USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of the officers of the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts for the year ending 1910 > Part 2
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On both sides of Highland Place, between Davis and Vernon streets, 45 sq. yards
On easterly side of Murray street, 67 sq. yards
On both sides of Winslow street, 112 sq. yards
On both sides of Water street, northerly from
Sandwich street, 180 sq. yards
A total of 1,798 sq. yards
This is probably more than has ever been laid in any one previous year. In addition, the gutter on the easterly side of Court street, northerly from Brewster street, has been relaid for a distance of about 1,000 or 1,200 feet, that on Winslow street about 200 feet with several small sections on Sandwich, Sum- mer and High streets.
We recommend that the macadam on Court street be extended to the Kingston line the coming year, the expense being esti- mated at $6,500.00, and we also recommend that a special ap- propriation of $2,500.00 be made to be used as far as it will go in macadamizing Summer street, between Market street and Oak street. This section of Summer street is extremely rough and it would seem better to begin macadamizing now rather than to resurface with gravel, one of which will be necessary in 1911.
The Roads and Bridges appropriation for 1910 was, $19,000 00 Appropriation for 1909 overdraft, 2,564 23
Reimbursements, 3,344 72
$24,908 95
Expenditures have been,
$21,516 10
Overdraft of 1909,
2,564 23
$24,080 33
Leaving an undrawn balance of $828 62
For 1911, we recommend an appropriation of $18,000.00 and special appropriations of $6,500.00 and $2,500.00, respectively, for Court and Summer streets.
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DARBY ROAD.
At the annual Town Meeting in 1910, $3,500.00 was appro- priated for this work to which was to be added $1,500.00 to be returned from the Town's subscription to the Plymouth, Carver & Wareham St. Ry. stock, making $5,000.00 available. It was thought essential to radically change the grade and straighten and widen the roadway at Pole Hill, so-called, and in addition to what was done in 1909 along that line and mentioned in report for that year, nearly $1,200.00 was spent in the spring of 1910 for similar work. The great improvement has, we think, fully justified the expense, and although this work has caused a considerable overdraft we hope that the Town will view it in the same light that the Board does. It might have been per- fectly proper to charge the grading expense to the regular Roads and Bridges account, but as it was not so done, and as the Treasurer's books are closed, we let the account stand as it is, showing an overdraft as below.
The type of road built is the same as in 1909, a straight ma- cadam, 15 feet wide, 6 inches thick after rolling, the distance covered, 3,400 feet, bringing it to the junction of Summer and Samoset streets. The section of this road from Clear Pond westerly towards Carver is in an extremely poor condition and we recommend that the Town continue the macadam in 1911, to cover part of the distance to the Carver line. The section of macadam built in 1910 was heavily sanded, immediately it was finished and both it and the 1909 section have been kept well covered and with excellent results. It cost but. $10.00 in 1910 to resand the section built in 1909, as it was only necessary to sand in the middle of the road.
Appropriation of 1910 was, $3,500 00
Appropriation for 1909 overdraft,
37 72
Received from P., C. & W. St. Ry. Co. stock sub-
scription, 1,500 00
$5,037 72
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Expenditures, Overdraft of 1909,
$5,900 93
37 72
$5,938 65
Overdraft,
$900 93
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $5,000.00 and $900.93 to cover the overdraft.
NEW ROADS.
The extension of Alden street, accepted by the Town in 1909, has been worked to the full width for the whole distance, except. for a small part on the southerly side at the upper end, this be- ing left because it was good gravel and could be utilized later in some covering work and there was no immediate need of do- ing the work. The road was graded and gravelled and a dirt. sidewalk built on the westerly side. The expense here was; $568.81.
Stoddard street has had the road shaped and covered with gravel, and sidewalks put in good condition, the cost being $102.65. Some granite block pavers were used for curbing here.
Water street, at the foot of Barnes' Mill Pond, as altered by the Town in 1908, has been widened approximately to the width as altered, a new concrete dam built, with abutments connecting with the old bridge walls to allow of extending the bridge the. full width of the altered street.
