USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Attleboro > Reports of town officers of the town of Attleborough 1896 > Part 6
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13
ANNUAL REPORT.
The West Division comprised that portion ot territory lying north and east of Rhode Island State line, west of County street to its intersection with Thacher street, and covering all the territory west of this point to Cumberland line and North Attleboro line, as far north as the Deanville road. Mr. A. S. Barney was placed in charge of this the West Division.
The North Division comprised all the remaining por- tion of our highway territory, and was placed under the direction of Mr. C. S. Cummings.
By reason of the necessary equipments recently fur- nished by the town, we are prepared to do more and better work in this department than formerly, as we are enabled to take advantage of preparing the material and holding it, in anticipation of the demand, and the facilities for moving it with greater rapidity to the desired location.
At our Stone Crusher plant on Pine street, we have ample room for depositing thousands of tons of crude stone, which is delivered there by people who reside in tlie rural sections adjoining our village, and at the price paid by the town of 40 cents per ton, it is delivered there at all seasons of the year, whenever parties can deliver it most conveniently, and under this arrangement there seems to be no difficulty in providing a sufficient quantity of stone at all times.
The Platform Scales which were purchased last year are conveniently located, so that they may be manipulated in the engine house, and the engineer, who has been duly appointed weigher, attends to the weighing, makes and returns a record of all stone received from the several parties who deliver it.
The Stone Crusher, which was purchased last year of the Farrel Machine Co., of Ansonia, Conn., lias given
ANNUAL REPORT.
good satisfaction, although such a piece of machinery with its attachments, must in the performance of its work be subjected to severe and constant wear in many of its parts, and consequently require quite an expenditure each year for repairs.
The estimated expense for repairs of the Crusher and Engine machinery during the past year is about $400, and when carefully attended to and fed, the Crusher is capable of masticating about :00 tons of crude stone in ten hours.
Aside from the Stone Crusher, Engine and their be- longings, the town is now equipped in the Highway De- partment service with four Carts, eight Snow Plows, two Road Machines or Scrapers, three Water Carts, a Roller and Sewer Wagon, and aside from the horses of the Fire Department, (which are available for highway service un- der certain conditions) there are three horses used exclu- sively for service in this department. During the past year there has been a force of seven men who have had constant employment, and in the west and south divisions employment has been furnished for eight or ten men and four or five teams during about three months of the year.
The southerly portion of County street has received a larger expenditure during the past year than has been made there during any one year since the opening of that highway to public travel.
Early in the year the abutments of a stone culvert over a small stream near the crossing of the Seven Mile River, were found to be defective, and on further examina- tion the entire stone covering was found to be in an unsafe condition. The highway west of the bridge had long been allowed to remain in an unwarranted condition also ; con- sequently it seemed imperative that quite an expenditure be made there, and Mr. Smith the division superintendent
15
ANNUAL REPORT.
1
was ordered to make such repairs as were necessary in that locality.
The bridge abutments were made secure and were ex- tended some 12 feet, then the highway for several hundred feet west of the bridge was straightened and filled, thereby making a permanent improvement there which for many years has been needed. Mr. James O. Read who resides near the bridge furnished stone for the extension of the abutments of the bridge, and about 600 loads of material for the construction of the roadway where it was straight- ened, and Mr. Joseph Armell furnished the covering stone for the bridge, each of them making no demand for compensation.
In the early part of March we were called upon to make extended repairs on what is known as Peter's Hill on Coun- ty street, between the town farm and the Read and Ide neighborhood. For a number of years only a meagre ex- penditure of money had been made on this hill, not because the roadway was in good condition, but because it could be carried along from year to year and kept passable without doing any permanent work there, and it was evident to every one who considered the situation, that the entire hill road- way on both slopes should be reconstructed, but to perform such a work would require a larger expenditure than could be spared from the appropriation.
