USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > Town annual report of the officers and committees of the town of Scituate 1937-1939 > Part 21
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Sept. 4 Sept. 9
Edward William Carson
30 6 27
Caroline Andersen
78 11 29
Arterio Sclerosis, Endocarditis, Hypostatic Pneumonia
Names of Parents
George W. and Charlotte Moulton Walter H. and Alice M. Milliken Carlton F. and Ada H. Merritt
Patrick and Kath- rine Morrison John B. and Frances Jacobucci
James and MacDonald
John W. and Elizabeth Carson Peter and Caroline Becker
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
123
July 21 July 28
Starr Abner Moulton
64 11 0
John Frederick Milliken
45 3 2
Aug. 2
Merritt
12 hours
Aug. 5
Louisa C. O'Shea
-
Date
Name of Deceased
Age YMD
Cause of Death
Sept. 13
James Ward
79 10 6
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Sept. 17
Elizabeth Bogdanoff
77 10
8 Malignancy of liver. Probably
secondary to malignancy in
uterus or its adnevae Coronary Heart Disease
Sept. 21
Emma H. Reid
38 8 15
Sept. 24
Fred R. Burnside, Jr.
20 8 7
Fractured Skull. Internal Injuries
Oct. 6
Mary Agnes Fleming
76 11 25
Carcinoma of Rectum, Complete Prolapse of Rectum, Uremia Valvular Disease of Heart
Oct. 15
Edward R. Clarke
58 4 17
Drowning (Suicide)
Oct. 25
Fannie Louise Merritt
74 0 26
Broncho Pneumonia
Oct. 29
Margaret Ann Dwyer
75 0 7
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Oct. 30
Carl J. Litchfield
53
Heart Disease presumably Coro- nary Sclerosis Organic Heart Disease
Nov. 4
Julia R. Bedell
92 8 21
Nov. 10
Sara Shumway Sibley
69 9 26
Nov. 12
Hollis
0 0 3
Cardiac Disease presumably Coronary Thrombosis Intracranial Hemorrhage
Names of Parents
Arthur and Margaret Ward Christian and Sarin
Richard and Hannah Hanson Fred R. and Jeanie Burnside Michael and Johanna Fleming Edmund and Hannah Hyland Edmund C. and Caroline Clarke Joseph and Nancy Burliegh Dennis and Ellen Sullivan Joseph S. and Lydia Litchfield Jacon and Julia Ryder Austin L. and Louisa F. Shumway Wilson and Edith Hollis
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
124
Oct. 11
Henry L. Hyland
74 11 -
Date
Name of Deceased
Age Y. M. D.
Cause of Death
Cerebral Hemorrhage
63 -- Heart Disease probably Coronary Sclerosis 76 3 2 Bronchial Pneumonia Prostatic Carcinoma Chronic Myocarditis
90 5 3
Nov. 27
Nellie Louise Partridge
86 11 23
Heart Disease presumably Coro- nary Sclerosis Congenital Heart
5 8 22
Extensive 2nd and 3rd degree burns of right arm Axilla and chest wall ensuing sepsis acute nephritis terminal LaGrippe
Dec. 14
Sarah D. MacNayr
Dec. 17
Manuel Alves
54 - -
Dec. 25
Irene Litchfield
73 6 18
Dec. 30
W. Henry Welch
76 4 15
Has had heart trouble for 1 year. At 1 P.M. today while chopping wood dropped dead. Heart Dis- ease presumably Coronary Thrombosis Carcinoma right breast with met- astesis Arteriosclerosis, Nephrosclerosis, Myocardial Degeneration
Name of Parents
Azro and Georg- ietta Turner Lewellyn and - Foster George H. and Alice Clapp Edmund and Han- nah A. Hyland Hiram and Char- lotte Kingsbury John and Grace Jakubens Clarence W. and Annie Clapp
Henry D. and Catherine Dickson Cannot be learned
Elijah and Polly Pratt E. Parker and Mary Welch
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
125
Nov. 18
Nov. 19
Philip Humphrey Turner Ralph E. Foster
William Henry Clapp
Nov. 20. Nov. 23
Dec. 1
Peter Stanley Jakubens
8 hours
Dec. 8
Thomas Clapp
64 0 15
62 3 -
Ellen M. Hyland
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
Licenses issued for Division of Fisheries and Game:
Resident Citizen Fishing, 22 @ $2.00 each $44.00
Resident Citizen Hunting, 116 @ $2.00 each 232.00
Resident Citizen Sporting, 22 @ $3.25 each
71.50
Resident Citizen Minor and Female Fishing 7 @ $1.25 8.75
Resident Citizen Sporting (Age of 70 or over) Free 6
Lobster & Crab, 45 @ $5.00 each 225.00
$581.25
Less Clerk's Fees as agent for the State.
