USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Town annual report of Quincy 1884-1885 > Part 5
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The number of books borrowed during the year just closed is 52,345, being in excess of the record of any previous year, since the removal of the Library to its present location. The number of names of those using the Library, as appears by the librarian's register, is 6,566, an increase during the year of about 500 names.
Since our last Report there have been purchased for the Li- brary 241 books; a few books have been added by gift, and a large number of volumes, worn out by constant circulation, have been replaced by new copies. An ample and commodious fire- proof safe has been built in the basement of the Library building, where important town documents and other valuable records may be safely kept. The interest taken in the Library by our towns- people steadily increases year by year ; and this growth is espe- cially manifest and especially encouraging in the case of the young, to whose education, and mental and moral improvement, the Library contributes in so important a degree.
The division of the reading matter, as compared with the pre- vious year's record, is set forth in the following table : -
1883. Vols.
Per cent.
Vols.
1884. Per cent.
Fiction
23,197
45.8
24,027
45.9
Juvenile fiction
10,629
21.
10,843
20.7
Periodicals
6,750
13.3
6,936
II.3
History
2,197
4.3
2,793
5.3
Arts and sciences .
1,777
3.5
1,348
2.5
General literature .
1,623
3.2
1,772
3.3
Travels
1,596
3.I
1,653
3.I
Biography
1,295
2.5
1,618
3.I
Poetry .
922
...
1.8
926
1.7
Religious
319
.6
268
·5
Educational .
243
....
.4
16I
·3
...
·
During the coming year the Trustees are of the opinion that the same appropriation as that made at the last annual meeting, namely, $2,500, will suffice for the general needs of the Library.
84
They would, however, respectfully ask also for a small appropria- tion, namely, $200, for care of walks and grounds. The Treasurer's report of receipts and disbursements is appended herewith.
C. F. ADAMS, JR., F. A. CLAFLIN, L. W. ANDERSON, C. A. FOSTER, HENRY BARKER, H. A. KEITH,
Trustees.
REPORT OF THE TREASURER OF THOMAS CRANE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR 1884-5.
Balance in treasury, Feb. 1, 1884, $37 96
Cash of Town Treasurer on appropriation, 2,850 00
" on dog license, 885 93
on sale of md'se (old paper), 7 00
-
$3,780 89
Disbursements.
For Books,
$806 68
Services, Librarians and Janitor,
1429 50
Printing,
82 50
Binding,
143 25
Gas,
151 55
Fuel,
142 50
Expressage,
34 60
Postal expenses,
10 15
Street sprinkling,
22 00
Water rent,
12 50
Carpenter work,
32 35
Repairing furnace,
43 50
Introduction of water,
56 48
Plumbing,
50 85
Rubber hose,
27 25
Building safe,
306 18
Grading, material, and labor,
366 75
Sundries,
47 84
Balance, Feb. 1, 1885,
14 46
$3,780 89
CATALOGUE FUND.
Balance, Feb. 1, 1884, $181 04
Cash from fines and sale of catalogues, 90 92
Balance, Feb. 1, 1885, $271 96
HENRY BARKER, Treas.
REPORT OF THE MANAGERS OF THE ADAMS ACADEMY.
The year has been one of depression and difficulty in the affairs of the Adams Academy. The number of pupils has de- creased, and the loss has fallen chiefly upon the attendance from without the town, thus throwing the charge of maintenance more and more upon the endowment of the institution, which is entirely insufficient for its adequate support. This state of affairs is aggravated or caused by the lack of suitable accommo- dation for boarders. Many who desire to come from a distance to the school are repelled by the aspect of the present boarding- house. This serious obstacle the Managers have no means of removing; and although the master of the school has indicated a willingness, if encouraged by them, to risk his own funds in an attempt to supply the want, they have not felt it proper for them to stimulate such a speculation. If, when built, it should fail of its expected effect upon the attendance in the school, a heavy loss would probably fall upon the master, who has already sacri- ficed enough in his devotion to its interests. The alternative is a gradual loss of outside support until the school must close from lack of means to pay adequate salaries to the necessary teachers. This results from the peculiar requirements for admis- sion to the seats of more advanced learning. The tendency is to expect a constantly enlarging circle of instruction in a greater multiplicity of subjects from all preparatory schools, and conse- quently more and more teachers are needed for a certain number of students. It is not profitable to keep up a school of less than fifty boys, because that number can be handled by the same staff which is required to instruct classes one half or one quarter as large. And in like manner, a school of one hundred can be operated at hardly more expense than one of fifty. It results from this fact that it is impossible for us to maintain the stand- ard of a first-class preparatory school without the fees of a considerable distant attendance to supplement the income of the Academy lands. If this support be declined or is withdrawn, the school must close until such time as a fund be accumulated sufficient to defray from its annual income all the expense of carrying on the institution. In this dilemma, the Managers deem it their duty to submit the following extract from the master's report to them as offering the alternative which Dr. Everett pro- poses to an impending close of the school. He says :-
" The school can have no assured success in its present quar- ters, yet your chairman has discouraged my building a boarding- house at my own risk until the school is an assured success. This looks like saying we must wind up."
