USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1867-1870 > Part 20
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Clark Jillson,
SPECIAL POLICE, WITHOUT PAY.
Sumner P. Hale,
at Western R. R. Station.
Jaalam Gates,
at Mechanics Hall.
Charles D. Mowry,
at Mission Chapel.
Parker Holden,
at Park St. Church. -
William T. Allen,
at Lincoln Square.
Horace L. Jenks,
at New Worcester.
Moses P. Stearns,
at South Worcester.
Thomas N. Baird,
at Laurel Hill.
Charles A. Clark,
at East Worcester.
Jeremiah J. Mahony,
at Temple Street.
Charles G. Parker,
at Pleasant near West.
John P. Stockwell,
at Rural Cemetery. at Tatnuck.
Thomas Wheelock, Samuel Stackpole,
Hamor Gledhill,
Nathan H. Chandler,
Lucian Prince, 41
at Messinger & Wright's at Adriatic Mill. at 150 Southbridge St.
at Agricultural Grounds.
324
Daniel Twoomy,
at J. H. & G. M. Walker's .
George P. Blake,
at Merrifield's Buildings,
at Zion's Church.
Simeon D. Butler,
Patrick O'Rourke,
at Stage Office. at Millbury St.
Wm. Knowles, for Worcester Water Works.
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
JAMES B. BLAKE, Mayor. Ex-Officio,
B. P. CHENOWETH, Supt. of Schools. JAMES M. DRENNAN, City Marshal. James B. Blake, President. George W. Gale, Clerk. David F. Parker and Walter Henry, 3 years. George W. Rugg and George Geer, 2 years. George W. Gale and John C. Newton, 1 year.
members.
CILY PHYSICIAN. J. MARCUS RICE. Office, Pleasant street.
KEEPER OF THE ALMSHOUSE AND CITY HOSPITAL, John Farwell.
UNDERTAKERS.
George Sessions, George G. Hildreth,
Waldo E. Sessions, Thomas A. McConville.
PUBLIC WEIGHERS.
Chas. A. Hoppin, N. Worcester, Silas Penniman, Lincoln Square. Charles Marvin, near City Hall, J. B. Bardwell, Washington Square.
WEIGHERS OF COAL.
F. H. Knight, at Jourdan's James Plimpton, at Southbridge St. Albert H. Mirick, at Wellington's Joseph Leland, at Central street. Edwin Gleason, at Rice, Barton & Co.'s Works.
MEASURERS OF WOOD AND BARK.
S. Penniman, Lincoln Square, Charles Marvin, City Hall.
J. B. Bardwell, Washington Sq., Sibley Putnam, Green street,
Chas. A. Hoppin, N. Worcester, Joseph Gates, Quinsigamond.
SURVEYORS OF LUMBER.
Nahum R. Hapgood, Leander Hapgood.
Henry W. Reed.
David Branam,
325
FENCE VIEWERS. Calvin L. Hartshorn. George Newton.
E. F. Chamberlain.
MILK INSPECTOR .- Henry Griffin, Pleasant street. FIELD DRIVERS. Thomas R. Foster, Lewis Sturtevant.
POUND KEEPER .- David F. Parker.
SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Gill Valentine. Office, No. 3, City Hall.
GAUGER .- Jerome Marble. Office, opposite City Hall.
WARD OFFICES.
Ward 1 .- WARDEN, Geo. F. Thompson. CLERK, James Green, Jr. INSPECTORS, Horace Sheldon, John W. Howe, James S. Rogers.
Ward 2 .- WARDEN, Asa L. Burbank. CLERK, George W. Gale. INSPECTORS, Thomas N. Baird, Geo. H. Whitcomb, Albert F. Hatch. Ward 3 .- WARDEN, Lyman Brown. CLERK, George Holmes. INSPECTORS, Samuel McFadden, M. E. Shattuck, Jason Chapin.
Ward 4 .- WARDEN, John J. O'Gorman. CLERK, John Toomey. INSPECTORS, John J. Brosnihan, T. Edward Murray, Henry A. Streeter.
