USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1872 > Part 19
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
SEC. 3. It shall be the duty of said Engineers, whenever a fire shall break out in the city, immediately to repair to the place of such fire, and to carry with them a suitable badge of their office; to take proper measures that the several engines and other apparatus be arranged in the most advantageous situations, and duly worked for the effectual extin- guishment of the fire ; to require and compel assistance from all persons, as well as members of the department, in extinguishing the fire, removing the furniture, goods, or other merchandise from any building on fire, or in danger thereof, and to appoint guards to secure the same; and to suppress all tumults and disorders. It shall also be their duty to cause order to be preserved in going to, or returning from fires, and at all times when companies attached to the department are on duty.
SEC. 4. Whenever it shall be adjudged, at any fire, by three or more of the Engineers, of whom the Chief, if he be present, shall be
272
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
one, to be necessary, in order to prevent the further spreading of the fire, to pull down or otherwise demolish any building, the same may be done.
SEC. 5. It shall be the duty of the Engineers to inquire for and ex- amine into all shops and other places where shavings or other combus tible materials may be collected and deposited, and at all times be vigi- lant in taking care of the removal of the same, whenever in the opin- ion of any two of them, the same may be dangerous to the security of the city from fires, and to direct the tenant or occupant of said shops or other places, to remove the same; and in case such tenant or occu- pant shall neglect or refuse so to do, to cause the same to be removed at the expense of such tenant or occupant.
SEC. 6. It shall also be the duty of said Engineers to take cognizance of all buildings in the city in which steam engines are used, and of all buildings in the city in process of erection or alteration, and to make a record of such thereof as in their judgment may, from any cause, be dangerous, and report the same to the Mayor and Aldermen forthwith. It shall also be the duty of said Engineers to cause prosecutions to be instituted in all cases of violation of the laws in relation to the erection of wooden buildings, or of any other law or ordinance in relation to the Fire Department, and for the prevention of fire within the limits of the city.
SEC. 7. The Engineers upon complaint to them, or upon their knowledge of any defective chimney, or hearth, within the city of Worcester, shall cause the same to be examined, and shall order the same either to be repaired, or taken down, as they shall deem expe- dient ; and if the owner or owners of any such chimney or hearth shall wilfully neglect to repair or take down the same, after having been no- tified by the Clerk of the Board of Engineers, it shall be the duty of the Board of Engineers, and they shall have full authority, to cause such defective chimney or hearth to be repaired or taken down, and the owner or owners of the same shall pay the whole expense of repairing or taking down such chimney or hearth.
SEC. 8. The Engineers, officers and members of the several compa- nies regularly appointed, shall wear such caps, badges, or insignia of office, when on duty, as the Board of Engineers may from time to time direct, and no others, to be furnished at the expense of the city; and no other person or persons shall wear the same at any time, except under such, restrictions and regulations as the said Engineers may direct.
SEC. 9. Whenever any fire occurs out of the city it shall be the duty of only such and so many of said Engineers to repair thither as shall have been designated for such purpose by the Chief Engineer.
SEC. 10. The Board of Engineers, notwithstanding the provisions herein contained, may, with the approval of the Mayor, grant to any officer or member of the Fire Department, if they shall think it com- patible with the interest of the Department, a vacation not exceeding two weeks in any one year upon such terms as they shall think expe- dient. And the Mayor, with the advice and consent of the Board of Aldermen, may, if he sees fit, whenever any officer or member of the
273
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Fire Department shall not by reason of such vacation, or sickness, or otherwise, attend to his duties in the department appoint a substitute, to act in his place, during his absence, and such substitute shall be enti- tled to the pay of the person absent while he shall thus act.