86
" I think such a course, if adopted, would be a cause of great regret. Nor do I believe it is necessary. I have substantial reasons for believing that if the sanction of this Board were given to me to take measures for the immediate obtaining of a site and erecting a house, support could be obtained from friends of the school, inside and outside Quincy, which would redeem it from the character of a mere speculation."
"I believe that if a proper piece of land to include a play- ground were bought, and a proper boarding-house built on it to accommodate at the outside fifty boys, - there is no object in having more, - we should pay no more in interest than we do now in rent ; we should double the number of paying outside pupils, with hardly a necessity of increasing our teaching force ; and we could, in virtue of our improved accommodations, charge (even) a higher price for our boarders. The existing play-ground, now hired by the master of the Woodward Trustees, affords in all respects the best site, if a portion could be bought for the Academy."
The Managers have only to remark in this connection, that while they have not felt it proper for them to urge upon any body, and least of all upon the master of the school, the scheme above suggested, for the reason that it seemed beyond their province to officially indorse a somewhat speculative enterprise which might seem to appertain more properly to the proprietors of the Academy, yet this Board has never refused to sanction such an undertaking if any one desires to attempt it. Indeed, they do do not feel that they have any right either to encourage or dis- courage a private enterprise of this description. They are public servants of the town, clothed with very limited powers in respect to the general management of the affairs of the Academy, and with no command of the funds. It does not rest with them to close or continue the school; they can only watch and report its con- dition. In performance of this duty, they are glad to be able to say in conclusion, that apart from the very serious complication which they have thought it needful to present thus plainly to the town, the efficiency, thoroughness, and discipline of the school have never been more conspicuous in the quality and success of the candidates which it sent up for examinations to institutions as diverse as the Institute of Technology, Williams, and Harvard.
J. Q. ADAMS. J. P. QUINCY. C. H. PORTER. E. NORTON. P. BUTLER. L. W. ANDERSON.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON BRAINTREE RECORDS.
The undersigned, committees appointed by the several towns of Quincy, Braintree, Randolph, and Holbrook, to consider the ex- pediency of printing the original Braintree records down to the time of the division of the town in 1792, have attended to the matter referred to them, and report as follows : -
They find that the original Braintree records are of common interest to all the four towns of Quincy, Braintree, Randolph, and Holbrook. These records cover a period of one hundred and fifty years, from the first settlement of the colony, and are second in interest probably to the records of no other town in Massachusetts, excepting possibly Boston. For more than two hundred and twenty-five years the original manuscript copy was in the hands of the Town Clerk of Braintree. It was exposed to continual danger of destruction by fire, and through constant handling sustained irreparable injury. Some four pages in all have been so mutilated that they can be deciphered only in part. All the rest of the several volumes are in good condition and are now well cared for, suffering only such degree of injury as is inseparable from their full examination by all who may have occasion to inform themselves as to any point contained in them.
In the year 1876 the town of Quincy caused a manuscript copy of these records to be made. If published in the same style in which the Boston records have been published, the old Braintree records would fill a volume in the neighborhood of five hundred and fifty pages in size. The cost of publishing would include copy for the printer's use, the work of printing, indexing, editing, and binding, and is estimated as follows :-
Cost of copying, 66 " printing,
$450
850
Indexing and editing,
450
Total cost,
$1,750
The proper manner of doing the work would be as follows : The printed matter should be set up from a manuscript copy of the records, and the proof-sheets should then be corrected from the original record, with such annotations as may be found desir- able.