The contract price for the dam and abutments was $3,350.00 .. There was some extra work, amounting to $85.30, due to re- building part of the old north wall of the bridge and to efforts. to keep the Plymouth Electric Light Co. supplied with con-
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densing water while the dam was in process of construction, making the masons bill $3,435.30. The expense of filling was $253.83, and other incidental expenses were $36.31, making total cost of work here $3,725.44. Mr. Ernest L. Sampson was the contractor on this job.
The way off Cherry street, northerly side, has been rough graded, the expense here being $199.70.
Some changes being contemplated by the owners of the prop- erty directly across Water street from the Plymouth Electric Light Co. plant and northerly of Town Brook, advantage was taken of the opportunity and the building moved to the east- ward enough to secure about eleven feet in width of additional land for the whole length of the property from Town Brook northerly, a deed being secured to the Town under date of April 2nd, 1910, the consideration being $800.00. The grantors were Eugene P. Rowell and George H. Williams, 2nd. This will allow of widening the street to 40 feet at this point.
The layout of Billington street in 1902 involved cutting off about five feet of the wire shed of the Plymouth Mills on the westerly side of the street. This work has just been done in 1910. It was deemed desirable to do it then because the Company planned some changes in the front of the building which would make a far more expensive job to cut off the front at a later date. The original award for damages on this property was $100.00 and had never been accepted by the Company as it was insufficient to do the necessary work. The award was therefore increased to the sum of $250.00 and has been paid. This, of course, was not contemplated at the beginning of the year and the item accounts for the overdraft and more.
Petitions or requests have been received to lay out Stafford Lane, so-called, Ocean and Weston avenues, so-called, and Peck avenue, so-called, also for a Common Landing Place on the shore near Cedarville. Hearings have been held on the first and last items and the other two are under consideration by the Board.
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Undrawn balance of 1909,
$2,511 91
Appropriation,
3,300 00
$5,811 91
Expenditures have been,
5,865 07
Overdraft,
$53 16
For 1911, we recommend an appropriation of $4,000.00.
STATE HIGHWAY.
The State Highway Tax for 1910 was $296.50.
The sum of $5,000.00 was allotted Plymouth in 1910, and was used in building a section of built-up oil and sand road at Manomet, southerly from the terminus of the oil and sand road built in 1909 by the State and Town. The distance built was 5,663 feet and we are advised by the Highway Commission that the cost was about $6,000.00 The 1910 layout of the Highway Commission took in the 1,600 feet built in 1909 by the State and Town, so that the State Highway is now continuous from just southerly of Cliff street to the Blodgett or Mayer place, so- called.
SIDEWALKS.
Curb of granite block pavers has been laid as follows :- On both sides of Standish avenue, between Hamil- ton and Cherry streets, and on the westerly side only, between Samoset and Alden streets, 3,060 feet
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On the northerly side of Samoset street, above Standish avenue, 596 feet
On both sides of Winslow street, 720 feet
On the southeasterly side of Billington street from the junction of Summer street to the Standish Mills, 1,687 feet
On the southeasterly side of Bay View avenue, 112 feet
On Sever street and the extension thereof,
270 feet
On the southeasterly side of High street (replac- ing old curbing), 100 feet
On the northerly side of Summer street, between High and Edes streets, 214 feet
On the easterly side of Sandwich street, between Bradford and Water streets, 157 feet
A total of 6,916 feet
Thirty-two feet of granite curb was laid at Jabez Corner, and sixty feet on the northerly side of Brewster street.
On Standish avenue, between Cherry and Hamilton streets, where curb was laid, the sidewalk was covered with gravel; on the same avenue between Samoset and Alden streets, on Billing- ton street, Samoset street and on Summer street, with ashes, which it is planned to surface with crushed stone later, and on Winslow street, Bay View avenue and Sever street, with ashes, surfaced with crushed stone. Block curbing laid on High and Sandwich streets was where concrete walk was already laid. Twenty-four hundred and forty square feet of new concrete walk has been laid, all at the request of abuttors, as follows :-- 1,472 feet on the westerly side of Mayflower street, 468 feet at Jabez Corner, 360 feet on the northerly side of Brewster street and 140 feet on southerly side of Sandwich street, at the foot of Pleasant street, the latter place also having block pavers for curb.