SEC. 11. The Chief Engineer shall have the sole command at fires, over all other Engineers, and all officers and members of the Fire De- partment, and all other persons who may be present at fires ; and shall direct all proper measures for extinguishment of fires, protection of property, preservation of order and observance of laws, ordinances, and regulations respecting fires. And it shall be the duty of said Chief Engineer to examine into the condition of the engines and all other fire apparatus, and of the Engine and other houses, and the res- ervoirs belonging to the city, and used by the Fire Department, and of the companies attached to the said Department, as often as circum- stances may render it expedient, or whenever directed so to do by the Mayor and Aldermen, or by the committee on the Fire Department, and annually to report the same to the City Council, and oftener, if requested. Also, to cause a full description of the same, together with the names, ages, and residence of the officers and members of the De- partment, to be published annually, in such a manner as the City Coun cil shall direct ; and whenever the engines or other fire apparatus, en- gine or other houses, used by the Department, require alterations, addi- tions, or repairs, the said Chief Engineer, under the direction of the Joint Standing Committee on the Fire Department, shall cause the same to be made. And it shall be, moreover, the duty of the Chief Engi- neer, to place on file all returns of officers, meinbers, and fire apparatus, made by the respective companies, as hereinafter prescribed, and all other communications relating to the affairs of the Fire Department ; to keep, or cause to be kept, fair and exact rolls of the respective com- panies, specifying time of admission and discharge of each member, and also a record of all accidents by fire, which may happen within the city, with the causes thereof, as well as can be ascertained, and the num- ber and description of the buildings destroyed or injured, the amount of insurance upon the same, together with the names of the owners or occupants, and report the same, once in each year, to the City Council. He shall have the superintendence and control of all the engine and other houses used for the purposes of the Fire Department, and of all the furniture and apparatus thereto belonging, and of the horses, en- gines and all other fire apparatus belonging to the city, and over all the officers and members of the several companies attached to the Fire Department. He shall be responsible for the discipline, good order, and proper conduct of the whole Department, both officers and men, and for the care of all houses, engines, hose carriages, hook and ladder carriages, furniture, and apparatus thereto belonging.
Sac. 12. The Chief Engineer shall have power to suspend any offi- cer or member of the Department for insubordination or disorderly conduct, for such length of time as he may deem proper, provided, that such suspension shall be reported by him to the Mayor and Aldermen at their next meeting after said suspension, unless such officer or mem- ber shall have been previously reinstated by said Chief Engineer.
274
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
SEC. 13. All supplies for the use of the Department shall be drawn on requisition upon the Chief Engineer ; and it is hereby made the duty of the Foreman of each and every company to see that all necessary supplies are kept constantly on hand, to secure the proper working of the apparatus in their charge, and all supplies shall be drawn by the Foreman of the several companies.
SEC. 14. It shall be the duty of the Chief Engineer or the Assist- ant Engineer in command, to order from the ground all fire associations or fire companies, not belonging to the fire department. And no such fire association or fire company, or any member thereof, shall act at any fire in said city as a fire company or as a fireman. Provided, however, that the foregoing provision shall not apply to fire companies belonging to other Fire Departments.
SEC. 15. In the absence of the Chief the Assistant Engineer next in rank shall act with full powers, and their seniority in rank, and all questions relative thereto, shall be determined by the Mayor and Alder- men.
SEC. 16. The Clerk of the Board of Engineers shall perform such duties as the Mayor and Aldermen or Chief Engineer may from time to time direct ; and also such other duties as the Board of Engineers by their rules and orders may from time to time determine. He shall have the care and custody of all books, records, papers and documents belonging to the Board ; and he shall deliver the same to his successor in office.
SEC. 17. As many engine, hose, and hook and ladder companies shall from time to time be formed by the Mayor and Aldermen as they shall deem expedient ; and each company shall consist of as many offi- cers and members as shall be thus appointed and duly qualified accord- ing to the provisions of this ordinance ; and vacancies in the Depart- ment may be filled at any time by the Mayor and Aldermen ; and each company shall meet for general business on the first Monday of each month.