Ward 5 .- WARDEN, Samuel V. Stone. CLERK, David P. Brown. INSPECTORS, Thomas Pierce, J. Brown Alden, Argalis P. Butler.
Ward 6 .- WARDEN, Loammi Harrington. CLERK, Stillman L. Shaffer. INSPECTORS, Lucius M. Sargent, Samuel W. Kent, Samuel Houghton. Ward 7 .- WARDEN, Edw. H. Marsh. CLERK, Edwin Haven. Geo. A. Adams, Charles A. Goddard, Calvin L. Hartshorn.
Ward 8 .- WARDEN, Healy Baker. CLERK, James H. Bancroft. INSPECTORS, Charles Sibley, Joseph A. Titus, Theodore S. Johnson.
BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR 1868.
A. Beaman Lovell, Chief. Joseph Rideout, Clerk.
Simon E. Combs,
Eli B. Fairbank,
Joseph Rideout, Assistant Engineers. James L. Morse,
Silas J. Brimhall,
Samuel H. Day.
FIRE COMPANIES.
Rapid Engine Co., No. 2, David J. Baker, Foreman, 40 men. Hook and Ladder Co. " 1, John W. Loring, ¥ 20 «
«
2, Edwin Bradbury, 20 "
326
City Hose Company No. 1, Enoch Earl,
10
Ocean Hose
2, James Keegan,
66
10
Eagle Hose 66 3, William Flynn,
10
Niagara Hose
4, Samuel Knowlton.
10 66
Yankee Hose
66
5, Samuel H. Day, .6
10
66
Steamer Gov. Lincoln, “
1, Timothy Kelliher,
6.
16
.6
Col. Davis,
2, Patrick Carroll,
..
16
A. B. Lovell "
3, John E. Calligan,
..
12
Engineers,
181
City Document, No. 23.
R
302. 07443 W 9220
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
1868
OF
HON. JAMES B. BLAKE,
MAYOR OF THE
CITY OF WORCESTER,
JANUARY 4, 1869,
WITH THE
ANNUAL REPORTS
OF THE SEVERAL CITY OFFICERS FOR THE
MUNICIPAL YEAR ENDING JANUARY 4, 1869.
WO
ER
A
TOWN.JUNE
FEBY.29.18
E 14.172
WHITEMORE
WORCESTER : TYLER & SEAGRAVE, CITY PRINTERS, 252 MAIN ST. 1869.
CITY OF WORCESTER.
IN CITY COUNCIL, Jan. 18, 1869.
Ordered, That the City Clerk be, and he is hereby authorized to cause to be printed and bound, two thousand copies of "City Document," to be numbered 23, to contain the Mayor's Ad- dress, the Annual Reports of the several Departments, together with a particular account of the receipts and expenditures of the City, with a schedule of the city property and of the city debt.
Attest,
SAMUEL SMITH,
City Clerk.
-
CONTENTS.
-
Address of the Mayor,
5
Finances 6; Schools 8; School Houses 11; Free Public Library 13; Highways 15; City Stables 18; Water 23; Mill Brook 25; Sewers 28; New Building on Thomas street 29; North Pond 30; Police 31; Fire Department 33; Charities 41.
Public Schools of the City,
45
Committees for 1868, 47 ; Superintendent's Report 53; Secretary's Report 77 ; Report of Truant School Committee 93; Roll of Honor 98 ; Table showing Attendance for 1868, 106 ; Table of Schools, Teachers, and Salaries, 112; Table of Cost of each School, average Cost of each Scholar, and total ordinary Expense, 115; Value of School Houses, &c., 120; Value of other School Property 121 ; Committee for 1869, 122 ; Calendar 126.
