USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wakefield > Town annual report of the officers of Wakefield Massachusetts : including the vital statistics for the year 1900-1902 > Part 41
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
One blue print of southern portion of town showing proposed out- fall sewer.
One blue print showing profiles of outfall sewers and main lines on Railroad street and Main street.
One blue print showing manhole details, sections of outfall sewer, etc.
Four sheets of profiles of lateral sewers.
As it was deemed advisable by the sewer commissioners for the
158
town to have possession of its own notes, plans, profiles, etc., for present convenience, as well as future good, it was determined by the board of commissioners to establish an office and employ its own en- gineering force. After investigation it was decided to locate the office in the town hall, where it might permanently remain, and on August 20, 1900, Mr. Orlando K. Morgan was appointed chief en- gineer, accepted the position and assumed the duties on August 27, I900.
After securing the necessary instruments and organizing an en- gineering party, surveys were at once started in order to ascertain the cheapest and most practicable route for the main outfall sewer to connect with the north metropolitan sewerage system in accordance with the idea, expressed by the votes of the town on April 30, and July 30, 1900.
As this ourfall sewer is the most expensive and difficult feature of our system, lying deep in the ground, and crossing a ridge between two natural water sheds, it was desirable from motives of economy to locate it generally in the place where the " digging" is least and easiest, and a number of test borings have been made to ascertain the character of materials to be encountered, assist in the selection of the route, aid in making an estimate and as a general guide to contractors, so that intelligent and lower bids may be obtained for the work.
Surveys have been made, bench marks established and levels taken over the section which by vote of the town it is proposed to sewer, and the necessary notes taken to enable detail plans and estimates to be made.
Prior to the above, conference was had with the Metropolitan sew- erage commission, and it was finally determined that the point of connection with that system would be on the westerly side of the location of the Boston and Maine railroad, at the Melrose line.
Satisfactory arrangements have been made with the proper officials of the Boston and. Maine railroad regarding the portion of the system located on their property.
Conference with the city of Lynn authorities has been had relative to their objections, if any, to our sewer system as designed, and we are pleased to state that the city officials of Lynn have not interposed the slightest objection.
Chapter 377, acts of 1900, requires the plans to be submitted. to
159
the State Board of Health for their approval. This was done on November 27, 1900, and on January 3, 1901, a public hearing was given by said board ; there was no opposition at said hearing. Re- ply has been received from said board and the plans approved for that portion which by vote of the town it is proposed to sewer.
In conclusion we wish to assure our fellow citizens that the board fully recognizes the urgent need of the town in getting the system built and into operation as quickly as possible, and our energies have been in that direction. We beg also to call attention to the fact that much preliminary work is necessary, and has to be done, which re- ·quires considerable time in undertakings of this character and mag- nitude. However, we now feel that actual construction will be begun shortly and every effort made to complete the system as rapidly as consistent with economy and good construction.
WILLIAM H. LEE, WILLIAM B. DANIEL, GEORGE M. TOMPSON,
Board of Sewer Commissioners.
160
Report of Board of Health.
Your Board of Health organized on March 7, 1900, with Dr. Joseph W. Heath as chairman, William H. McCausland, health officer, and Augustus D. Jenkins, secretary.
The first business to come before the board was the adoption of the rules and regulations of the board of health as revised. These rules and regulations were published in one issue of the " Wakefield Daily Item," and are now spread upon the records, accepted, and signed by this board.
The past year has been an unusually expensive one to this depart- ment, partly by reason of so many families afflicted with contagious diseases coming to us for assistance, and the replumbing of the High School building.
A word of explanation we think would be well at this point in re- gard to the work done by this board at the High School building and the reason therefor.
On August 6, 1900, the inspector of plumbing notified the board that the sanitary condition in the old part of the High School build- ing was in very bad order.
He first became aware of the trouble by noticing a very bad odor while performing his duty as inspector of plumbing in the new part of the building, and, upon investigation, he found that the sinks and bowls throughout the building were not trapped and were breathing a bad cesspool odor into the rooms and corridors of the building. His duty was plain : the matter must be reported to the board of health. He did so, and at the next regular meeting of the board, August 8, the question was discussed briefly. The board did not deem it necessary to serve a legal notice on such a body of men as comprise our school committee, to remedy such a serious defect in one of our public schools, so it was voted that the secretary of the board should see Mr. Thayer, the chairman of the school committee, and request him to trap and ventilate all fixtures in the old part of
161
the High School building. The secretary did as directed and gained an interview with Mr. Thayer the same evening, August 8, and he promised to bring the matter to the attention of the committee at their next meeting.
