USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Weymouth > Town annual report of Weymouth 1920 > Part 16
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In closing I wish to express my deep regret at the retirement of Mr. Bradford Hawes, Chairman of your Board, at the end of his present term. During my association with him since 1907, most of which time he was Secretary of the Board, I have found his knowledge of town affairs, both official and otherwise, most helpful, his courtesy unfailing, and his counsel most valuable.
To the remainder of the Board and to other officials of the town I am indebted for continued confidence and courtesy, also to many others for aid to me or my assistants, and to all such I wish herewith to express my thanks.
Respectfully submitted,
RUSSELL H. WHITING,
Civil Engineer.
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WEYMOUTH FIRE DEPARTMENT
North Weymouth, Mass., Jan. 9th, 1921.
Chairman, Board Selectmen:
Enclosed you will find a report of the Fire Engineers, also a report of the Superintendent of Fire Alarms, in his report he wants more money, which is needed as the line is badly in need of repair, as I have been over it with him.
Money needed for Fire Department for 1921. I recommend: For Salaries $10,000.00 For General Use and Repairs 10,000.00
Total $20,000.00
Respectfully yours, PHILIP W. WOLFE, Chief Engineer, Weymouth Fire Department.
REPORT OF FIRE ENGINEERS
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
The fire engineers respectfully submit the following report for the year ending Dec. 31st, 1920. The present board assumed con- trol May 1st, 1920, and organized as follows: Philip W. Wolfe, Chief, John Q. Hunt, Clerk, Walter W. Pratt, James Carley and Henry W. Phillips, District Chiefs.
Houses and Fire Trucks
Engine houses are in fair condition for old houses. Repairs have been made on Combination 5 house. We had the towers re- moved at South Weymouth and Nash's Corner. Nash's Corner house has been repaired and shingled, which was badly needed, and it now needs painting. Also Combination 2 and Combination 3 houses have had minor repairs; Combination 1 house needs shing- ling. Fire trucks are in good condition at present. Combination 2 has caused a lot of trouble the past year, Combination 5 has had some repairs, Combinations 1 and 3 have had very little trouble. So by having repairs on fire trucks, new rubber tires on Ladder No. 2 and more pay to callmen per hour, we have been obliged to over- draw our appropriation, which has been an emergency to keep the Fire Department up to the best.
Value of Buildings Where Fire Occurred
Value of buildings where fire occurred $36,100.00
Damage to buildings where fire occurred 11,038.00
Value of contents where fire occurred 10,050.00
Damage to contents where fire occurred 4,184.00
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Number of Bell Alarms and Telephone Calls in each ward from January 1st, 1920, to January 1st, 1921.
Total Calls, 187
Bell Alarms, 70 Telephone Calls, 117
Ward One
Bell Alarms, 15 Telephone Calls, 18
Ward Two
Bell Alarms, 20 Telephone Calls, 40
Ward Three
Bell Alarms, 15
Telephone Calls, 32
Ward Five
Bell Alarms, 21
Telephone Calls, 27
Combination No. 2, Ladder Truck
21 alarms.
In giving in our report we wish to thank all our callmen and chauffeurs for the good work rendered the past year, also the Honorable Board of Selectmen.
Respectfully yours,
PHILIP W. WOLFE, Chief,
JOHN Q. HUNT, HENRY W. PHILLIPS, J. A. CARLEY, WALTER W. PRATT,
Fire Engineers.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
To the Board of Engineers, Weymouth Fire Department:
The following report of your fire alarm system is respectfully submitted. The entire system is at present in good working order, but not dependable. The past year has been a hard one for our wires, owing to tree conditions, heavy storms, and gales .. Then again there are miles and miles of wire which are thirty or more years old and therefore nearly rusted out.
I am given to understand that each year a certain amount of new wire is installed and it is well at this time to recommend a still larger installation as experience shows that this year the breaks are becoming more frequent.
There are sections in each circuit of the system which should be rebuilt this coming year. This of course meaning a larger appro- priation and to show you how imperative this is let us review the expense of the system in 1920. The appropriation was $400.00 and it has been necessary to use $765.00 to keep the fire alarm in work- ing order for the year.
