USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1913 > Part 8
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SCHOOLS IN SESSION.
Sept. 8 to noon of Dec. 24, 1913; Jan. 5, 1914, to March 27, 1914 ; Apr. 6, 1914, to June 24, 1914.
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HOLIDAYS.
Oct. 12, Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1913; Feb. 22, Apr. 19, May 30, 1914.
DAILY SCHOOL SESSIONS.
High, 8.20 A. M. to 1.10 P. M.
Hollis, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
Jonas Perkins, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
Noah Torrey, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
Penniman, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
Pond, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
Southwest, 9 to 11.45 A. M. 1.15 to 3.30 P. M.
South School, 9 to 11.45 A. M. 1.15 to 3.30 P. M.
The Abraham Lincoln, 9 to 12 A. M. 1.30 to 3.30 P. M.
STORM SIGNALS, HIGH, GRAMMAR AND PRIMARY.
On very stormy days there will be no session of the public schools. If there is to be no morning session, the signal 3-3-3 will be sounded on the fire alarm at 7.30 a. m. If the weather clears, there will be an afternoon session. In case of continued storm or very bad walking, there will be no after- noon session. This will be announced by 3-3-3 at 11.30 A. M.
For no school in Grades A-4 inclusive, signal at 8 o'clock and 12.30.
TUITION OF NON-RESIDENT STUDENTS.
High School, $1 a week; Grades 5 to 8, 75 cents a week; Grades A and 1 to 4, 50 cents a week.
Non-resident students will not be admitted to any school without the written permission of the Superintendent.
JANITORS.
High School, John H. Macandrew, 54 West Street. Jonas Perkins, William Orr, 357 Commercial Street. Noah Torrey, F. F. Tupper, Central Avenue.
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Penniman, Omer Hollis, Union Street.
Pond, A. R. French, Franklin Street. Southwest, Fred Hayden.
South, Anthony J. O'Rourke, 29 Peach Street. The Abraham Lincoln, Edwin P. Brooks, 92 Front Street. Hollis School, Frank Drake, 36 Central Avenue.
ATTENDANCE OFFICERS.
Jeremiah F. Gallivan, 37 River Street, Braintree. A. R. French, 144 Franklin Street, South Braintree.
GRADUATION EXERCISES
of the -
BRAINTREE HIGH SCHOOL, Town Hall, Wednesday evening, June 18, 1913, at eight o'clock.
PROGRAM.
1. Selection-"Bridal Tour" Bennett
High School Orchestra
2. Girls' Chorus-
Barcarolle, "Silent Now the Drowsy Bird" J. Offenbach
3. Salutatory, with Essay-
"The Progress in Modes of Transportation," Victor Brynolf Johnson
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4. Address-
Rev. Albert Marion Hyde, D.D., of Brockton, Mass.
5. Cantata-"The Village Blacksmith" C. F. Noyes
6. Essay with Valedictory -
"Jane Addams and the Work of Hull House," Mollie Marguerite Mckean
7. Presentation of Diplomas, Medals and Civil Service Essay Prize,
Mr. Herbert F. Kneeland, Chairman of School Committee.
GRADUATES.
George Frederick Carmichael Lester Kelly Nickerson
Alfred Lester Clapp
Lowell Ames Norris
Alice Florence Connelly Mary Theresa Darcy Olive Ava Robbins
Joseph Charles O'Brien
Arabella S. Denton Mildred Dunham Pauline Scollard
Lewis Carl Schraut
Helen Irene Griffin
Vera Hildegarde Simonds
John Henry Gorman Myrtle Isoafil Howe
Helen Smith
Robert Beattie Taylor
Winnifred Gardner Howland Percy Leon Thayer Victor Brynolf Johnson
Dorothy Gertrude White
Mollie Marguerite Mckean
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FIRE DEPARTMENT
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF BRAINTREE.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen,
Gentlemen :- The Board of Engineers of the Braintree Fire Department have the honor to herewith submit their annual report for the year ending Dec. 31, 1913. On Jan. 1, 1913, J. S. Hill, F. A. Tenney, and F. O. Whitmarsh were appointed engineers for the year of 1913. The board met and organized as follows: Chief, J. S. Hill; Clerk, F. A. Tenney; Assistant, F. O. Whitmarsh.
APPARATUS.
The apparatus is in good condition at the present time.
ALARMS.
There have been 46 alarms; 28 were for buildings, 14 for wood and grass, and 4 false.