Free Public Library,
127
Directors' Report 129 ; Report of Library Committee 137; Committee on Reading Room 146; Committee on Library Building 153 , Finance Committee 153 ; Treasurer 155 ; Rules and Regulations 156 ; Rules for Takers of Books, &c., 158
Report of Commissioners on Shade Trees and Public Grounds, 161
Report of Commissioners on Hope Cemetery, - 178
Report of City Engineer, - - - - -
183
Sewers and Sewerage 185; Sewers 187 ; Streets 195 ; Re-numbering Streets 196; Water Works 198 ; Appendix 202.
Water Commissioner's Report, 204
Highway Commissioner's Report, -
- 209
Report of Overseers of the Poor, -
I.
- - 225
Report of City Marshal, - -
233
Fire Department, -
- - - 239
Report of City Treasurer, - -
-
-
243
-
-
-
Account Current 244; Cash Account 246; Particular Account of Receipts and Ex- penses 250; Recapitulation 298 ; Funded City Debt and Temporary Loan 300 ; Fund- ed Sewer Debt 300 ; Water Investment 301.
Schedule of City Property, = = 302
Government and Officers of the City for 1869, - 306
CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY.
TREASURER'S OFFICE, CITY OF WORCESTER, APRIL, 1869. TO PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY.
Bills presented for the action of the Auditor of Accounts, must specify what the article or arti- cles sold were for-when for labor, where it was performed, number of days and price per day, un- less otherwise agreed upon. When there are charges belonging to different departments, separate bills must be made, including only charges belonging to each department.
ALL BILLS MUST SPECIFY THE DATE OF THE SEVERAL CHARGES.
Claimants should carefully note the name of the person who orders the article or service, and should inquire to what department the charge shall be made, and should also know that the per- son is duly authorized to make contracts. Unless this is done, the claimant will be put to the trouble of making out his account the second time, and run the risk of losing it.
When bills are certified to, as per chapter 3, Revised Ordinances (below,) they can be left at the Treasurer's or Auditor's Office, before 2 o'clock, P. M., on or before the THIRD DAY of each month, except bills at the close of the year, which must be left on or before Dec. 25th.
Those who attend to the above, will find their bills audited and ready at the Treasurer's Office, who will pay them promptly at the times designated below.
TIMES OF PAYMENT.
Salaries of the City Officers, and Teachers in the permanent Schools, on the first day of each quarter.
Families of Volunteers, on the 24th day of each month.
Salaries of Watchmen, on the first day of each month.
All other bills on the 10th of each month.
When the above days come on Sundays, payment will be made the next day. .
And persons having olaims are requested to call promptly for their money ON THE DAY DESIG- NATED.
GEORGE W. WHEELER, City Treasurer.
PARTICULAR NOTICE.
AUDITOR'S OFFICE, APRIL, 1869.
All persons having claims against the City, are hereby reminded, that agreeably to an established rule, all bills, in order that they may be ready for payment on the 10th, must be left with the Treasurer or Auditor, on or before the THIRD day of each month, except the closing bills of the year, which must be left on or before Dec. 25th, before 2 o'clock, P. M. Those who fail to comply with this rule, will have to wait till the following month before their bills will be ready for payment.
CHAPTER 3, REVISED ORDINANCES.
AUDITOR.
"SECTION 2. No Account or Claim against the City, other than Judgments of the Judicial Courts, shall be received or acted upon by him, unless such account or claim shall be accompanied by a certificate of the Mayor, Committee, or other proper certifying officer of each department author- ized on behalf of the City to make the contract or cause the expenditure to be made, that the same is correct."
Office, No. 3, City Hall.
GILL VALENTINE, Auditor.
--
ADDRESS OF THE MAYOR,
HON. JAMES B. BLAKE,
DELIVERED AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE CITY GOVERN- MENT, JANUARY 4, 1869.
Gentlemen of the Board of Aldermen,
and Gentlemen of the Common Council :
As the chosen servants of this people, selected by our fellow citizens to assume the responsibilities and perform the duties incumbent upon us in positions of high public trust, we assemble this morning in accordance with the provisions of our city charter, to take upon ourselves the solemn obligations of our respective offices, and to inau- gurate in due form the municipal government of our city for the coming year.