Three weeks went by and learning that nothing had yet been done, the secretary again called on Mr. Thayer and asked him what action the school committee had taken in regard to the defective plumbing, and was told that no action had been taken; that the matter was mentioned in the early part of the meeting, but nothing had been done.
Now, as it was nearing the end of the vacation season, and ascer- taining that the school committee were not taking any action in the matter, a special meeting of the board was called on September 6, when it was voted to serve a legal notice on the school committee, to abate the nuisance at the High School building : said nuisance con- sisting of " the unsafe condition of the sanitary system," and order- ing its abatement before the commencement of the fall term.
This notice proved to be the signal for a newspaper attack on the board. The public were told how the board of health had surprised the school committee by serving notice on them to make alterations in the plumbing at the High School building, which work could not be done before school opened ; that they had not been given suffi- cient time to do the work, etc., but not once did they mention that they were officially notified by word of mouth to do the same work as stated in the legal notice twenty-nine days previously, but such was the case, and the records of the board of health prove it.
At that time the board of health did not wish to figure in a news- paper controversy but chose to let others do the talking.
The stand taken by the board was in the interest of the health of hundreds of scholars, and when informed by the school committee that they could not do the work, having no money, the board went to work and performed its duty by replumbing the old part of the High School building, according to law.
The condition of the old plumbing, as we found it, is fully de- scribed in the report of the inspector of plumbing, and drawings of the same can be seen at the office of the board of health.
While a good deal of criticism was called forth by the action of the board, this work was carried on in the interest of the health of pupils and teachers of the schools ; not with a feeling of antagonism to any
162
person, but from a duty which the board owed to the town and to itself.
In an article written by Mr. Thayer and published in the "Citizen and Banner" of January 4th, he stated that the inspector of plumb- ing acted on the judgment and advice of another expert. In answer to this, the board wishes to state that such was not the case ; that the inspector of plumbing was called by one of Wakefield's leading citizens on November 5, 1900, to make the acquaintance of Mr. Henry Lieben, an expert plumber from the west. Mr. Lieben was the only expert who expressed an opinion to the board on the mat- ter, and at that time the work was all completed with the exception of the setting of one bowl.
At a joint meeting of the board of health and school committee, held December 4, 1900, the question of closing the High and War- ren schools was discussed, to avoid a spread of diphtheria.
This action was deemed necessary by the board, in view of the manner in which both the aforesaid schools had been exposed to this disease. The facts leading up to this action are as follows :
On November 30, the secretary of the board received a letter from a Wakefield physician, stating that he had four cases of diphtheria on hand in one family. The secretary notified the health officer imme- diately, and the warning card was posted on the house without fur- ther delay.
Now it soon became known to us that the first patient had been sick for a number of days, during which time the remaining children had been allowed to continue going to school ; one to the High and two to the Warren, thereby directly exposing both of these schools to the disease. These three children were taken with the disease, one by one, in school.
The board recommended to the school committee that the High and Warren schools be closed until December 17, which gave ample time for the disease to show itself in any scholar who might have been directly exposed.
The school committee were unanimous in their approval of the board's recommendation, and it was voted not to open the two schools until December 17th, and during that time, should an epi- demic occur, they should be kept closed until the danger was past.
The schools were thoroughly fumigated during the time they were closed, and, on December 17, they were again opened, as no serious
163
results had occurred, and no epidemic had arisen from the exposure.
Acting upon a complaint from the residents of Bellevue park and Montrose, in regard to the flooded condition of New Salem street in wet seasons, which prevented children from attending school, and caused general inconvenience, the board gave a hearing, and later, viewed the locality complained of, and decided that something should be done to relieve that part of the town of its nuisance.
The board procured the services of an engineer to take levels, and he found that the water could be lowered, providing the Boston & Maine railroad would lower their culvert or build a new one in an- other location on lower land.
