USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1874 > Part 16
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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 expe- dient; and each company shall consist of as many officers and members as shall be thus appointed and duly qualified according to the provisions of this ordinance ; and vacancies in the Department 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 lad- der 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 As- sistant 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 Worcester 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 En- gineers relating thereto." And any officer or member who shall neglect or refuse to sign the same shall not be qualified as a member of the 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 belonging to the same, are
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kept neat, clean, and in order for immediate use; to preserve order and disci- pline 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 com- panies, 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 prop- erty entrusted 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 Com- mittee 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 ap- paratus entrusted to their care, whenever called upon so to do. They shall have the care and custody of all books, records, papers and documents be- longing 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 de- ducted 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 de- ducted shall be paid to meet the incidental expenses of the company. And if any officer or member snall have been absent or tardy at more than one-third of the fires, or alarms of fire occurring during the year, if more than five, except in case of sickness, such absence 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 disorderly 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 Fire Department may, at any time be re- moved 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 Department by the Mayor, the name of the person removed with a statement 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 reinstated 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
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 29.
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 con- formity 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 per- mission 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, without permission from the Mayor and Aldermen.
SEC. 28. No person under the age of eighteen years shall be employed or act as a member of the Fire Department; nor shall any person 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 deter- mine; 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 compensation 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 purpose of taking the engine or apparatus, on an alarm of fire, and of returning the same to the house, and taking the necessary care of said apparatus after its return, and any member violating this regulation herein mnade, shall be liable to be discharged from the Department by the Mayor and Aldermen. This regula- tion shall not apply to the officers 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 Department, 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 pre- sume 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.
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SEC. 34. In case of an alarm of fire the several bells of the ciiy shall be rung or tolled and the whistles sounded under such rules and regulations as the Board of Engineers shall from time to time prescribe, and no person shall knowingly give a false alarm of fire, or knowingly proclaim 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 tene- ment 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 ves- sel 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 combustible materi- als, in any street, lane, alley, or other place in said city except between sun- rise and sunset.
SEC. 37. No person shall carry fire in or through any street, highway, 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 combustible 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 shall 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 exceeding 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 affect 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.
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THE CITY HOSPITAL.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 1873-"74.
Alderman-LEWIS BARNARD, S JAMES S. ROGERS, Terms Expire 1874. HENRY GODDARD, At Large-DR. F. H. KELLEY, President, Term Expires 1876. STEPHEN SALISBURY, JR., Secretary, Term Expires 1876. DR. JOSEPH SARGENT, Term Expires 1878. ALBERT CURTIS, Term Expires 1875.
MEDICAL STAFF, 1873-'74.
Consulting Physicians.
Joseph Sargent, M. D. F. H. Kelley, M. D. B. D. Eastman, M. D. Visiting Physicians.
Rufus Woodward, M. D. J. Marcus Rice, M. D. Albert Wood, M. D.
George A. Bates, M. D.
Oramel Martin, M. D. Emerson Warner, M. D.
Henry Clarke, M. D. George E. Francis, M. D.
Joseph N. Bates, M. D. John O. Marble, M. D.
Thomas H. Gage, M. D.
Leonard Wheeler, M. D. L. S. Dixon, M. D.
Resident and Admitting Physician. Leonard Wheeler, M. D., Resigned. Charles A. Peabody, M. D.
REPORT OF TRUSTEES.
To Hon. Edward L. Davis, Mayor, and the City Council of the City of Worcester :
THE Trustees of the City Hospital respectfully present their fourth annual report.
On the 20th of January of the present year, the work of removal of patients and furniture from the Bigelow Mansion, hitherto occupied as a hospital, to the present location of this charity, the Jaques Homestead on Wellington street, took place. By the change, greater convenience, increased accommodation and a more agreeable situation was obtained, besides an opportu- nity to treat four more patients, making a maximum of sixteen. The new location has proved well adapted to the wants of a hospital, and the advantage of a large area for exercise of con- valescent patients has been fully demonstrated, while the kitchen and flower garden have offered the comforts of home at a small expense. The large barn on the estate has been turned to good account. Besides the stables, three rooms have been arranged for purposes of a laundry, and another room for the gardener, while there is still remaining much available opportunity for storage and for other purposes.
Upon the removal of the Hospital from Front Street, the Memorial Free Dispensary, a charity kindred to our own, established by the benefaction of Hon. Ichabod Washburn, took possession of the Bigelow Mansion, and has been doing a good work in relieving the poor of the city in want of medical treat- ment.