53.00
Paid to Division of Fisheries and Game $528.25
Number of Dogs licensed for the year of 1938:
270 Males @ $2.00 each $540.00
70 Females @ $5.00 each 350.00
62 Spayed Females @ $2.00 each 124.00
4 Kennels @ $25.00 each 100.00
2 Breeders @ $50.00 each 100.00
$1,214.00
Less Clerk's Fees as agent for County . . 81.60
Paid to Town Treasurer $1,132.40
126
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
Transient Vendor's Licenses :
Dorothy Muriel, Inc.
$50.00
Guay's Bakery 50.00
Adjimi (Linen Store) 50.00
Herbert H. Coe 50.00
De Witt C. Clark
50.00
Paid to Town Treasurer $250.00
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM M. WADE, Town Clerk.
127
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
Board of Selectmen,
Gentlemen:
The Park Department respectfully submits for your consideration, a resume of their work during the past year.
After carefully considering all of the work necessary for the proper operation of our department, we started to work on the various parks in the town, with a view to improve them as much as possible to the best of our ability.
The trees on the parks were badly damaged by the September gale-Especially in Hollet Island Park, where twenty-one trees were uprooted.
We are very thankful for the fine amount of co- operation we have received from the towns-people dur- ing the past year and hope this year will prove a prosper- ous one for all town departments.
Respectfully submitted,
ERNEST F. LITCHFIELD,
Chairman,
GEORGE V. YENETCHI, JOHN F. DALBY, Park Commissioners.
128
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF BOARD OF ENGINEERS
To The Honorable Board of Selectmen:
In submitting our report for this past year, we desire. in addition to reporting on our routine work, to empha- size one major issue. This is the insurance problem. We have spent a great deal of time and effort on this subject. So that no one may have any misconception as to what this is all about, we will endeavor to outline the case.
How a fire department operates and what results it gets, determines, in a great measure what rate of insur- ance a citizen pays. In other words, if a town fire depart- ment functions poorly and the fire losses are great, then naturally the citizen would expect to pay a correspond- ingly higher rate of insurance, but if the fire department is functioning efficiently and the losses are low, then the citizen who supports that fire department should expect to pay a lower rate for his or her insurance.
The question then arises; Who determines whether you should pay a higher rate or a lower rate?
The answer is: The Insurance Group known as "Stock Companies." They have been the rate making group through a centralized agency. This group comes into your town and makes a survey. They observe what you have already done in providing for your fire protection and then they make recommendations to you for a better- ment in your fire protection, which logically means a lesser risk for them. Such a survey was made in the Town of Scituate about four years ago.
Since that time, the people of this town have gener- ously built up their fire department to conform sensibly
129
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
to the conditions and recommendations laid down in that survey made four years ago.
The fire department, which is probably more familiar with all phases of this question than any other group ex- cept the Selectmen, have acted as spokesmen for the town in demanding a reconsideration of our insurance rates. We believe that a degree of man-power, efficiency, equip- ment, water and all that goes to make up a good depart- ment has been provided by this town, and at this time a lowering of rates is in order before any other suggested improvements are approved, as additions, to our present set-up. The common sense view of this contention is borne out by the attitude shown by the mutual compan- ies.
The mutual companies have been in our town on an investigation, and up to this time we have heard not one single representative of that group deny our claims for a lowering of our rates.
We see no sensible reason why the Stock Companies cannot place in the hands of the Selectmen the same assurance that they will grant a reduction of rates in line with the rates proffered by the mutual companies.
· Towns that have admittedly arrived at a lesser degree of efficiency than Scituate already enjoy a better rating than we do.
We know that some time within the next ten years, we must replace some of our pumping engines if we are to maintain our present degree of efficiency and effec- tiveness. The average life of a pumping engine is about eighteen years. Ours have almost arrived at that age. We believe these can and should be replaced out of savings on our insurance. We believe we are entitled to these savings now. We recommend no replacement of any one of these pumpers at this time unless we are granted
130
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
lower rates of insurance. There appears to us no good reason for building up the department to a greater de- gree of efficiency unless corresponding benefits are granted by the insurance companies, who, it seems, have been reaping the major benefits of an efficient fire de- partment in Scituate.