You will join me in feelings of grateful acknowledg- ment as we review the manifold blessings of the past year ; blessings which have alike been bestowed upon all classes of our citizens ; in the abundance of health and prosperity ; in the development of thrift and indus- try ; in the maintenance of peace and good order, and the general enjoyment of comfort and happiness which has been vouchsafed to this community. In the contem- plation of these benefactions, let us thank Him, the giv- er of all good, the source of every blessing; the guiding power of unnumbered worlds and the guardian care of
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the humblest creature ; and in the full spirit of trust in His strengthening arm, may we consecrate ourselves anew to the demands of the unknown future, in the firm faith and confidence that His providence will still be our light in hours of darkness, and His presence our help in days of doubt.
FINANCES.
This important department of the city's interest, which forms as it were the base line of all practical operation as it is the source from whence all other departments re- ceive vital power, will in its consideration and manage- ment demand from you careful attention and judicious action.
During the past year the condition and requirements of the City Treasury have proved more favorable than. for several years, as shown by the rate of taxation which had not been as low since 1863. A balance in the treasury at the beginning of the year of nearly forty thousand dollars, the great reduction in the State tax and the relief from payment of bounty debt, together with the increased valuation, have combined to effect this desirable result; the appropriations made for the general expenditures in the departments of the city are $11,775.00 less than those for the previous year.
From the stand-point of to day, looking forward into the coming year with its obligations already assumed for school houses and new streets, the pressing necessi- ties of our highways, and the demand for additional streets and sidewalks, it must be apparent that the rate of taxation for the present must considerably exceed that of the past year.
Let us therefore guard this monetary interest of our city with zealous care, scrupulously analyzing every call
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for expenditure, and yet frankly and honestly meet and decide every question upon its true merits, irrespective of personal interest or sectional local influence, with the view of limiting our action only by the public welfare, and not aiming to present to our constituents a mini- mum rate of yearly taxation at the sacrifice of great in- terests neglected or ignored.
The present financial condition of the city is as fol- lows :
The amount distinguished as the old debt, $54,140.07
of the war debt after deducting the amount due from the State, 52,900.00
" of sewer debt, 121,200.00
Making the total amount of debt, Jan. 1, 1869, $228,240.07
which is an increase of $30,538.84 over the previous year, and incident to the expense of the work upon Mill Brook.
The Sewer debt is now represented by the Sewer Bonds of the city ; $87,600 of which are payable June 15, 1877 ; and $33,600 of which are payable June 15, 1878.
The temporary loan created to cover the current ex- penses of the construction of Sewers in the streets of the city, and which amount is to be assessed upon the es- tates benefited thereby, is $115,151.43.
The Water investment, which properly may be con- sidered as capital expended in this department of the city's interest, is represented by the Water Bonds of the city to the amount of $417,306.98; the income from the sale of water being considerably in excess of the annual interest upon the Bonds, and the cost of maintaining the works.
The valuation as returned by the Assessors for the year 1868 is $26,220,200, of which amount $17,420,350 is real and $8,799,850 is personal estate, showing an in- crease of $2,363,900 over the valuation of 1867.
8
The total amount assessed upon the above valuation is $355,203.57, and distributed as follows :
State Tax,
$40,860.00
County “
17,274.52
City appropriations,
280,475.00
Overlayings, (to cover errors and uncollected taxes,) 16,594.05
$355,203.57
The rate of taxation in 1868 was $12.85 on one thou- sand dollars ; the number of polls assessed 9137, being an increase of 591 above the previous year.
After the payment of the December bills there will probably remain in the city treasury a balance of at least $15,000. The precise amount cannot be ascertain- ed until the books of the Treasurer shall have been fully balanced.
SCHOOLS.