Valuation of buildings
Loss on buildings 12,416.00
$63,500.00
Insurance on buildings
47,950.00
Valuation of contents
Loss on contents 52,750.00
5,593.15
Insurance on contents
11,550.00
HOSE.
Our hose in the town is in very bad condition, and at every fire we have had this year we have burst one or more
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lengths, and I would recommend that the town purchase one thousand feet of new hose. I would also recommend a new platform at Hose House 2, and that the sum of $90.00 be raised and appropriated for the same. I also recommend that the town raise and appropriate a sum of money for a motor- driven pump engine. I would also recommend that the town raise and appropriate the sum of $1,200 for the general run- ning expenses of the Fire Department. Also that $1,650 be raised for the payment of engineers, stewards, firemen, also their poll tax. Also the sum of $400 on the thirty cents an hour basis.
J. S. HILL, Chief.
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REPORT OF ANIMAL INSPECTOR
Braintree, Jan. 17, 1914.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen :-
By the order of the Department of Animal Industry, State House, Boston, Mass., Mr. Fred F. Walker, Commis- sioner, an inspection was made of the animals in Braintree in February and March, 1913.
I found at the one hundred and thirty-five places that I visited 404 cows giving milk, 50 dry cows, 50 young cattle, 6 bulls, 2 oxen, making in all 512 neat cattle. At this time of inspection I also found 345 hogs and pigs, a few sheep and quite a number of goáts, not counted.
There has been considerable change during the past year in the stock kept, and also in the milk business. Three milk- men of prominence in the business have given up making milk for sale. One sold out his business to another man; one other who made 15 cans of milk a day for wholesale trade is at the present time making not more than 5 cans a day. These changes have been made for the reason that they have found other business more lucrative and less laborious. Those who still continue in the business are as a rule very careful about the care of milk, and cleanliness of their milk rooms, and the places where cows are kept. A very decided change has taken place in the past few years in regard to barns and milk rooms. Milk at the present time is very largely sold in pint and quart jars, and these jars as a rule are filled at home, placed in refrigerators and kept there until taken out to sell. The very high price of cows at the present time is among the rea- sons for the high price of milk. Good, fair kind of cows can- not be bought for less than $75 to $100 dollars each; extra good ones more than that. The general health of the cows at the present time seems to be very good, two only having
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been quarantined by myself, examined by the State Inspector, condemned and destroyed. Both State and Town Inspectors have made many suggestions in regard to ventilation, light, feed, care and water, many of which have been adopted and found beneficial, both in the health of the animals and also in the quantity and quality of milk made. There is one yoke of oxen kept in town for farming purposes, owned by Mr. R. C. Hall, who resides in Rockland, Mass. They are a fine looking pair of oxen. They remind one of the days of the past.
There is one man in the town who gathers the refuse, or swill, from different houses, hotels and restaurants of the town and makes profitable use of the same by feeding it to' hogs and pigs, which are kept in good condition. He is sit- uated some distance from the street in a plant arranged by himself. (May prosperity be his.)
Mr. Charles J. Daley, district agent of the Department of Animal Industry (who resides at Lexington, Mass.), has been in Braintree several times this season looking over the barns and conditions in which animals are kept. He seems to be a gentleman and a man who thoroughly understands his business, and was kindly and respectfully received in the places he visited.
In the month of November there was a meeting called at the State House, Boston, Mass., by the Commissioner, Mr. Fred F. Walker, at which the local Inspectors of this district were ordered to be present, and at this place and time a very large number of the Inspectors were present. And men of prominence as veterinarians were also present, speaking from their own personal experience, making it a very helpful and educational meeting.
Last year in my report as Animal Inspector, I spoke of the contagious diseases of glanders and farcy, to which horses and other animals are exposed. The conditions are not much changed and these diseases seem to be on the increase. Eight horses, 1 of farcy and 7 of glanders, have been quar- antined by myself, examined by blood test by an agent from the Department of Animal Industry, found to be diseased,
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ordered killed and buried or rendered. Seven were buried, 1 rendered by the Ward Company of the Boston District.
The State now pays for all horses affected with glanders or farcy that they condemn, a sum not exceeding $50. One of the most fruitful sources for the spreading of these diseases in the town is the open watering trough; not that the water is poor when coming from the well or from the faucet, but the receptacle from which they drink is impure, made so by standing water and every kind of animal drinking there, whether sick or well. This system should be done away with in a safe or satisfactory manner that will insure the health and preserve the lives of these very useful animals, until some method is adopted by the town that will be safe and sat- isfactory to the owners of animals.