-
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The undrawn balance of 1909 was,
$ 573 51
Appropriation,
3,000 00
Reimbursements,
384 34
.
$3,957 85
Expenditures,
4,076 59
Overdraft,
$118 74
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $3,000.00 and $118.74 to cover the overdraft.
1.
SEWERS.
The Summer street sewer has been extended westerly from its former terminus about 170 feet to accommodate new houses built during the year.
There are several houses in the vicinity of Hobbs Hole brook whose sewage has for many years emptied into the brook. Pro- posed improvements to the property on the shore side of Sand- wich street at that point through which the brook runs will oblige the owners of these houses to discontinue using the brook for sewage disposal and the nature of the land there is such (very clayey and wet), that it is probably impossible to main- tain cesspools. The houses in question are too low to connect with the present Sandwich street sewer, running as far south as Bay View avenue. These conditions have caused the Board to consider the question of a sewer for that section of the Town south of Bay View avenue, and plans are in process. Whether or not the proposition will be in shape to present to the Town at the coming annual Town Meeting we cannot say at this writ- ing.
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The undrawn balance of 1909 was, Reimbursements, .
$2,884 74
1,390 00
$4,274 74
Expenditures,
$485 03
Undrawn balance,
$3,789 71
No appropriation is recommended at this time for 1911.
STREET LIGHTING.
Eight incandescent street lights have been added during 1910.
One on Howes' Lane, one on Oak street, near the school house, one on Sandwich street, north of Mt. Pleasant street, one on Allerton street, northerly of the Pilgrim Monument, one on Alden street near the Michael Casey place, two on South Russell street, and one on Water street, between Chilton street and the- corner at Ripley & Bartlett's factory.
All of the arc lights have been displaced by clusters of five each of incandescent, Tungsten lights, with, we think, much better results.
In accordance with a vote of the Town, March 26th, 1910, the Selectmen, under date of April 18th, complained to the Board of Gas & Electric Light Commissioners of the price and quality of the street lights. An all day's hearing was given by the Com- missioners at the Probate Court room here on June 1st, but at this writing no decision has been reached by them. They 'ad- vise us verbally that they hope to decide the matter some time in February, 1911. There has, therefore, been no change the past year in the price of lights to the Town.
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There are now-
333 incandescent lights at $20.00,
$6,660 00
3 incandescent lights at $21.00,
63 00
7 incandescent clusters at $125.00,
875 00
1 incandescent cluster at,
85 00
$7,683 00
The undrawn balance of 1909 was, Appropriation,
$79 06
7,600 00
$7,679 06
Expenditures,
7,577 06
$102 00
Undrawn balance,
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $7,600.00.
STREET SPRINKLING.
In 1910, for the first time, oil has been used to lay the dust, and although there has been some criticism, we believe that the results have been generally satisfactory, and we also think that the oil helps to preserve the surface of the roads. Three car- loads of Standard Oil Co. emulsifying oil of about 6,000 gal- lons each have been used, being applied to the streets with our regular water carts, one part oil to five parts water. Some of the streets have been sprinkled with water as heretofore, either for part or all of the season.
During the fall the Standard Oil Co. gave a demonstration of spraying the streets with oil under pressure from a motor driven tank wagon. This was applied on Middle street and on
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sections of Court and Sandwich streets. Where the surface of the road was thoroughly cleaned before the application the first coat struck into the road very well, but part of the road treated had been recently sanded and the oil application made a most dirty and unsatisfactory condition, so much so that the sand and oil had to be scraped off. Where a second coat was applied to the cleaned surface first mentioned it failed to strike in and sanding was necessary. A heavy rain came shortly after the oil application and much of the value of the treatment was lost thereby. It is probable that the failure of the oil to penetrate the road was because of the lateness in the season and the con- sequent dampness of the road.