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CITY HOSPITAL.
In the month of May, the Hospital Medical Staff, consisting of twelve members, effected an organization to enable them better to consider and discuss the condition and needs of the Hospital, to establish a means of official communication with the Board of Trustees, and to advance medical knowledge. For this purpose they adopted a set of By-Laws, and appointed officers and com- mittees. Their report is herewith presented. The continued faithfulness manifested by these physicians in gratuitously attend- ing to the daily practice of the hospital should not be forgotten. Two physicians visit it each day, and upon them the care and responsibility for the welfare of the patients rests during their term of service, which is two months, at the end of which time other two succeed. The attention and treatment of each patient is the same as in private practice.
The most considerable gift received during the year was a con- sulting Library of Medical Books, selected with especial reference to the necessities of hospital practice. The following is a copy of the vote of the Trustees with reference to this gift :-
" Voted, That the thanks of the Trustees of the City Hospital be presented to our associate, Mr. Albert Curtis, for his very liberal and judicious donation of standard works in medicine and surgery, which make for the hospital an admirable foundation for a Library of Reference, and constitute the first contribution in this di- rection : and that the Secretary be requested to enter the list of titles in the Records of the Board of Trustees, and that the Superintend- ent be desired to affix to the cover of each volume a label stating that it is the gift of Albert Curtis, Esq."
Valuable medical works were also presented by Dr. Albert Wood and Dr. Oramel Martin.
The Secretary presented a valuable Book and Instrument Case, the receipt of which the Trustees acknowledged by the following vote :-
" Voted, That the thanks of the Trustees be extended to Mr. Stephen Salisbury, jr., for the beautiful Library and Instrument Case, which he has presented to the City Hospital, and which is admirably adapted to our wants, besides being a most generous and appropriate donation."
In order to secure proper treatment for those who are suffering from diseases of the eye and ear, Dr. L. S. Dixon has been ap- pointed oculist and aurist upon the Medical Staff, and the Trustees
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 29.
consider themselves fortunate in having secured such able advice in this department.
In the month of August, a communication from the Board of Physicians and Surgeons brought clearly before the Trustees the inadequacy of accommodation of our present quarters and the pressing need of additional room. In consequence of this state- ment of facts, which coincided so exactly with their own views, the Trustees obtained a hearing before a joint convention of the City Council and were represented by the President and other members of the Board, together with a portion of the Medical staff. The Trustees advocated erecting a pavilion of one or two stories in height, capable of accommodating from twenty-five to forty patients, in addition to those already cared for in the present building. The estimated cost of this enlargement was $8,000.00, which sum was thought to be amply large for all contingent expenses.
After a full presentation of facts at this hearing, a Joint Com- mittee of the City Council was selected, which made a report un- favorable to the proposed enlargement. ' This course of action on the part of the City Government was unexpected and was a disappointment to the Trustees. They had based their argument in favor of this scheme: 1st. Upon the actual necessities of the case, as the number of applicants fit subjects for treatment often outnumbered the accommodations. 2d. Upon the fact that the present crowded condition of the Homestead was liable to pro- duce injurious effects upon the patients by preventing the proper classification of diseases, while the construction of the building does not permit of satisfactory ventilation when used for so large a number of patients. 3d. The change in the theory of Hospital construction from the former system of elaborate permanent buildings of several stories in height to a series of detached pavil- ions of inexpensive construction, which shall be considered, to a certain extent, temporary, so that after a certain time they can be removed, is so recent, that it would be desirable that the ex- periment upon a large scale should be first proved incontestably a success before its adoption in the construction of a permanent Hospital, to meet the present and prospective wants of the city.
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4th. It was thought that by a moderate expenditure at the pres- ent time sufficient additional accommodation might be secured to postpone the necessity of any further movement in this direction for five years at least.
Though this subject is now disposed of for the present, the Trustees are of the opinion that the urgency of necessity will compel a reconsideration of this action of the City Council during the coming year.
Dr. Leonard Wheeler, who has filled the office of Resident and Admitting Physician at the Hospital since July, 1872, with ability and to the acceptance of the Trustees, resigned his posi- tion November 1, to enter upon general practice in this city. Dr. Charles A. Peabody, favorably known as a physician at the Wor- cester Free Dispensary, was appointed to succeed Dr. Wheeler, and has entered upon his duties.