I would recommend that all persons driving upon the public streets of the town take with them a pail made of malleable iron and pump up some water direct from the well, or draw water from the faucet, and keep such pail for this purpose only. I have heard of a folding pail which would be very convenient for this purpose.
There have been several horses killed and buried this year that had outlived their usefulness. This work has been done almost wholly by the owners and not by the State. There have been several dogs killed and buried in the town during the year, but no certified case of hydrophobia.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
JOSEPHUS SAMPSON,
Inspector of Animals.
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REPORT OF SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen :
Gentlemen :- Complying with your request, I beg to sub- mit the following report of the Department of Sealer of Weights and Measures for the year ending December 31, 1913.
During the past year I have endeavored to perform the duties of the office in a fair and impartial manner. In return I have found our merchants courteous and willing to comply with the laws in relation to the sealing of weights and meas- ures. On March 14, 1912, Section 21 of Chapter 246 of the Revised Laws of Massachusetts was enacted, which reads as follows :-
"All fruits, vegetables and nuts, except as hereinafter otherwise provided, shall be sold at retail by dry measure weight, or by numerical count, and all fruits and vegetables for which a legal weight has been established shall be sold at retail only by weight or numerical count, Whoever violates any provision of this section shall forfeit a sum not exceeding ten dollars for each offence."
In trying to enforce the above law I have given much time, and have found that the peddlers, who were using the measure under the old laws, as a rule have been living up to the law; but I have been informed that the purchasers are inclined to tempt them to violate the law by having them sell by measure instead of by weight, as the law requires. This is a bad practice, and should be stopped, and I would appreciate it if the public as a whole would co-operate with the seller and not ask him to do anything in direct violation of the law. A few complaints have reached the office through interested citi- zens, but I have not been given an opportunity to correct same, as by that time the goods have been used, measures destroyed, and the complainant reluctant to prosecute ; whereas, if I had
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been notified immediately I would have had the evidence to cause prosecution. Under the circumstances, however, I have endeavored to protect the public to the best of my ability.
COAL RE-WEIGHING.
During the past year I have re-weighed 33 loads of coal in transit, and found 4 heavy or over-weighed, and 5 under or short-weighed, varying from five to ten pounds, and 21 were correct weight.
COAL IN BAGS-LESS THAN 100 POUNDS.
I have made 58 inspections and found that the dealers who put up coal in this manner are very careful as to the weight. As to the quality of the coal, I have no jurisdiction.
With a renovated office and a fairly good working equip- ment, I feel sure that the work could be carried on more suc- cessfully and profitably during the coming year.
IN REFERENCE TO THE ICE QUESTION OF LAST SUMMER.
In reference to the ice question of the last summer, I sealed 28 sets of scales. I condemned 3. I adjusted none during the months of June, July and August. I made 53 in- spections of the same and called on the merchants and house- keepers in regard to weight and price, and found that with one exception there was perfect satisfaction. Upon inquiring into the one complaint I found the party preferred not to make any charges.
RAILROAD SCALES.
It is very pleasing for me to say in reference to the rail- road scales, through the co-operation of the station master at Braintree, that the difficulty in the past has been rectified by a new set of track scales placed in the South Braintree yard. These are tested once a month by the railroad, and cleaned once a week, and inspected by me twice a month.
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I include in this report receipts and expenditures of the department for the past year, and various tables of work done.
I wish to thank all with whom I have come in contact during the past year, and feel sure that future relations could be even more pleasant, all of which help towards the best possible results.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES S. HANNAFORD, Sealer of Weights and Measures.
Office, Town Hall, Mondays, 2 to 4 p. m.
Inside or Office Work. No Fee Charged.
Scales, Weights and Measures.
Articles tested and found correct 142
Articles tested and condemned 20
Articles tested and adjusted 15
One leather measuring machine not sealed.
Dry measures tested and found correct 8
Liquid measures tested and found correct 12
Outside Work. Fees Charged.
Articles tested and found correct 1181
Articles tested and condemned 51
Articles tested and adjusted 70
Amount received and paid to the Treasurer in fees $95.20
Number of Inspections Made from April 1, 1913, to Dec. 31, 1913.