More than the average amount of dry weather through the season has caused an overdraft in this appropriation.
The appropriation for 1909 overdraft was,
$980 60
Appropriation for 1910,
$3,000 00
$3,980 60
Expenditures,
$3,156 04
Overdraft of 1909,
980 60
$4.136 64
Overdraft,
$156 04
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $3,000.00 and of $156.04 to cover the overdraft.
CONTINGENT.
The only unusual expenditure charged to this account in 1910 was for safes for the Fire, Police, Board of Health, Sealer of Weights and Measures and School Departments, as required by
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the Commissioner of Public Records, and for an additional safe for the Assessors for convenience of that department, the six safes costing $410.00 delivered in place. The cost of maintain- ing the Armory, which has been charged to Contingent Account will not have to be met in the future, the State having pur- chased it in August, 1910, as mentioned elsewhere.
The undrawn balance of 1909 was, $1,382 31
Appropriation, 5,000 00
Transferred from Town House Tablet account,
10 00
Transferred from Harbor Improvement account, 759 78
Reimbursements,
3,183 68
$10,335 77
Expenditures,
9,075 68
Undrawn,
$1,260 09
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $5,000.00 and that the balance of $14.38 to the credit of the Oil Road at Mano- met be transferred to the Contingent Account. For details of receipts and expenditures, see Treasurer's report.
REMOVAL OF SNOW,
The undrawn balance of 1909 was,
$1,408 52
Appropriation,
1,500 00
Reimbursements,
67 63
$2,976 15
Expenditures,
1,879 58
Undrawn,
$1,096 57
No appropriation is recommended for 1911.
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WATCH AND POLICE.
We endorse the recommendation of the Chief of Police in his report, that the Town install a police signal system, believing that it will greatly add to the efficiency of the department. As planned, it is proposed to install ten boxes, seven of them in the central part of the town, from Lincoln street to Park avenue, and three in the north part of the Town. The cost of installing this number of boxes, with the necessary office apparatus is estimated at $3,500.00 Other boxes can be added from time to time as found necessary at comparatively small cost, the price of a box such as is proposed being $100.00.
We recommend that the Town appropriate $3,500.00 for this purpose, payment to be extended over a term not to exceed five years.
The undrawn balance for 1909 was,
$369 73
Appropriation,
6,500 00
Reimbursements,
1 75
$6.871 48
Expenditures,
6,094 72
Undrawn balance,
$776 76
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $6,000.00 in addition to the special appropriation mentioned above.
CULTIVATION, PROPAGATION AND PROTECTION OF
SHELL FISH.
No applications for grants on the shore or flats were received during 1910.
The close season on that part of Plymouth Beach, north of
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beach wharf, has been extended for one year from October 10th, 1910.
Three hundred and ninety three buckets of clams have been planted on White Flat, Wine Flat and the Oyster Bed, about equally divided between the three flats. The cost was 60 cents per bucket and the cost of supervision $24.00, making total cost of clams planted $259.80. These plantings were made in June and the result is not definitely known at this time. In view of this fact, of the apparent indifference of the people generally as shown by the failure of those most directly interested to ob- tain grants and cultivate clams on their own account, and of the opinion of some that the flats and shores will eventually seed themselves, we are not recommending any large appropriation for planting clams at this time.
The balance of the expenditure from this appropriation has been for police supervision of the shore from the Puritan Mill northerly.
The number of buckets of clams dug on the above mentioned section of shore during 1910 is, according to reports made to us, 11,214 buckets.
These figures are approximate.
The undrawn balance of 1909 was,
$91 30
Appropriation,
500 00
$591 30
Expenditures,
418 80
Undrawn,
$172 50
For 1911 we recommend an appropriation of $150.00.
SUNDRY MATTERS.