On the 7th of November the executors of the will of our benefactor, George Jaques, made over the whole personal prop- erty remaining in their hands to the care of the City Treasurer, in the presence of the President of this Board, to the amount of $20,852.79. The Real Estate is already in control of the city, and represents a value of over $200,000. By the ninth clause of Mr. Jaques' will, he makes the following disposition of his property :-
"All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real, personal or mixed, not herein otherwise disposed of, of which I may die seized and possessed or to which I may in any way be entitled at the time of my decease, whatever the same may be, wherever it may be or be situated, I give, devize and bequeath unto the city of Worcester, in trust however, to be by the city applied to the sole and particular use and benefit of the institution recently established and known as the Worcester City Hospital, and to no use or purpose other than that whatsoever. While I would not wish to give any particular direction to the bequest, nor incur the risk of defeating the purpose I have in view in making it by im- posing any limitation or condition as to the manner of its use, still I should prefer to see it set apart as a separate fund, and the income thereof only applied to the support and maintenance of said Hospital, if such a course shall commend itself to the wis- dom of those having it in charge."
There are two purposes to be borne in mind by the managers
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 29.
of any charitable bequest or of a fund the income of which is to support a benevolent undertaking : 1st, to keep the fund safely invested in such a way that a reasonable income may be annually realized; 2d, to manage the bequest in accordance with the ex- pressed wishes of the donor, not only thereby to discharge a solemn duty to the giver, but also by a faithful compliance with the conditions of the gift to obtain the confidence of the com- munity, and induce others interested in the same charity to contribute to its support in a similar manner. This purpose is most satisfactorily accomplished in a case like the present by such investment of the legacy as shall provide for the gradual incease of the fund so liberally bestowed. To the Trustees of the Hos- pital, it appears of far more consequence that the tacit obligation of the recipients should be faithfully discharged than that the city should be temporarily relieved of the support of one of its charities. It must be remembered that only $21,000 of the gift of Mr. Jaques is producing income, the remainder, in the form of real estate, bringing in no immediate returns.
The distinct purpose and expressed wish of Mr. Jaques, as appears in his will, was that his entire property should be devoted to the support of a City Hospital; also that his bequest of real and personal estate should be consolidated into a general fund, the income from which alone should be used for the support of the Hospital. Much of the real estate is not susceptible of im- mediate sale or improvement, and a wise policy would require a conservative management of the land. The community expect of the city that this legacy shall be placed in such control, whether in the hands of trustees advisory of the Board of Direction of the City Hospital, or in some other management, so that the whole and entire value of the gift may be realized for the benefit of this object. It now becomes the duty of the City Government to devise some scheme by which this property shall be managed in the future, independent of the dangerous influences of party or clique, so that what is accomplished with the Jaques fund may be a monument to the generous benefactor in all time.
In this connection attention is called to a communication of the President to the Board of Trustees, which is appended to this report, and which suggests and advocates a change in the
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CITY HOSPITAL.
city ordinance relating to the investment of bequests. The views therein expressed commend themselves to the Trustees of this Hospital, and are presented for the consideration of the City Government.
In the last annual report the establishment of a system of Free Beds, now become so general in the hospitals of the country, was considered. By this means, individuals can assist in the support of such an institution while themselves acquiring the right to send patients for treatment, free of charge. Should the Hos- pital be enlarged during the coming year, it is confidently ex- pected that quite a number of Free Beds would be subscribed for.
The following report in detail of the receipts and expenses of maintaining and conducting the Hospital during the past year, is submitted. The extraordinary expense of preparing and furnish- ing the Jaques Homestead for use as a hospital, is distinctly stated in the account.
RECEIPTS AND EXPENSES.
RECEIPTS.
Balance unexpended, Nov. 30, 1873,
$2,191 22
Appropriation, 1874,
12,000 00
Board from Paying Patients,
679 72
Board from State, for care of Patients,
344 93
Sales of Produce and Material,
127 00
Rent of Front street Property,
218 75
Rent of land belonging to the Jaques Estate,
99 50
$15,661 12
EXPENSES.
REPAIRS OF JAQUES HOMESTEAD.
Carpentry,
$749 23
Painting,
$261 21
Furniture,
375 40
Hardware, &c.,
91 11
Furnace, Stoves, &c.,
366 24
Plumbing, &c.,
330 73
Sewerage,
185 24
Carpets, &c., 333 75
Mason work,
184 77
Bedding and Dry Goods,
81 56
Gas piping,
76 56
Bell hanging,
12 05
Upholstery,
42 51
Grading, &c.,
172 65
Trucking,
23 00
$3,286 01
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CITY DOCUMENT .- No. 29.
Salaries and Pay Roll,
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