The balance of the expenditure has been freely advanced by the Board of Engineers, thereby reducing their appropriation. And yet it was all needed work and much more is needed to put your fire alarm system in dependable condition. New wire and cross arms should be purchased and installed at once. This would need an appropriation of at least $1,000.00 for the next year and as much for each year of 1922-1923-1924.
Yours respectfully,
H. G. JERMYN,
Superintendent Fire Alarm.
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REPORT OF THE REGISTRARS OF VOTERS
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen of the Town of Weymouth.
Gentlemen :
The Registrars of Voters respectfully submit the following report :
Number of voters at the close of registration Oct. 23, 1920, .. 5367
Registered Voters
By Precincts
Assessed Polls
Male
Female
Total
1
821
584
324
908
2
701
530
272
802
3
873
662
370
1032
4
504
415
240
655
5
865
644
457
1,101
6
773
552
317
869
4537
3387
1980
5367
Respectfully submitted,
BENJAMIN F. SMITH, Chairman,
CLAYTON B. MERCHANT, Clerk, MARSHALL P. SPRAGUE, PATRICK E. CORRIDAN,
Registrars of Voters.
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
Gentlemen :
I herewith submit my fifth annual report of the Street Depart- ment for the year ending December 31, 1920.
It may be of interest to make a brief summary of the work accomplished and the improvements obtained during the past five years. A very decided advancement has been made in the matter of equipment, which is the foundation of any street department. Five years ago the inventory of equipment showed a valuation of about $4,000.00, today the valuation is over $20,000.00 and the de- partment has a fine set of buildings to properly care and house it.
Up to 1915 permanent paving was confined to short stretches here and there with a total yardage of less than 9,000 sq. yards, while we now have over 40,000 square yards. Marked improvement in our streets has been accomplished by the continued and extensive use of Tarvia B in preference to the light oils originally used.
Many poor gravel roads have been put in very good condition chiefly by using. Tarvia continuously. We now have about 35 miles of streets so treated.
Two wooden bridges have been replaced by concrete ones so that now we have no wooden bridges to maintain.
The enormous increase in automobile and truck traffic has caused a marked change in road construction; methods that were considered adequate five years ago have proven unsatisfactory for the present day heavy traffic, necessitating heavier and better con-
198
struction, therefore the cost has increased from ten to fifteen thou- sand dollars a mile to thirty to fifty thousand dollars and there seems to be but little chance of these figures being materially low- ered, even if the price of labor does come down, as the traffic is increasing each year and heavier loads carried. The problem of constructing roads to carry pleasure cars is not as serious as that of providing. roads for trucks weighing ten to fifteen tons, and if legislation is not passed to limit weight and speed of trucks the cost of roads in the smaller towns will be a very heavy burden.
Another item of expense that is bound to increase, due pri- marily to truck traffic, is that of snow removal. Up to a few years ago this was a matter to which practically no attention was paid, but today it is a question that has got to be met and I am pleased to say that Weymouth was one of the first towns in the state to tackle this new problem and received much favorable comment for the manner in which the work was done last winter.
One other decided increase of expense has been that of labor and teams. Five years ago day labor was receiving $2.50 per day and teams $6.00, as compared to $4.50 a day for labor and $9.50 for teams, the price of today.
Permanent Construction
More permanent pavement has been laid in Weymouth this past year than ever before and the worst pieces of our main roads rebuilt. The policy of expending $20,000.00 a year for this work by bond issue was continued and approximately 10,000 square yards of asphalt concrete surface was laid on Broad street, from a point opposite Clapp avenue, to the northwest corner of Clapp Memorial Field, a distance of 5,018 lineal feet. This work was contracted to Thomas & Murphy, the contractors who did similar work the prev- ious season at Weymouth Landing and which has proven most sat- isfactory. A change was made in the 1919 specification, increasing the wearing surface from two to three inches in thickness and eliminating the stone base except where clay or spongy material was present, as it was felt that the foundation of Broad street, ex- cept in two or three places, was sufficiently good. Time alone will tell if this was the best judgment, but my opinion is that to with- stand the weight of heavy trucks more care and money has got to be put into the foundation and that you are taking a decided chance by eliminating the stone foundation on streets that are subjected to much heavy truck traffic. That portion of Broad street between Spring and Essex was excavated eight inches and stone foundation laid, as the foundation was of poor material and the drainage bad. Broad street now is in excellent condition and should last for a number of years.