SEC. 18. Every company using a hand engine, shall have a first, second and third Foreman, and a Clerk ; those using a hose carriage or hook and ladder carriage shall have a first and second Foreman, and a Clerk ; those using a steamer shall have a first and second Foreman, Clerk, Engineer and an Assistant Engineer. These officers shall be chosen by ballot by their respective companies, together with such other officers as may be necessary, at meetings specially held for that purpose in the month of December annually, and the Chief Engineer or some member of the Board of Engineers, to be designated by the Chief Engineer, shall preside at all meetings for the election of officers.
SEC. 19. Every officer and every member of the Fire Department shall sign the following agreement, to be deposited with the Board of Engineers : "I, A. B., having been appointed as a member of the Wor- cester Fire Department, do hereby agree to abide by all the ordinances of the City Council, and the rules and regulations of the Mayor and Aldermen and of the Board of Engineers relating thereto." And any offi- cer or member who shall neglect or refuse to sign the same shall not be qualified as a member of the Department.
275
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SEC. 20. Whenever any person shall have been elected to any office, as aforesaid, he shall perform all the duties thereof for the year for which he was chosen and until his successor is elected and qualified, unless discharged therefrom, either by death, resignation, or otherwise.
SEC. 21. It shall be the duty of the Foremen to see that the several engines and other apparatus intrusted to their care, and the several buildings in which the same may be deposited, and all things in or be- longing to the same, are kept neat, clean, and in order for immediate use ; to preserve order and discipline at all times in their respective companies and houses, and require and enforce a strict compliance with the city ordinances, the rules and regulations of the Department, and the orders of the Engineers.
SEC. 22. The Clerks of the several companies, before entering upon their duties, shall be sworn to the faithful performance thereof. They shall make quarterly returns to the Chief Engineer, of all absences of the members of their respective companies from fires, or fire alarms, or from meetings for the choice of officers, and, if it shall appear that any member has failed to perform his duties satisfactorily to the Board of Engineers, no compensation shall be allowed him for such length of time as he may have been delinquent; and if any Clerk shall make a false report, he shall be expelled from the Department, and any pay that may be due him at the time, shall be forfeited to the city. They shall also keep, or cause to be kept, by the Clerk of their respective companies, fair and exact rolls, specifying the time of admission and discharge of each member, with their age and residence, and accounts of all the city property intrusted to the care of the several members, in a book provided for that purpose by the city, which rolls or record books shall always be subject to the order of the Board of Engineers, the Mayor and Aldermen, or the Committee on the Fire Department. They shall also make, or cause to be made to the Chief Engineer, true and accurate returns of all the members and the apparatus intrusted to their care, whenever called upon so to do. They shall have the care and custody of all books, records, papers and documents belonging to the Company, and shall record all the doings of the Company in a book to be furnished by the city ; and they shall deliver said books, records, papers and documents to their successors in office.
SEC. 23. For every absence or tardiness at any roll call, there shall be deducted from the pay of the absent or tardy officer or member the sum of twenty-five cents, and at an alarm of fire one dollar, which amount so deducted shall be paid to meet the incidental expenses of the company. And if any officer or member shall have been absent or tardy at more than one-third of the fires, or alarms of fires, occurring during the year, if more than five, except in case of sickness, such ab- sence or tardiness shall be considered good cause for his discharge from the Department.
SEC. 24. Any officer or member of the Fire Department who shall wilfully neglect or refuse to perform his duty, or shall be guilty of dis- orderly conduct or disobedience to his superiors in office, shall for such offence, besides being subject to the penalty hereinafter provided, be dismissed from the Department ; and any officer or member of the
276
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
Fire Department may, at any time, be removed or dismissed from the Department, or deposed from any office that he may hold therein, by the Mayor.
SEC. 25. In all cases of removal from office, or from the Depart- ment, by the Mayor, the name of the person removed, with a state- ment of the reasons therefor, shall be transmitted to the Board of Aldermen at their next regular meeting, and no officer, who may have been dismissed or removed from the Fire Department, shall be rein- stated therein, unless by a two-thirds vote of the Aldermen.