The educational department of our municipal system, which in its adoption is the glory of the present and the safeguard of the future, the pride of New England and the crown of our civilization, the seeds of promise sown to-day to ripen in the higher development of other gen- erations, living fires of stimulating power which shall kindle the spirit of progress and illumine the way to more lofty achievements ; the ground-work of true moral attainment and the charm of a happy life; the bulwark of our liberties and the foundation of republican institu- tions ; ever claiming your fostering care, ever demand- ing your continued support. To this sacred trust do I invite your attention, never doubting that at your hands it will receive the full measure of your official as well as private encouragement.
And while by law the general management and direc- tion of our schools have been entrusted to a separate
y
board invested with peculiar and almost unlimited pow- er, still I believe that a more active and individual inter- est should be taken by the members of the city govern- ment, and also by the parents of the children themselves. And I would that so manifest an interest might be awak- ened in this community as to make the recurrence of the annual examinations of the different schools in the first week in May a public holiday week, and by the presence of committee and council and parents and friends, inspire the scholar and encourage the teacher to renewed effort in this great work of learning and teach- ing ; such a favorable condition of public sentiment would I believe do much to advance the standing of our schools, their true condition would be kept directly be- fore our people, and their relative standing weighed and judged year by year by the citizens who are called upon annually to contribute so largely to their support.
The total number of scholars attending the schools the past year was 9,000, being an increase of 1,275 over the number registered in 1867. The average number occupying seats was 6112, being an increase of 616. The average attendance for the year was 5421, being an in- crease of 493 over the attendance of the previous year.
The number of schools in the city is 111,-fifteen of which have been established during the past year, three of which are evening schools.
The number of teachers employed is 132, being an increase of 17 during the year.
The ordinary expenses of this department in the main- tenance of schools, have been-
For salaries of Teachers, Superintendant, and Sec'ry, $72,459.19 Fuel, 5,593.95
Books and apparatus,
528.42
Care of fires, cleaning, &c.,
3,111.40
10
Ordinary repairs of houses,
1,794.04
Furniture for school rooms,
688.67
Furnishings " 983.62
Printing and advertising,
497.03
Rent of repair shop,
148.00
Miscellaneous expenses,
620.20
$86,424.52
The average cost per scholar has been $14.14, being 34 cents greater than in 1867.
There has also been expended during the past year $1,158.76 for the supply of books, charts, maps, &c., for 22 new school rooms in addition to the necessary fur- nishings for the same, amounting to $306.48. These items of payment being for permanent fixtures, may be properly denominated as extraordinary, and should not enter into the annual cost of the maintenance of schools.
Nine thousand and sixty-one dollars and ninety-one cents have been expended by this departinent in supply- ing the requisite desks and seats for new rooms; in the rental of apartments for schools ; in the expenses inci- dent to the burning of the house on Summer street ; in laying brick sidewalks in front of houses, and in the gen- eral repair of the school house estates entrusted to their care.
The fitting up and furnishing the school houses now in progress of erection by the city, must necessarily cause a considerable outlay the coming year.
I should do injustice to my own feelings, and I be- lieve to the cultivated sentiment of this community, did I not utter a word of appreciation of the service render- ed, and of regret at the cause which compelled the res- ignation of our late Superintendent of Schools.
11
In the withdrawal of Col. Chenoweth from this field of labor he had occupied for two years and a half, and to the requirements of which he had so admirably fitted himself, I have felt that our city has experienced a loss the magnitude of which is hardly appreciable at the stand-point of to-day ; a man peculiarly adapted by sym- pathy and affection to win the confidence and direct the steps of our children in all departments of learning ; thoroughly educated himself and well versed in the phi- losophy and methods of teaching; with an enthusiasm for labor limited only by physical endurance, and fully imbued with the nobility of his work.
By his untiring devotion to the interests of our schools he has rendered a service, the influence of which will long be felt by us, and by his acquirements as a scholar and his executive ability as an officer, was fast becoming recognized in our own and other States as one of the leading minds among the educators of New England.