The board had several interviews with the officials of the Boston & Maine railroad, and on September 29, Asssistant General Manager Mr. Frank Barr, Chief Engineer Bissell and Road Master Curtis came to Wakefield and went over the ground with the board.
They decided that our request was reasonable, and agreed to lower the culvert, and early in October did the work.
The board then caused the ditch to be cleaned out from New Salem to Farm street, and lowered the water eighteen inches, to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
Number of deaths, 114 ; still births, 5 ; 86 permits to do plumbing granted ; 9 plumber's licenses were renewed ; 73 permits to return to school. Contagious diseases reported to health officer : Diph- theria, 56 ; scarlet fever, 40 ; measles, 22 ; typhoid fever, 7. Num- ber of complaints investigated.
JOSEPH W. HEATH, Chairman. AUGUSTUS D. JENKINS, Secretary. WM. H. McCAUSLAND, Health Officer.
164
Report of Inspector of Plumbing.
TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF HEALTH, WAKEFIELD, MASS.
Gentlemen :- Circumstances under which I have no control, compel me to submit to you a report of much length, of the duty performed by me in the year ending Jan. 1, 1901.
There have been eighty-six applications filed and the work in- spected and tested, all of which have been up to the standard of work put in in the year previous.
REPORT RENDERED OCT. 9.
TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF HEALTH, WAKEFIELD, MASS.
Gentlemen :- Relative to the High School, and instructions given me, I submit to you the following report :
Aug. 2. Went to the High School building on call of master plumber doing work in annex. I found strong odors in old part of building.
Aug. 3. Went to High School, tested new work in progress, inquired cause of odors, and made the following discovery in the old part of building.
CLOSET CREMATION SYSTEM.
What is termed physical sink, on third floor, north-east, could find no trap.
Pedestal bowl, second floor, north-east entry, no trap.
Physical sink and bowl, wasting in same pipe, running to base- ment, with open joint.
In basement, east, sink, no trap, very bad smell.
Bowl, first floor, center south, entry, no trap.
Bowl, second floor, south, entry, no trap.
Aug. 6. Made another investigation. Reported to the secre- tary of the board of health.
Aug. 8. Secretary of the board of health went to the High · school with me to investigate.
165
Aug. 31. Per order of your board, I called on chairman of the school board, to make an appointment to see him at High school. He appointed September 4, 10 :30 a. m.
Sept. 4. Found chairman of school board at High school. Sec- retary of the board of health came later, and I reported result of interview to him.
Sept 6. Per order of the board, met the board of health at the High school.
Sept. 10. By order of the board, went to the High school with one of the board of health, who notified chairman of the school board, "after school closed, Friday, to put the building in sani- tary condition."
Sept. 15. By order of the board, went to the High school with chairman and secretary of the board of health. Chairman of the school board was informed as to instructions given me by the board of health.
Sept. 17. We were having the pipes exposed in the basement, and also trying to locate the cesspool.
Sept. IS, Still working at the pipe exposing. I ordered all pipes, broken or found open, to be stopped with cement for temporary relief or safety, merely while work was going on.
Sept. 19. We found old well, about twenty-five feet from building, east, about eighteen feet deep, no drains in well, and I called the secretary of the board of health, who examined exposed pipes, etc., with me, and received orders to at- tend board of health meeting, at 8 p. m., which I did, and re- ported sytem of cremation, in my opinion, " not safe or sani- tary," also about the pipes connected to the system.
Sept. 21. We found cesspool near sidewalk, east. I saw chairman of school board about plumber ; saw plumber, carpen- ter and stonemason ; requested their presence at building, Sept. 22, a. m.
Sept. 22. Spent all day at High school, south side ; opened six inch earthen pipe, from wall, east, extending to, and under crema- tion system, and to about eight feet beyond, to the north, with open end, all in bad condition. I will designate this pipe No. I.
Found four-inch soil pipe, iron, connected to six-inch earthen pipe No. 1, and extending to first floor, open.
Found brick catch basin running into six-inch earthen pipe No. I.
166
Found cremation overflow running into catch basin.
Found waste from chemical sinks, third floor, running into catch basin.
Found bowl waste, second floor, running in six-inch earthen pipe No. I.
Found sink waste in basement, running in six-inch earthen pipe No. I.
