USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1871 > Part 19
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The Shade Trees of the City, that line the public streets, have received more than ordinary attention. A few have been planted. A very large number were pruned of dead or useless limbs. And still others have been removed entirely, in cases where they threatened to become a serious hindrance to the use and enjoy- ment of Sidewalks, or already obstructed their establishment. So far as the setting out of new Shade-Trees is concerned, it has not appeared to the Commission to be worth the while to attempt very much. The grade of so many of the Streets is undeter- mined ; the very level of the grade itself is in so few intances thoroughly worked out, even when it has been decreed ; that a tree is at any instant liable to the sudden exposure of its roots oy the official pickaxe or spade. The wiser policy has been pre- ferred, of acquiring a stock of good, merchantable Trees at a minimum price ; allowing them to attain sufficient growth ; and then planting them out along such Streets as may be selected, on both sides, throughout their whole length. Adequate space can thus be ensured between each tree, while their relative posi- tion can conform to some other requirement than that of direct opposition. Moreover the work can be conducted with partial relation to a system previously adopted. With a view to the reception of a nursery of such trees, a suitable tract of land at the South Western corner of Elm Park, was ploughed in the Spring and well-manured and cultivated during the Summer. It nad been designed to set out the young trees in the early Spring : out, owing to delay in their receipt, this was found to be imprac- ticable. Advantage doubtless accrued from a tardiness which, at first, seemed a misfortune, insomuch as the new plantation escaped exposure to the fervent heat and unwonted drought of
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July and August. One Thousand (1,000) Maples and Five Hundred (500) Elms are now in the ground prepared for them, having been carefully and well placed there by Mr. James Draper, with whom a bargain had been previously made. With only ordinary good fortune, there can be no reason why a large proportion should not survive and attain maturity. It is the pur- pose of this Commission to have them properly cared for ; transplanted when their rapidity of growth renders it necessary ; and ultimately to set them out along the Public Streets, as before stated, or to issue them, in lieu of the present impolitic pecu- niary bounty, to persons who will agree to plant them and look out for their future protection.
The following tabular statement will show the number and location of Trees, planted by individuals in A. D., 1871, for which claims were made and allowed by this Commission :- On Chandler and Tatnuck Streets, Twelve (12) Rock Maples.
On Bellevue Street, Five (5) Maples.
On Providence Street, Eight (8) Elms.
On Boynton Street, Two (2) Maples.
On Woodland Street, Five (5)
On Elm Street, Five (5) Elms.
The planting of quite a number that had been contracted for was prevented by the sudden and unexpected commencement of the present severe Winter.
A great amount of work has been done in pruning existing Trees. The giant Elms on Lincoln Street ; those on the terrace at the Southern extremity of Court Hill; and the entire row which so superbly arches Front Street for a little while longer ; have been one and all severely trimmed. If, in the opinion of some, too many limbs were here and there taken ; the answer must be that it was designed rather to accomplish at once what was required than to spin out the work, to the annoyance of the wayfarer, throughout successive years. Frequent amputations by official highway-men had so reduced the roots of many of those lofty and massive Trees, that their impaired vitality was inadequate to the sustenance of the unrestricted top. It is believed that they will now take a new lease of life and attest, in their own peculiar fashion, that the heroic method of surgery is not necessarily fatal. In every one of these cases, the nourish- ment, that would have been wasted in useless development, will
31
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be directed to clothing with verdure limbs that are the nett result derived from artificial selection.