I feel that our teachers and children as well as this community owe to Col. Chenoweth, in the work he inaugurated, the system he established, and the stimu- lating power he gave to the educational interests of our city, a debt of gratitude that cannot easily be paid ; and the recalling at this time of the noble service thus ren- dered, is but a small recognition of appreciation of him as a scholar and a man, and but a slight token of our re- gard and esteem.
SCHOOL HOUSES.
The growth of our city and the increase in population is perhaps made apparent in no other way so forcibly as in the continued demand for enlarged school accommo- dations. The propriety of promptly meeting this de- mand to its fullest extent cannot be questioned in a com-
18
munity like our own, where every sphere of action and almost every calling in life exhibits the supremacy of mind over matter, the continued elevation of the social status of our people, the result of educated labor and skilled industry, and the enlightened liberality which on every hand displays the desire to make the power of prosperity and the accumulations of wealth tributary to the social, moral, and educational advancement of all classes of citizens.
Representing such a constituency, we can have no doubt as regards our duty in affording convenient and ample accommodations for the schools of our city. The measure of responsibility to which the public servant should be held, is that the money appropriated for school houses should be judiciously expended in permanent buildings with the greatest available capacity at the least cost. Such has been the aim of the goverment in the plans adopted for the past few years, and should be continued in the present year.
The school house on Dix street which was commenced in the summer of 1867, was completed and ready for oc- cupancy in March last. The amount expended during the year in the construction of this house, was $11,454 .- 85, which added to the amounts previously paid, togeth- er with the cost of the land, makes a total expense of $32,564.22.
The Lamartine street house, located upon land already the property of the city, of the same style and dimen- sions as the one on Dix street, was commenced in the autumn of 1867, and was occupied for school purposes in May last. The amount paid on account of this house in 1868 has been $16,054.47, which added to the amounts previously paid on account of contract, shows a total cost of $25.812.47.
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In response to the demands of the Board of School Committee for increased school accommodations, the Joint Standing Committee on Education were empower- ed by the City Council to purchase necessary land, ad- vertise for proposals and execute contracts in accordance with the plans and specifications submitted, for the erec- tion of a Brick School House on Edgeworth street near the Rural Cemetery, also a Brick House on Woodland street at the corner of Claremont street, and to build a Brick House in connection with the present houses at South Worcester and Quinsigamond. The contracts were awarded as follows : Edgeworth street, H. & A. Palmer, $16,150 ; Woodland street, J. C. French, $26,- 650 ; South Worcester, Larned & Clough, $17,657, and at Quinsigamond to the same parties for $18,357.
The amount paid for the lot of land on Edgeworth street was $1845.60, and for the lot on Woodland street $6,000 ; $10,759 has also been paid on account of the contracts for building.
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
This department of public interest, which through the munificence of our citizens and the yearly liberality of each passing government has been established and maintained, is accomplishing a work in this community which cannot be estimated in the narrow scope of mone- tary calculation. With its avenues to knowledge always so freely open, available to all classes of our people, op- portunities are afforded for intellectual culture which make this institution a recognized centre of attraction and the pride of our city.
The growing interest of our people in this higher branch of mental attainment, as manifested by the in- creasing numbers who visit the rooms, is a sure presage
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that its worth is fully appreciated. Let us therefore claim the high privilege of granting to this beneficent institution whatever shall be necessary for its full devel- opment and support, and with ready response greet every demand for its liberal maintenance.
The Committee of the Board of Directors of the Li- brary report the books in good order, with comparatively few missing, and these accounted for ; they also state, as a matter of pride and satisfaction, that only 120 volumes have been lost since the opening of the institution, a period of nine years, which fact is still more remarkable when we realize that 510,000 volumes have been taken from the Library by 14,000 borrowers; a result which reflects great care and faithfulness upon the manage- ment, and shows the integrity of those who avail them- selves of its advantages.
The number of new names which have been added to the list of borrowers the past year, is 1368, and the number of books given out from the circulating division of the Library is 58,379, averaging about 200 per day.
523 new books have been purchased and added to the circulating library, and 302 volumes to the Green library. 336 pamphlets have been donated to the insti- tution.
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