As an added measure of our good faith in building up the efficiency of our department, which contributes to the welfare of the insurance company, as well as our own, we might relate what this department has been doing this past year in the schooling of our men, as well as in the schooling of those in our neighboring towns of Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, Marshfield and Norwell.
Scituate has the only schooled permanent fire fight- ing force in this group of neighboring towns. All of our men hold diplomas from the Brockton Fire School. In addition, since last May we have qualified every one of our call men, thirty-one in number, for a diploma, which represents a degree of efficiency, under the regular drill master of the Brockton Fire Department.
We have accommodated twenty men from each of the above-mentioned five towns in our fire school, under the direction of the State Department of Education. One hundred and seventeen firemen in all have gone through ten weeks of schooling at our Brook Street Station. These 117 men will go into ten weeks more of intensive outdoor training beginning in April, 1939.
This all means in our good neighbor policy, which is in effect, that one uniform method of training has been used for all men included in this neighbor group. Should any emergency arise which demands more equipment and more men, then all towns can be working efficiently in a common cause. They help us in an emergency. We help them in an emergency.
131
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
The benefits which the insurance companies gain by this one item alone just about transcends any claim they might make that we haven't done our part. We contend that we have met sensibly the insurance requirements. The Board of Engineers believe that you and the town's people should know our position in this matter.
We cordially invite all town's people to our stations. We hope you will pay us a visit and learn more about your fire department, and we want to thank you for all the support you have given us. In addition we want to express our thanks for the help and assistance which all departments have generously given us.
D. ALLEN KILLEFFER, MARK W. MURRILL, WILLIAM E. SHUTTLEWORT!I. Board of Engineers.
132
133
CAUSES AND TYPES OF FIRES 1938
Burning Soot
Carelessness
Smoking
Electrical
Defective Chimney
Miscellaneous
Overheated Stove
Oil Burner
Sparks from Chimney
Unknown
Lightning
Needless Calls
TOTAL
Automobile
Dwelling
10
3
1
1
1
3
2
4
2
2
1
N
32
Garage
3
-
-
1
Other
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
7
12
Total
10
7
1
8
1
8
2
5
2
5
1
9
59
Forest Fires
-
1
1
7
1
1
-
1
I
2
-
1
-
-
1
Store
-
-
-
-
-
- 74
4
1
-
-
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
10
4
ALARMS CLASSIFIED BY DISTRICTS
1st Cliff
2nd Cliff
Nº 3rd Cliff
Lighthouse Point
Sand Hills
Scituate Harbor
Shore Acres
Greenbush
Humarock
Rivermoor
North Scituate
North Scituate Beach
Egypt
Mann Hill
Scituate Centre
Out of Town
TOTAL 35
Buildings
1
-
-
2
4
21
11
16
3
2
11
72
Rescue
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
8
2
2
33-
4
-
25
Total
1
2
5
-
8 41
3 13
1
- 27 10
3
19
-
133
i
11
1
1
1
-
8
4
1
1
4
-
-
-
Estimated value of properties where fire occurred
including buildings and contents
$63,625.00
Loss by fire $10,481.20
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
134
-
-
-
1
Miscellaneous
1
-
-
.
-
-
Forest
2
2
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF FOREST WARDEN
TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
This year the Forest Department has had an unusual condition to meet in addition to its customary work. This condition resulted from the September hurricane. A very serious fire hazard was created by this storm.
Shortly after the hurricane, we made a survey of our town and then took our findings to the Government Forest Agency. They immediately recognized the seri- ousnes of the situation, and in due time allocated funds to us to proceed with the clearing up of the effected areas.
We are employing about twenty-five or thirty men regularly in this clearing up work. We estimate that after three or four months, we will have cleared up quite a sizable area. In addition, our plans call for brushing out our old forest trails and the building of new trails.
This work is all being done without expense to the town, except for the purchase of tools and the use of the alarm truck.
We wish further to report that we were able to help Norwell in making their survey which led to their being included in this Government help. This is important, in that a sizable part of their damage was in the area adjoining our town and by helping them, we thereby helped remove a danger spot which might otherwise cause us trouble.
135
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
Our Spring burning is still ahead of us and to this we have been giving much thought. Weather permitting, we plan starting early in February on this work. As you see, a great deal of work lies ahead of this department, and it is our hope that we can make headway rapidly enough to eliminate in great part these serious hazards before the dry spell sets in.