Public convenience has compelled the removal of quite a number of Trees of unequal value. The necessities of the High- way Department, with which this Commission is brought into close relations, have occasioned the felling of several whose destruction, under less immediate urgency, would furnish a theme for regret. The most signal examples were, - on Front Street, where the widening of the travelled way was incompati- ble with the continued toleration of the row of Elms lying East of Church Street ; and the detached and stately specimens on Chestnut St., between Elm and Pleasant Streets. In this last case, the Commission was unanimous in the opinion that the whole four were very much in the way of pedestrians, upon a most important thoroughfare between several churches, the Post- office, and the homes of a large portion of the community desir- ous of their summary extirpation. It was decided, however, to take out two at that time, suffering the others to remain for the present. A distinct understanding was had, in the case of the most northerly, that its continued toleration would be contin- gent upon the execution of a half-formed purpose of Dr. Henry Clarke: and, in that of the other and larger, that the garden- fence of Mr. F. H. Kinnicutt should be retired upon a curve that will compensate for the seven feet of space in the side-walk monopolized by the tree. In most instances, where it was found necessary to remove trees to admit of the setting of curb-stones, their excision was productive of great advantage. Marked examples can be cited ; - one upon East Worcester Street, where Eleven (11) Elms were felled, materially benefitting the remainder ; and another on Main, between Allen and Benefit Streets, in front of the Orphan's Home, at which point the
removal of Twelve (12) Horse Chestnuts left suitable and much- needed room for the fine row of Maples with which they awkardly alternated. The doom of many a goodly tree, on Lincoln Street, was also sealed by the rapid growth of population and the conse- quent demand for sidewalks in and about that thriving portion of the Second Ward. In no instance has authority been granted to fell or remove a tree, without it first underwent a personal inspection from the Chairman of the Commission. Had greater
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discretion been exhibited in choosing fit locations for the Shade- Trees in our Streets, this Commission would be spared the painful duty of so frequently grinding its axe.
The efforts of the Commission to protect the Shade Trees of the City from mutilation have not been attended with the success that could be desired. Somewhat of this ill-fortune must be attributed to thoughtlessness which, reckless of warning or legal provision, persists in using tree-trunks and tree-guards, indis- criminately, as so much gratuitous pasture. In some flagrant cases it is believed that injury might have been prevented, or its agents punished, had not the ministers of the Law held views of their duty widely at variance with those cherished by this Com- mission. The Police appear to be of opinion that the citizen must detect, and, by sworn testimony, convict an offender ; and that to them merely appertains the task of formal arrest, with the final ecstacy of exploring the wonders and participating in the mysteries of that new multiplication table-a Criminal Bill of Costs. The view upheld by this Commission, and cherished by a vast majority of the community, on the contrary, is that officers, even of the Law, should earn their salt; and that the labor should be exacted of those who never fail to be punctual at the Treasury. It is no assumption, to assert that a very imperfect display of vigilance would suppress the mischief in question, although it is not pretended that, by the exercise of such vigilance, the existing standard of proficiency in Draughts and Dominoes might not be sensibly lowered.
During the year which has elapsed since the publication of their last Annual Report, the Commissioners have taken especial note of the welcome accorded to their recommendation of a Boulevard or AVENUE, to environ and also develope the City. Particular gratification was afforded them by the written commendation of their former fellow-townsman, Hon. Andrew H. Green, whose signal merits have but just obtained fitting recognition, and whose long service as the virtual head of the New York Central Park Commis- sion entitles his opinion to commanding influence. Among their fellow-citizens the reception of the project was unexpectedly favorable. Some, indeed, objected to it as a whole, who yet con- ceded the wisdom of rendering Lake Quinsigamond more acces- sible. In a solitary instance, a writer for the press to whose
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 26.
judgement much deference is ordinarily due and yielded, alleging the cost of the right of way as an insuperable obstacle, advised that any future consideration of the plan be postponed for two hundred years. To this it must suffice to respond that the pro- ject of the Commission is intended for the benefit of the very people who shall come into being hereafter and not for their per- plexity in its consideration : and that if its adoption is deferred, as suggested, the chance is infinitesimal of its present advocates, by whom its merits are best appreciated, appearing in its behalf. But more momentous than all else is the fact, not doubted by the least sanguine and perspicacious among us, that in less than the life-time of a generation, this Worcester, that within the memory of the writer, has grown from the quiet village in which the arrival of the Boston coach was an event to the city that makes of slight account the bustle of a hundred Railway trains, will transcend the broadest limits that are contemplated for the location of that AVENUE. It is to anticipate such rapid progress ;- to provide, in advance, that the Worcester of the coming century shall not have the circulation between its extremities obstructed, as is almost disgracefully the case with the Worcester of to-day ;- to insure, so far as may be, the speedy opening and permanent maintenance of at least one wide thoroughfare which shall supply the means of direct intercommunication and easy traffic to, and from, and throughout the suburbs ; that this commission declines to earn the meed of the unprofitable servant, "leaving undone that which ought to be done." That the exact bearing and scope of its re- commendation may be clearly appreciated, the following passage from the report of the Commission for 1870, is copied at length, the importance of its subject-matter justifying the repetition of a statement in the precise expression of which there would be but slight hope of improvement.