Your committee would recommend that this work be pro-
88
ceeded with at once. They would further recommend that its cost be defrayed by the four towns in proportion to their popu- lation. Upon this basis it would appear that the proportions would be as follows : -
Quincy, population,
10,570
$898 72
Randolph, 66
4,027
342 40
Braintree,
3,855
327 78
Holbrook,
2,130
18I IO
$1,750 00
Finally, your committee would recommend that the following article be inserted in the warrant of each of the towns of Quincy, Braintree, Randolph, and Holbrook, for the coming March meeting :-
To see what action the town will take upon the report of the joint committee of the several towns of Quincy, Braintree, Ran- dolph, and Holbrook, in regard to the expediency of publishing the records of the original town of Braintree, and to appropriate money to defray the expense of the same.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
C. F. ADAMS, JR., and EBEN W. UNDERWOOD,
of Quincy.
F. A. HOBART,
SAMUEL A. BATES, and of Braintree.
HORACE ABERCROMBIE,
ROYAL T. MANN,
JOHN B. THAYER, and of Randolph.
RUFUS A. THAYER,
ABRAM C. HOLBROOK, GEORGE W. PAINE,'and of Holbrook. SAMUEL L. WHITE,
·
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON SEWERAGE.
The problem of disposing of the sewerage of a large and in- creasing population is now presented to the people of Quincy. While the density of the population in some sections of the town would have necessitated the construction of a system of sewers at an early date, the demand has been rendered more pressing and immediate by the recent introduction of a water service and the consequent freer use of water. No subject can be of more importance to a community than the proper disposal of its sewer- age. It has been thoroughly demonstrated by statistics, that, the conditions being the same, disease will be more prevalent and the death rate higher in places where the drainage is bad, or where there is no drainage at all, than in places where a proper system of drainage has been introduced. Some experts have gone as far as to say that typhoid fever is, in every case, the result of defective drainage. It is, at any rate, beyond question that a great number of cases of this and kindred diseases are directly traceable to such a cause, and are due to the neglect of the community, or the individual, of the plainest laws of sanitary science.
The failure to provide proper drainage places upon any thickly settled community the responsibility of a considerable number of needless deaths every year ; and one of the first duties of the public to each citizen, when it has become impossible for private resources to provide proper facilities for drainage, is to construct a public sewer.
When houses are closely packed together the soil becomes charged with impurities in the course of a few years, and loses its power of absorption. Then the continued discharge of drain- age into the ground becomes a source of danger to health, and if allowed to go on, soon generates disease germs, or noxious gases, that may at any time cause sickness and death. The only thing to be done, when such a condition is at hand, is to build a public drain, through which all sewerage may be carried to a distance, and disposed of in some safe manner. The necessity of under- standing thoroughly a system comprehensive enough to cover all possible area, before beginning any construction, is clearly apparent. Having once decided on a system, the various por- tions may be built as required, as shown hereafter.
90
In making our investigations we have examined two systems ; the smaller with its outlet below the grist-mill, the larger with outlet through the ship-yard at Quincy Point. The first would deliver the sewage just below the dam across the canal. The great objection here is that for many hours during the twenty-four large areas of the Town River Bay are bare of water, and only a small thread of water during this time exists as a channel, if it may be so named, with practically no flow at all if the gate in the dam is closed. The purchase of a right to use the water of this mill-power, to maintain a flow to push on and down the sewage as far and fast as possible, would seem a necessity, and is estimated in the cost. But it then fails of satis- faction, for the incoming tide would early meet the sewage stream, pushing it back on itself, and more than likely cause a deposit of its sediment on the bare areas spoken of, which, under the summer's sun, would develop a condition such as would be- come a nuisance of the worst order.
The outlet at the Point is entirely satisfactory, and Quincy is to be congratulated that it has such an opportunity for the dis- posal of its sewage. The increased cost ($5,000 or $6,000) to reach this point is small when compared to the advantages to be gained. Your committee therefore consider this the practical plan. We present both, that full information may be had.
THE CENTRAL PLAN,
Emptying below grist-mill, would be as follows : -
Across Marsh to Brackett Street,
525 feet, 20 in. pipe.
Brackett to Sea Street,
1,500
20 66
Sea and Canal Streets to Mechanic Street,
1,800
66
20
66
Through Mechanic Street,
525
15
66
High School Place to Quincy Ave,
500
66
15
66
Quincy Avenue to Water Street,
500
66
15
Water Street to Pleasant Street,
2,400
15
Franklin, north and south of Water Street,
1,500
6 and 8 in. pipe.
Phipps, north and south of Water Street,
1,050
Pearl Street,
750
66
16
Summer Street,
650
66
66
Gay Street,
600
66
66
Amount carried forward,
12,300
66
91
Amount brought forward,
12,300
1,500 feet, 6 and 8 in pipe.