SEC. 26. It shall be the duty of the officers and members of the several engine, hose, and hook and ladder companies, whenever a fire shall break out in the city, to repair forthwith to their respective engines, hose, hook and ladder carriages, and other apparatus, and to convey them, in as orderly a manner as may be, to or near the place where the fire may be, and, in conformity with the direction of the Chief or other Engineers, to exert themselves in the most orderly manner possible, in working and managing the said engines, hose, and hooks and ladders, and other apparatus, and in performing any duty that they may be called on to do by any Engineer ; and, upon permission of the Chief or other Engineers shall in an orderly and quiet manner, return the said apparatus to their respective places of deposit. Provided, in the absence of all the Engineers, such direction and permission may be given by their respective Foremen.
SEC. 27. No company shall draw water from the reservoirs, except in case of fire, unless by special permission of the Chief Engineer, nor shall any engine, hose, or hook and ladder be taken to a fire out of the city, without permission of an Engineer ; nor shall any apparatus of the Fire Department be taken from the city, other than to a fire, with- out permission from the Mayor and Aldermen.
SEC. 28. No person under the age of eighteen years shall be em- ployed or act as a member of the Fire Department ; nor shall any per son be so employed or so act unless he is a citizen of the United States.
SEC. 29. There shall be paid to each member of the Department, such sum, in semi-annual payments, as the City Council may, from time to time, determine ; and any member of the Fire Department who shall perform the duties for a less term than one year, shall be paid pro rata, for the number of months he may have been in service ; but no com- pensation shall be allowed for a less term of service than three months.
SEC. 30. The members of the several companies shall not assemble in the houses intrusted to their care on the Sabbath, except for the pur- pose of taking the engine or apparatus, on an alarm of fire, and of re- turning the same to the house, and taking the necessary care of said apparatus after its return, and any member violating this regulation herein made, shall be liable to be discharged from the Department ·by the Mayor and Aldermen. This regulation shall not apply to the offi- cers and stewards of the several companies.
SEC. 31. No person shall bring into, or suffer to remain in, any building occupied by any company in the Fire Department, any cards, dice or other articles used for gaming, nor shall any intoxicating liquor be kept or used therein, and no person, not a member of the Fire De-
277
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
partment, shall frequent the house of any fire company ; nor shall any person under the age of eighteen years run with any such company.
SEC. 32. No person shall insult, menace, hinder, obstruct, oppose or give an order to any Engineer or fireman while on duty, nor shall any person presume to act as a member of any company belonging to the Fire Department of the city of Worcester until he has been duly appointed and qualified.
SEC. 33. No fire engine, hook and ladder truck, or hose carriage shall, in going to or returning from any fire, or at any other time, be run, driven, wheeled, drawn or placed on any sidewalk, except by the special order of the Chief Engineer, or of an Assistant Engineer.
SEC. 34. In case of an alarm of fire the several bells of the city shall be rung or tolled and the whistles sounded under such rules and regula- tions, as the Board of Engineers shall from time to time prescribe, and no person shall knowingly give a false alarm of fire, or knowingly pro- claim that any fire is extinguished, or out, when it is not.
SEC. 35. No person shall keep, or suffer to be kept in any building or tenement occupied by him within the limits of said city any friction match, or matches, unless the same be kept inclosed and well secured in a box, or vessel of iron, or some other incombustible material.
SEC. 36. No person shall keep ashes in any vessel made of wood ; nor shall any person set on fire any straw, shavings, or other combusti- ble materials, in any street, lane, alley, or other place in said city, ex- cept between sunrise and sunset.
SEC. 37. No person shall carry fire in or through any street, high- way, lane, alley or public place in said city, except in some covered, secure vessel ; nor shall any person have in his possession in any rope- walk, barn or stable in said city, any fire, lighted pipe or segar, nor lighted candle or lamp, except such candle or lamp is kept in a secure lantern.
SEC. 38. No person shall carry into, or use in any barn, stable, hay- loft, or other place in said city in which hay or straw is kept or used, any lighted candle, or lamp, not inclosed in a lantern, nor any lighted pipe or segar.