A complaint was made to us in March that a danger- ous place existed in the roadway on the south slope of this hill, and that a loaded team had foundered there, causing the death of a horse and considerable damage to a wagon. On investigation it was deemed necessary to fill and drain the roadway on both north and south slopes of the hill for a distance of nearly a mile, and as the material of which the road was made (the natural soil of the locality) was a
16
ANNUAL REPORT.
cloggy marl, which was regarded as unfit for road material, we were obliged to make a long haul of the material used on the south slope, thereby making the work more than ordinarily expensive. Hundreds of loads of stone were buried in the muddy roadway (of which Mr. George F. Ide furnished 165 loads without compensa- tion) and filling almost the entire length of both slopes of the hill to a depth of from six to twelve inches, was carted on and properly graded and drained. We feel confident that a permanent improvement has been made on that section of County street, which will be ap- preciated, and that very little expenditure will be necessa- ry there for several years to come.
In other sections of the South Division considerable work has been accomplished. In the vicinity of Brigg's Corner, near Rehoboth line; on Thurber street, South Main street and Locust street, and in these several sections the Hebron Mfg. Co., E. V. Carpenter and Henry Lord have furnished gravel for road construction without compensation.
In the South Division during the past year 5606 loads of road material have been moved, 2079 loads of gravel were bought, 185 loads of stone and 2502 loads of other material were taken from the roadside, and 840 loads of gravel were contributed.
The total amount expended in the South Division during the year, $1395.60.
In the West Division under the direction of Mr. Barney, more than 5000 loads of road material has been moved, and on Turner street, west from Washington street to the R. I. line, a very perceptible improvement has been made, and in some sections of this line of highway no ex-
17
ANNUAL REPORT.
penditure has been made before for about twenty years.
On the section in front of the Turner Street School House something over 500 loads of material have been utilized in the building up and draining of that thoroughfare.
Walnut Grove Hill, near Attleboro City, has been quite thoroughly repaired, and six or seven hundred loads of material have been judiciously expended in the work
Washington street, between the crossing of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. and the Old Barrows Tavern, has been for several years in an undesirable condition, and aware of this fact, we had hoped that ere this some move would be made by the State Highway Commission on that section of our highways, and thereby relieving the town from any extended repairs there. Consequently we have tried to meet only the necessities there, and make the roadway safe for public travel, without the expense of a thorough reconstruction.
On the 23rd of May, 1895, a petition was forwarded to the Hig way Commission, asking them to accept as a State Highway, that section of road known as the Boston and Providence Turnpike, running from Pawtucket line to the Old Barrow's place, and continuing through Attleboro City to its connection with Washington street again near the Old Dunster house, (so called, ) but by some manage- ment which seems somewhat mysterious to us, our petition has been allowed to remain dormant, although an effort was made last year to revive it. With our experience of the past three years it is now our opinion that for a period of years at least we are not liable to receive any action by the Commission which would be favorable to the interests of Attleboro in this connection.
18
ANNUAL REPORT.
During the past year more than 1000 loads of material have been judiciously distributed there to fill defective places, which has served to keep the roadway reasonably passable. Good material for road construction is not to be obtained in that immediate vicinity, consequently the thorough work demanded there will require quite a large expenditure.
In the comparitively new settlement on what is known as "St. Jean Baptiste Plat," in the extreme southwesterly part of the town, there are no "town ways," although there are thirty-six families. The surface of the land there is diversified with deep ravines and winding wagon tracks, but there is nothing worthy of the name of street or road in the entire community.
The houses are located on lots sold by proprietors from diagrams of the location, and no regard has been manifested concerning the avenues of connection from one portion to another. After visiting that neighborhood we realized the liability of the town there in case of an acci- dent incurred by reason of a defective public way, and felt compelled to make something of an expenditure in some places. A general construction of streets seems demanded through that whole section.
On a section of what is known as the Lonsdale road, and Brown street, near the new location of the Old Turn- pike School House, there has been quite an improvement made by grading and filling, so that at present that road- way is in fair condition.
The road leading from the "Read and Ide neighbor- hood" to "Attleboro City," and the road leading from County street to West street, have been subjected to necessary repairs which called for a considerable expenditure.