Union street from a point about six hundred feet north of Central street and extending southerly towards Rockland for a dis- tance of 2,808 feet, was constructed under the Acts of 1913, Chap. 719, as amended by Act of 1914, whereby the state, county and town contributed equally. This work was done under State specifi- cations and a contract made with the State which called for the construction of 2,790 lineal feet of road twenty feet wide for $15,000.00
This work was done by the town and the total area exceeded, as the road was made twenty-four feet wide at one curve and the length slightly extended beyond the point called for by the State. Specifications called for excavating the entire road sixteen inches
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deep, making a stone fill of twelve inches, stone not exceeding eight inches in diameter, upon which was spread four inches of crushed stone in two courses, the top course being penetrated with one and one-half gallons of Tarvia X to the square yard, covered with a light coat of No. 2 stone and sealed with one-half gallon of Tarvia X to the square yard, on which was spread pea stone. This por- tion of Union street was selected as being the worst part in the spring of the year, but the remaining portion to the Rockland line, a distance of about 3,500 feet, should be constructed next year if similar aid can be secured from the state and county, as Union street gets a lot of through travel, and is an expensive street to maintain unless properly constructed.
A portion of Pleasant street between No. 317 and 411, a dis- tance of 1,242 feet, covering 3,422 square yards, was resurfaced with four inches of crushed stone and penetrated with about two gallons of Tarvia X. The abandoned car tracks were covered over and the road made wider. This short piece was selected for surfacing as it breaks up badly in the spring. Six hundred and thirty-one tons of crushed stone were used on this job and the total cost of the work $2,890.47, making the cost per square yard about $.85, which is low for this type of work.
This work was prolonged due to the breaking of a derrick at the Plymouth quarries where we get our stone for crushing, also due to the fact that the road had to be built half at a time.
·Oiling
This work was done in much the same manner as in the pre- vious two years, our own distributor applying the Tarvia. The area covered this year was considerably in excess of that of 1919, although less material was used. This can be accounted for by the fact that a number of streets that have received several pre- vious applications did not require treatment this year and that a less quantity to the square yard was used on many streets that have had three yearly applications.
76, 161 gallons of Tarvia B and 10,110 gallons of dust-laying Tarvia were used this year. There are several streets on which it would be advisable to put Tarvia that have never received it due to the amount of money available for this work ..
Department Buildings and Equipment
The Department buildings on Commercial street are in very good condition. The principal item of expense the past year was $314.00 for roofing. Minor repairs were made to the rear barn and several sashes replaced in the main building and certain changes made in the wiring. Outside of painting the buildings should need but little done to them this coming year.
Considerable additional equipment was purchased this year and all of the old machinery overhauled and painted.
A new Netco two and one-half ton truck was bought for $4,200.00 and has given excellent satisfaction, the only expense for new parts being for a new fan belt.
At the crusher a new seventy-five ton bin was constructed and the worn-out screen and elevator replaced by new ones of larger size. The fifteen horse-power motor used to run the old crusher was not large enough and a twenty-five horse-power motor was purchased for this purpose and a new motor house built, so that
200
the town has a practically new plant throughout and if properly taken care of should last several years. A small sized Wonder con- crete mixer for mixing cold patch (tar and pea stone) was pur- chased, and has more than paid for itself in one season's use. An- other valuable addition to the department was the purchase of an Austin Wagon loader. This machine is self feeding and can be moved about under its own power and will load a two-yard truck with crushed stone or gravel in less than five minutes. The price of this machine when we bought it was $2,850.00, but since then the price has advanced to $3,500.00. A new Champion snow plow attachment for the new truck was procured and with our two trucks equipped with these plows the question of keeping roads open during the winter is a much simpler matter than formerly. The Ford truck used by the Superintendent was exchanged for a new one. The sidewalk plows were all brought in and painted and repaired during the summer. The old ten-ton road roller was but little used this past year and I would advise that nothing be done with it this coming year as I believe it would be better to let it set until the prices on new machines drop and then trade it in for a tandem or sidewalk roller, as its condition does not warrant the expense of repairs that are necessary. I also believe it would be advisable to trade in the old Necto truck, or else use it for oiling purposes only, as it has now been used practically all the time for four years and has reached the point where the item of repairs is getting larger each season.