SEC. 39. No person shall leave any shavings, straw, or other com- bustible matter, in any highway, street, lane, or other public place, or in any other situation in said city, exposed to fire.
SEC. 40. The tenant of each and every workshop in said city, shall, at least once in six days, cause all shavings in such shop, to be removed therefrom to some suitable or safe place.
SEC. 41. The municipal year of the Fire Department s hall begin on the first Monday of January annually, at 6 o'clock, P. M.
SEC. 42. Whoever violates any provision of this ordinance shall forfeit and pay to the use of the city of Worcester a sum not exceed- ing twenty dollars.
SEC. 43. The nineteenth chapter of the Laws and Ordinances of the city of Worcester is hereby repealed ; but such repeal shall not effect any act done, or the tenure of office of any person holding office at the time it takes effect.
SEC. 44. This ordinance shall take effect from and after its passage.
37
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
Gentlemen of the City Council :
The Board of Overseers of the Poor respectfully submit the following as the result of their labors in the discharge of the duties intrusted to their care during the past year.
The entire number for whom provision has been made is fifteen hundred and eleven ; and although the number is fifty-three less than in 1871, those for whom entire support has been called for has exceeded last year by more than that number, while many more have had full support for a longer or shorter period, during severe sickness at our City Hospital.
The whole number of persons having a legal Pauper settle- ment in this city, who have been fully supported during the year, is one hundred and sixty-two, and the average number for the whole year is fifty-eight.
The number of insane has been eight : seven males and one . female ; which is but one-half of the number supported last year, which was, as has been before stated, the largest ever had in this city.
Sixty-one persons and families, State Paupers, who had been brought into the city by the various railroads, from places with- out the State, and claimed support from the city, have, at the request of the Board, been transported, without charge, back again to the places they were brought from, in accordance with the Statute in such cases provided.
280
CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 27.
Sixty State Paupers, who have demanded and received relief to a greater or less extent during the year, have been sent to the State Alms-House, at the expense of the city ; thirty-eight of whom went to Monson, and twenty-two to Tewksbury.
The alteration of the law, by which these persons are obliged to be sent over three different railroads, not only makes it more expensive to the Towns who send them, but extremely difficult for the Paupers, who, in most cases, are either infirm or igno- rant, and frequently miss the route, and are carried in some other direction ; and many sent from other places, for the same reason, get lost on the route, and are brought here for us to provide for.
Three hundred and eleven heads of families, composed of one hundred and eighty-eight males and one hundred and twenty- three females, with six hundred and twenty-two children, mak- ing in all nine hundred and thirty-three persons, all of whom were State Paupers, have received temporary aid or partial sup- port during the year. One hundred and eleven of this number were too sick to be removed, and had to be provided for in their own homes or at the Hospital, often at large expense ; but part of which was charged to the Commonwealth, and not all of that has been allowed, although our claims have been urgently pre- sented, and would not have been disputed, had they been against any other city or town ; but in the case of the State, provision is only made for the Pauper himself personally, and in his case only from the date of notice, although a large expense may have been previously incurred.
Your attention has, in former reports, been called to the defects of the law providing for the sick State poor, and it is now earnestly recommended that you instruct the Representa- tives of this City, in the next Legislature, to use their influence in seconding any efforts that may be made by the Agent of the Board of State Charities having charge of this Department, to extend the aid to the families of the sick to a certain amount, in a similar manner to those provided for by cities and towns where persons have a legal settlement.
Four hundred and forty-one heads of families, having legal settlements, have applied for and received temporary aid or par-
281
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
tial support during the year : two hundred and sixty-one were males, and one hundred and eighty were females; of these one hundred and eighty-seven were relieved the first time : one hun- dred and seventy of them were males, and seventeen females ; ninety-six of them had a settlement in this city : fifty-five males, and forty-one females.
Forty-one had a military settlement : twenty-six were males, and fifteen females. Ninety-two had settlements otherwise : forty-six males, and forty-six females.
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.