In accordance with the vote of the Town, August 20th, 1910, the Selectmen deeded to Mr. Gideon F. Holmes the hose house
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lot on Court street, near Hall street, in exchange for a lot at the junction of Standish avenue and South Spooner street, for the fire station now building.
The appropriation for the above mentioned new Fire Station was $12,000.00. The plans are by Thomas M. James, Architect, 15 Ashburton Place, Boston, the architect of the Central Fire Station, and the building is being erected under the supervision of Mr. Joseph Barnes of this town.
The building contractor is Mr. Ernest L. Sampson of this town, his bid being $10,949.00, which includes plumbing, heat- ing, gas piping, electric wiring, etc., or allowances therefor.
By authority of Section 117, Chapter 465, Acts of 1905, as amended by Section 8, Chapter 526, Acts of 1907, the Armory has been sold to the Commonwealth for the sum of $28.771.89, the money being received Aug. 26th, 1910. There is an article in the warrant to see what disposition the Town will make of this money.
By vote of the Town, March 26th, 1910, the Selectmen were authorized to place an arc light on Pilgrim Wharf, near the Town float and two red range lights on the northeast side of Cole's Hill. Instead of an arc light there has been installed on Pilgrim Wharf a cluster of three incandescent lights to burn on the regular street light schedule.
It was found desirable and essential that there should be four range lights instead of two and they have been installed as fol- lows :- One near junction of North and Winslow streets, one at the head of Town Dock, one on the easterly side of Water street, opposite the Plymouth Electric Light Co. plant, and one on the westerly side of Water street, on the property of the Plymouth Electric Light Co. These burn all night, every night. The expense of maintaining these lights has been charged to Contingent Account. These aids to navigation have been ap- proved by the United States Light House Board.
Plymouth 3
1.
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The following appropriations are asked for by the different departments :-
Roads and Bridges,
$18,000 00
Summer street macadam,
2,500 00
New roads,
4,000 00
Darby Road,
5,000 00
Sidewalks,
3,000 00
Lighting streets and Town House,
7,600 00
Street sprinkling,
3,000 00
Court street macadam,
6,500 00
Fire Department,
13,500 00
Poor,
8,000 00
Contingent,
5,000 00
Watch and Police,
6,000 00
Sexton,
125 00
Collector of Taxes,
-
800 00
Treasurer,
1,000 00
Oak Grove and Vine Hills cemeteries,
800 00
Burial Hill,
400 00
Schools,
60,000 00
Schools, Medical inspection,
350 00
Town debt and interest,
34,000 00
Assessors,
2,600 00
Parks,
1,200 00
Training Green,
175 00
Tree Warden,
800 00
Gypsy and brown tail moths,
1,500 00
Board of Health,
3,000 00
Forest Warden,
1,000 00
Cultivation, propagation and protection of shell fish,
150 00
$190,000 00
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Appropriations for deficiencies :-
Assessors,
$140 22
Board of Health,
307 48
Military Aid, one half,
72 00
Street sprinkling,
156 04
Soldiers' relief,
2,745 62
Darby Road,
900 93
Sidewalks,
118 74
Parks,
103 56
Standish avenue school house,
628 00
$195.172 59
Less-
Corporation tax,
$16,661 96
Bank tax,
1,330 07
$17,992 03
$177,180 56
To cover the amount required above it will be necessary to raise by taxation the sum of $177,180.56 to meet the expenses of the Town for the year 1911.
Respectfully submitted, FREDERICK D. BARTLETT, DEXTER H. CRAIG, CHARLES W. EATON, IRA C. WARD, GEORGE F. BARLOW, 2nd.
Selectmen.
TREASURER'S REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DEC. 31, 1910.
The treasurer is charged with cash on hand Jan.