This truck has given the town excellent service and has paid for itself in the one item of oiling, to say nothing of the other work it has done.
Snow
When future generations read that it cost the town nearly $28,000.00 to care for snow during the year 1920 they will know that there was some snow, but the conditions last winter are so vivid in the minds of most of us that it is hardly worth while to go into details. Up to the big storm that began February 5th, we had the name of having the best taken care of streets of any town around due to the fine work of the snow plow attachment on front of our truck, and I believe that had we had two trucks equipped with plows we would have kept considerable of our main roads open even during the big storm. This storm was not exceptional in the amount of snow that fell, but it drifted badly and then turned to rain and hail, which formed a crust about three inches thick, mak- ing it impossible to break out the roads with teams. This crust was so hard that horses could almost walk on it without breaking through and after trying all sorts of methods it became necessary to send men ahead with axes and chop through this crust before teams could be used to advantage. Scarcity of labor and the emer- gency (and it was a real emergency, as there was much sickness in town and many families were without fuel) made it necessary to pay high prices for teams and labor to get the roads opened as soon as possible. Little attempt was made to clear sidewalks as it was a question of getting the roads passable so that the people could get supplies and the necessities of life. The week following the storm the street department payroll had 585 names on it and the amount paid was about $12,000.00. The average cost of snow removal is about $3,000.00 a year, so some idea of what we were up against can be obtained. Like all emergencies more or less money
201
was wasted and many joined the shovel brigade to do as little as possible and get as much money as they could.
The several freight yards were shoveled out by the town men and this work paid for by the railroads. Help was also given the electric roads, but the task was so great that this work was finally given up.
Although the conditions caused by this storm were the worst ever recorded the number of complaints received was exceptionally small, as the public realized that everything was done that could be done and many suggestions were offered that showed the proper spirit.
Crusher
The results obtained this past year by operating the crusher show that it has been a most economical operation for the town. 2,839 tons of stone were produced at a cost of $3,176.00, making the cost per ton $1.12. The price of stone delivered in Weymouth would have been $3.50 per ton delivered to the job.
Not only has there been a decided saving in cost but we were able to get stone whenever we needed it and the money kept in town.
With the new bins, elevator, screen and motor that were in- stalled this year the town is in a fine position to produce crushed stone at a low figure, as the plant is now practically new and of larger capacity. This plant is located at the Plymouth Quarries and granite grout used for crushing.
Stone, produced was used as follows: Union street, 1,421 tons; Pleasant street, 631 tons; surfacing sidewalks, 236 1/2 tons; general repairs, 226 tons; Thomas & Murphy for Broad street, 228 tons, and 961/2 tons to various individuals.
The cost of operating this plant is not shown in the summary of the department's work, as the amount of stone is charged to each job at the cost of production.
General Repairs and Maintenance
The condition of our roads last spring after the frost came out was bad and required more work than usual to get them shaped up. The scarcity of labor, also, held up work early in the season, although this was counteracted later by the purchase of a new truck and mixer for getting out patching material. Patching was done continually throughout the season with tar compound and crushed stone and good results obtained.
Considerable work resurfacing gravel sidewalks with stone dust was done and this work should be greatly extended, as many of our gravel walks are in poor shape and need resurfacing badly. The sidewalk on Commercial street from Tufts Crossing to Church street was reshaped and surfaced with stone dust and paid for from the Tufts Fund.
The usual amount of work was done scraping and cleaning streets. Considerable work was done on drains and catch basins. In many places corrugated iron pipe was substituted for akron pipe where the drain was near the surface and apt to be broken through.
In Columbian Square part of the discontinued car track was ripped up and the used track raised eight inches in the center of the square. Part of the square was then regraded to conform with the tracks. Gravel was used for this work and then given a coat
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of Tarvia B, as no funds were available for a more permanent form of construction, which will be required soon.
A considerable portion of the car track on Pleasant street was covered with gravel excavated in the construction of Union street. Parts of Central and White streets were resurfaced and minor re- pairs made to a number of streets from material obtained in the construction of Union street.