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ANNUAL, REPORT.
Minor repairs have also been made during the year in all sections of the West Division, and $1478 has been expended there.
The North Division comprises the entire village of At- tleboro, and has within its limits more miles of highway outside of the village than either of the other divisions, and if the entire appropriation for our highways was judiciously expended within its limits there would still be many sections of highway where the character of the road- way could not at present be kept up to the standard now popularly demanded.
In this division during the past year, as in the south and west, the whole highway system was thoroughly ex- amined at the commencement of the year, all the loose stones raked off and carted away preliminary to the general work of filling and construction.
The teams and men employed in this division, under the direction of Mr. Cummings, were early in the season engaged in the work of carting a large amount of ashes or cinders from Dodgeville and Farmers Mills for the con_ struction of sidewalks which was utilized on South Main, Pine, Park, Pleasant, Emory, Holman, Falmouth and Mowry streets.
In' a number of localities in the extreme easterly por- tion of this division, considerable work was done in the na- ture of general repairs, such as clearing gutters, repairing railing guards, and in the village, clearing catch basins and the usual spring cleaning of the Common and more public places in our village centre.
About the 20th of April, work was commenced on the north section of Pleasant street, beginning at Norton town line, and extending as far south as Richardson avenue.
20
ANNUAL REPORT.
This section of highway has for several years been in very bad condition, and advantage was taken of an op- portunity to obtain good material for the work in sufficient quantities and conveniently located free of cost. The work there was performed almost entirely with town teams, and the entire section was filled to a depth of about eight inches, and properly drained. Stone and gravel were carted on to the amount of 2695 loads, and properly graded. We feel confident the work was so thoroughly performed there that no great expenditure will be required on this section of road for many years to come.
In the latter part of May there was quite an extensive piece of roadway repaired on Park street, west of Bishop street, where 925 loads of material were expended, and be- fore the 20th of June, more than 100 loads of "hardpan" were carted from the hill on Maple street, where this. material is deposited, to the hills on County street, causing a great improvement on that roadway. Between the mid- dle of June and the middle of July, the work performed was chiefly on Maple and Carpenter streets and Railroad avenue.
Work was then commenced on Foley street, which was connected with the work on Pleasant street as the material used there was taken from Pleasant street when that street was excavated for the foundation of the macadamising there, and a sufficient amount of material was taken from Pleasant street to fill and reconstruct Foley street its entire length, also to fill and grade Angell, Forest and Horton streets, and Starkey avenue. Ten hun- dred and twenty-five loads of road material were taken from Pleasant street before the foundation was laid for the construction of the macadam road there. The work on
2I
ANNUAL REPORT.
Pleasant street was commenced at the crossing of the Taunton railroad track, and continued to Forest street.
The work of permanent improvement was commenced there by cutting the roadbed between the gutters on this section of roadway to a depth of about 13 inches, and into this cut was carted about 372 tons of large stone, which were packed and rolled with a 13 ton roller until a firm and even foundation was made, then the several grades of crushed stone were carted on and each layer properly rolled until the proper height was attained, and then finished with a top dressing and rolled again, until the whole material was firmly pressed together, thereby constructing a roadway similar to macadam.
This section of Pleasant street has been in the past during certain seasons of the year in a condition to merit criticism. Perhaps no section of street in our village has provoked more complaint among people who have been ob- liged to ride or transport merchandise over it, and for a term of years the superintendent of streets has been per- plexed to know what to do there, but each year the sur- face of mud has been carted off which has been replaced with the best gravel to be obtained, and the next spring, when the frost was coming out of the ground, the roadway was in a terrible condition ! A perfect quagmire !
We feel confident the work performed on Pleasant street during the past year will relieve that street from the condemnation which it has been receiving in the past.
After completing the work on Pleasant street, Park street received a coating of stone after grading, and was then properly rolled, giving the section between Pine and Sturdy street a good surface, which we think will be quite serviceable.
22
ANNUAL REPORT.
