. In addition to the above, 365 feet of pipe of various sizes have been laid on short extensions and hydrant, blow-off, and waterpost connec- tions.
Trench work, excavating, and re-filling for water pipes was done by contract labor in the following streets and at prices named :-
TRENCH WORK.
Street.
Feet of Trench.
Cu. Yards Rock.
Contractor.
Earth. Lin. Ft.
Rock. Cu. Yd.
Total Cost of Trench Work.
Average Cost per foot of Trench Work.
Chetwynd road
343.2
103.1
B. Burke .
$ .28
$2.70
$374.47
$1.09
Ossipee road
east
632.
18
T. F. Crimmings
.39
3.00
300.48
0.475
Powder House boulevard !
655.3
33
T. F. Crimmings
.34
2.50
319.39
0.487
The pipes and all materials required were furnished, and the pipe-laying done in each street by the water department.
Hydrants, Gates, etc.
Thirty-four fire hydrants were set and sixteen removed, making a net addition of eighteen, and the total number in the city 1,056. Forty-seven new gate valves of various sizes were installed, and fifteen removed or abandoned, the net increase in number being thirty-two, and the total number in use 1,454. Three blow-offs were installed, one in Acadia park to clear the water from the dead end, and two in Somerville avenue to draw the water from the pipe over the Fitchburg railroad bridge. No new waterposts were installed; seven were re-set in new
398
ANNUAL REPORTS.
locations, and one has been removed temporarily on account of the work at the Somerville-avenue railroad crossing.
Water Services.
Two hundred and eleven new service pipes were laid dur- ing the year, this number being forty-two more than that of the previous year. The number of feet of service pipe laid was 8,016; the total length in the city is approximately seventy- eight miles, and the number of house connections 12,018. Ten services were discontinued or cut off from the mains where their use was no longer required.
Water Meters.
Eight hundred and thirty-eight new meters have been in- stalled during the year on services not previously metered; thirty-two which had been removed for various causes were re-set; forty-eight were removed on account of permanent or temporary discontinuance of use of water; the net increase in number of meters in actual service being 822, and the total number of such in operation on December 31, 5,147. The kinds and sizes of meters now installed are shown in the follow- ing table :-
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