1, 1910,
$13,018 06
Agawam and Halfway Pond Herring Fishery,
77 50
Old Colony National Bank dividend, 300 00
Temporary loan, 100,000 00
Sandwich street, reimbursement,
12 50
Commissioners, Fisheries and Game (license),
15 00
Military aid from State, Chap. 372,
72 00
Reimbursement on telephone,
2 00
Licenses, pool, junk dealers, etc.,
291 25
Rent of building, Town Square,
137 50
Fines and forfeitures from court,
605 47
Sale of globes,
25
N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Co., labor at forest fire, 1909, 81 66
Sale of herring streams,
7 00
Armory rent from State for 1909,
1,625 00
Received from Standish Guards, reimbursement on lighting, 116 40
Received for druggists' licenses,
5 00
Amount carried forward,
$116,366 59
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Amount brought forward,
$116,366 59
Fees of sealer of weights and measures,
112 15
Poor department, reimbursements, 1,882 23
Sewer account, reimbursements,
1,390 00
Commonwealth of Massachusetts for
Armory
building and lot, 28,771 89
Removal of snow account, reimbursements,
67 63
Tax of 1908, including abatement of $1,062.55,
12,140 19
Sidewalk account, reimbursements,
384 34
Chiltonville, Manomet, Cedarville and South Pond Cemeteries, 92 24
Fire department, reimbursements,
77 00
Interest on taxes,
1,845 14
State aid from State,
4,924 00
School department, reimbursements,
23 42
Soldiers' relief, Chap. 447, reimbursements,
111 00
Watch and police, reimbursements,
1 75
Water department, 48,058 38
Park, reimbursements,
183 86
Manomet State road, from State,
544 69
Standish avenue school building, reimbursement, 555 00
Tax of 1909, 21,896 10
Tax of 1910, including abatement of $2,173.75,
184,861 40
Gypsy moth account, reimbursement, 29 71
Road department, reimbursements,
3,344 72
Forest warden account, reimbursement,
20
Burial Hill reimbursements,
64 00
Oak Grove and Vine Hill Cemeteries,
2,114 83
Board of health, reimbursements,
153 35
Inland fisheries, reimbursement,
164 22
Oak Grove and Vine Hill Cemeteries, special,
80 77
Corporation tax (public service),
3,491 18
Corporation tax,
13,170 78
Amount carried forward,
$446,902 76
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Amount brought forward,
$446,902 76
National bank tax, 1,330 07
Dog fund, 1910, 1,367 66
Plymouth, Carver & Wareham Street Railway Co.,
1,500 00
Fire engine loan,
5,250 00
North town fire station loan,
12,000 00
Playground loan,
2,700 00
$471,050 49
The treasurer is credited with-
Abatements,
$3,236 30
Agawam and Halfway Pond herring fishery,
51 00
Assessors,
2,440 22
Memorial Day,
200 00
Public library,
1,875 00
Sexton,
125 00
Widows,
113 00
Training Green,
154 42
Temporary loan repaid,
100,000 00
Old high school house lot,
46 32
Sandwich street, macadam,
834 97
Lighting streets and Town House,
7,577 06
Commissioners on fisheries and game,
15 00
Military aid, Chap. 372,
144 00
Poor department,
9,656 53
Sewer account,
485 03
Removal of snow,
1,879 58
Murdock fund interest,
36 50
New roads,
5,865 07
Sidewalks,
4,076 59
Amount carried forward,
$138,811 59.
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Amount brought forward,
$138,811 59
Chiltonville, Manomet, Cedarville and So. Pond
Cemeteries,
88 05
Sprinkling streets,
3,156 04
Fire department,
13,028 97
Notes paid,
24,456 66
Interest paid,
9,581 28
State aid, Chap. 374,
4,882 00
School department,
55,007 75
Soldiers' relief, Chap. 447,
2,856 62
Warren fund interest,
50 00
Watch and police,
6,094 72
Water department,
48,031 94
Parks,
1,282 52
Treasurer,
1,000 00
Tax collector,
800 00
Tree warden account,
821 08
Cultivation of shell fish,
418 80
Main street extension,
13 86
Court street, macadam,
6,396 15
Schools, medical inspection,
358 38 1
Manomet State road,
1,530 31
Darby road,
5,900 93
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