After laying the drain on Carpenter street, the surface was in such a condition as to demand considerable work there to make it even passable, on account of the sandy foundation of that locality. Therefore, we concluded to commence the reconstruction of Carpenter street from Parker street to South Main. The surface was properly graded, but only one layer of stone was carted on to a depth of about four inches, which has been partly rolled. The work on this street should be completed in the spring.
Although the work on this street is not completed, it is in fair condition for the ordinary requirements of such a thoroughfare, and no large expenditure will be required to perfect it in the future. A very good sidewalk has been constructed on Carpenter street, which we considered de- manded after grading the street. The more important pieces of road construction for the past year, we have briefly described in order that the people may have some conception of the magnitude of the work of our Highway Department, but aside from the larger pieces of work de- scribed there are many localities where small repairs have been made which could not be enumerated in this report, and in addition to what has been described there has been more than ordinary repairs made during the past year on the following village streets :
South Main street,
Emory street,
Park
Falmouthı
Pine
Mowry
Holman
Leroy
Bank ..
County
Maple . 6
Hazel
Angell
Forest . .
Horton
Orange
Park avenue,
Starkey avenue.
23
ANNUAL REPORT.
In the North Division 7378 loads of gravel have been carted for road construction, and 2000 loads of crushed stone, 187 loads of ashes carted from Dodgeville and Farmersville, 400 loads of material removed from street gutters, and 200 loads taken from catch basins.
No new bridge construction has been made during the past year but we realize the dilapidated condition of the two bridges on Mechanics street, and in the near future quite an important expenditure must be made there.
The bridge on Bank street has been newly covered with hard pine plank, and so thoroughly repaired as to warrant the belief that no extensive repairs will be de- manded there for several years to come. The bridges on Holden, Tiffany and Maple streets have also received new covering during the year.
The culvert across the old Deanville road and the Deanville bridge liave received quite extensive repairs, and the bridge on Wilmarth street has been strengthened by minor repairs.
Sidewalks.
We believe the custom of appropriating a stated amount for sidewalk construction under the "betterment law" from year to year should be continued.
The demand which our Highway Department makes upon us under existing conditions seems so imperitive that unless a specific appropriation is made for sidewalks it is not probable this portion of street repairing would receive the care and attention which we now have cause to be proud of. During the year just closed 2600 feet of curbing has been set on several of our village streets, but the larger
2.1
ANNUAL REPORT.
part of our expenditure in this department was on the east side of Pine street, and in connection with our work there the Interstate Street Railroad Co. graded their track and paved the gutter between their track and the curbing thereby making a great improvement in the appearance of that street.
The sidewalk was constructed, the entire length from Park to Carpenter street, of good material which has been covered with a cinder dressing which we believe will remain in good condition for years to come.
E. S. HORTON,
SUPT. OF STREETS.
St. Jean Baptiste Plat.
A large portion of the children who attend the Tur- 11er Street Schools reside in a neighborhood known as the "St. Jean Baptiste Plat," and the avenue through which they reached the school house led across the tracks of a branch of the N. Y. N. H & H. railroad, near the build- ings of the Standard Oil Co.
About the last of September the railroad authorities closed up the crossing at that point, as there was no legal "right of way " there. By reason of the action of the railroad company in the matter, the scholars who had for- merly availed themselves of this crossing were obliged to go through Valley Falls, R. I., to reach the school house by any public avenue of travel, and the School Committee have been compelled to furnish transportation for the scholars from that section to and from that school. We present herewith a diagram of the location, giving the streets as they exist there, and "Cranberry Pond " which
ST.
TURNER
SCHOOL HOUSE LOT
LORD ST.
BACON ST
WASHINGTON ST.
WESTMINSTER AY.
LONSDALE AV.
SKETCH SHOWING PROPOSED STREET SITUATED AT SO. ATTLEBORO MASS. SCALE 80FEET - 1 INCH ETWESTCOTT CE. NOV. /897
POND ST.