" The broad Boulevards that encircle the fair city upon the banks of the Seine, contribute largely to the facilities of intercourse and traffic. A similar AVENUE, encompassing our own Worcester, would contribute more to the developement of the whole City, in the judgement of this Commission, than any other project that has been devised or consummated for years. The farm takes precedence of the shop; and yet, while no sum can be too great to lavish upon the intricate net work of alleys, courts and streets which separate the centre and heart of the Municipality into infinitesimal subdivisions, every dollar is grudged that is re- quired to promote the convenience of those without whose toil man could not live.
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PUBLIC GROUNDS.
The farm and its produce are indispensable ; the middleman and his store are not absolute necessities. Whatever, then, has a tendency to open up the surrounding country ; to develope its natural charms ; and to encourage settlement and culti. vation where now the bramble and the woodchuck hold undisputed possession ; substituting smooth lawns, neat gardens, and improved stock ; inducing the street loafer to become the independant yeoman, and attracting, by the simple aspect of rural loveliness the permanent sojourn of the chance wayfarer ; surely here, and in all this, is an object worth striving for, worth far more, in fact, than even current extravagance could possibiy make it cost in realization. With such an Avenue constructed, there would be an amount of intercommunication of the extremities of the city, as of the outlying but adjacent towns, that would astonish those whose ocular mote is Main Street. That great artery of business would be relieved of much needles yet serious incumbrance : a relief which, attempted in season, can be both cheaply and prudently afforded. As it is now, from Holden to Leicester, from Paxton to Shrewsbury, everything must pass through our one great thoroughfare, wearing out our pavements, impeding our local traffic, laming beasts used for traction and scaring into disease animals destined for consumption. All these annoyances and evils would be obviated, all those benefits and more would be derived, from the construction of the Avenue suggested. So broad as to admit of adequate and grateful shade to ample footpaths ; so thoroughly built as to be proof alike against autumnal frost or vernal flood ; a convenience for the loaded team and an attraction for the pleasure carriage ; wooing occupation of hundreds of charming dells and nooks by its ruthless exposure of rustic beauty, thereby benefiting individuals and augmenting the general valuation ; a measure which commends itself in proportion as it is considered : one which this Com- mission will advocate in season and out of season, living or dying, in the hope and faith of its ultimate consummation."
Did the conception of the proposed AVENUE originate merely in a scheme to accommodate or furnish enjoyment for those who ride in pleasure carriages, numerous as that class is rapidly be- coming, it would not be entertained for an instant by this Com- mission. Even in that case it might be desirable: but in that fact alone could be found no warrant for its adoption. It is in the necessity that exists for better and more uninterrupted ways of intercourse and traffic between the remoter suburbs ; not for- getting the wants of the adjoining Towns, whose obvious market is Worcester ; that a strong, if not convincing, reason is to be found why such an AVENUE should be opened to the public. The incentive that is offered to travel and the increase of commercial business that is developed by the construction of a first-class Highway, or Common Road, must be a matter of faith with the inhabitants of our fair City, to whom such advantages were never vouchsafed. In the light of experience our boasted Civilization
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 26.