700
" 12 in. pipe.
900
8
66
Hancock Street, north to Granite Street,
550 66
I2
Hancock Street, north, to Alline Street,
2,700 66
8 and 12 in. pipe.
Washington Street (Hancock to Canal,
1,400
12 in. pipe.
Adams Street,
900
6 and 8 in. pipe.
Greenleaf Street to Hancock,
400
6 in. pipe.
Saville Avenue and Faxon Avenue to Hancock,
600
6 and 8 in. pipe.
Temple Street to Washington,
200
8 in. pipe.
Maple Place,
200
6 in. pipe.
Foster Street,
450
6 and 8 in. pipe.
Sea Street,
750
66
Spear Street,
900
On Coddington Street,
600
66
Newcomb Street,
700
Washington Street, Canal to Union,
1,325
66
66
66
Edward Street,
625
66
66
Union Street,
700
66
66
30,200 feet.
On this line there should be one hundred and twenty man- holes, and catch-basins sufficient for the carrying off of the sur- face water, on streets not otherwise provided for.
This system would all be available to join the larger one to run to Quincy Point, by reversing the grade of two thousand feet of pipe on Canal and Mechanic Streets, High School Place, and Quincy Avenue ; except Brackett, Newcomb, and Spear Streets, and the small low section about the head of the canal, in all about four thousand feet, which would still find the old outlet in case of change.
The entire cost of this system, possible rock-cutting not figured, would be about forty thousand dollars.
School Street from the railroad to Mechanic Street,
Cottage Street and Cottage Ave- nue to Hancock Street,
Hancock Street, south to School Street,
Granite Street, from Hancock Street, 1,800
6 “ 8
66
66
66
92
THE LARGER MAIN SYSTEM.
Leaving out the 4,000 feet named, we start on our larger sys- tem with 26,200 feet.
From Quincy Point to join this we start at Shipyard Point, up Shipyard Street
to Washington Street, 900 feet, 20 in. pipe.
Washington Street to South Street, 1,450
66
South Street to the Meadow,
1,400
Through the Meadow to the New Street, running from Quincy Avenue to South Street,
3,600
66
On the New Street to Quincy Avenue, 500
Quincy Avenue to pipe on Water Street,
600
66
This would make the great body system 34,650 feet,
which, with man-holes, each 250 feet apart, and catch-basins at suitable places, would cost, exclusive of land damage through the Meadow and possible rock cutting, about $46,000.
Additions covering substantially all the Point, central, south- ern, and western portions of the town can easily connect.
A portion of such additions would be as follows : -
FOR WEST QUINCY. - BRANCH I.
Water Street from Pleasant to Copeland Street, 4,200 feet, 12 in. pipe.
Copeland Street, 2,200
8 and 10 in. pipe.
On street leading from Copeland Street to Cemetery Street, 200
8 in. pipe.
Cemetery Street to Willard Street,
600 66 6 in. pipe.
Cemetery Street, both ways to
Main,
1,300
6 and 8 in. pipe.
8,500 feet.
Cost, about $8,000.
Most of side streets can join as desired. West part of Gran ite Street, Granite Place, and Kidder Street can join at corner of Water and Granite Streets.
BRANCH NO. 2.
Join corner of Water and Pleasant Streets, Pleasant, Quincy, and Jackson Streets. 6 and 8. in. pipe, 1,500 feet. Cost, $1, 100.
66
93
BRANCH NO. 3, EXTENSION ON WASHINGTON STREET.
Washington Street, from Union to top Graham Hill, 6 and 8 inch pipe, 1,800 feet. Cost, about $1,400.
BRANCH NO. 4, JOIN CORNER ELM AND MECHANIC STREETS.
Elm Street to Washington, 1,650 feet. South Walnut, Main, and part of Union Street would join this, of which 1, 100 feet would soon be wanted. Average cost 70 to 80 cents a foot.
BRANCH NO. 5, AT QUINCY POINT.
Washington Street, from South to top Graham's Hill, 1,800 feet. Side territory join as desired. Average cost, 70 to 80 cents cents a foot.
MAKING
Main System,
34,650 feet.
Cost, $46,000 8,000
West Quincy,
8,500
Branch No. 2,
1,500
1,100
66
3,
1,800
.6
1,400
4,
2,750
60
2,100
66
66
5,
1,800
66
66
1,400
51,000
66
$60,000
ASSESSMENTȘ.