1
SCOTT ST
R.R LOCATION
25
ANNUAL, REPORT.
is between the village and the school house, also giving the line of a proposed street.
After considerable consideration of the existing condi- tions there, we have arrived at the conclusion that the most feasible plan to relieve the situation would be the construction of a new street running in a straight line across the pond, from that somewhat isolated village, to Lonsdale Avenue, a distance of about half a mile, where connection can be made through Bacon to Washington street, or through Westminster Avenue to Turner street.
The line of roadway suggested would run through a section of land belonging to the Carpenter estate, its en- tire length, after crossing the pond, and we are informed that the proprietors would make no demand for the land so appropriated.
The estimated expense of the construction of such a road is between four and five thousand dollars.
Guide Boards.
There has been no addition to the number of Guide Boards erected during the past year, and we know of no localities where any are at present demanded.
Quite a number of our public ways have received names which have been denoted by markers, and on sev- eral streets which have long been known by names, mark- ers have been conspicuously posted.
The following street markers have been posted during the past year :
Bridge Street 2
Orange
Street 3
County
3
Pleasant
2
Church
2
Park
7
26
ANNUAL, REPORT.
Forest
Street
2
Pike
Avenue 5
Fuller
Avenue
I
Richardson "
2
George Street I
Steere Street 3
Knight
Avenue 3
South Main "
8
Maple
Street I
Stead
..
Martin
..
2
Thurber
2
Mulberry
I
Wilmarth
Webber Street 2
We take occasion to repeat the request made in for- mer reports, that persons living outside the village limits report to the Selectmen such names as they would propose for streets or roads in their respective localities, to the end that all streets or roads in the town may receive a name to be recorded in the office of the Town Clerk.
Thacher Brook Drain.
The continuation of this drain has been carried forward during the past year as far as the appropriations would al- low, running north from Park street through the land of Mr. James H. Sturdy.
The work under this appropriation for 1897 consisted of the construction of about 185 feet of the drain, excav- ated and properly walled on both sides, with about twenty- five feet north of the crossing of Park street covered in a substantial manner, with stone and masonry, supported by iron beams.
The entire length from the south side of Park street has been thoroughly paved on the bottom as far as the work of construction has been carried during the year.
The town has now a right of way through the land of J. H. Sturdy and the Holman estates, as far north as Fal-
27
ANNUAL REPORT.
mouth street, said way is 40 feet wide and properly located to be made available for a public street whenever it is de- manded.
Being thoroughly convinced of the utility of this en- terprise, we recommend a continuation of our former ap- propriation for this work.
Carpenter Street Drain.
At the last annual meeting the town voted to lay a drain through Carpenter street from South Main to Parker street.
The work has been performed there by the construc- tion of the proposed drain in a thorough manner, with stone capped catch basins with "man holes " and covers and the necessary auxiliaries at the several corners of Par- ker and Pine streets which have been protected with curb- ing. This drain will satisfactorily relieve a section of ter- ritory covering about eighteen acres near the school house at the corner of Parker and Carpenter streets from a large accumulation of surface water after heavy rain falls, and at the same time furnish an outlet for the drainage of the in- tersecting streets.
South Main and Pine Streets Sewers.
At the last meeting of the town, held on the sixth . day of March 1897, acting under Article 48 of the warrant for said meeting the town voted to construct a sewer through a portion of Pine street and appropriated the sum
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ANNUAL REPORT
of $600 for that purpose and under Article 54 of the war- rant the town voted to construct a sewer through a portion of South Main street and to furnish the apparatus neces- sary for pumping the sewage of the County Street sewer into the proposed sewer on South Main street at its inter- section with the sewer on County street, and made an ap- propriation of four thousand dollars ($4000 ) for that pur- pose.
A few days after this action by the town an inquiry was received by the Selectmen from the State Board of Health regarding the intention of the town in the matter, and in answer to this inquiry the Chairman of the Select- men with W. J. Luther, C. E., visited the Engineer of the State Board of Health, agreeable to an appointment at his office in Boston.
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