appears to have profited us but little. Twenty-Five centuries ago, the traveller from Brundusium to Rome could traverse almost the entire length of the Italian Peninsula, experiencing fewer impedi- ments, and with more actual comfort upon the Road itself than is felt by the " free and enlightened citizen " who perils life and limb in his weary toil through the ridges and sloughs of Worces- ter. Men in these days, are so apt to suffer their attention to be arrested by the wider streams of traffic that they overlook the little rivulets whose multitude makes up for their individual lack of volume. It is essential to the developement of our busy City that the course of Railway travel shall be unimpeded. With this object, measures were taken to secure the transfer, from the centre to the circumference of the inhabited area, of the existing Tracks. The Great Circle is the true key to distance by Land, not less than by Sea. But conceding the utmost that may be claimed for the Railway as an agent of material prosperity, it is absolutely vital to our very existence that the Wagon of the Farmer and the Truck of the Teamster should possess every possible facility of access and transit. The power of the Elephant to pick up a needle is more remarkable than is his ability to uproot an Oak. Other things being equal,-natural advantages of position, and the like, -that community will quickly render itself master of the situa- tion ; outstripping its rivals in the race for commercial pre-emin- ence; which builds and maintains a perfect system of Highways, so thoroughly constructed as to be measurably proof against the vicissitudes of the seasons. In the proposed AVENUE these advan- tages should be secured, with the beauty of rural adornment afforded by the suitable plantation of Shade, and other Trees, conspicuous whether for bloom or foliage. Nor, even then, should such an improvement be authorized, much more commenced, until the Right of Way, in perpetuity, had been absolutely conveyed to the City by the proprietors of real estate lying along the selected Route. This Commission does not admit, at least in this instance, that "to him who hath shall be given." If greed and selfish- ness prove too strong in one direction, let the course of the AVENUE be changed towards some other quarter in which there is light enough for the perception that wise liberality is not incompatible with self-interest. Over much of the Route that ought to be adopted, there is already a travelled road which would simply re-
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quire to be widened. For another portion, by the margin of the Lake, the public decision is likely to be anticipated by the action of individual proprietors. Throughout the entire distance no obstacles present themselves that should daunt the courage or impede the movements of a community like this. Want of space forbids more than a bare reference to the Boulevards of Chicago and St Louis, of which, in their as yet inchoate condition, we are told by shrewd observers that they promise to yield returns to the public treasury far more than commensurate with their exactions. In our own case it is only the adoption of the general plan, and the location of a Route with its definition by ineradicable metes and bounds, that is advocated without compromise or equivoca- tion. A Route-while the land through which it may extend is comparatively valueless : and its Definition so indelibly and plainly that two thirds of the area comprehended shall not, as in the instance of Main Street, be stolen by thieves in the night! Construct it,-after the RIGHT OF WAY is secured,-when and as fast as you will ;- a foot, a rod, or a mile annually, as the popular exigency and favor shall demand. Accepting the prediction, however, from this Commission, that the design, when once entered upon, will so commend itself in execution as to enlist the popular impatience of results in behalf of its immediate com- pletion.
Had the plan of the Commission been limited to devising a more facile and agreeable way of access to Lake Quinsigamond, it would unquestionably have met with more universal accept- ance. The wish to make that lovely sheet of water of easier resort is shared by all classes of the community. And yet, for that very reason, because the charms of this portion of the Route will almost ensure its construction, have especial pains been taken to enlarge upon the imperative necessity of the more rural and secluded sections of the proposed AVENUE. It is by no means certain that the beauties of the landscape disclosed by a suitable Avenue, following the arc which, commencing near the City Alms House, runs by the Sears, Chamberlain, and Flagg Farms, deflecting South Easterly so as to skirt the sparkling Reservoir of the Messrs. Coes, would not take precedence even when forced into close competition with the attractions of the Lake Valley. Still, the Lake occupies a peculiar relation to the entire
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 26.