Found bowl, trapped, south-east room, entering sink waste, in basement.
Found bowl waste, first floor, running in bottom of cremation system, with inch and one-half wrought iron pipe for waste.
Found six-inch earthen trap under the wall on six-inch earthen pipe No. 1, broken joint, and in bad condition. Your board called and saw result of investigation. We cut off all pipes enter- ing six-inch earthen pipe No. 1, and removed six-inch earthen pipe No. I and its contents from the building.
Removed bowl waste from cremation system, stopped with ce- ment, where bowl waste entered.
Removed all pipes not liable to be used ; left chemical and phy- sical sinks to waste in barrels till time to enter the cesspool.
Put in place of six-inch earthen pipe No. I four-inch iron soil pipe, about ten-inch pitch, trap and Y, at wall with cleanouts, to be used as an overflow to the cremation closet only.
Sept. 23. At High school all day ; tested four-inch iron pipe, put in the 22d, then went to the north side.
North side, opened six-inch earthen pipe from wall, east, and extending to cremation system. This pipe I will designate No. 2.
Found six-inch earthen trap, midway six-inch earthen pipe No. 2.
Found an old branch six-inch earthen pipe and ell, connected to six-inch earthen pipe No. 2, all in little better condition than No. I pipe, south side.
Found waste pipe, physical sink, third floor, running in six- inch earthen pipe No. 2 waste pipe from pedestal bowl, running in waste pipe from physical sink.
Removed six-inch earthen pipe No. 2 and its contents from the building.
Put in place of six-inch earthen pipe No. 2 four-inch iron soil pipe, about three-inch pitch, trap and Y, with cleanouts at the wall, to be used as an overflow to cremation closet only.
167
Tested, assisted in fumigating.
Sept. 24. Called on the chairman of the school board to find out about fixtures to be connected ; saw the stonemason about cleaning drains outside and curbing cesspools, also covers ; saw about cleaning cesspool.
Sept 25 and 26. We were working at cleaning drains, outside.
Sept. 27. Per order of the board, went to the High school with the board of health.
Oct. I. We had iron covers placed on cesspool, and also on the old well.
Oct. 2. We had three-inch earthen pipe put in the old well, for fixtures with branch for the chemicals, to within five feet of the foundation wall.
The plumber was ordered to put in iron pipes, lead-lined for chemicals through the wall, ready for the fixtures, when located. Also, cesspool was cleaned.
REMARKS.
Result of investigation shows condition of plumbing Aug. 3 :
South side, six-inch earthen pipe, under cement floor, full of sewage, broken joint under the wall, open on the end not in use.
Four-inch iron soil pipe entering same, and open under floor of first story.
Bowl on second floor, running in same, no trap.
Catch basin under floor of cremation system, running into same.
Chemical sinks, running into catch basin.
Cremation closet overflow, running into catch basin.
Basement sink running in six-inch earthen pipe, no trap.
Bowl, south-east room, running in basement sink waste; this was the only bowl trapped.
Bowl, centre-south, entry, running into cremation system, no trap, north side.
Six-inch earthen pipe under cement floor, full of sewage, with six-inch earthen branch connected and not in use.
Cremation closet overflow, running in same.
Physical sink, running in same, no trap.
Loose joint in the basement on physical sink waste.
Pedestal bowl, running in waste of physical sink, no trap.
By rough sketch rendered : Plate I not to scale, I have tried to
168
give you a fair illustration of the piping in the building, before any changes were made.
The irregular manner of laying, and as to pitch, etc., of the six- inch earthen pipes, found full of sewage, with branches connected, not in use, with open pipes entering same, breathing in the build- ing, the crude manner of connecting the different pipes, no trappage to certain fixtures, all within the structure. was, in my opinion, very far from being sanitary and safe.
Although we were informed that the cremation system would work under all conditions and atmospheres. that the heat would draw the air and gas from all the pipes, could it draw the same through all the filth that stopped the six-inch earthen pipes Nos. I and 2, to which so many waste pipes were attached? If not, was not that one condition wherein the system failed to work? We were given one illustration of a condition when the system did not work; and yet another : the system was out of order, the grates had fallen down, some were gone. Is it liable to happen again? Does the system work under all conditions? If the the- ory is correct, that the heat will always draw the air and gases from the pipes, as illustrated by the burning paper, at the urinal opening, why will not the heat exhaust the lockage of the traps, no matter what liquid they contain? True, we are informed it is expected the heat will always be kept up. Is it? True, we are informed there is no need of overflows, if we burn coal enough. How much? Although I do not stand alone in my opinion, it is possible my education may be at fault on this method. If so, my only excuse is my strong desire for the health and safety of the people, whom you represent.