We wish to thank your Board for the excellent co- operation it has given this department, and it is a real satisfaction to us to know that the Forest Department. with your help, has been able to give work to people in this town to the extent of thousands of dollars which in turn relieves the tax payer and your other town agencies from providing funds for their upkeep during these dull times.
We wish to thank all our town's people for their ex- cellent co-operation in our work.
D. ALLEN KILLEFFER, Forest Warden.
1
136
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
January 16, 1938
To the Citizens of the Town:
Following is the report of the various improvements and repairs under the supervision of the Highway De- partment made during the year ended December 31, 1938.
PARKING SPACES
The extensive parking area completed last Summer located in the rear of the business district at Scituate Harbor serves adequately the needs of automobile owners patronizing the shops and business places on Front Street. The ample hard surface of asphalt top together with the two safety islands was not only a vital necessity but has also added to the beauty of this section. Care has been taken in the planning so that it may be extended in the future if the need occurs. The Peggoty Beach parking space has been increased in size and will now accommo- date two hundred cars. This has eliminated the traffic hazard previously caused by automobiles lining both sides of the highway adjacent to the beach.
NEW STREETS
Cedarwood Road and Fairview Avenue in Scituate Centre, accepted by the Town at the annual meeting in March have been shaped up and treated with asphalt and pea stone and now offer convenient approaches to the fast-growing "Cedarwood" development in this section. A drive has been constructed from First Parish Road to
137
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1933
the rear of the recently remodelled Brook Street fire sta- tion. This way is of gravel-asphalt construction and in- cludes a half-round galvanized iron culvert over the his- toric Satuit Brook. Accepted streets in nineteen hundred and thirty-eight added about seven tenths of a mile of roadway to be constructed and maintained by the Town.
SIDEWALKS
Although a few sidewalks have been resurfaced with bituminous concrete during the past year which has bene- fited foot traffic greatly, there exists a need of new side- walks throughout the Town. This department recom- mends an extended program of sidewalk construction during the coming year on dangerous streets used regu- larly by the walking public.
DRAINAGE
New drains have been installed on various streets using pipe of sizes eight to twelve inches depending upon the volume of water to be provided for. The following is a list of some of the new drains constructed in the past year: Damon Road, 1000 feet; Hatherly Road, 500 feet; Hazel Avenue, 250 feet; Maple Avenue, 115 feet; Front Street Parking Space, 1100 feet; Branch Street, 515 feet; Priscilla Avenue, 300 feet; Edgar Road, 200 feet; Marion Road, 200 feet; and Clapp Road, 500 feet. These drains relieve the surface and stagnant water conditions of heretofore undrained areas and also help preserve the surface of the roadway. Macadam gutters have been built on streets where possible and have been the inexpensive ,solution to many drainage problems.
REBUILDING
Many of the streets of the Town have had no work performed on them for years and the most economical
138
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
way to repair them is to have them torn up, regraded and resurfaced. This has been done to those streets which were in the worst condition and it is intended to con- tinue this work during the coming year. Some of the streets recently rebuilt were Marshall and Priscilla Av- enues in the Egypt Beach section, Marshfield Avenue in Humarock, and Hillside and Ann Vinal Roads in the Egypt section. Front Street, the most heavily-travelled street in Scituate was in very bad condition and a two inch layer of bituminous concrete was applied. This treatment was completed in a minimum length of time without obstructing traffic to any great extent and pro- vided a durable, easy-riding surface at a very nominal cost.
RETREAD SURFACING
Each Spring a number of streets need a tar treatment to give them new life and stabilize them for the hard usage of summer traffic. The maintenance crews of the Scituate Highway Department have treated approxi- mately ten and one-half miles of highway and have ap- plied some twenty-five thousand gallons of tar to the road surfaces as a seasonal maintenance operation.
FEDERAL PROJECTS
Federal projects have been in constant operation throughout the year under the sponsorship of the High- way Department and many valuable projects have been completed on unimproved gravel roads which otherwise might not have been started for many years. Rebuilding of Ridge Hill Road which connects Greenfield Lane with Kent Street was completed in the early part of nineteen hundred and thirty-eight. Several bad corners were eliminated, the grades were changed and the slopes smoothed up and seeded. There now exists in the place
139
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
of what was previously an eyesore to the community, an evenly-surfaced roadway winding through a beautiful rustic setting. Upon the completion of the Ridge Hill Project, the men were transferred to Crescent Avenue on Second Cliff and had finished work on this project be- fore the summer population had arrived. The completed street has opened up some very desirable space for new building construction. Approximately one mile of high- way located on Grove Street commencing at Mungoe's Corner and running to the Norwell line has been widened and a surface treatment of pea stone and asphalt applied over all. Other Federal Aid Projects were completed dur- ing the year including the extension of Summit Avenue in the North Scituate Village section and the cutting off of a very bad curve on Clapp Road.