project which challenges for it a brief consideration. The sub- joined extract from their Report for 1870, will vindicate the reputation of the Commissioners for ordinary prescience showing that, whatever their deficiencies, they were at least not blind to the signs of the times : -
"Above all - as indispensable to the completeness and symmetry of the design, LAKE QUINSIGAMOND should be embraced within its scope. The eye of covetousness already glances at that beautiful sheet of water. It may be that the people of Worcester will consent to hold the fairest ornament of their city at the will, or upon sufferance, of the capital ; but it is not believed that such tame acquiescence will be prompted by any one who has the wit to foresee, in a utilitarian sense only, the advantages that would follow upon its undisputed con- trol. The opinion of the Commissioners is decided that the city of Worcester should obtain, from the Great and General Court, power to occupy and possess Lake Quinsigamond, for the purposes of a PUBLIC PARK, without prejudice to the rights of riparian owners, whatever they may be. In this way, if in no other, could the level of its waters be maintained at their average height, thus preserv- ing the smooth and verdant banks which so much enhance its beauty. Nor can any other method be devised, half as effectual, of forestalling future attempts to divert the water of the Lake for the supply of metropolitan thriftlessness and waste. "
Of the soundness of the views, thus expressed, this Commis- sion is more than ever persuaded. Lake Quinsigamond has been acquired by us, so far as Title may be secured through the agency of a popular vote cast under Legislative sanction. But, whether it will be regarded as reduced to usufruct or possession, in default of any action taken to utilize its pellucid waters, may well be doubted. Long ages since, in the days of Æsop, the-dog-in- the-manger performed his inglorious part. It is not likely that Worcester, in the Nineteenth Century, can desire or would be suffered to emulate that selfish example. Nevertheless the peti- tion to the General Court, for sanction to the taking, by the Metropolis, of water from any source within fifty (50) miles, is a precious because timely warning. It tells us, in unmistakable tones, that the talent committed to us must not be hidden in a napkin nor lie buried in the earth. It says, almost in so many words ; - " You claim that you must have control of Lake Quin- sigamond for the sake of its supply of water. Take, then, and use it ! If, however, you fail to avail yourselves of this conces- sion, do not complain at its possible resumption and grant to others ! "
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This Commission has no desire to magnify its functions, nor to exceed the admitted limits of its authority. But it would omit no practicable method of preserving Lake Quinsigamond in its integrity and to that end would again advise that its recogni- tion as the WATER PARK of Worcester be solicited from the General Court. Viewing that Lake as the one unrivalled natu- ral charm of our landscape, it is of opinion that the most expedient and feasible way of retaining it in its present beauty, or of developing it to extreme perfection, is to be found in com- pelling it to minister to our urgent needs. Projects to this effect are abundant ; to none of them are the Commissioners mechani- cians enough to adhere. Some would be content to try the simple method of pumping by means of steam. These are con- scious of the expense ; but adduce, by way of set-off, the quality of the result as against quantity which is all that can be pretended, and even that with restrictions, of existing modes and appli- ances. Another and larger class, comprising some of the most thoughtful and practical among our citizens, more than doubting the prudence of depending exclusively upon a solitary source and conduit, incline to favor the scheme of deriving any addi- tional supply from the Lake. Of the insuperable difficulties, mysteriously hinted at by those whose gaze is riveted so closely to the setting of the sun behind the hills of Leicester, that they are blind to discern his rise " by Shrewsbury clock " such shrewd men of action make sport as involving only the simplest prob- lems in mechanical engineering. Granted the force : - what shall prevent its operation ! The boldest conception is theirs however, who, reminding us that the original construction of the Causeway cost less than Twenty Thousand Dollars, ($20,000 :) propose to add Fifteen or Twenty Feet to its height and thus retain the augmented volume of water above the dam so as to furnish the requisite power for its own elevation and at the same time maintain the necessary discharge at the outlet. Any inade- quacy of gravitation to lift to the proper height and distance, they would supplement with the forces of Wind and Steam, held in re- serve for public employment, when necessary, and leased for private occupation when their auxiliary might could be dispensed with. The annual outlay, under the most unpropitious conditions, it is claimed could hardly exceed the expense of that most curious
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