Coal reweighing while in transit 33
Coal reweighing in bags of less than 100 lbs. 58
Inspections in stores after scales had been tested . . 205
Inspections of scales used by peddlers 88
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Inspection of scales used by icemen 21
Inspections of jars on milk wagons 15
Inspections of milk jars bearing Massachusetts seal
17,772
Inspection of junk dealers' scales
28
Inspection of coal teams, for certificates
20
Total number of. inspections 18,240
In my tour of inspection I found 400 short-measure ice cream boxes which I condemned.
Prosecutions, 1. Fined $15.00 and costs. Short weight of potatoes.
Balance of. 1912 appropriation
$00.00
Appropriation for 1913
$525.00
$525.00
EXPENDITURES.
1
1913
H. W. Bailey & Company $2.25
Milligan Hardware Company 1.45
Hobbs and Warren 5.30
Express from Union Seal Company
.25
Bay State Street Railway Co., electric express ..
.60
Union Seal Co., seals and rent of press to March 28, 1914 4.00
Dyer and Sullivan
.45
William H. Cobb
20.25
Hobbs and Warren
1.00
Insurance
11.25 .
Electric Express
.48
Hamberg, Grindings, Plating Company
.25
W. & L. E. Gurley
$300.80
Allowance for old balance
15.00
Less express .60
286.40
Stewart & Howard, electric fixtures
1.60
Pratt & Pratt, advertising 4.00
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Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co.
.95
Perkins Wood Working Company, one case
$65.00
Carting
5.00
G. W. Prescott, advertising
27.00
Extra insurance
1.50
W. and L. E. Gurley, weights
Whitall Tatum Company
10.39
Electric express
.55
Jaynes Drug Company
1.35
F. W. Webb Manufacturing Company
2.50
The Turner Tanning Machine Co. and express
1.85.
W. & L. E. Gurley
8.05.
The Bennington Machine Company and express ..
17.15
Pratt & Pratt
12.75
Incidental expenses :
Stationery and postage
$3.36
Electric .20
Moving and fitting up office and
transportation of weights
18.00
21.56
Dover Stamping Company
2.18
W. and L. E. Gurley
3.76
$521.07
Balance unexpended
$3.93
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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON BUILDING REGULATIONS
The committee appointed "to investigate the matter of plumbing, construction and sanitation with a view to the addition of building regulations" has made a careful study of our local problems and of the building regulations in force in other communities. We submit the following draft for a code of building regulations which we consider suitable to the conditions of the town of Braintree.
CARL P. LOTHROP, EUGENE T. NOLTE,
WALTER B. SKINNER,
CORNELIUS A. SULLIVAN,
GEORGE H. WETHERBEE, JR.,
TYLER E. GALE, Chairman,
BENJAMIN HAWES, Secretary.
BUILDING REGULATIONS.
SECTION 1. ADMINISTRATION.
ARTICLE 1. The Board of Selectmen shall in April fol- lowing the adoption of this by-law appoint six Building Com- missioners, two of whom shall serve for the term of one year from the first day of May following, two for the term of two years, and two for the term of three years. The Board of Selectmen shall annually thereafter, in April, appoint two Building Commissioners for the term of three years from the first day of May following. The salary or compensation of the Building Commissioners shall be such as the Town may from time to time vote. The Building Commissioners shall be charged with the duty of executing the provisions of this
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by-law and amendments or additions thereto, and the stat- utes of the Commonwealth relating to buildings, except as otherwise provided.
ARTICLE 2. No building shall be erected or altered in the Town of Braintree without a permit granted by the Building Commissioners or any one of them. Such permit shall only be granted when the plans or sketches and detailed descriptions in conformity with this by-law and the laws of the Commonwealth have been filed in the office of the Town Clerk, together with an application for such permit. The Commissioners, or any one of them, shall examine or cause to be examined all buildings in the course of erection or alter- ation. They may enter any building or upon any premises, and reasonable means of access shall be provided to all parts of buildings so far as may be necessary for the performance of their duties under the terms of this by-law. Plans filed under the provisions of this by-law shall be returnable to the applicants after the completion of the erection or alteration permitted, but plans of all buildings erected by the Town shall be kept on file by the Building Commissioners.
ARTICLE 3. An applicant for a permit whose applica- tion has been refused by a Building Commissioner may appeal therefrom to the Board of Building Commissioners within thirty days, and a person who has been ordered by a Com- missioner to make any alteration or incur any expense may within ten days after being notified of such order appeal to the Board of Building Commissioners. Any applicant who is dissatisfied with the decision of the Board of Building Commissioners, may, within ten days, appeal to a special Board of Appeal to consist of three persons, one chosen by the applicant, one by the Building Commissioners, and the third by the two members first chosen. In case of failure to agree upon the selection of the third member, he shall be chosen by the Board of Selectmen. Such appeal, if not sus- tained, shall be at the expense of the person making the ap- peal; otherwise the expense shall be borne by the Town.