Birchbrow Avenue and Lakewood Road
Five hundred dollars was appropriated to complete Birch- brow Avenue. The road was completed and a sidewalk constructed the entire length on the west side.
Two hundred dollars was appropriated for a sidewalk on Lake- wood Road, and was sufficient to construct gravel walks on both sides with a stone dust surface.
Recommendations .
I would strongly urge continuing the policy of borrowing $20, 000.00 by bond issue for permanent construction and that the work be done this year on North street from Bridge street southerly, as this street to the Weymouth Heights depot is one of our heavy traveled roads and contains several bad stretches. The amount of outstanding bonds at present is comparatively small, which makes this method of financing especially desirable. $5,000.00 should be appropriated to complete Union street to the Rockland line if the same amount can be obtained from the State and County and I believe that the State and County are willing to each con- tribute $5,000 for this much used street.
At least $18,000.00 should be used for street oiling, as there are several streets where it would be economy for the town to oil that have never been done due to the size of the appropriation. More money should be spent on our sidewalks and a certain amount of permanent walks constructed each year.
The Necto truck purchased four years ago should be replaced by a new one or else used only for oiling work as I do not believe it good policy to operate any truck much over four years.
A certain sum of money should be appropriated to enable the department to sell material and do certain work for individuals, as a law passed last year says that all money received by a department shall go into the general fund of the treasury rather than as a credit to that department. This means that if someone wants a load of crushed stone or their driveway tarred we will be obliged to turn the matter down unless a sum of money is appropriated for this purpose.
The matter of acquiring sand or gravel pits is one that should be looked into, as the supply is getting less each year.
I would also recommend that the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railroad be requested to remove discontinued car tracks in the various streets of the town.
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SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES.
Amount
1920 Budget Estimate $2,500.00
Expended *$1,653.36
Superintendent's salary
13,674.56
Maintenance of trucks
700.00
496.24
Signs and fences
4,000.00
3,514.12
Street cleaning
1,500.00
1,665.95
Equipment and supplies
1,500.00
1,842.04
New elevator, screens and bins for crusher
4,200.00
434.93
Mixer
450.00
450.00
Exchange on Ford truck
1,200.00
814.75
Gravel sidewalks
500.00
70.01
Clean-up day
1,200.00
2,330.61
Drains and catch basins
*28,993.32
Snow removal
148.25
Sundries
17,818.27
Oiling
1,500.00
Wagon loader
2,890.47
Pleasant St. macadam ·
$71,600.00
Credit received and special appropriation
14,730.49
Total receipts
Total amount expended
SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS.
$20,189.54
$20,189.54
Permanent construction
Received from State & County
10,000.00
for Union St.
5.000.00
15,000.00
Union Street macadam
500.00
500.00
Birchbrow Ave.
200.00
200.00
Lakewood Rd.
$122,220.03
Total receipts
$122,218.45
Total expenditures
1.58
Balance to treasury
$122,220.03
Note * The balance of the Supt.'s salary was paid from the Union street appropriation.
Note * $1041.22 was received from N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. for snow work done at the various freight yards so that the real cost of snow was $27,952.10.
Note * Cost of operating crusher $3176.00 not shown in the above summary as the stone was charged to each job on which it was used.
Respectfully submitted, IRVING E. JOHNSON, Superintendent of Streets.
825.76
Maintenance of Dept. building
200.00
1,100.00
Fore River Bridge
1,000.00
4,200.00
New Netco truck
350.00
1,906.28
1,300.00
General repairs and maintenance
11,000.00
25,000.00
15,000.00
Regular appropriation
$86,330.49
$86,328.91
204
RESOLUTIONS ON THE DEATH OF ALBERT PARKER WORTHEN
Voted: To adopt the following resolutions on the death of Albert Parker Worthen, who was Town Counsel for nineteen years.
Whereas: In the Divine Providence, our esteemed co-worker and beloved friend, Albert P. Worthen, has been called away from his earthly labors and companionships, and
Whereas: During our long association with the deceased we have found him to be at all times governed by the highest order of civic virtue, and professional integrity, and
Whereas : The loss of his wise counsels and friendly helpful- ness will be deeply felt by those with whom he has for many years been associated in public affairs: therefore be it
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