Your committee find, on a careful examination of the law, that, outside of Boston, the entire expense of a drainage system may be levied on the abutters, even though parties may not avail themselves of the sewer or drain by entering the same.
An assessment, therefore, should be made for about the cost of the work, as maintenance thereafter falls upon the town. As it would seem proper to vary assessment according to conditions, and the law so contemplates, your committee have estimated an assessment in four grades, 20, 40, 75, and 100 cents per front foot respectively, and find that that would about meet the re- quirement, if laid as follows :-
ONE DOLLAR ASSESSMENT.
Hancock, Sea, School, Water (2,400 feet), Foster, Washington to Edwards, Coddington, Adams, Cottage, Edwards and Temple Streets, Faxon and Saville Avenues, and Maple Place.
94
SEVENTY-FIVE CENT ASSESSMENT.
Quincy Avenue, Cottage Avenue, Canal, Union, Mechanic, Granite, Summer, Gay, Phipps, Pearl, and Franklin Streets, and part of Washington Street at the Point.
FORTY CENT ASSESSMENT.
Elm Street, part of South Street. and Washington Street both ways from top of Graham's Hill.
TWENTY CENT ASSESSMENT.
Part of South Street, New Street, Quincy Avenue, and High School Place.
On the extensions, the assessments would be twenty to seventy-five cents, and average about forty cents a front foot.
COST OF MAINTENANCE.
Experience has demonstrated that with the work faithfully done, plenty of pipes laid for connections, so the main pipe will not have to be broken into, that for many years fifty dollars per mile, per year, will give good care, and keep it clean and in good working order.
Your committee recommend, ---
I. That the town appoint a committee of five to act with the Selectmen, in all that appertains to the laying out and con- struction of any sewer, for which money may be voted or direc- tion given by the town. All legal acts, contracts, and assess- ments to be made and signed by the Selectmen.
2. That the town appropriate seven hundred dollars for a full survey covering the entire system named, with plans and specifications complete in every part, sufficient in detail and explanation for letting of the work, and so arranged and classi- fied that the different parts, as, for instance, brick work, stone work, digging, pipe, cement, etc., may be bid for separately.
3. That from these plans a careful estimate of the actual cost of construction of that portion called the larger main system shall be made, five per cent be added thereto for contingencies, and that amount laid on the property benefited by said system, at such varying rates per front foot of land on the street sewered as shall seem just and equitable, it being understood that under actual construction the Selectmen would assess in such amount, when making the assessment as provided by law.
4. That the town vote that assessments, when made, shall
95
become payable at the beginning of and during construction, as may be provided for by the Selectmen ; and that when so paid, a discount of fifteen per cent shall be allowed from the face of such assessment, and all amounts not so paid shall be collected in full, the discounts on such amounts, collected in full, to accrue to the benefit of the town. If, on completion, it shall be found that more than eighty-five per cent of the actual cost, engineer- ing expenses included, has been made in the net assessment, any such excess over the eighty-five per cent shall be proportionately refunded to each individual assessed.
5. That the town vote to build said sewer, whenever indi- viduals representing fifty per cent in amount of the assessment levied shall unite in a petition to the Selectmen for their con- struction, and authorize the Selectmen to issue notes of the town for one year, for such amount as may be necessary to raise money for construction, beyond the sums received from the levied assessments.
6. That extensions designated as Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in this report be treated separately, in accordance with the third, fourth, and fifth recommendations, except that no refunding shall be made unless collections exceed actual cost, less expense of catch- basins, which are to be paid for by the town.
7. That the town authorize the insertion in the sewers of pressure valves, to discharge locally the surface water in heavy rains, wherever such an arrangement is practicable.
8. That the town vote an ordinance or by-law, that after sewer construction no basement or cellar on land assessed shall be built below the grade of the sewer, except at the builder's risk for drainage.
9. That connection with the sewer shall be made only through a 4-inch pipe in streets where 6-inch pipe is laid, and not larger than 5-inch where larger sizes are connected with.
IO. That every house connection must be provided with a grease-trap, a running-trap, and a drain vent-pipe, extending above the uppermost window in the house.
Your committee do not hesitate to say that with such connec- tions, all dangers arising from sewers are removed, and they become in full the healthful agent they are intended to be.
Wollaston and Atlantic, when time fills them with population, can each have its independent system, with outlet to the sea, and under the same arrangements for construction as herein recom- mended.
Relative to the proposal that the town shall favor the build- ing of a public sewer by a private corporation, which was also referred to us, your committee are of the opinion that such a
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