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ARTICLE 4. Ordinary repairs of buildings or structures may be made without notice to the Commissioners, but such repairs shall not be construed to include the cutting away of any brick or stone wall, or any portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any beam or support, or the removal, change, or closing of any staircase.
ARTICLE 5. In case there shall be, in the opinion of a Commissioner, danger to life or property by reason of any defective or illegal work, or work in violation of or not in compliance with any of the provisions or requirements of this by-law, he shall have the right to order all further work to be stopped in and about said building and to require all persons in and about said building forthwith to vacate the same, and to cause such work to be done in or about the building as in his judgment may be necessary to remove any danger there- from. A Building Commissioner may enter upon the prem- ises where any fire has occurred and may order the demolition of the building or such repairs as in his opinion are necessary to protect life or property. In such case the work ordered shall be begun within sixty days from the notification of such order.
ARTICLE 6. Whoever violates any of the provisions of this by-law shall be liable to a penalty of not more than one hundred dollars for each violation thereof.
ARTICLE 7. The Building Commissioners, in the name of the town, may take such measures as the public safety requires to carry this by-law and every section or article thereof into effect, and any expense, not exceeding one hundred dollars, incurred in so doing may be recovered by the town from the owner of the defective property.
ARTICLE 8. In this by-law the following terms shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them :-
Basement or cellar :- that portion of a building in which the floor is located at least one-half the average height from the floor to the ceiling of said portion below the level of the
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sidewalk or ground at the principal point of entrance to the building.
Commissioner :- One of the Board of Building Commis- sioners of the town of Braintree.
Commissioners :- The Board of Building Commissioners of the town of Braintree.
Construction :- A building of first-class construction :- a building of fireproof construction throughout.
A building of second-class construction :- a building not of first-class construction, the external and party walls of which are of brick, stone, iron, or other equally substantial and incombustible materials.
A building of slow-burning construction :- a building without hollow or concealed spaces in walls, floors, or roof, and having roof and floor beams not less than six inches in the least dimension.
A building of third-class construction :- Any building not of first- or second-class construction or slow-burning con- struction.
Foundation :- that part of a wall below the level of the sidewalk, or, if a wall is not on a street, that part of the wall below the level of the highest ground next to the wall, and that part of a party or partition wall, pier or column below the cellar floor.
Height of building :- the vertical distance from the mean grade of the ground adjoining the building to the highest point of the roof beams.
Flat roof :- a roof that pitches not more than four inches ʻ
to the foot.
Schoolhouse :- all public school buildings and any pri- vate building in which more than twenty pupils are or may be assembled in any one room above the first story.
SECTION II. CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS.
ARTICLE 9. No building or structure, except a tower, church spire, chimney stack, or water tank, shall exceed in
-
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height two and one-half times the width of the widest adjoin- ing street. No non-fireproof building or structure shall ex- ceed sixty-five feet in height. Frame buildings shall not be erected to a height exceeding forty feet, and shall not exceed three stories. Towers of wood may be erected to a height not to exceed ten feet greater than the foregoing limited height, except that church spires may be erected of wood to a height not exceeding seventy-five feet from the ground.
ARTICLE 10. No external wall of any frame building shall be less than five feet from the line of any adjoining lot, nor less than ten feet from any frame building,-unless the side wall of such adjoining building is constructed of fireproof material.
ARTICLE 11. Every building and every extension or al- teration of a building which is to be used in whole or in part for business, manufacturing or storage purposes, or as a place of public meetings, and every tenement house or apart- ment house designed to be occupied by an independent fam- ily above the second floor shall be of first- or second-class con- struction or of slow-burning construction.
ARTICLE 12. Every flat-roofed building more than two stories in height shall have in the roof a bulkhead or scuttle. No scuttle shall be less in size than two feet by three feet and all scuttles shall be covered on the outside with metal and shall be provided with stairs or stationary ladders leading thereto and easily accessible to all tenants of the building and kept free from incumbrance. No key-lock shall be used on any such scuttle.
ARTICLE 13. On and after the first day of January, 1917, all newly constructed or renewed roofs shall be covered with incombustible roofing, such as may be approved by the Commissioners.
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