WINDSTORM
On the afternoon of September twenty-one, this sec- tion of the country experienced a severe tropical hurri- cane coming from the Southeast without warning and raging furiously for several hours accompanied by rain with high winds reaching a reported speed of one hun- dred miles an hour. Uprooted trees, broken branches, fallen telephone and electric poles and damaged build- ings were left in the path of the storm. When the wind had subsided sufficiently, work was started in digging out. Traffic was difficult because of the debris and de- tours had to be made on many streets. Crews of men un- der the direction of the Highway Surveyor and Tree Warden were placed to work trimming up the fallen trees. The Highway Department's large, ten-ton Holt tractor was placed in action immediately and proved in- dispensable in hauling the massive trunks of fallen trees off the highway. Work was carried on throughout the
140
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
night and the dawn found all streets open for traffic. This storm will be long-remembered and it will be some time before the roadsides are restored to their former natural beauty.
SNOW REMOVAL AND ICE CONTROL
The Town roads are kept clear of snow by thirteen hired trucks mounted with blades and by two tractors of the caterpillar type equipped with front and side blades. The Town is divided into routes and each plow operator is responsible for his route. Each snow plow requires two men, one for driving and the other for operating the blade. A score of dump trucks and large crews of men eliminate the snow from the business sections of the Town, enabling shoppers to park their automobiles close to the curb so as not to obstruct traffic. Scituate has more than a hundred miles of streets, every mile of which is entirely cleared of snow after each storm, generally within about four hours so that travel can proceed in its normal way without interruption. In recent years the problem of ice control has become as important and difficult as snow removal. There are numerous intersec- tions and several hills and approaches to railroad cross- ings to be taken care of simultaneously. Sand is pro- curred at the Boston Sand & Gravel Company at a mini- mum cost. After being treated with calcium chloride which prevents it from freezing, it is applied quickly to the danger spots. This work must be done immediately the roads become slippery which necessitates working at all hours and in all kinds of weather.
CONCLUSION
Probably no money pays greater dividends to the whole community than the money expended on good roads. Prospective home-owners are attracted to those
141
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
localities offering the greatest benefits for their tax- dollar and the condition of the streets create a first im- pression which is often a deciding factor to the individual whether or not to make his permanent home in that community. The Highway Department has endeavored to keep the streets in the Town of Scituate at the highest possible standard at a minimum of expense to the tax- payer. Co-operation by other Town departments has been excellent and appreciation is expressed at this time to all citizens who have contributed in any way to the opera- tion of this unit in Scituate's public service.
Respectfully submitted, CHARLES M. WAGNER, Highway Surveyor.
142
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF PEIRCE MEMORIAL LIBRARY
The Trustees of the Peirce Memorial Library submit the following report for the year ending December, 1938, and express their thanks to the citizens of Scituate for assistance and co-operation.
Books in circulation in 1938
17,940
Books in circulation in 1937
14,256
gain
3,684
Magazines in circulation in 1938
1,708
Magazines in circulation in 1937 1,409
gain
299
Books borrowed from State or other libraries 68
Books purchased in 1938 453
Books given in 1938 71
Magazines purchased in 1938 24
Magazines given in 1938
6
Number of active card-holders, 1938
404
Number of active card-holders, 1937 300
gain 104
During 1938 the work of recataloging the library has been continued and several interesting exhibits have been held to increase the interest of the public in the Library and its work.
The financial statement of the library, covers only the expenses paid from the money appropriated by the town. The trustees feel that it will be of interest to the citizens to know that this does not cover all the necessary ex- penses of maintaining the library.
Respectfully submitted,
KATHERINE ELLIS,
President.
143
ANNUAL REPORT, TOWN OF SCITUATE, 1938
REPORT OF ALLEN MEMORIAL LIBRARY
During the last year the Board of Directors has been increased in number. The idea of this increase was to promate a more general interest in the Library, and a knowledge of what it was accomplishing and hoped to accomplish.
Some repairs have been made during the last year, and it is hoped to put the building in first-class condit- ion this year.
The Library is open three days each week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 2-5, 7-8 P. M.
The circulation of books has increased this year over any previous year, this was in a large measure due to the summer visitors, who were gratified to be able to have at their disposal books covering so wide a range of subjects.
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