I will call the attention of your honorable board back to the number of days' delay, the cause so well known to your board, from the date of August 6, with no school session, when my first report was rendered to your secretary, and to September 4, when I had communication at the school house with chairman of the school committee, as to what should, in my opinion, be done, and receiving no satisfaction, I was obliged to refer the matter back to your board for instructions.
To illustrate alterations I have made, I submit rough sketch, Plate 2.
Most respectfully submitted,
GREENLEAF S. TUKEY.
169
REPORT RENDERED NOV. 7, 1900.
TO THE HONORABLE BOARD OF HEALTH, WAKEFIELD, MASS.
Gentlemen : According to instructions given me to connect the fixtures required at the High school building, I submit the following report :
Oct. 19. Received orders to see chairman of the school board for location of fixtures to be used, which I did.
Oct. 22. Afternoon, went to schoolhouse with carpenter.
Oct. 23. Laid out the work for the plumber.
Oct. 25. Plumber at work. In the afternoon chairman of board of health and myself opened intercepting trap. South side crema- tion system found full of urine ; also about six hundred gallons in cesspool that was cleaned out October 2. Nothing but cremation system wastes in this cesspool.
Oct. 26. Plumbers at work.
Oct. 27. Work progressing. Received instructions to work the men the 28th. Lead tank, 24-in.X24-in.x6-in. at chemical sinks, opened and found NOT TO BE A TRAP.
Oct. 28. We worked all day cutting and putting in about sixty feet 2-inch lead lined iron waste pipe, leaving pipes in condition for school work next day.
Oct. 29. Took out old tank at the chemical sinks, put in 6-inch round trap, vented.
Oct. 30. Work progressing.
Oct. 31. We set 6-inch round trap at physical sinks, vented.
Nov. 1, 3 and 5. Work in progress, and the plumbers finished November 6, except bowl for north east entry, not received from the manufacturers.
REMARKS.
The lead lined pipe for waste and ventilation, to the chemical and physical sinks, with lead lined connections, were put up by expert lead lined pipe workmen.
Where it was necessary to make lead joints, lead was beaten to lead and wiped in such manner as not to come in contact with acid, trap lead spun over rims and brass covers, lined with sheet lead.
Plate 3, rough sketch, not to scale, handed herewith, shows pres- ent condition.
I desire to thank your board for the assistance you have rendered
170
me, also the gentlemanly principal of the school and the master plumber for the even tenor of their ways throughout the trials and tribulations of the many obstacles we have encountered, "being an old building and school in session," for bearing with me in my earnest endeavors, and allow me to say that, in my opinion, "barring the cremation system" the plumbing of the High school is now safe and sound, ready for sewage.
Respectfully, G. S. TUKEY.
In regard to the cremation systems in several of your schools, now under your consideration, your inspector has not changed his opinion one iota, notwithstanding the different opinions of a few wise ex- perts to the contrary.
Being requested to visit the Warren school with your secretary, December 8, I found the same cremation system, but of different manufacture. We were greeted with the same old odor, and it was very prevalent to us in different parts of the building. In one range the excrement was several inches thick, with the drying fire burning only. The other range had been burned out, but THERE WAS NO FIRE.
The boiler that furnishes the heat through steam coils in the draught flues, was dormant; no fire had been on for several days, we were informed, notwithstanding the necessity that the heat in the flues must be KEPT UP AT ALL TIMES.
The town of Leominster is in great argument between the board of health and school committee, with much diversity of opinions of thorough and practical mechanics, as to the "flushing range or latrine system," the same that was placed last summer in the NEW ANNEX of your High school, a system, in my opinion, that is "sani- tary" at least. Ten thousand times more healthy than this slow, dry rot cremation system in many of your schools, steeped in urine, with slow heat to propagate the germs and send them broadcast to spread disease and death.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.